In a shocking turn of events, two independent horror films have taken movie theaters by storm in the past few weeks: Obsession and Backrooms. Directed by Curry Barker (26) and Kane Parsons (20), respectively, both films share an unprecedented context of being directed by young, inexperienced filmmakers with backgrounds as YouTubers. Both were produced with modest budgets but have been smash hits at the box office, beating out bigger brand name films at their own game (*cough cough* Star Wars). But which of these two unexpected horror juggernauts is more worth your time and money? Let’s break a One Wish Willow, walk through an invisible door, and find out!
Obsession tells a simple but impactful story about a music store employee named Bear (Michael Johnston), who makes a wish on a novelty toy that his friend Nikki (Inde Navarrette) would fall in love with him. His wish immediately comes true with catastrophic results, as Nikki develops more than a healthy infatuation with him. The standout strength of this movie comes from Navarette’s performance as Nikki, being an iconic horror icon in the making that no one will forget for years to come. Her use of intense facial expressions and vocal inflection gives the character a broad range from unironically hilarious to genuinely frightening. Johnston also gives a solid performance as Bear, being effective in offering a vulnerability to him that allows the audience to sympathize with him despite his actions being morally problematic. The script is great all around, offering up clever dialogue between the characters that is equal parts funny and meaningful. Curry Barker knocks it out of the park in his directorial debut, directing his actors masterfully while crafting a visually impressive horror flick.
Backrooms sets its story in the early 1990s, about a furniture store owner named Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and his therapist Mary (Renate Reinsve), who both discover a secret dimension made up of an endless stretch of mostly empty rooms. The greatest strengths of this film are its concept and atmosphere, with the implementation of the liminal spaces being a fascinating reflection of our own innate fear of the unknown. Ejiofor and Reinsve give great performances of their characters, both allowing for quieter, more reflective moments, while also being willing to indulge in the over the top disturbing aspects of their characters’ psyches. Kane Parsons is also quite effective in his directorial debut, now being the youngest ever director to have a top-grossing box office hit in the U.S. Parsons heavily commits to the melancholic, unsettling nature of the world he has created through effective lighting, set design, and a balance of CGI and practical effects. The film is truly captivating from beginning till end.
When comparing these films, it is easy to see that they both have quite different strengths to them. Obsession is a thrilling, fast-paced story that has fun and memorable characters with some truly disturbing imagery. Whereas Backrooms is more visually appealing, with a cerebral concept that is expertly assembled through technical filmmaking prowess. Because they are so different, it is impossible to definitively recommend one over the other. Both films are worth checking out and are deserving of the attention they have gotten.
