All articles tagged with #horror
Kane Parsons, the YouTube-driven creator behind the Backrooms, explains how A24 optioning his open-source creepypasta propelled him into Hollywood and led him to defer college to develop the film. He emphasizes filmmaking as engineering, keeps lore in check with a practical approach, and envisions expanding the Backrooms universe through future movies or a series while continuing his YouTube projects.
Focus Features' Obsession, a $750,000-budget horror by Curry Barker, surged in its second weekend to $23.9 million (over Memorial Day, $30M with Monday), finishing No. 2 behind The Mandalorian and Grogu and marking an unprecedented 39% weekend rise for a horror title opening on 2,000+ screens. With worldwide gross over $80 million, the film’s success underscores a trend of low-budget horrors thriving and highlights the growing influence of YouTubers in promoting horror cinema.
Indie horror Obsession, shot for $750,000 in 20 days by Curry Barker, is projected to gross about $79.7 million globally in its second weekend (roughly $58.5 million in North America), a rare growth for the genre praised by Jason Blum. The TIFF debut spurred a bidding war and Focus Features acquired the project, highlighting how YouTube creators are reshaping Hollywood and expanding Barker’s slate with future projects like a Texas Chain Saw Massacre remake.
Jason Voorhees is joining Dead by Daylight, debuting June 16, 2026 after a trailer revealed during the game’s 10th anniversary stream; details on his in‑game abilities are still unconfirmed, but the crossover is part of the Jason Universe expansion, with relatedFriday the 13th media like the Crystal Lake series also slated for 2026.
Director André Øvredal steers Passenger as a claustrophobic road thriller with supernatural shocks, delivering sharp jump scares, striking visuals, and a tense relationship dynamic, though the creature mythos feels underdeveloped; a stylish, nerve-wracking ride that lands at a solid B-.
Nicolas Winding Refn’s Cannes out-of-competition feature Her Private Hell unfolds as a lush, David Lynch–on–acid fever dream: opulent sets, eye-make-uped actresses posed like fashion models, a haunting score by Pino Donaggio, and a Leather Man nightmare. But the film has little to no coherent story, instead stacking Lynchian atmosphere, lurid imagery, and recycled Refn motifs into a disjointed experience that feels more like art-trash than cinema. The review praises craftsmanship and mood but condemns the lack of narrative clarity, suggesting Refn’s best work remains Drive and the Pusher trilogy rather than this self-indulgent experiment. The director’s Cannes remarks about a near-death experience add mystique but do not redeem the movie.
Nicolas Winding Refn returns to feature filmmaking with Her Private Hell, a visually lavish Cannes premiere presented out of competition. The film blends a neon-lit hotel setting, a demonic Leather Man, and a Tokyo sequence to homage giallo and Brian De Palma, all wrapped in Refn’s signature elevated-genre sensibility. While the production design and cinematography are arresting, the narrative often feels overindulgent and contrived, making the experience punishingly slow for non–diehard fans. The 1 hour 49 minute film marks a ten-year gap since his last feature and reinforces Refn’s status as a polarizing auteur whose obsession with style can outpace storytelling.
Curry Barker, 25, has burst onto Hollywood's horror scene after Obsession premiered at TIFF to strong buzz, with Focus Features purchasing the $750,000 film for about $15 million. Barker writes, directs and edits his projects from a bedroom studio with collaborator Cooper Tomlinson, while lining up Anything But Ghosts and a Texas Chainsaw Massacre adaptation for A24, and drawing backing from Blum and Roy Lee as he becomes one of the genre's hottest young talents.
In a Hollywood Reporter interview, Inde Navarrette breaks down Nikki’s terrifying transformation in Curry Barker’s Obsession—how a wish from Bear unleashes a possessed, violent side, the practical, non-CGI crafting of Nikki’s movement, and the ending in which Bear sacrifices himself to undo the wish. She also discusses the TIFF premiere, Focus Features’ acquisition, influences like Jennifer’s Body and Mia Goth, and the possibility of revisiting the world in a sequel.
In Obsession, a shy music-store worker’s wish to be loved triggers a terrifying, 80s-throwback horror ride led by Inde Navarrette’s breakout performance; Curry Barker’s directorial debut pairs eerie mood with dark humor for a solid summer horror kickoff.
Focus Features and Blumhouse’s supernatural horror Obsession earned $2.6 million in Thursday previews and early access screenings, signaling a domestic $10–12 million opening as it expands to 2,542 theaters; the film is drawing strong early praise (about 95% on Rotten Tomatoes from critics and audiences) and benefited from aggressive digital marketing and a TIFF debut, positioning it for a potentially tighter Memorial Day weekend race with The Devil Wears Prada 2 and Michael.
Rising horror director Curry Barker's Obsession hits theaters May 15 after buzz at Toronto, with Focus Features backing the film and Jason Blum as an executive producer. Barker says his goal is to put ordinary people in terrifying, boundary-pushing scenarios, and he’s also been tapped to direct a new Texas Chainsaw Massacre, exploring Leatherface and the family’s unsettling dynamics.
In early access, Subnautica 2 drops you on Proteus, a vast new ocean planet filled with shifting biomes, alien creatures, and a spreading infection. With no weapons, survival hinges on crafting, resource gathering, and clever exploration guided by a companion AI, while radios and notes hint at a deeper narrative. Death feels inevitable but discoveries—new tools, base-building elements, and story threads—keep pulling you deeper, as players await how co-op and future updates will shape the mystery.
Curry Barker's Obsession turns a simple unrequited crush into a darkly comic horror tale, using a magical trinket to grant wishes with gruesome consequences. Inde Navarrette delivers a standout, unsettling performance as Nikki, while the film's lean production, sharp sound design, and sly humor elevate it above many studio efforts. It's a stylish indie debut that doubles as a cautionary tale about what happens when desire runs unchecked and lore is kept minimal.
Rising horror filmmaker Curry Barker, 26, leaps from YouTube skits to directing Obsession, a low-budget horror that went viral and sparked strong buzz, with stars Inde Navarrette and Michael Johnston; the film centers on a wish that backfires and survived an NC-17 scare by being trimmed to an R rating, and opens this week in Australia (14 May) and the US/UK (15 May). Barker is also developing a Texas Chain Saw Massacre remake and the Anything But Ghosts thriller with Aaron Paul and Bryce Dallas Howard, while weighing AI’s impact on filmmaking and Gen Z cinema.