By Laura McCarthy.
It is no secret that audiences have been eager to get lost in the Backrooms and are obsessed with Obsession.
I haven’t seen cinemas so busy in some time. So, what is it about Gen-Z horror that has so enraptured us?
Backrooms is the brainchild of 20-year-old director Kane Parsons. It is a horror film that follows a struggling furniture store owner who discovers a doorway of sorts into an uncanny, unsettling expanse which seems to go on endlessly. It has been incredibly popular.
Kane Parsons’ Backrooms is record-breaking. Parsons has the record for the largest opening weekend for a first-time feature director on an original film. He is also the youngest director to helm a no.1 film and it is production company A24’s biggest success at the box-office.
Meanwhile, Obsession follows a lonely, cowardly young man called Bear, who pines after his friend and co-worker Nikki. When he wishes that she would love him ‘more than anything in the world’, he doesn’t expect his wish to come true – but it does. And with disastrous consequences. Nikki no longer seems herself, as if possessed, and her obsession becomes terrifying.
Unlike Freaky Nikki, director Curry Barker doesn’t need to scream “why don’t you love me?” at his audiences because Obsession is breaking records too. It is Focus Features’ highest grossing film and has shocked those who track box-office numbers by having a larger second weekend than its opening. That’s the magic of word-of-mouth.
Both Parsons and Barker have emerged from online spaces in which they have honed their craft, with the Backrooms film having been born out of Parsons’ web series, based on a Reddit creepypasta (short horror story shared online), and Barker having dropped out of film school to make his own films and shorts online. This might be a small part of the reason for their success. Sure, it means that an audience is already awaiting your work, especially in the case of Parsons and the phenomenon of the snippets of “found footage” he created on Blender and posted on YouTube. But I think there’s more to it than that.
For one thing, we should not dismiss the talent of either director and their respective crews. Whilst I may not have loved Will Soodik’s script, it is undeniable that Parsons has shown an incredible amount of skill when it comes to direction, especially considering his age. On top of this, the cast, soundtrack, and set design are outstanding.
Therefore, the talent and craft behind the film accounts for a good deal of the success. For audiences starved for creativity in the big name films, Backrooms makes the most of the budget by offering an array of unsettling liminal spaces, created practically for the most part, which are unlike anything else on the big screen. The entity itself blends practical prosthetics and the towering stature of 7-foot-7 actor Robert Bobroczkyi to create something grotesque. It’s a joy to watch.
The same goes for Obsession. The skill behind this small budget, independent film is impressive. Barker and his team stretch every dollar. Practical makeup effects and use of shadow create some disturbing sequences, in which Nikki seems truly frightening. Use of practical lighting effects serve to give her eyes an unnatural gleam in the dark.
It’s all about smart filmmaking and, of course, a solid cast.
Everyone is talking about Inde Navarette’s stellar performance as Nikki, with many predicting that she will be nominated for numerous notable awards; this is something which would have been unheard of years ago but, as I discussed back in January 2025 (read here), the snobbery against horror has faded in recent years, with recognition towards Sinners, The Substance, and others suggesting a turn in the tide.
As far as cast choices go, I also think that these films, especially Obsession, are so appealing as we have talented actors that we are not over exposed to. Seeing the same actors in every film is simply exhausting and it takes you out of the experience. “Oh yeah, there’s Dwayne Johnson again”.
Obsession, in particular, has also been a surprising hit with women. Nikki is robbed of her agency by Bear when he makes his wish. Throughout the film, he continues to ignore her pain in the hope that he can play pretend at a relationship with her. His villainous actions and the impact on Nikki has been relatable to women who have been assaulted or mistreated by men. Bear’s villainy has been one of the biggest talking points in online forums and comment sections but I still don’t think this is the most interesting part of the film on its own.
All this taken into account, what I find most interesting about these Gen-Z horror films and their appeal is the concept of the uncanny, in which the familiar becomes unfamiliar. Something is off… not quite right.
In Backrooms, the character of Clark describes the liminal space as being ‘like describing a dog to someone who’s never seen one before and then asking them to draw it’. Some of the details are correct and familiar but there are things which don’t make sense: a back to front stop sign, ridiculously small doors, copies of humans with multiple sets of eyes.
Meanwhile, in Obsession, “wish” Nikki embodies the uncanny. She looks like the real Nikki but behaves in unnatural ways. The glimpses we see of her true self serve to heighten this contrast, telling the audience (and Bear!) that Nikki is trapped in her own body and is not really there. Even small details show the shift, after Bear makes his wish; such as when her clothing choices become skimpier, more feminine, compared to cool-girl Nikki’s oversized denim.
Perhaps Gen-Z creators gravitate to the uncanny because it reflects our perspective of the world.
We are an age group who sit on the cusp of two worlds. We had childhoods which weren’t dominated by social media but also had access to an array of technology and games as we grew up. We live in a state of uncertainty, our lives disturbed by the impact of COVID and AI; you think you want to work in a specific sector all your life, only to be pushed out by a robot, and yet we are told to embrace this technology if we want to be employable. We try to earn a living to have the same assets our parents or grandparents had, only for it to feel like Monopoly money when it comes to paying those bills.
In this respect, the endless and unsettling spaces in Backrooms connect with Gen-Z dread, with the sense of being lost within systems that seem meaningless. Additionally, it reflects our fear of isolation (despite being constantly connected online); the copies of humans inside these backrooms highlight this feeling of disconnect between us and the world. Like Clark, we can only find value in this if we also lose our minds along the way.
Obsession presents a vast array of fears connected to Gen-Z relationships. Firstly, Freaky Nikki’s unpredictable and unhinged behaviour highlights the very real concern surrounding abuse in relationships (regardless of gender). When Bear’s friend Ian accuses him of taking advantage of Nikki, we also see masculine worries about dating and how they will be perceived by others. More deeply, Bear’s decision to continually ignore Nikki’s distress, reflects fears revolving around manipulation and assault.
The change we see in both Bear and Nikki over the course of the film reflects the concern that we may not know the people we connect with – a worry which is all the more potent in a world where online dating has become the norm. Is it even possible to build relationships when people can shape a different personality online? Are there any viable romantic options to be found when incel culture and reality dating shows shape warped perspectives of love?
Simply put, Gen-Z had a certain vision of the world, only for it to be warped and distorted. We’re lost. We’re confused. And so the uncanny speaks to us.
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