The Weekly Codex

June 18, 2026

Obsession (2026)

Gen Z enters the chat

It's been a wild spring for horror, with first-time feature directors exploding expectations as major blockbusters struggle to break even. YouTuber Curry Barker thrilled audiences with Obsession, a "be careful what you wish for" flick that grew it's audience an unheard of three consecutive weeks. And Kane Parsons, at just 20 years old, made history as the youngest director to ever helm a #1 film with Backrooms, a feature adaptation of his liminal YouTube series. A24 is, as usual, deeply in the mix, capturing its highest opening weekend ever with Parsons' Backrooms, and quickly tapping Barker to reimagine the Texas Chain Saw Massacre. These two landmark hits follow the success of Australian YouTubers Danny and Michael Philippou with Talk To Me and Bring Her Back (also A24 productions).

This growing wave of breakout filmmakers has brought Gen Z to the cineplex in droves, forcing Hollywood to finally consider YouTube as a source for new material as big budget sequels fail to resonate. And while time will tell if this is a "New Hollywood" moment, it's certainly cracked open a number of interesting debates.

Obsession's first-time art director Sally Choi revealed that she was paid just $6,741 (after taxes) during the film's meteoric rise at the box office. Which makes sense for a non-union film with a budget of around $700,000, but does feel weird as the film nears $300m in ticketing. The model for those in the industry has long been that you get paid for the success of your last project with your next project. Choi, in theory, can call her own shots going forward. But there's an argument to be made that this defense shields those who stand to profit from having to fairly compensate the labor that made the film a success to begin with. "It is what it is," some might say, but does it have to be?

In a just world, the current financing model would be seen as predatory and there would be some obligation to share the spoils of success. The stereotype here is someone like Harvey Weinstein, who saw himself as instrumental to the success of the films he financed. And his toxic behavior, which has ultimately landed him behind bars, reflects the toxic nature of his business practices. But the reality is that no film stands a chance of success without a talented and passionate cast and crew putting in the long and oftentimes thankless hours required to make a special film. Especially on a set with a six-figure budget.

We're used to common adages like "it takes money to make money" and "the rich get richer" and so forth. But maybe we should reflect on how the real value created by simply having money and dolling it out pales in comparison to the value of manifesting something like a feature film through the process of hard work and imagination.

Both Curry Barker and Backrooms actor Mark Duplass have recently extolled the virtues of indie filmmaking and the YouTube model, Duplass at SXSW and Barker on the red carpet, which may--in time--give filmmakers more leverage to demand fair terms from financiers and distributors. And then it will then be incumbent on them to advocate for the cast and crew. But we're clearly not there yet.

Will we solve the problems inherent to capitalism any time soon? Maybe not. But I'm glad we're having these conversations. I'm glad that Kane Parsons is pushing back against AI use in films, responding that the process of making the film is the whole point. I'm glad that new perspectives are getting a voice, because we've been hearing from the same cohort for so long. And I'm glad that there continues to be great horror to see at the cinema.

Here's hoping the cast and crew of Obsession continue to do more great work, and are fairly remunerated going forward.

Now in Theaters

Backrooms (2026)

Directed by Kane Parsons

View on The Codex →

Obsession (2026)

Directed by Curry Barker

View on The Codex →

Saccharine (2026)

Directed by Natalie Erika James

View on The Codex →

Speed Demon (2026)

Directed by Jon Keeyes

View on The Codex →

Pitfall (2025)

Directed by James Kondelik

View on The Codex →

Passenger (2026)

Directed by André Øvredal

View on The Codex →

Corporate Retreat (2026)

Directed by Aaron Fisher

View on The Codex →

Video of the Week

Dylan Clark racked up 10m YouTube views for his short film Portrait of God, an inventive flick that depicts a woman attempting to induce a religious experience. Lionsgate were so impressed that they tagged him to direct the next installment of the Blair Witch Project, which brings back original stars Joshua Leonard and Michael Williams as executive producers.

Watch now

Now on Streaming

They Will Kill You (2026)

Directed by Kirill Sokolov

Now on HBO Max

View on The Codex →

Your Monster (2024)

Directed by Caroline Lindy

Now on Amazon Prime Video

View on The Codex →

Poor Things (2023)

Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos

Now on Netflix

View on The Codex →

Keeper (2025)

Directed by Osgood Perkins

Now on Hulu

View on The Codex →

Censor (2021)

Directed by Prano Bailey-Bond

Now on Amazon Prime Video

View on The Codex →

Iron Lung (2026)

Directed by Mark Fischbach

Mark Fischbach (also known as Markiplier) is another Gen Z director who got his start on YouTube. He self-financed his post-apocalyptic feature debut where a convict is sent aboard a submarine called the Iron Lung to investigate what lies beneath the surface of a desolate moon's lake of blood.

View on The Codex →

Notes from the Codex

A huge thank you to the 10 subscribers receiving this first newsletter. Gotta start somewhere, right? These e-mails may be intermittent at first as I divide my time between building new site features, building out a merch store, and growing the site's audience. But eventually they'll settle into bi-weekly updates.

Recent additions to the site include an overhaul of the genre taxonomy & Essential Filmmakers/Essential Actors lists, an expansion of the countries pages, "people" pages for cast and crew, a host of under-the-hood changes that will hopefully lead to more prominent listings in search results, and a number of other bobs and doodads. I've also been churning out and prototyping merch designs, like the coffee mug pictured above, as well as stickers, hats, and hoodies. This stuff will be available later this year. There may be a horror music podcast on the horizon, as well.

Also, if you'd like to share this newsletter with anyone you believe would enjoy it, there's a live archive on the site: https://horrorcodex.com/newsletter/.

Keep it real, boils and ghouls.

— Webmaster Jon

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