Meet Hollywood’s new masters of horror: YouTubers

Pop Culture NewsMeet Hollywood’s new masters of horror: YouTubersA24’s “Backrooms” — from 20-year-old Kane Parsons — broke box office records this weekend, marking the latest example of an indie horror hit helmed by a YouTuber. Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00From left, Kane Parsons, Curry Barker, Markiplier.Getty Images fileShareAdd NBC News to GoogleMay 31, 2026, 11:01 AM EDTBy Lauren WilsonFirst came “Iron Lung,” a video game adaptation self-financed and distributed by YouTuber Markiplier that stunned the box office with a massive haul.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Three months later, “Obsession,” a low-budget project from 26-year-old YouTuber Curry Barker, pulled off the rare feat of growing its box office take by 39% in its second weekend in theaters.This weekend, A24’s “Backrooms” — from 20-year-old YouTuber Kane Parsons — grossed a record-breaking $81.4 million in North America and $118 million worldwide, shattering the record for the largest opening ever for a first-time director with an original film. The trend points to a new force in indie horror: YouTubers and online creators with built-in fan bases that studios are eager to reach.“Horror has always created a special connection between creators and audiences,” said Adam Lowenstein, director of the Horror Study Center at the University of Pittsburgh. “The YouTube generation understands that language.”The horror genre has long been a low-budget launching pad for filmmakers, from Francis Ford Coppola’s 1963 B-movie “Dementia 13” and George A. Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead” in 1968 to today’s online creator-driven projects.Renate Reinsve in A24's "Backrooms."A24“Talk to Me,” a 2022 film by twins Danny and Michael Philippou, was the first notable horror movie to be made by YouTube filmmakers. The supernatural thriller, about a group of teens who contact spirits with a mysterious embalmed hand, grossed...