{"id":2277,"date":"2026-06-25T14:46:16","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T14:46:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/filmfreeway.com\/articles\/?p=2277"},"modified":"2026-06-25T14:46:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T14:46:16","slug":"obsession-backrooms-directors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfreeway.com\/articles\/obsession-backrooms-directors\/","title":{"rendered":"What Filmmakers Can Learn From the Success of \u2018Obsession\u2019 and \u2018Backrooms\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>When a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/culture\/the-current-cinema\/backrooms-obsession-and-hollywoods-zoomer-horror-renaissance\"><\/a>reference to \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/culture\/the-current-cinema\/backrooms-obsession-and-hollywoods-zoomer-horror-renaissance\"><mark style=\"background-color:#ffffff\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">The Simpsons<\/mark><\/a>\u201d and a creepy photograph of an empty office inspire two movies that together gross nearly half a billion dollars, Hollywood takes notice. That\u2019s exactly what happened with \u201cObsession\u201d (2025) and \u201cBackrooms\u201d (2026), a pair of micro-budget horror films that many movie experts believe have ushered in a\u00a0new <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/culture\/the-current-cinema\/backrooms-obsession-and-hollywoods-zoomer-horror-renaissance\"><mark style=\"background-color:#ffffff\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">era<\/mark><\/a> for the industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cObsession\u201d is a supernatural horror film about a shy man who uses a wish to make his childhood friend fall in love with him, only for her to become possessive and violent. It has grossed over $286 million worldwide from a $750,000 budget. \u201cBackrooms\u201d follows a furniture store owner who becomes trapped in a maze of rooms, from which his therapist tries to save him. The film, made for $10 million, has so far grossed over $220 million. Not only are these films\u2019 directors\u2014Curry Barker and Kane Parsons\u2014very young to achieve such success, but both got their starts on YouTube.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After making videos with friends in high school, Barker collaborated with fellow New York Film Academy student Cooper Tomlinson on various comedy sketches and short films. He then garnered Hollywood\u2019s attention after his horror short \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=mhazCS14Tas\"><mark style=\"background-color:#ffffff\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">The Chair<\/mark><\/a>\u201d and found-footage feature \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=pbzGQ1lszv4\"><mark style=\"background-color:#ffffff\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Milk & Serial<\/mark><\/a>\u201d went viral. That helped Barker secure funding for \u201cObsession,\u201d which he shot over 20 days in October 2024, just after he turned 25.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Parsons launched his own\u00a0YouTube <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/c\/KANEpixels\"><mark style=\"background-color:#ffffff\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">channel<\/mark><\/a> when he was 9 years old. As a teenager, he used free animation and visual effects software and a cheap camera to make found-footage horror shorts. When his \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=H4dGpz6cnHo&list=PLVAh-MgDVqvDUEq6qDXqORBioE4Yhol_z\"><mark style=\"background-color:#ffffff\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Backrooms<\/mark><\/a>\u201d web series gained huge popularity, A24 approached him about making it into a feature film, which he started shooting just after his 20th birthday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The age of the filmmakers may be unprecedented, but there\u2019s still plenty that filmmakers of any generation can learn from Barker\u2019s and Parsons\u2019 approaches. Here are some of the lessons that filmmakers can take from the success of \u201cObsession\u201d and \u201cBackrooms.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"684\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2280 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/filmfreeway.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/06\/H4A8380-1024x684.jpg\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>\u201cBackrooms\u201d director Kane Parsons Credit: Sela Shiloni<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Twist the genre.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Barker has admitted that he got the idea for \u201cObsession\u201d from the segment of \u201cThe Simpsons\u201d (1989\u2013present) episode \u201cTreehouse of Horror II\u201d in which Homer buys a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ceR13xHMXg0\"><mark style=\"background-color:#ffffff\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">monkey paw<\/mark><\/a> that grants him wishes. Barker told\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.denofgeek.com\/movies\/obsession-inside-most-disturbing-indie-horror-of-year\/\"><mark style=\"background-color:#ffffff\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Den of Geek<\/mark><\/a> that he was surprised how little had been done with the premise in the horror genre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a huge fan of horror films, Barker was well aware of the formulas the genre typically follows. He told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.finaldraft.com\/blog\/curry-barker-breaks-down-the-writing-of-obsession\"><mark style=\"background-color:#ffffff\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Final Draft<\/mark><\/a> that rather than adhering to them, filmmakers need to \u201cknow the tropes and then break them,\u201d before adding that they should never do the thing that audiences are expecting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Parsons told\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/2026\/05\/backrooms-kane-parsons-a24-youngest-director-ever-disruptors-1236862181\/\" id=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/2026\/05\/backrooms-kane-parsons-a24-youngest-director-ever-disruptors-1236862181\/\"><mark style=\"background-color:#ffffff\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Deadline<\/mark><\/a> he was attracted to making \u201cBackrooms\u201d as a feature because he saw it as a visual metaphor for his generation\u2019s collective anxiety over the future. \u201cIt is [the] epitome of an anti-space, a very impersonal mass-produced, not quite sterile, not, like, abandoned\u2014but it\u2019s definitely neglected. It\u2019s a place you would have a hard time imagining anyone being sentimental about, so in a way it feels like the place itself is sort of lonely and just kind of an abused component of a massive, sprawling system that is kind of a runaway train.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.middlebury.edu\/college\/people\/jason-mittell\"><mark style=\"background-color:#ffffff\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Jason Mittell<\/mark><\/a>, professor of film and media culture at Middlebury College, says that filmmakers looking to follow Barker\u2019s and Parsons\u2019 paths are more likely to find success making low-budget horror. \u201cYou can come up with something that audiences feel like they haven\u2019t seen before,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Use what you have.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" alt=\"Director Curry Barker on the set of his film \u201cObsession\u201d Credit: Manny Liotta \/ \u00a9 2026 FOCUS FEATURES LLC\" class=\"wp-image-2281 lazyload\" style=\"width:450px\" data-src=\"https:\/\/filmfreeway.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/06\/Director-Curry-Barker-on-the-set-of-his-film-OBSESSION-a-Focus-Features-release.-CRED-Manny-Liotta-4262_D019_00116_R_rgb-683x1024.jpg\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Director Curry Barker on the set of his film \u201cObsession\u201d Credit: Manny Liotta \/ \u00a9 2026 FOCUS FEATURES LLC<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Barker made \u201cMilk & Serial,\u201d about two pranksters looking to outdo each other, for just $800 over four months. He told <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/2024\/film\/news\/milk-serial-curry-barker-slasher-youtube-1236116310\/\"><mark style=\"background-color:#ffffff\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Variety<\/mark><\/a> that he wrote the initial serial killer sequence because he thought he \u201ccould pull off this creepy serial killer vibe.\u201d He decided on a found-footage approach because it was cheaper, bought an old Sony camcorder to match the aesthetic, and then asked his friends to play other roles for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After trying and failing to get a distribution deal for \u201cMilk & Serial,\u201d he put it on YouTube, where it has since been watched <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=pbzGQ1lszv4\"><mark style=\"background-color:#ffffff\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">3.2 million times<\/mark><\/a>. It\u2019s also the film that landed Barker UTA agents and paved the way for funding \u201cObsession.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re finally getting to the point where people are like, \u2018Fine, I\u2019ll put my film on YouTube,\u2019 versus when I was in film school that was kind of a last resort,\u201d Barker told <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/eMTBrides\/status\/2063295525869256763\"><mark style=\"background-color:#ffffff\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">NBC News<\/mark><\/a>. \u201cI was like, \u2018Screw it, throw it on YouTube and see what happens\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-ad2f72ca wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<p>Barker also insists that up-and-coming directors need to keep working on their craft, which means directing as many films\u2014no matter the budget or length\u2014as possible. By making a variety of projects, they won\u2019t just \u201cput pressure on one idea\u201d to succeed. \u201cI see a lot of student filmmakers paralyzing themselves because they put so much pressure on this idea or they write it where a car explodes and there\u2019s no way they can afford it,\u201d he told NBC News. \u201cThey\u2019re putting obstacles in their own way to make sure that they never make these films. Just make something you can make now and make a bunch of them. Don\u2019t worry too much about it being good or being bad. Just keep making films.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Teach yourself new tricks.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>While Barker turned to his friends to help make his comedy and horror shorts, Parsons used YouTube tutorials to teach himself how to use visual effects while he was still in middle school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Parsons told <a href=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/2026\/05\/backrooms-kane-parsons-a24-youngest-director-ever-disruptors-1236862181\/\"><mark style=\"background-color:#ffffff\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Deadline<\/mark><\/a> that he \u201cbelieves artists need little more than a \u2018brain\u2019 to find a way to make something and wants to see more of this innovative spirit in action.\u201d Even today, his setup consists of just \u201cone laptop, a standing desk, and some cloud-based services and the software,\u201d Blender, that he uses for CGI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For Parsons, if there\u2019s anything to be taken away from the success of \u201cObsession\u201d and \u201cBackrooms,\u201d it\u2019s that burgeoning filmmakers should \u201cget comfortable with some of these tools like Blender.\u201d He added, \u201cI think definitely, the means to technically scale it are fairly accessible and achievable right now, so I would just encourage optimism around that. And it\u2019s a great community. It\u2019s a lot of fun.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Film festivals are still important.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>It wasn\u2019t just YouTube that was key to Barker getting Hollywood meetings and the money to make \u201cObsession.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Chair\u201d was selected for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CdB0igtPQUy\/\"><mark style=\"background-color:#ffffff\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Big Apple Film Festival<\/mark><\/a>, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CZu8oNjPJtc\/\"><mark style=\"background-color:#ffffff\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Burbank International Film Festival<\/mark><\/a>, and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lasff.com\/2022.html\"><mark style=\"background-color:#ffffff\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Los Angeles Short Film Festival<\/mark><\/a>, where it drew acclaim, won prizes, and established Barker as an exciting, young cinematic voice. That set him up for an \u201cObsession\u201d festival run, which generated critical acclaim and buzz in the months ahead of its May 2026 release. After premiering in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiff.net\/films\/obsession\"><mark style=\"background-color:#ffffff\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Toronto International Film Festival\u2019s<\/mark><\/a> Midnight Madness section in September 2025, the film was purchased by Focus Features for around <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/2025\/film\/news\/curry-barker-obsession-focus-features-2026-release-1236552428\/\"><mark style=\"background-color:#ffffff\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">$15 million<\/mark><\/a>. At the festival, horror producer Jason Blum and other producers also bought Barker\u2019s next script, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/movies\/movie-news\/curry-barker-to-direct-star-anything-but-ghosts-1236359285\/\"><mark style=\"background-color:#ffffff\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Anything But Ghosts<\/mark><\/a>,\u201d all while the film was met with strong reviews.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Excitement for \u201cObsession\u201d then increased even further in March 2026, when it played at <a href=\"https:\/\/schedule.sxsw.com\/films\/2243792\"><mark style=\"background-color:#ffffff\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">SXSW<\/mark><\/a>. That screening created even more word-of-mouth buzz ahead of the film\u2019s release just over two months later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s not just about organically creating great and authentic movies,\u201d says <a href=\"https:\/\/about.me\/paul.dergarabedian\"><mark style=\"background-color:#ffffff\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Paul Dergarabedian<\/mark><\/a>, head of marketplace trends at Rentrak. \u201cYou have to have partners behind the scenes on set, the talent above and below the line, and great partners in distribution that understand the business model, like Focus Features and A24\u201d\u2014and that\u2019s precisely what film festivals were built to do.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Two YouTube-born directors crashed Hollywood\u2019s box office with micro-budget horror films. Here\u2019s how they did it\u2014and what any filmmaker can take away from their playbooks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":75,"featured_media":2279,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2277","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The Filmmakers Who Crashed Hollywood From Their Bedrooms<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Curry Barker and Kane Parsons went from YouTube shorts to box office records. Here are the craft lessons behind their breakthroughs.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfreeway.com\/articles\/obsession-backrooms-directors\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Filmmakers Who Crashed Hollywood From Their Bedrooms\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Curry Barker and Kane Parsons went from YouTube shorts to box office records. 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