For those keeping track of Obsession’s box office success, Monday was a big day for Curry Barker’s film. After falling behind Backrooms at the global box office, Obsession proved its legs by popping back up to the number one box office spot, earning $4.1M and closing in on all manner of horror and indie distribution records.
If you pay close attention to box office numbers, the continued success of Obsession is a big deal. Borderline unprecedented. And yet, Obsession’s biggest accomplishment in the last few days wasn’t even its climb back to the top of the box office hill.
No, its biggest accomplishment was luring my friend Joe to the theater. Alone.
Joe’s a lifelong friend – and a paid Certified Forgotten subscriber, be like Joe – who doesn’t have a ton of spare time to spend on movies. But thanks to my influence and the recent success of movies like Weapons and Sinners, Joe has made it a goal to go to the movies more often and check out whatever high-profile horror film is getting the most buzz.
Going to the movies by yourself, much like going to dinner by yourself, takes some getting used to. But as I encourage (slash-shame) Joe into seeing more movies, I’m reminded of the power in the ritual. Seeing a new release in a theater – making travel plans, setting aside your phone – adds weight to the experience. When you’re asked to put in a little bit of effort for a thing, you take it more seriously, and that heightened watch is like anything else – once you’ve been through a better version of a thing, it’s hard to go back to the disposable experience.
And that’s what inspires me the most about Obsessions or Backrooms. Yes, they are great films for horror fans, but their success means that they might be the first horror movie – maybe even the first movie – someone sees in the theater in a while. Once that person has rediscovered the joy of sitting in the dark, Nicole Kidman-style, maybe going to the movies becomes a new hobby. And the industry gets a little healthier in the long run.
New This Week
Netflix? Technically?
In Cam, Everyone’s a Copy and Nobody Cares
There are a lot of great filmmakers working today, but Daniel Goldhaber and Isa Mazzei are probably the ones who best capture my attention. So with lots of folks catching up on Faces of Death on streaming, now was a great time to feature a piece on Cam, the duo’s first collaboration. It’s a great essay on a great film — seriously, Christine Makepeace crushed it — and it comes with a bonus link to the full movie courtesy of Goldhaber’s website.
From the Archives
Resurrection Is the Best Se7en Successor
Part of the fun of any mainstream hit is figuring out the movies that were meant to imitate it. Se7en is an undeniable nightmare, but this piece on Resurrection does a wonderful job of placing the movie in its rightful place atop the David Fincher wannabe throne. Besides, what other movies can you describe as a star vehicle for actor Christopher Lambert?
Around the Web
Quick hits from around the world of horror and indie journalism.
As we celebrate the success of Obsession, it’s only fair to also highlight the ongoing discussions around income inequality kicked off by art director Sally Choi. Here’s The Wrap with the relevant pieces.
Y’all know I only agree with Certified Forgotten cofounder Matt Donato about 30% of the time, so take his (mostly) positive review of Scary Movie with a big ol’ grain of salt.
File it under Once in a Lifetime Experiences: regular podcast guest Amelia Emberwing wrote up the kickoff concert for The Vampire Lestat for The Wrap. First episode’s a banger, get on board while you can.
As a horror guy and a comic guy, I was excited to read this writeup of the new Hellraiser comic series at Bloody Disgusting. Fingers crossed for more Julia.
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