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Feature: Horror movies are bringing audiences back to theaters. But how long can it last?
Bear (Michael Johnston) and Nikki (Inde Navarrette) in Obsession
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Courtesy Focus Features
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The topic:
Horror movies are having a moment. Two of this year's greatest box office successes are two horror films, each from unknown directors with non-IP scripts and relatively small budgets.
A horror darling: Obsession is the unexpected runaway hit of the summer, having grossed over $400 million worldwide on less than $1 million budget. Now almost two months out from its initial release, it is still playing in theaters nationwide.
Another hit: Backed by the studio A24, Backrooms had a budget of $10 million and has grossed over $350 million worldwide. Some of its success can be attributed to it being based on a popular 4Chan post that sparked a webseries and several internet games.
Guests:
- Amy Nicholson, film critic for LAist and the Los Angeles Times and host of the podcast ‘Unspooled’
- Christy Lemire, film critic for LAist, and co-host of the ‘Breakfast All Day’ YouTube and podcast series
- Tim Cogshell, film critic for LAist, Alt-Film Guide and CineGods.com