Brianna Bryson/FilmMagic/Getty ImagesBy now, nobody can avoid the unstoppable obsession with Obsession. The indie-horror movie, made for only $750,000 dollars by a first-time filmmaker, Curry Barker, has not only been one of the most well-reviewed films of 2026, but it’s also one of the most profitable. As of July 6, Obsession has made $400 million worldwide, according to several reports, including one from Gizmodo. The kneejerk response here is, of course, that Obsession must be the most profitable indie horror movie of all time, and that Barker has invented a new way of printing money in the movie-making game. Right?Well, yes and no. While Obsession’s success is surprising in today’s landscape — and proves that going to see movies in person is not a generational issue — the idea that a low-budget indie horror movie can get to nearly half a billion at the box office isn’t new. Obsession is breaking recent records to be sure, but it hasn’t broken one indie horror record yet.Obsession is not the highest-grossing indie horror hitWith $245 million at the domestic box office to date, and another $157 million from the international box office, Obsession is clearly the movie to beat right now, and has certainly kicked the asses of both He-Man and Supergirl. However, historically, the more interesting record it’s about to match is that of another low-budget indie horror movie, The Blair Witch Project, which made $248.6 million in 1999. When adjusted for inflation, that’s $500.41 million in 2026 dollars.Like Obsession today, The Blair Witch Project had a very low budget, making it one of the most profitable movies of its time. Arguably, it was also extremely innovative, taking the notion of found footage, or mockumentary, into an entirely new direction. In a sense, you could claim that The Blair Witch Project created a new subgenre. Has Obsession? Not really, fans of horror, or fantasy-based horror stories, recognize the basic conceit of and tropes within Obsession. The key to this movie’s contemporary success is, perhaps, not so much innovation but simply timing. Contemporary discussions about loneliness are at an all-time high, making the basic premise of Obsession — a curse that makes a crush into an obsessive monster — reflective of current social anxieties. In short, Obsession is a well-made indie horror movie, using time-honored tropes, with a message that speaks to a younger audience. But young audiences have been going to indie horror movies for years.Indie horror from young filmmakers is a time-honored way to make moviesFor anyone who thinks that Barker or Kane Parsons have suddenly stumbled across some sort of unknown formula — low-budget horror combined with a younger audience — it’s important to consider that Sam Raimi was 20 years old when he began making The Evil Dead and turned 22 when the movie was first released in 1981. If you want to say “Okay Boomer” to that, that’s fine, because Raimi is literally from the Baby Boomer generation and went on to make some of the most important genre films of all time, including Darkman, Spider-Man, and most recently, the critically acclaimed Send Help.In other words, in the 1980s, Raimi was exactly like Curry Barker. The Evil Dead was made for $375,000 and ended up grossing $29.4 million, just shy of about $100 million adjusted for inflation. The 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s were, then, filled with all sorts of indie horror trends, often with young filmmakers just getting their start. Obsession (and Backrooms) are the latest examples of this phenomenon. But it’s not exactly a Gen-Z trend. For those who love horror, this is simply the natural cycle of things, and a good sign for the health of movies in general.Obsession is still in theaters and also available for purchase as a video-on-demand (VOD).