Obsession Sequel, Killer Animal Frenzy, Backrooms Double Dip – Cutting The Crap Roundup – July Week 1

Welcome to Knockout Horror. I’ve decided to start a new weekly horror news roundup to, basically, cut through the crap and give my opinion on the current happenings in horror. Oh and, for some reason, I’ve decided to start it on a random Tuesday in July.

We’ve got tons to talk about from the first week of July including the rumours of an Obsession sequel, the current killer animal frenzy that’s quietly bubbling away, and Kane Parsons’ double dipping on Backrooms recent success. Let’s go!

So, the whole Obsession sequel talk?

I’ve been seeing a ton of talk about a potential sequel to Curry Barker’s massive horror hit Obsession, over the past week. I mean, it’s entirely expected, right? It’s been a huge success all over the world and people are literally desperate for more. The love that the brilliant Inde Navarrette is getting really warms the heart, too.

I absolutely loved Obsession (shameless review plug) but I’m a little miffed that I never see anyone recommending Barker’s first movie Milk & Serial. Different vibe, same talent.

A lot of the discourse surrounding an Obsession sequel comes right from the director himself. Barker has talked about how he would love to delve deeper into the world and expand on it in the future. To be honest, I think people are getting a little bit confused by that statement.

Barker is, seemingly, less interested in a sequel to Obsession and actually far more keen to expand on the lore of the One Wish Willow, itself. He’s thinking along the lines of anthology movies directed by other filmmakers and other films set in the same cinematic universe.

Is a sequel to Obsession in the works?

Let’s clear this up straight away. No, a sequel to Obsession isn’t currently in the works, as of this writing (7th of July 2026). Nikki’s story is done and it looks like Barker is ready to move on. Things could change, obviously, but that’s where we stand as of now.

Curry Barker is rather tied up at the moment, too. He’s already earmarked for the director’s chair in a remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and he’s also rumoured to be at the helm for an untitled Universal Monster Movie. Let’s not forget that he is slap bang in the middle of directing Anything but Ghosts, as we speak.

Anything but Ghosts, stars Barker and his YouTube partner Cooper Tomlinson as a pair of sham, fake paranormal investigators coming face to face with real ghosts. It sounds like it is going to be a blast and he has already said it takes place in the same universe as Obsession so keep your eyes peeled for Easter eggs.

I’m reminded of the Philippou brothers, in that respect. Talk to Me and Bring Her Back exist within the same universe. Kane Parsons, too, with Backrooms and how that movie ties into the original YouTube series meta. I guess these younger directors just think on a different level. Speaking of Parsons, let’s leap into a liminal space for our next topic.

The Backrooms double dip?

Backrooms, which we really enjoyed, has just reentered cinemas for a short run under the guise of Backrooms: Everything Must Go Edition. This version of the film features around 15 minutes of extra footage that Parson claims he whipped up on Blender in around two weeks.

Obviously, this speaks to the nature of Backrooms as a YouTube series and just how effectively Parsons can churn out content for the title but I’m not sure how I feel about it. Double dipping on a popular movie this soon after its initial theatrical run? It feels a tiny bit unsporting.

On the one hand, I think it’s great to see a horror director doing really well and making tons of money. On the other hand, however, people are really strapped for cash, at the moment. I think this would have fit far better as a streaming or VOD exclusive that cost a lot less or even as a YouTube video acting as a bit of fan service.

With that being said, I think I am going to wait for the streaming release before I check the extended version out. Spending money on tickets, snacks, and fuel to get to the cinema just for fifteen minutes of story padding isn’t my idea of a good deal.

Killer creature chaos

Is everyone enjoying the bevy of killer animal, creature features that have been hitting our screens, lately? We’ve had Primate, Grizzly Night, Killer Whale, Chum, Thrash, Deep Water, and Hungry already this year and that’s not even counting the lower budget indie releases.

Don’t get me wrong, most of them are utter shite but I did enjoy Hungry, Primate, and Deep Water quite a bit. Interesting fact, I explained the ending to Primate and then completely forgot to review it. This has been a really busy year in the Knockout Horror household and quite a few movies have slipped through the cracks.

I do wonder how people are feeling about Chum’s generative AI sharks. I feel like that would be a really hot button topic if people hadn’t clocked what a piece of crap that film was going to be so avoided watching it. I feel conflicted. The sharks look a lot better than most Asylum garbage and some CGI work went into them but it’s the start of a very slippery slope.

I think we can venture back into the woods and the waters now, though. I’m not seeing any upcoming creature features on the horizon which feels like a massive dropped ball, right? The summer is the perfect time for killer animal horror films. We all need reminding that, despite the sunshine, we are probably better off staying on the couch rather than risking losing a foot to an angry shark.

What’s new on Tubi?

Let’s head on over to Tubi and see what’s new in the horror department. Slap bang right in the centre of the home page they are advertising Open Water 2: Adrift (2006).

Fun story, my fiancee and I, back in the early days of our relationship, found a UMD (PSP disc format) of Adrift (just a one word title in the UK, back then) in a local shop. I told her how it was the sequel to Open Water and she, very assuredly, told me that it absolutely wasn’t and I was completely wrong.

Years later, the title updated to reflect its place in the Open Water canon and I got to feel quite smug in my pettiness. Hey, when you don’t win a lot of disagreements, you have to make them count, right? Adrift isn’t a patch on the first movie but it has its moments.

Crawl (2019) is a great option in their recently added category; another movie I watched and forgot to review. High Tension’s Alexandre Aja directs Kaya Scodelario on the run from a killer croc. A perfect option for some summer viewing. I’m definitely going to jump on this chance to watch Brian Duffield’s No One Will Save You (2023) that’s just recently joined their library, too.

Other highlights include I Saw The TV Glow (2024), creepy folk horror flicks Lamb (2021) and Men (2022) (Check out our recent folk horror movies list for more), and the very enjoyable hidden camera horror Vacancy from back in 2007.

I really need to get around to watching the found footage horror flick Man Finds Tape sometime soon. It hit Tubi earlier this year, I believe. I have another indie movie in my watchlist after a review request from the director so I’m looking forward to checking that out imminently.

Tubi original thrillers The One Next Door (coming July 10th) and I Know Where You Live (July 24th) seem interesting, but it’s Tubi so who the hell knows? I have a review of Hive ready to go so look out for that this week.

Worth a trip to the cinema?

Horror has been killing it at the cinema recently. I’m sure I am not alone when it comes to a decently thick collection of recently obtained tickets.

Evil Dead Burn is the big one this week. Sébastien Vaniček’s take on the Deadites is going to be interesting, if nothing else. Isn’t it crazy that the Evil Dead series is still running wild all these years later?

Sophie Thatcher stars in Her Private Hell which is getting a limited release in late July but early reviews seem very mixed. I am a huge fan of her work, though, so I will watch regardless.

Not going to lie, I might be most excited for Ice Cream Man by Eli Roth but that’s a ways away so we won’t talk about that just yet. Obsession is still showing in many theatres so why not give it a go if you missed it? It’s worth the trip.

Onto next week!

That’s all from week one of July. It’s about to get hot in the UK, again. I’m currently playing through Resident Evil Requiem so fully immersed in horror of all kinds. Keep an eye out for more reviews and ending explained articles coming in the next week and thanks for reading.

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