Steven Spielberg praises two low-budget horror hits that took Hollywood by surprise

A new wave of horror filmmakers has caught the attention of one of Hollywood's most celebrated directors. Steven Spielberg has publicly praised the commercial success of two recent low-budget horror releases, expressing genuine admiration for what their creators had achieved with minimal resources.

Red carpet praise ahead of Disclosure Day

The three-time Oscar winner made his remarks at a recent screening of his forthcoming film Disclosure Day, which is set to premiere in cinemas on 12 June. Speaking in a red carpet interview, Spielberg said he was delighted to see both Obsession and Backrooms performing so strongly at the box office.

"I'm so happy for them. I think it's so fantastic," he said. "I think it's great that they had basically very little money, especially Obsession had under $1 million, and the other film had maybe 10 or nine, and they're doing so well, and I just applaud them. I haven't seen Backrooms; I am going to see it when all this is over. But I have seen Obsession, and I loved it."

Obsession becomes Focus Features' biggest domestic release

Written and directed by Curry Barker, Obsession opened in cinemas on 15 May and swiftly established itself as a breakout success. The film has become Focus Features' highest-grossing domestic release, accumulating a current stateside total of $151.3 million.

Backrooms rewrites A24's record books

Backrooms, meanwhile, marks the directorial debut of Kane Parsons — who, at 20 years old, became A24's youngest ever director. Based on his own web series, the film gave the indie studio a record-breaking opening weekend with $81.4 million domestically and $118 million worldwide. It has since become A24's highest-grossing film in the United States and the first in the studio's history to surpass $100 million domestically.