Ranking the Top 10 Blumhouse horror films ahead of the release of Obsession

The latest hotly anticipated movie from horror specialists Blumhouse, Obsession marks the arrival of a major new filmmaking star in director Curry Barker. The story follows socially awkward music store employee Bear (Michael Johnston), who can’t bring himself to express his feelings for his co-worker Nikki (Inde Navarette).

Whilst browsing a new age store, Bear purchases the mysterious ‘One Wish Willow’, which promises to grant one wish. Having wished for Nikki’s love, Bear’s dream is realised – only for Nikki’s affection to grow increasingly twisted and obsessive. It all makes for an awesomely nerve-shredding watch from a new horror master.

In the best Blumhouse tradition, Obsession has a brilliantly imaginative core concept, which is realised via virtuoso direction and stellar performances. Boasting a gripping and intense atmosphere – shot through with inspired moments of humour to offset the tension – the movie also incorporates memorable set-pieces, a stunning soundtrack and fright-filled action.

To celebrate Obsession’s arrival, we’ve ranked the Blumhouse classics. Brace yourself for some wild entertainment – and some serious jump scares...

10. Insidious (2010)

Having made one of the all-time classic cinematic debuts with 2004’s Saw, the dream – or should that be nightmare? – team of director James Wan and writer Leigh Whannell reunited for this box-office smash and first in the Insidious franchise, in which Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne star as a married couple whose boy falls into a comatose state and becomes a vessel for demonic entities.

9. The Purge: Anarchy (2014)

With the Purge franchise being a particular Hot Press favourite, our first entry in the series is the second outing from 2014. With the cast featuring the late great Michael K. Williams of The Wire fame, the action again focuses on the Purge – an annual event that permits all crime for 12 hours – with the twist being that an anti-Purge resistance group has formed to oppose the totalitarian government, the New Founding Fathers of America.

8. M3GAN (2023)

That man Wan was back onboard for one of Blumhouse’s most recent hits, co-creating the story alongside director Akela Cooper. A sci-fi horror effort with black comedy moments, the story focused on an AI doll who becomes sentient and develops hostility towards anyone who threatens her relationship with her human companion.

M3GAN. Photo Credit: Universal Pictures - © 2023 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS. All Rights Reserved.

7. Halloween Ends (2022)

The climactic instalment in David Gordon Green’s hugely successful reboot of the Halloween franchise again finds Jamie Lee Curtis reprising the iconic role of Laurie Strode, who has a final showdown with the villainous Mike Myers.

Though big fans of Gordon Green’s trilogy, the soundtrack inclusion of ‘Burn It Down’ by sublime industrial duo Boy Harsher means Ends gets our vote.

6. Sinister (2012)

Directed and co-written by Scott Derrickson, Sinister is headed up by Blumhouse regular Ethan Hawke. He stars as a struggling true crime writer, whose discovery of snuff films with supernatural elements in his new house puts his family in danger.

5. Paranormal Activity (2007)

Part of a wave of found footage horror movies in the late ’90s and noughties, the original in the Paranormal Activity series focuses on a young couple (Katie Featherston and Micah Stoat) who are haunted by a supernatural presence inside their home and set up a camera to document the story. Famously shot for just $15,000 in its original incarnation, the movie ultimately grossed $194 million worldwide and is often cited as one of the most profitable films ever made.

Paranormal Activity (2007) © Paramount Pictures

5. Us (2019)

The hugely acclaimed effort by horror maestro Jordan Peele starred Lupita Nyong’o as Adelaide Wilson, whose family is attacked by a group of menacing doppelgängers, known as the ‘Tethered’. Made on a budget of $20 million, the movie was another box-office smash, grossing $256 million.

4. The Purge (2013)

The second Purge entry on our list is the original from 2013, in which Ethan Hawke and Lena Headey are among members of a wealthy family who find themselves targeted by a gang of murderers during the titular night of mayhem.

3. Speak No Evil (2024)

A remake of the Dutch-Danish feature of the same name, Speak No Evil starred James McEvoy, Mackenzie Davis and Irish actress Aisling Franciosi. Directed by James Watkins, whose other credits include hit sci-fi series Black Mirror, the action centres on an American family invited to stay at the remote farmhouse of a British couple, where things quickly take a macabre turn.

2. The Black Phone (2021)

Based on a short story by Joe Hill – son of horror legend Stephen King – The Black Phone is something of a Blumhouse Avengers Assemble, with Sinister man Scott Derrickson directing a cast headed up by Ethan Hawke. The nerve-shredding story concerns a teenage boy abducted by a child serial killer known colloquially as the Grabber.

1. Get Out (2017)

Get Out announced the arrival of a major talent in writer-director Jordan Peele, here making his debut. A box-office smash that enjoyed multiple Oscar nominations (winning Best Screenplay), the movie followed a young Black man (Daniel Kaluuya), who uncovers shocking secrets when he meets the family of his white girlfriend (Allison Williams).

Get Out © 2016 Universal Pictures

• Obsession is released in cinemas now. Watch the trailer below.