BACKROOMS AND OBSESSION: WHY INDEPENDENT HORROR IS SURGING AT THE BOX OFFICE.
This past May, two independent horror films managed to captivate audiences around the globe upon their release and continue to defy expectations at the box office.
Backrooms, directed by Kane Parsons on a budget of less than $10 million, made over $80 million on its opening weekend. This marks the highest-grossing debut for A24 and the largest for an original horror film ever.
Obsession, directed by Curry Barker, continues to exceed expectations and made $26.4 million in its third week, surpassing the first two weeks of its release. It is the lowest-budgeted horror film to top the North American box office since Paranormal Activity in 2009, and it is the highest-grossing film distributed from Focus Features. Made on a budget of just $750,000, the film has grossed over $220 million worldwide.
Remarkably, both filmmakers launched their ventures on YouTube and went on to direct their first feature in their 20s; Barker at 26, and Parsons—the youngest A24 director to date—at just 20 years old.
One film tells the story of a patient who becomes trapped in a liminal dimension that misremembers everything it comes into contact with from the outside world. The other follows a hopeless romantic who hopes to win over the girl of his dreams by making a wish with a magical toy called a "One Wish Willow." Though these films are vastly different from one another, they manage to tap into our universal fears while showing audiences that a low-budget production can still have a massive impact both financially and emotionally.
'Backrooms': Trapped Inside the Maze of Memory and Grief
The liminal space reflected in Backrooms explores the fear of becoming confined in an unfamiliar location, and how that obscurity can lead to one becoming trapped in an alternate version of their memories—or even tempt them to remain there forever. Parsons builds upon the concept of liminal horror by delving into themes of unresolved grief, rage, and a sense of victimhood.
The narrative follows two central characters:
Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor): A recovering alcoholic employed at a furniture store who is attempting to move on after a recent divorce.
Mary (Renate Reinsve): His therapist, who is plagued by recurring memories of her overly paranoid mother and the demolition of her childhood home.
When Clark finds himself lost in the backrooms, Mary enters the dimension in an attempt to save him.
The Psychological Maze
It makes perfect sense that both characters would stumble upon this environment during a time when they are dealing with personal crises and struggling to comprehend their problems. This is a testament to the backrooms being an environment that feeds on the guilt and bitterness of others.
Parsons hints at this several times throughout the film, even depicting alternate versions of people that are referred to as “still lifes”—individuals who appear to others as an incredibly distorted image of the person they once were. Clarke credits the reasoning behind this phenomenon to the fact that the backrooms remember not just things, but people as well.
The decisions Clark ends up making solidify our understanding that he has found solace in approaching a terrifying reality: tramma can never leave you unless you confront it firsthand. Backrooms ultimately devolves into a powerful exploration of how one’s mind can create endless possibilities, warning us that we can never be too careful with how we approach the harsh realities of everyday life, lest we one day find ourselves lost in our own maze of disorientation and dread.
'Obsession': The Dark Distortion of Vulnerability
In a similar manner, Obsession explores how our emotions can serve as a diversion away from understanding our present reality. One of the striking aspects of this film is its cinematography. Barker skillfully frames each shot to keep the audience on edge, subverting expectations and keeping viewers guessing as to what could happen next.
The use of lighting in contrast with shadows allows for certain moments to become permanently ingrained in the minds of the viewer, creating an immersive experience that is further elevated by the lead performances of Michael Johnston (“Bear”) and Inde Navarrette (“Nikki”). The audience can literally place themselves in the shoes of the fictional characters and sense their exact emotions. Furthermore, the soundtrack composed by Rock Burwell adds another exceptional layer, evoking an atmosphere of unease, tension, and nostalgia that perfectly complements the film’s psychological undertones.
A Dangerous Spectrum of Control
As with Backrooms, the emotions that both characters feel throughout the film are reflective of their shared traumas. While Bear is caught up in believing that Nikki would return his affections despite her clear boundaries, Nikki is seemingly confined within her own body and struggles to recognize her new habits, hindering her ability to express her emotions fully.
This introduces an interesting dynamic for both characters as they occupy opposite ends of the same dangerous spectrum: one wielding obsession as a tool for control, while the other becomes so consumed by their fixation that they fail to recognize the manipulation directly affecting them.
We see this continuously throughout the film when Bear tries to validate his use of the One Wish Willow because he believes deep down that Nikki was and always will be his soulmate, even though Barker lays out pivotal evidence to suggest otherwise. Nikki displays this same sense of reluctance when she first falls under the influence of the wish, attributing her strange behavior to drug use and refusing to believe she could ever fall in love with Bear.
As the film progresses, we see a gradual shift in her behavior. This becomes all the more apparent when Bear begins to ask her intrusive questions about the status of their relationship, inquiring why it is so difficult to love him—even when she is clearly under duress as the wish takes full effect. Instead of denying her feelings for him, she succumbs to the manipulation, gradually shaping into someone she is not and turning against her own friends, whom she perceives as a threat to the stability of their relationship. Obsession builds to an unsettling conclusion that leaves a lasting impression long after the credits roll, solidifying its place in the annals of horror movie history.
Why Independent Horror is Winning
At their root, these films are supernatural horror stories, but the reason audiences resonate so strongly with them is because they serve as powerful cautionary tales.
Backrooms addresses our fear of feeling isolated or finding ourselves straying away from what we think may be our path in life.
Obsession warns us about the dangers of what can happen if love is weaponized through the distortion of vulnerability into control, leading to the loss of consent and autonomy in a relationship.
Both films act as effective meditations on real-life issues while successfully keeping us afraid of what might lie around the corner. They are just as real as they are fictitious. Horror fans continue to flock to them because they know there will always be some sense of relatability, no matter how outrageous or terrifying the narrative is.
Whether you are new to the genre or a seasoned veteran, one thing is for sure: horror is winning. The industry is booming, and that boom is being driven by independent filmmakers.
