These two movies took the world by storm in the Spring and had everyone talking about them. “Backrooms” grossed $400 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing A24 film. “Obsession” grossed $519 million, making it the 4th highest-grossing horror movie to hit theaters.
Despite both movies performing so well, they were created very differently. “Backrooms” was a new take on an old idea that was highly anticipated before the release. However, “Obsession” was a movie that most people had not heard of until they were told to watch it by someone else. This original idea gained much more popularity than originally anticipated.
The idea for “Backrooms” was initially created by a single image from a 2019 4chan thread. It quickly gained popularity and led director Kane Parsons to turn the idea into a movie. The film followed a man who owned a furniture store when he discovered a secret world beyond the wall in his basement. The world did not make any sense; the further you traveled into it, and he realized he was not in there alone.
“Obsession,” on the other hand, was an independent film with a budget of only $750,000, compared to the $10 million budget for “The Backrooms.” The film featured names that were not very well-known, telling an original horror story of the one wish willow and the consequences that follow if you are not careful with your wish.
One horror movie fan, Conner Townsend, discussed what made each of the films work and why horror fans were so drawn to them.
“I think ‘Obsession’ did so well because it was creative, it was something different. It didn’t feature the same actors that have been rotated constantly back and forth in Hollywood,” Townsend said. “I loved ‘Backrooms,’ it was very much a slow burn, but in a good way. I thought the jumpscares that it had were very creative, I wasn’t expecting them.”
Some fans of “Backrooms” were not as happy with the film, saying it was hard to understand and follow. One online critic from Rotten Tomatoes, Jonathon Wilson, spoke to this in his review.
“I’m sure the appropriate lore is out there somehow, but it shouldn’t be my job to find it,” Wilson said. “It’s wildly unsatisfying.”
Since this film was based on lore that had been created years ago, casual viewers who were not aware of the previous information may have had a harder time following the movie. However, it also speaks to the level of attention people put toward long-form media in this day and age.
“I genuinely just think people don’t have the attention span for the type of movie that ‘Backrooms’ is. They just wanted something constantly happening."
Conner Townsend
Overall reviews showed horror fans loved both movies. “Obsession” received a 95% score on Rotten Tomatoes, and “Backrooms” received an 86% score. Both movies broke records at the box office and gained significant traction throughout the year among horror movie fans. Directors Kane Parsons and Curry Barker both plan to continue with their ideas in future films.
