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Not all horror hits the same way. Join us as we break down the surprising success of two box office horror sensations, exploring what sets them apart and why each one taps into a completely different kind of fear! From slow-burn dread to twisted dark comedy, these films prove that originality still has a place in Hollywood. Which one got under your skin the most?
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00:02Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're breaking down the success of Backrooms and Obsession,
00:07two recent horror movies that each offer a different kind of fear.
00:13In an era when cinema's future seems more uncertain than ever,
00:17two films have given audiences, artists, and even studio accountants hope.
00:25On a budget of no more than $1 million,
00:27Curry-Barker's Obsession crossed the $100 million mark domestically in just three weeks.
00:32The same weekend that Obsession reached that milestone,
00:43A24 released Kane Parsons' Backrooms.
00:46Over those three days, Backrooms made eight times its $10 million budget in North America alone,
00:52with the international box office bringing it over the $100 million threshold.
00:57Beyond their financial returns, Obsession and Backrooms seemingly have much in common,
01:02both being horror films from directors who started on YouTube.
01:06Yet it's the differences between these movies that make their back-to-back success encouraging for cinephiles everywhere.
01:11Bear, I love you so, so, so, so, so much.
01:15I don't think I could live without you.
01:17While Barker and Parsons already had online followings,
01:20their first theatrical features have established them as exciting new voices on the cinema scene.
01:25Do you feel like a first-time filmmaker, or does that label feel a little strange?
01:29Yeah, I mean, that label does feel strange.
01:32I guess I'm not looking for seeking any particular label.
01:36Come awards season, Barker could compete for Best Original Screenplay,
01:39while Parsons would be eligible in the adapted field.
01:42Backrooms is based on Parsons' found footage web series,
01:45which emerged as a viral hit in 2022.
01:48What is this?
01:50Although Parsons preserves the web series lore for longtime fans,
01:53his feature film also serves as a strong entry point for newcomers.
01:57Parsons manages to expand upon the original concept,
02:00providing fresh perspectives without restricting itself to the property's found footage origins.
02:05Look, I know how this sounds, but you gotta understand, it's massive in there.
02:08Obsession, meanwhile, is a completely original work from Barker,
02:12but his signature mix of horror and twisted humor carries over from his past works.
02:16This movie really felt like a bunch of kids getting together and making something,
02:20and like, hoping that the parents don't come home,
02:21and like, they never did.
02:23Like, nobody ever stopped us.
02:24And we just kept making the thing we wanted to make.
02:27Humor is among the main differences between Obsession and Backrooms.
02:30Obsession is very much an anti-rom-com.
02:33It isn't romantic, but the film is so unapologetically uncomfortable
02:37that the audience cannot help but laugh.
02:43Sometimes, it's due to the absurdity.
02:45Other times, it's just because of how disturbing the situation and characters are.
02:49I was calling to see if there's a way I can cancel a wish.
02:53I'm sorry, we don't really do that.
02:55Even at its most self-aware, Obsession stays rooted in horror.
02:59Backrooms isn't devoid of humor.
03:01It has Chiwetel Ejiofor dressed as a pirate, after all.
03:04These bed bumps for the Scallywags' quarters,
03:06we've got it all.
03:08And at prices so low, you'll think that you're rubbing me!
03:11There isn't a satirical element to Parsons' film, however.
03:14The key to found footage is convincing the audience that what they're watching is real.
03:19Backrooms also takes us behind the camera,
03:21maintaining the grounded spirit of a found footage film,
03:24albeit through a different lens.
03:27Although both films are expertly shot,
03:29Backrooms leans more into visual storytelling.
03:32That's not to say there aren't some arresting conversations
03:35between Chiwetel Ejiofor's Clark and Renata Rynsva's Mary.
03:38I'm not saying I don't believe you.
03:40Okay.
03:41Long sections of the film are practically dialogue-free, though,
03:44simply following the characters through this labyrinth of madness.
03:47Parsons almost captures the essence of a video game
03:50where exploration is part of the fun.
03:54He creates an environment we want to scratch every inch of,
03:58even if we know it'll end badly.
04:00Obsession is more dialogue-driven,
04:02playing like a Gen Z version of The Twilight Zone.
04:04I think Nikki A's going through something.
04:08Like what? Is she okay?
04:10No.
04:10The line delivery from each performance,
04:12especially Indy Navarrete as Nikki,
04:15helps the film straddle the line between
04:16laugh-out-loud funny and unsettlingly unhinged.
04:19You love me more than anyone in the world?
04:26Yes, more than anyone.
04:28Being such a visual feast,
04:30you'd think Backrooms would be the gorier of the two films.
04:33While there is plenty of shocking imagery,
04:35the terror in Backrooms largely stems from what we don't see.
04:38Anyone there?
04:40Even when a character is alone in a room,
04:42you get the sense that they're being followed.
04:44When we do see what's lurking in the shadows,
04:46Parsons delivers, but not always by going for the guts.
04:50I don't understand.
04:51What is this?
04:52Weirdly, watching an entity gradually pursuing someone
04:55through the Backrooms can be more unnerving
04:57than the impending bloodshed.
04:59Whereas Backrooms takes its time,
05:01Obsession escalates quickly.
05:04One minute, two people are having a conversation.
05:06The next, one of them is having a face-to-face with a brick.
05:10Obsession's gleeful violence is backed by clever commentary.
05:14A toxic relationship is at the core of Obsession,
05:18although the source of that toxicity isn't what some might assume.
05:26Navarrete gives the film's creepiest performance,
05:28with Nikki's laugh alone getting under our skin.
05:31As unsettling as Nikki's actions are,
05:33Michael Johnston's Bear made the wish that sparked her obsession with him.
05:40While Bear thinks he's trapped himself in a codependent relationship,
05:44he's the one who's trapped Nikki in a personal prison stripped of any agency.
05:48Nikki suffers for no reason other than not reciprocating Bear's feelings.
05:54To Bear, loving him isn't so bad.
05:57But from Nikki's point of view,
05:58it's like having someone else control your body.
06:00The real Nikki is still buried inside,
06:03powerless to break free unless Bear ends things.
06:06So she's just stuck like this forever?
06:08Well, yeah, I mean, as long as you live.
06:11As long as I live?
06:13Back rooms also centers on an entitled male who becomes obsessed.
06:17Clark, what is this?
06:18That's what I'm trying to figure out.
06:19In Clark's case, his obsession isn't over a woman,
06:22although he carries deep resentment towards his ex-wife.
06:25Clark is more obsessed with the titular back rooms,
06:28which can be perceived in any number of ways.
06:30The back rooms could be seen as a metaphor for the unsolved issues that eat away at us.
06:34It's like a maze.
06:35It just goes on and on.
06:37For Clark, it might be his failure as an architect, husband, and furniture salesman.
06:41For Mary, it may be her childhood trauma,
06:44still feeling confined to the home that her mentally unwell mother boxed her into.
06:48Hello?
06:49Whether or not someone escapes the back rooms,
06:51a part of them is always trapped there.
06:54At least, that's how we interpreted it.
06:55It's a real mess.
06:58But also beautiful.
06:59Whereas Obsession is more direct with its commentary on relationships and so-called nice guys,
07:05back rooms is harder to pin down.
07:08Sometimes I'm scared I'll get lost.
07:09Some have argued that back rooms is about getting lost in one's memory,
07:13while others say it's a commentary on AI.
07:15It spells nothing out,
07:17which is part of what makes back rooms such an engaging experience.
07:21Rooms.
07:22This place builds them.
07:23That's also why the film might frustrate certain viewers looking for clear-cut answers.
07:28That may be why back rooms got a B- cinema score,
07:31whereas Obsession scored an A-.
07:33Nikki?
07:34We can see why Obsession would be more of a crowd pleaser.
07:37It's funnier, faster paced,
07:38and doesn't skimp on the violence that most horror fans are looking for.
07:41Of course, this does not mean Obsession is better than back rooms or vice versa.
07:45Does Nikki like me?
07:48Yeah.
07:57I'm your freaky Nikki.
07:58For all of the surface-level similarities that Obsession and back rooms have in common,
08:02both appeal to different types of audiences.
08:09Obsession is a fun date movie,
08:11although it could end in a breakup if your partner isn't on the same wavelength as you.
08:15I love you.
08:16I love you.
08:17I love you.
08:18I love you.
08:19Worth it, we say.
08:20Back rooms is a slow burn that leaves the viewer meditating on what exactly they just watched.
08:25It's a film you get lost in,
08:27just as the characters lose themselves.
08:30All right, just take it slow.
08:31Back rooms is an out-of-body experience,
08:33while Obsession straps us in for a demented ride.
08:37To compare them is really apples and oranges,
08:40invoking two different kinds of fear.
08:42Yet Obsession and back rooms have each managed to find a wide audience,
08:46overshadowing the big-budget competition.
08:48Sure, people went to see Star Wars The Mandalorian and Grogu on its opening weekend.
08:52By its second, though,
08:54Grogu was number three behind newcomer back rooms and Obsession,
08:57which saw a rise in attendance with each week.
09:00As the leader of the ship,
09:02I had to tell the people,
09:03this is going to be huge.
09:05But really, I had no idea.
09:07Major studios continue to invest hundreds of millions into movies deemed safe thanks to brand awareness.
09:13IP can still equal big bucks,
09:15as seen with the Super Mario Galaxy movie.
09:16If the success of Obsession and back rooms proves anything, though,
09:20it's that audiences are thirsty for unique voices
09:23who don't necessarily need massive budgets to pack theaters.
09:26What does all of this say about the future of big-budget blockbuster Hollywood movies?
09:30So it says there's a new model,
09:32which is come up with an interesting idea,
09:36come up with a filmmaker that can do it for cheap,
09:40and people will show up because it feels fresh.
09:43YouTube not only has a huge audience that Hollywood is just starting to tap into,
09:47but it's also a potential pipeline for talents like Barker and Parsons
09:50to usher in a promising new era of cinema.
09:53And the more times it remembers something,
09:56the less it does.
09:57What did you think of back rooms and Obsession?
09:59Let us know in the comments.
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