Jason Blum Says He Had Nothing To Do With ‘Obsession’ Going to the Golden Globes as a Comedy

Curry Barker’s ‘Obsession’ has been the horror story of the year. The film was made for just $750,000 and has grossed more than $500 million worldwide. Its success has also pushed star Inde Navarrette to the top of many casting lists.

Awards season has started a new argument about the film. Focus Features, its distributor, submitted ‘Obsession’ to the Golden Globes in the musical or comedy categories, a choice that has raised some eyebrows. Many awards pundits had expected it to compete as a drama.

Now Jason Blum, one of the film’s producers, has addressed the comedy label. On a new episode of ‘The Kyle Buchanan Show,’ he said he had nothing to do with the decision to submit ‘Obsession’ as a comedy. Buchanan said on X that Blum’s reaction to the question cracked him up.

Blum didn’t take credit for the submission, but he defended the reasoning behind it. He said comedy and horror share a lot of DNA and that most horror films have plenty of comedy in them. In his view, humor makes scares more effective, because a relaxed audience is easier to frighten.

Jason Blum tells Kyle Buchanan he had nothing to do with ‘OBSESSION’ getting submitted as a comedy at the Golden Globes, and that comedy and horror “share a lot of DNA”: “Most horror has a lot of comedy in it and comedy in horror makes horror more effective. When you have comedy, the audience relaxes. And if the audience is relaxed, you can scare them much more.”
— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) November 11, 2026

The interview came on Buchanan’s new video podcast. Buchanan left The New York Times after 8 years to launch the show, which includes one-on-one interviews with major Hollywood figures.

The Hollywood Reporter first reported the submission. Focus and the film’s other backers concluded that the film works as a comedy, even though it is both terrifyingly scary and darkly funny. Supporters point out that audiences often laugh at Navarrette’s wish version of Nikki, and that many of those moments have become memes.

You wished for this. Official trailer for OBSESSION, only in theaters May 15. Text 724-876-4554 🖤 https://t.co/rNfs9wfwml
— Obsession (@obsessionmovie) March 11, 2026

THR also reported that Golden Globes voters themselves have indicated they see it as a comedy. Insiders point to other genre-blending films that were accepted and nominated in the musical or comedy categories, including ‘Get Out,’ ‘The Banshees of Inisherin,’ ‘Poor Things’ and ‘The Substance.’

Fans have been divided. Some social media users called the submission a dumb move, arguing that the film has funny moments but isn’t a comedy. Others worry the debate reflects a bigger problem with how the industry treats horror.

There is a practical reason for the move. Running in the musical or comedy race could give Navarrette a less crowded path to an acting nomination. ‘Obsession’ is also expected to compete strongly for the best box office achievement award, which considers every film.

The numbers explain the awards push. ‘Obsession’ opened on May 15 with $17.2 million, well ahead of the $10 million analysts had expected. It also earned an A- CinemaScore, which is very rare for a horror movie.

It has since become the highest-grossing release in Focus Features history. The film also ranks as the 10th highest-grossing film of 2026 and the 5th highest-grossing horror film of all time, unadjusted for inflation.

Blum and Barker are already working together again. Barker’s next film is ‘Anything but Ghosts,’ a comedy horror he co-wrote with Cooper Tomlinson, and it takes place in the same universe as ‘Obsession.’ Blum is producing again, and Aaron Paul stars. The bigger question is whether the Globes accept ‘Obsession’ as a comedy. Golden Globe nominations will be announced on December 7.