Horror producers and directors gathered at a TIFF: The Market panel on Saturday to discuss strategy in the wake of one of the genre's biggest recent breakouts: Curry Barker's Obsession. The film, sold to Focus Features for $15 million, has since crossed $500 million at the global box office as a summer 2026 hit, alongside Kane Parsons' Backrooms.
Haley Nicole Johnson, co-producer on Obsession, told the panel she's still adjusting to the film's success. "It's a lot. I'm not gonna lie. It's a lot. But I've been overwhelmed with how welcoming the industry has been to everyone from Team Obsession," she said. Johnson recently wrapped production on Alex Ullom's 4X4: The Event for Neon.
Adam Hendricks, co-founder of Divide/Conquer, said he was drawn to horror producing because the genre connects deeply with audiences, because new opportunities opened up in the marketplace following the success of Obsession and Backrooms, and because horror films can be made without relying on a big-name cast. "This is the place we can do the most," Hendricks said.
Nyla Innuksuk of Mixtape VR, whose debut feature Slash/Back was followed by In the Heart of the South — which is having its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival this week — said reaching audiences requires putting a fresh spin on familiar storylines and genre tropes. "There's this wanting to connect with ideas and feelings that feel universal and being able to tell something unique to a place and culture, while also being able to connect to strong feelings that are familiar, whether fear or obsessive love," she explained.
Hendricks described the genre landscape as a minefield given how quickly audiences reject derivative material. "We're averse to stories we've seen before," he said, citing zombies and werewolves as examples of tropes viewers can anticipate beat for beat. As he and Divide/Conquer co-founder Greg Gilreath field new scripts, Hendricks said the central question guiding their choices is: "What are the new mythologies and new stories?"
Gilreath added that he looks for filmmakers who draw on the "full tool-kit of making films," incorporating effects and stunts rather than relying solely on script and performance.
