Not Only 'Obsession': 5 Other Big Horror Debuts of Recent Years, Ranked by Rotten Tomatoes

Obsession, the debut feature of YouTuber Curry Barker, has already been hailed as one of the best horror films of the year. The numbers confirm the critics' praise: the movie grossed $25 million in its opening weekend, despite having an $800,000 budget.

Despite frequent denouncements of the horror genre, it continues to thrive and evolve thanks to the vision and passion of young filmmakers.

5. 'The Empty Man', 2020

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 73%

Detective James Lasombra investigates the disappearance of a high school student and uncovers a series of mysterious suicides linked to a cult conspiracy and the urban legend of the Empty Man.

David Prior's 2017 debut movie is based on the graphic novel of the same name by Cullen Bunn and Vanesa R. Del Rey.

After test screenings, 20th Century Fox doubted the film's commercial potential and delayed its release by three years, until the height of the Coronavirus pandemic. The film ultimately flopped at the box office but gained fans after its digital release.

4. 'Smile', 2022

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 80%

Psychiatrist Rose Cotter helps Laura Weaver cope with the trauma of recently witnessing a man commit suicide while smiling. During the session, Laura snaps and kills herself while smiling, passing on a deadly curse to Rose.

Smile grew out of a short film by Parker Finn and instantly became one of the highest-grossing horror movies of the 2020s. Rather than trying to join the wave of elevated horror films, Finn made a horror flick in the tradition of his predecessors.

As befits the genre, the plot is full of jump scares and terrifying elements and follows the lines of a detective story. Rose and her ex-boyfriend, police officer Joel, investigate the origins of the curse and how to break it.

3. 'We're All Going to the World's Fair', 2021

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%

Jane Schoenbrun's debut movie is not a pure horror film, but rather a desktop drama. The plot centers on a schoolgirl named Casey who is going through a difficult time.

She joins a sinister online flash mob whose members are rumored to be dying and records the changes that occur within her.

Casey does change: she loses her temper more often, plays loud music, and spends hours in the garage watching videos from her personal archives on a projector.

2. 'Talk to Me', 2022

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%

Not even the most devoted fans of the twin brothers Danny and Michael Philippou, creators of the YouTube channel RackaRacka, could have imagined that they would make such a sensitive and poignant horror movie about loss.

The plot follows teenagers from an Australian suburb who attend parties and shake a mummified hand, allowing a ghost from the underworld to enter their bodies. According to the ritual, contact can last exactly 90 seconds – just enough time to create a viral video.

Mia, who is grieving the death of her mother, also experiences the artifact's effects. She quickly becomes engrossed and loses track of time, allowing evil into the lives of her loved ones.

1. 'The Ugly Stepsister', 2025

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%

Rebekka, the mother of Elvira and Alma, is broke. She tried to marry well, but her husband went bankrupt, died, and left his daughter, Agnes, in her care.

While Alma explores the woods and observes the local wildlife and Agnes flirts with a stable boy, Elvira prepares for Prince Julian's bridal competition. Encouraged by her mother, Elvira exhausts herself with diets and cuts off "unnecessary" body parts to slay the heir.

Newcomer Emilie Blichfeldt conceived the idea for the movie while working on her thesis at film school. She crafts a spine-chilling horror story about intolerable patriarchal beauty standards that captivates with its visual sophistication.