LOS ANGELES: Producer Jason Blum on Thursday apologised for his comments that there are not many female filmmakers who are willing to direct a horror movie.
Blum posted an apology on Twitter, saying that he regretted his "dumb comments" and he spoke "too quickly".
"Thank you everyone for calling me out on my dumb comments in that interview. I made a stupid mistake. I spoke too quickly about a serious issue--an issue that I am passionate about," he wrote.
Blum is known for producing films such as "Insidious", "Sinister", "The Purge" and "Get Out", among others, through his banner Blumhouse Productions.
In an interview with Polygon, the 49-year-old producer had said Blumhouse has not produced a film directed by a woman because "there are not a lot of female directors, period, and even less who are inclined to do horror".
He was severely criticised on social media for his comments with many users noting that "Babadook" director Jennifer Kent and "Honeymoon" helmer Leigh Janiak are among the women filmmakers who have done well with the horror genre.
In his post, Blum said that 50 per cent of the Blumhouse staff are women, who also form a large part of the audience.
He also said that many franchises are fronted by women, including "Halloween", whose latest installment is due to hit the theatres.
"But we have not done a good enough job working with female directors, and it's not because they don't exist. I heard from many today. The way my passion came out was dumb. And for that I am sorry.I will do better," Blum said.