Kyle Steinike

As we move up the budget range, we start to see stronger correlations, with horror moving into the stronger cohort of correlated genres.

The weakest links are at the lowest end of movie budgets. In one case (low-budget horror), there is even a slight negative correlation. This includes movies such as Paranormal Activity and Terrifier, where atmosphere, novelty, or shock value mattered more than tidy story logic. (The connection here is weak, so we shouldn’t over-read this result).

The strongest link was to be found among thrillers, comedies and dramas. The data suggests that for movies like these, it’s a bad idea to leave audiences confused about key plot elements.