Modern horror has figured out what's actually terrifying young people

As Emma from the UK navigates the treacherous landscape of online relationships, she can't help but feel a creeping sense of dread. Her friends have warned her about the dangers of dating apps, but Emma's more worried about the suffocating feeling of being constantly surveilled. This is a fear that's increasingly reflected in modern horror, where the monsters are no longer just about death, but about the anxieties that grip our lives. Films like Obsession are tapping into the zeitgeist, exploring what it means to be a young person in a world where intimacy and autonomy are under siege.

Horror movies have long been a reflection of our collective anxieties. In the 1950s, nuclear dread produced atomic monsters, while Invasion of the Body Snatchers captured Cold War paranoia. The monsters of old were external, tangible threats, but the ones we face today are more insidious. They're about anxiety, alienation, and the fear of being known. Obsession's success can be seen as a symptom of this cultural moment, where young people are grappling with the consequences of a hyper-connected world. The film's low budget and slow burn are a far cry from the blockbuster mentality that dominates the industry, but its staying power speaks to a deeper truth.

Horror is often dismissed as a genre that's all about jump scares and gore, but it's the only genre that's ever truly captured the essence of our collective fears. When reality feels like a lie, and politics is absurd, horror becomes the only truth-teller. It's a genre that's always understood that the literal truth is no longer enough. Backrooms, a film that on the surface is about liminal spaces, explores what it means to feel isolated and untethered. This is a feeling that's all too familiar in a world where people spend hours a day staring into algorithmically curated realities. The monsters of modern horror are not just about death, but about the fear of being trapped in a never-ending cycle of uncertainty.

So what does the success of Obsession mean for the future of horror? Will we see more films that tap into the anxieties of young people, or will the industry return to its tried-and-true formulas?They're about the fears that grip our lives, the anxieties that keep us up at night, and the uncertainty that surrounds us. As Emma navigates the treacherous landscape of online relationships, she's not just worried about being killed, she's worried about being seen, being known, and being trapped in a world that's increasingly suffocating.

The monsters of modern horror are a reflection of our collective fears, and they're here to stay.