The passage discusses the success of two horror films: Backrooms and Obsession.
- Backrooms had an extraordinarily successful opening weekend, partly due to excellent marketing efforts that helped attract a large audience quickly.
- In contrast, Obsession became popular mainly through word of mouth, meaning people recommended it to each other rather than through heavy marketing.
Curry Barker is highlighted as a rising star in horror filmmaking. He gained fame rapidly with Obsession, a low-budget fantasy horror film involving a monkey paw wish with terrifying results. Despite a modest budget of $750,000, the film looks much more expensive due to smart filmmaking choices such as:
- Cinematography that creates an unsettling and dark atmosphere
- Strong art direction
- Sound design that uses silence effectively to build tension
- Barker’s precise and tight editing
The performances of Michael Johnston and Inde Navarrette are praised for creating a tone that keeps the audience unsure whether to feel scared, amused, or deeply sad.
Obsession is described as a unique horror film because:
- It delivers intense scares that have quickly gone viral online
- It has a thoughtful and disturbing story that becomes more meaningful and tragic upon reflection
- It includes relevant commentary on modern dating culture
- It is a morality tale where the “villain” is not clearly evil, adding complexity to the story
The passage predicts that although only six months have passed since its release, Obsession will likely be considered the top horror movie of the year. It is expected to finish its run as one of the most profitable films ever, especially impressive given the competitive and historic nature of horror cinema this year.