Andre Øvredal was first noticed by Hollywood for having directed the horror film Trollhunter, which gained immediate attention both in Norway and abroad. The popularity of Trollhunter lead to him working on another horror film, this time in Hollywood. The Autopsy of Jane Doe was produced in Hollywood and came out last year.
Øvredal is one of many Norwegian directors of horror films that later moved on to big Hollywood productions. Tommy Wirkola, Roar Uthaug and Pål Sletaune have had similar successes.
The Norwegian Film Institute, which is responsible for distributing financial support from the government, has not contributed financially to Norway’s most recent popular horror films. This is partially due to the directors’’ reluctance to apply.
“We don’t feel like working on an application for weeks, knowing that we will get a no anyways,” says Severin Eskeland, director of the Norwegian horror film Lyst to NRK.
Christer Bakke Andresen, who has a PhD in Norwegian Horror Film, hypothesizes that horror films will soon cease to receive financial support from the state. He points out to NRK that “Norway isn’t Hollywood” and that Norway doesn’t have a profitable film industry. Film productions are therefore very much dependent on state funding. The Norwegian Film Institute has mostly given support to other genres and receives few applications from projects within the horror genre.
