Did 'Backrooms' and 'Obsession' Really Kick Off a Gen-Z Horror Wave?
Rolling Stone • • general
Key Points:
- Two recent low-budget horror films, Obsession and Backrooms, made by filmmakers under 30 who built audiences on YouTube, have achieved significant box-office success and challenged Hollywood’s traditional blockbuster dominance.
- Obsession, directed by 26-year-old Curry Barker, is a modern horror-romantic tale inspired by classic supernatural cautionary stories, which saw its box-office revenue increase by nearly 40% in its second weekend after a $15 million acquisition by Focus Features.
- Backrooms, created by 21-year-old Kane Parsons and based on his viral online horror shorts, has grossed over $200 million globally, becoming A24’s highest-grossing film, and features a surreal narrative about an endless maze of mysterious spaces.
- These films exemplify a potential Gen Z horror renaissance fueled by young talent leveraging digital platforms and online fanbases to bypass traditional film industry routes and attract a new generation of moviegoers.
- While it remains to be seen if this trend will sustain, the success of these films reflects growing franchise fatigue among younger audiences and suggests a shift toward fresh, creator-driven content in the horror genre.