Horror movies always turn a profit, no matter the decade or economy.
Movies that came out during the Great Depression: Dracula (1931), Frankenstein (1931), Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931), Freaks (1932), The Mummy (1932), White Zombie (1932), The Invisible Man (1933), King Kong (1933), and Bride of Frankenstein (1935).
Those are some of my favorite movies. I’m not a fan of gore or modern horror, but I love the old ones.
The movies of producer Val Lewton come to mind. Most are from the mid 1940’s.
“I Walked With a Zombie” is probably the one most people are familiar with.
Some other good ones from the 1930’s are “M”, “The Old Dark House.”, “The Black Cat”,