YouTube Horror Star Spencer Lackey Transitions to Features with A24-Level Support

Hollywood continues to be captivated by talent emerging from the internet, particularly in the horror genre. Over the past year, the industry has increasingly turned to social media to discover its next breakout filmmaker, aiming for the kind of explosive success that can elevate unknown creators to box office stardom almost overnight.

This quest has already yielded some impressive results, with Kane Parsons’ ‘Backrooms’ grossing $394,000,000 worldwide on a budget of less than $10,000,000, and Curry Barker’s ‘Obsession’ becoming a significant talking point this summer. Studios are taking note, and the search for the next creator-turned-filmmaker has intensified.

Now, the spotlight is on Spencer Lackey. Neon and Blumhouse Atomic Monster are collaborating on ‘Lust,’ a horror feature that Lackey has both written and directed, marking his transition from short-form content to full-length filmmaking.

Lackey has spent years cultivating his audience with original, narrative-driven horror shorts, amassing over 7,000,000 followers across platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. His breakout came with ‘You Are Here,’ a liminal-space short produced by Mike Flanagan, which garnered significant attention on the festival circuit and caught the eye of industry insiders eager for the next big digital-to-feature crossover.

This newfound attention has translated into substantial backing. Steven Schneider, known for his work on the ‘Paranormal Activity’ franchise, is producing through Spooky Pictures, while Jason Blum and James Wan are on board for Blumhouse Atomic Monster. With Neon and Blumhouse Atomic Monster co-financing the project, Lackey has two of horror’s most reliable hitmakers supporting his first feature.

Details about ‘Lust’ are still under wraps, with the project’s logline kept secret for now. What is known is that Lackey wrote the script and will direct, a rare combination of creative control for a first-time feature filmmaker working with major genre financiers.

Lackey has gained a reputation for embracing bizarre and unsettling premises in his content, including shorts that explore strange scenarios like a monster quietly observing him doing household chores. Whether this unique tone will carry over into ‘Lust’ remains to be seen, but it hints at the unconventional horror sensibility he brings to the project.

Lackey isn’t alone in making this leap from online personality to filmmaker. Neon has already released ‘Shelby Oaks’ from YouTube creator Chris Stuckmann and ‘It Ends’ from Alexander Ullom, while Warner Bros. has recently acquired the rights to ‘Siren Head,’ based on the viral internet meme, with Zach Cregger and Brian Duffield attached to write.

Lackey has previously discussed this shift in how the industry perceives creators like him. He mentioned to Dread Central that industry professionals are beginning to take digital creators more seriously, while recognizing the significant difference between creating a TikTok and directing a feature film.

With horror veterans like Schneider, Blum, and Wan guiding the project, Lackey seems to be entering feature filmmaking with an impressive level of institutional support for a first-time director. He is represented by 3 Arts Entertainment, WME, and Ginsburg Daniels Kallis, further indicating how seriously the industry is treating his transition.

Given the remarkable success of other creator-driven horror films this year, expectations for ‘Lust’ will likely be high once more details are revealed. For now, fans of Lackey’s short-form work will have to wait and see how his distinctive blend of unsettling, internet-inspired horror translates to the big screen.

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