In the second half of May 2026, the intriguing horror genre took over the box office. While Michael was confidently staying afloat, Focus Features' film "« Obsession »", made for $750,000, somehow grossed over $100 million, showing a nearly 40 percent increase in its second week. Two weeks later, A24 released «Behind the Scenes» — a film immersing oneself in the horror of the frontier; on its first day of release, the film grossed $10.4 million, surpassing the $10.3 million earned by the first film based on the viral franchise. «Five Nights at Freddy's» .
For those who Not I've been following the hype around these films, they have several things in common: they are the full-length directorial debuts of their directors (Curry Barker with «"Obsession"» , Kane Parsons with «Behind the Scenes» ). Another, and perhaps more important, part is that both began their journeys on YouTube, exploring their creativity in this format before diving headfirst into Hollywood horror. Having a ready-made audience capable of supporting any endeavor is a must; perhaps the parasocial nature of the internet means that fans who have followed these creators for long enough will simply want to see their favorite win.
Hollywood making horror films on YouTube is nothing new; however, making such huge profits at the box office for aspiring directors is a relatively new trend. However, it's been about a decade since Hollywood turned to YouTube for help finding the next great director. Amid the excitement surrounding films "Obsession"« и «Backrooms» , brush up on your knowledge about transitioning from YouTube to Hollywood as a director by checking out a timeline of YouTube bloggers who became Hollywood directors through making horror films .
Turn off the light (2016)
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Warner Bros.
Director : David F. Sandberg Cast Stars: Teresa Palmer, Gabrielle Bateman, Alexander DiPersia, Billy Burke, Maria Bello Premiere date July 22, 2016
Before you take off the film "Shazam!"« In 2019, Sandberg made his directorial debut with a 2013 short film of the same name, which he posted on Vimeo and his YouTube page. If you're afraid of what might happen to you in the dark, this horror film is for you. «Turn off the lights» received positive reviews from critics and grossed nearly $10 million more than originally projected in its opening weekend.
Skinamarink (2023)
Shiver
Director : Kyle Edward Ball Cast : Lukas Paul, Dali Rose Tetreault, Ross Paul, Jamie Hill Premiere date January 13, 2023
Ball ran a YouTube page where he created videos based on his nightmares; one of these short films is the story that inspired «Skinamarinka» , made for $15,000 and grossing over $2 million at the box office before landing on Shudder, is one of the more "calm" horror films, rewarding your patience by later scaring the living daylights out of you.
Talk to me (2023)
A24
Directors : Danny and Michael to Philip. Cast : Sophie Wilde, Alexandra Jensen, Joe Bird, Otis Dhangi, Miranda Otto, Zoe Terakes, Chris Alosio, Marcus Johnson, Alexandria Steffensen. Premiere date : July 27, 2023.
Before the film's release «Talk to me» , which tells the story of a grieving woman's addiction to an object capable of communicating with spirits, the Australian twins were better known as RackaRacka. While creating various YouTube content, they worked on the film's production crew. «The Babadook» , and this company was involved in the production of some of their videos.
Bring her back (2025)
A24
Directors : Danny and Michael to Philip. Cast : Billy Barratt, Sora Wong, Jonah Wren Phillips, Sally Hawkins. Premiere date : May 29, 2025.
After their directorial debut «Talk to me» After bringing in $92 million on a $4.5 million budget, A24 brought back the twins formerly known as RackaRacka for their next film, more than doubling the budget.« "Bring her back"» , a story about an adoptive mother trying to bring back her dead children.
Together (2025)
Neon
Director : Michael Shanks Starring : Dave Franco, Alison Brie Premiere July 30, 2025
Shanks is one of the creators of the channel timtimfed, meaning he's been creating content on YouTube for nearly 20 years. His full-length debut came in 2025 with the film "Together"« , in which Dave Franco and Alison Brie play a couple who mysteriously begin to merge. Casting a real-life couple in this mind-blowing horror film was an additional stroke of genius.
Shelby Oaks (2025)
Neon
Director : Chris Stackmann Cast Stars: Camille Sullivan, Brendan Sexton III, Keith David, Sarah Dern, Derek Mears, Emily Bennett, Charlie Talbert, Robin Bartlett, Michael Beach Premiere date October 24, 2025
In the world of YouTube film reviews, Stuckmann is considered something of a pioneer, as his first film review appeared on his YouTube channel in 2009. In 2021, Stuckmann launched the ARG "Paranormal Paranoids," which garnered 100,000 views due to interest (especially in the question of whether the videos were real). These videos became the basis for a film that delved deeper into the ARG and grossed $8 million at the box office, receiving mixed reviews from critics and audiences.
Iron lung (2026)
Markiplier Studios
Director : Mark "Markiplier" Fischbach Cast : Mark "Markiplier" Fischbach, Caroline Kaplan, Troy Baker, Elsie Lovelock, Elle Lamont, Mick Lauer, Sean McLaughlin, Isaac Mackey Premiere January 30, 2026
Based on a 2022 video game that a popular YouTube gamer helped spread across the platform, the film was entirely created by Markiplier, who directed, wrote, distributed, edited, and starred in the title role. In the game, the player is trapped in a submarine with no way to escape, so Markiplier played most of the screentime himself. After using 50,000 gallons of fake blood (more than any other horror film), Markiplier earned over $51 million on a $3 million budget, having negotiated theatrical distribution deals himself. и on YouTube.
Obsession (2026)
Main characteristics
Director : Curry Barker Cast : Michael Johnston, Inde Navarrette, Cooper Tomlinson, Megan Lawless, Andy Richter Premiere date May 15, 2026
Barker, one of the members of the sketch comedy group That's a Bad Idea, had been creating content for the channel for nearly nine years before the film's release. «Obsession ), which tells the story of what happens when a guy makes a wish for his crush to fall madly in love with him. And while box office success for small-scale horror films is nothing new, the film's overwhelming acclaim feels like Barker got "The Willow of One Wish" right. We're kidding, but the obsession with this film is real, and repeat viewings in theaters have become a badge of honor for fans. «"Obsessions"» .
Behind the scenes (2026)
A24 Films
Director : Kane Parsons Starring : Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renata Rainswe, Mark Duplass, Finn Bennett, Lukita Maxwell Release date : May 29, 2026.
Seven years after the creepypasta went viral, Kane Parsons' take on the "Behind the Scenes" craze—which began with a series of videos he created in Blender and uploaded to his YouTube account, Kane Pixels—has become a new horror juggernaut from A24. Hollywood truly saw the potential in Kane's vision, and everyone from James Wan to Osgood Perkins signed on as producers, ready to help Kane see the film through to completion.
Only time will tell if Hollywood can continue to select the right YouTubers to turn into future horror film directors.
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