6 Greatest Horror Movies Made By YouTube Creators (Including Obsession)

Obsession is the latest in a line of horror films that has come from the mind of YouTube creators. The new film from director Curry Barker has been making waves over the past week for its horrific premise and unique take on wishes in horror stories.

However, Barker didn’t come from nowhere. He originally started his career as a YouTuber, delighting viewers with short films and comedy sketches. This has become a common occurrence in recent years.

Many creators like Curry Barker have used YouTube as a means to jump to big budget television and film through their experience creating videos. Some notable content creators that have made this leap include Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox of Smosh, Arin Hanson from Game Grumps, and soon Seán McLouglin, aka Jacksepticeye, with his adaptation of Bloodborne.

Out of all these projects, horror is the genre that has found the most success collaborating with YouTubers. Many creators have made their cinematic debuts with horror films because the genre allows them to flex their creative sides. The sky is the limit, since what scares people is entirely subjective.

The 2020s, in particular, have seen a huge rise in new horror films from YouTube creators. They’ve provided some of the best scary movies in recent memory, and they still provide unique visions for the genre today.

6

Iron Lung

Releasing earlier this year, Iron Lung became a global sensation and quickly became one of the most successful horror films in recent memory. This adaptation of the independent video game of the same name was a passion project for Mark Fischbach, better known as Markiplier. He self-funded the film, while also directing it, writing it, and being the film’s main star.

The movie itself is a stunning piece of isolated terror. It takes place primarily in a claustrophobic submarine exploring an ocean of blood to discover the reason behind the universe experiencing a mysterious astrological event. There’s nonstop tension surrounding what lurks beyond the sub’s walls as the audience hears horrific sounds with only brief snapshots from a built-in camera showing what’s beneath the waves.

The main issue with Iron Lung is that it does begin to meander during its second act. It can feel slow and tedious after such a tight buildup during the first hour, making one ask if it needed to be two hours long. However, once the final act kicks in, the sluggish pace pays off perfectly in a nightmare-induced fever dream against a creature beyond comprehension.

5

Lights Out

David F. Sandberg has become a pretty big-name director in recent years with two Shazam! films, an Annabelle prequel, and an Until Dawn adaptation under his belt. However, before all that, he got his start on YouTube by creating animated shorts under the name Ponysmasher.

In 2013, he created a short film called “Lights Out” for a film competition that received instant acclaim. This led to him being offered a chance to adapt his short into a feature-length movie, and he brilliantly managed to translate the terror to the big-screen.

What makes Lights Out such a compelling horror film is its atmosphere. It manages to play with the lights surrounding the film’s characters in unique ways to make the audience feel unsettled by the dark spirit lurking in the shadows. Plus, it’s one of the rare PG-13 horror films that’s effective and scary, making use of atmosphere over blood and gore.

Unfortunately, the film does end far too soon at a short 81-minute runtime. This makes certain plot elements feel far too rushed, so the film can get back to the scary scenes. Still, this doesn’t stop Lights Out from being a terrific horror movie that knows how to get under the viewer’s skin.

4

Talk To Me

Danny and Michael Philippou are often considered the biggest success stories when it comes to YouTubers-into-filmmakers. Their channel, RackaRacka, was a huge hit with fans for its unique comedy and horror sketches.

When the duo attempted to create their first film, Talk to Me ended up being one of the most talked-about films at the Adelaide Film Festival. Critics considered it a refreshingly bold take on familiar possession stories while also being scary to boot.

The film eventually got a wide release from A24 in 2023, and it immediately became a major hit. Audiences lauded how fresh the story was. Talk to Me wasn’t afraid to go for the throat with its scares while providing a story so downtrodden and depressing that it plays into the premise’s possession angle.

Talk to Me was such a success that it even became the first film from A24 announced to have a sequel in the works. The Philippou brothers have come out with another film since that many argue to be even better than their first film, but Talk to Me still stands tall as a terrific debut feature.

3

Together

This horror film from director Michael Shanks actually came out following a successful short film career. Originally known as Timtimfed on YouTube, Shanks premiered numerous shorts on his channel, as well as a miniseries called The Wizard of Aus.

His leap to the big screen, though, was a huge boost to his career as critics and audiences praised his take on body horror. The way Tim and Millie, played by Dave Franco and Allison Brie, are shown gravitating to each other with their flesh merging into one another is absolutely gut-wrenching.

Plus, the film manages to bring emotion into this horrific tale by making it a unique allegory on marriage. After all, it’s messy and frightening, but it’s something so wild because of how much two people are willing to do to be together. This is such a cool way to explore this concept while providing some stomach-churning practical horror scenes alongside it.

2

Obsession

Obsession is the latest horror film from a YouTuber as of May 20, 2026, and it’s quickly become regarded as one of the best. Curry Barker is no stranger to the genre as he has created various short films for his YouTube channel, That’s a Bad Idea. He’s even made an acclaimed feature movie, released exclusively on YouTube, called Milk & Serial.

Now, his latest film sees Barker’s official theatrical debut, and it’s one of the most promising first efforts in many years. Obsession‘s take on wishes in the horror genre absolutely treads familiar ground, yet it executes the idea in such a unique way. It’s not afraid to go the extra mile with its scenes, disturbing the viewer with something frightening around every corner.

The performances of Michael Johnston and Inde Navarette in particular make this film as great as it is. They sell the horror of the situation Bear and Nikki find themselves in, while also adding some brilliant moments of dark humor throughout.

1

Bring Her Back

Danny and Michael Phillipou’s second film isn’t just better than Talk to Me. It’s one of the greatest horror films of the current decade. Bring Her Back is a phenomenal take on the possession subgenre that doesn’t hold the audience’s hand and takes some of the darkest turns in recent film history.

Sally Hawkins makes an excellent antagonist for this film as the deceptively kind Laura. She seems to be sweet, but her desperation makes her unsettling from the get-go when Andy begins to realize that something isn’t quite right with her.

The film is also visceral as can be, with painful scenes that will make any audience scream. One scene in particular that stands out for many fans of the film is when Oliver, another foster child, begins to chew on the sharp edge of a knife. It’s so cringe-inducing that it’s become the biggest moment from the film that everyone remembers.

Bring Her Back is a phenomenal example of just how clever YouTube creators can be. It’s raw with its emotional terror while also providing a great story. Films like this and Obsession show that YouTubers are the future of the genre, especially with horror seeing a major boost in attention over the past decade.