The horror genre has scored a string of hits this year across films, games and OTT platforms, emerging as a new growth driver for the content industry. Investment is also expanding as companies see the potential for high returns with relatively low production costs.

On Oct. 11 (local time), IT media outlet The Verge reported that Capcom's horror game Resident Evil Requiem has sold 8 million copies since its release in February. That ranks 14th in Capcom's overall game sales. Six titles in the series have each sold more than 3 million copies this year, and the company said the new release's popularity is creating a virtuous cycle that boosts sales of older titles.

In the film market, directors who started on YouTube drew attention. Combined global box-office revenue for Obsession and Backrooms totals about $920 million. Their production budgets were only about $1 million and $10 million, respectively. Iron Lung, made without the backing of a major studio, also generated more than $50 million in box-office revenue.

The OTT industry is competing in horror content this month, which includes Halloween. Amazon Prime Video released Carrie, while Netflix unveiled the monster thriller Below. Peacock introduced Crystal Lake, a prequel to Friday the 13th, and Disney+ rolled out the 13th season of American Horror Story. Apple TV also joined the horror wave with Widow's Bay, which it released in April.

The genre's popularity is also evident in game streaming. Twitch said horror content logged 287 million hours watched from Jan. 1 to Sept. 1 this year. Viewing time for streams tagged as horror rose 6 percent from a year earlier.

As indie horror games such as Iron Lung and Exit 8 are adapted into films, the boundary between games and movies is also blurring. In this trend, A24 and Neon are adapting the online shared universe SCP Foundation into a film, and Warner Bros has secured the rights to Siren Head. The outlet said horror content born on YouTube and in indie games is expanding into films and OTT, becoming an investment driver across the industry.