Horror fans are eagerly anticipating the release of Final Destination: Bloodlines, and in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, New Line Cinema president and CCO Richard Brener reflected on the history and future of the company’s alternative filmmaking arm, a division of Warner Bros.

Notably, in the 1990s and 2000s, New Line Cinema expanded its repertoire to include not only successful franchises but also arthouse staples that told compelling stories, many of which have stood the test of time. This approach can be seen as paving the way for companies like A24 and Neon, with properties originating from horror, cult, and auteur films such as Nightmare on Elm Street, The Mask, Austin Powers, Mortal Kombat, Seven, Lord of the Rings, Elf, The Conjuring, and many more.

Currently, New Line’s primary focus is on horror, a shift that Brener attributes to the current cinematic demand for the genre, which is relatively easy to produce. In his words to THR, “It’s not been a huge change in the sense that we’ve kind of been making the same kinds of movies, whether it’s horror, comedy, female-driven films. The budgets haven’t changed, the expectations don’t change, and the pressure doesn’t change. There’s an ebb and flow in the sense that we probably are making less comedies today and more horror movies, because horror movies have been working more, and there are people who are nervous about comedies, I think unjustifiably.”

Despite this, finding a balance between creating more franchise movies, which audiences claim to be tired of but still attend, and original films, which can struggle to fill theater seats, is a challenge New Line is facing. For example, Companion received positive reviews from both audiences and critics but did not perform well at the box office.

Brener noted, “I think it’s very rare to find a movie that scores as well with the audience and critics. There may be some things in the concept that were hard to get through in short form in marketing, but we’re super proud of the movie and would love to work with [writer-director] Drew [Hancock] again. He’s an amazing talent. The movie will be profitable for us.”

It’s often the case that a solid horror film eventually finds its audience over time, a phenomenon New Line is familiar with, thanks to past films that evolved from cult favorites to horror or genre staples like Dark City, Spawn, or Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me.

New Line’s current master of horror is James Wan, who is concluding his era of Conjuring movies by producing the ninth film in the universe, The Conjuring: Last Rites. Directed by Michael Chaves, the film will see the return of Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as Ed and Lorraine Warren and is expected to be a grand finale of sorts. Brener hints that early versions of the film are already “testing through the roof,” indicating a potential blockbuster farewell.

He classified Last Rites as the “last of what we call phase one” and expressed hope for more films, leaving open the question of whether the second phase will reboot the universe or introduce new leads outside of the Warrens.

Brener continued to discuss the focus on horror franchise titans, “We’re also making our second Evil Dead movie with plans for a third as well. But there’s also new, fresh ones that you haven’t heard of that we believe, in success, we’ll have multiple installments,” he said. While there’s interest in revisiting Nightmare on Elm Street, a film that laid a solid foundation for the company, Brener noted it’s complicated due to rights issues: “We hope so. It’s complicated because of the rights.”

For the full interview with Brener, visit The Hollywood Reporter.

Looking for more io9 news? Check out the latest release dates for Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.