SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – Horror films “Obsession” and “Backrooms” have been smash box office hits since their releases. The biggest story behind them: both directors are members of Gen Z and first gained popularity through YouTube.
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: Will Gen-Z usher in a new era of quality horror?
Joseph Duffey: Boo! Did I scare you? Well, “Backrooms” and “Obsession” have scared plenty of people in America and across the globe. And Gen Z has been very receptive for what is possibly a horror renaissance? I talked with some people about what has happened with these horror movies across the globe.
Tristan Bey: To see somebody in that field that young be able to get a deal with these distributors and make more money than a lot of some of these big films coming out, it’s very motivating
Jacob Beadles: Both of those so super creative, young guys who started with very little and made their way to the top.
Duffey: And it’s not just Gen Zers that are going to enjoy these movies. It’s also the parents of the Gen Zers and parents of Gen Alpha, also. Parents are getting pushed to the movie theaters because their kids want to see these films. So, what do you think? Is horror here to stay for Gen Z and generations beyond. Well, these recent hits may have me thinking so.
Curry Barker, the 27-year-old “Obsession” director, has a sketch comedy background with his “that’s a bad idea” YouTube channel. Before “Obsession,” he directed and co-wrote the horror film “Milk and Serial” (2024). “Obsession” became Focus Features’ highest-grossing film ever. The movie had a $750,000 budget and has amassed over $330 million — more than 400 times its production cost, a record for a sub-million dollar budget film.
Kane Parsons, the 21-year-old “Backrooms” director, was the youngest director in cinema history to have a film debut at number one at both the domestic and global box offices. “Backrooms” was inspired by the viral creepypasta of the same name, adapting the web series to his YouTube channel. “Backrooms” became the highest-grossing film for A24 Films’ production and distribution company.
These new films have been argued to have redefined modern horror with younger generations who are attracted to darker concepts rather than just repetitive, forgettable gore. According to a 2026 Statista report, Gen Z consumers were the most likely to watch horror movies or TV shows at a 91% share. The next closest is Millennials at 87%.
Tristan Bey, a television, radio and film student at Syracuse University, is highly encouraged by the success of the films.
“They call them YouTubers, but I don’t really believe they’re YouTubers. They’re really filmmakers who post their stuff on YouTube,” Bey said. “To see somebody in that field that young be able to get a deal with these distributors and make more money than a lot of some of these big films coming out, it’s very motivating.”
However, as an aspiring film producer, Bey is careful to not call these hits a “horror renaissance.”
“Where I think there’s an epidemic going on is a lot of these people try to make these horror movies, but they’re not good, and they have an excuse for a bad film or a bad story, and they hide it under a horror movie,” Bey said. “So, now we’re actually getting great horror movies that stand on their own as movies, and so now, you can see people want to go see it.”
Michael Clarke, an advanced media management professor at Syracuse University, has noticed how new horror films have resonated with younger generations. His son, part of Generation Alpha, convinced him to see “Backrooms.”
“I think that this new era of horror that focuses on younger demographics is here to stay. They grew up in a different time where media has been overwhelming,” Clarke said. “The way in which they’re approached as a market is a lot different.”
So, where does the horror genre go from here? Jacob Beadles, a television, radio and film student at Syracuse University, believes that it’s time for companies to take a chance on lesser-known filmmakers.
“I think that depending on what the movie industry wants to do they can easily make it a whole thing like ‘oh, we’re going to dive into Reddit and pick up a random story and make that a movie,'” Beadles said. “The lesson should be: take a chance on independent filmmakers and young guys like Kane Parsons and Curry Barker.”