As a horror movie double bill, “Backrooms” and “Obsession” have emerged as the box office success story of the year.
A24 hired “Backrooms” director Kane Parsons to adapt his own I.P. — in this case, a 20-plus episode YouTube creepypasta set inside abandoned, acid-yellow liminal spaces — for a truly weird, conceptual horror movie that’s now earned $140 million and counting at the box office.
Meanwhile, another YouTuber, Curry Barker, wrote and directed the original careful-what-you-wish-for possession movie “Obsession” for $750,000. Focus Features acquired it out of last year’s TIFF for $15 million, and now everyone involved is chortling with glee over the $166 million-plus global box office and two weekends straight where the movie’s intake has risen.
So who better to sit down with us on IndieWire’s “Screen Talk” than two of the minds behind the making of these movies: Blumhouse-Atomic Monster leaders Jason Blum, who backed “Obsession,” and James Wan, a producer on “Backrooms.”
The two companies began discussing a merger in 2022 and merged in 2024, forming a single company with two labels. Wan most famously backed “The Conjuring” series, one of the most profitable horror franchises of all time, while Blum’s successes date back to the found-footage favorite “Paranormal Activity.”
Hear from both of them on this week’s “Screen Talk,” where they break down what went into the phenomena of “Backrooms” and “Obsession,” and what Hollywood should take away from their achievement.
They also tease Blumhouse’s upcoming reboot of “The Blair Witch Project” — the first viral horror movie — and Wan talks about returning to the “Saw” movies for the first time since he wrote and directed the original 2004 film.
Elsewhere on this week’s episode, we also parse Martin Scorsese’s dabble in A.I., having recently employed the generative services of Black Forest Labs to develop storyboards on what appears to be his next film, “What Happens at Night.” Plus, we weigh Oscar chances for “Disclosure Day,” spoiler-free, as reviews don’t hit streets until next week.
Listen to the episode below or on your preferred podcast platform.
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