We Wished for an Unforgettable, Distinctive Horror Film and Bought Precisely That With ‘Obsession’

Simply once you assume you’ve seen every premise imaginable for a horror film, somebody comes up with one which’s so easy, so good, so devious, you may’t imagine it hasn’t been carried out a million times before. With Obsession, writer-director Curry Barker tells the story of Bear, a younger man who’s madly in love together with his good buddy and co-worker Nikki. Bear desires to inform Nikki how he feels, however he can’t muster up the braveness. So, when he occurs upon a gag present that guarantees to grant you one want, he figures it couldn’t harm. However oh, how incorrect he’s.

Utilizing the knick-knack referred to as a “One Want Willow,” Bear (Michael Johnston) needs for Nikki (Inde Navarrette) to like him greater than something on the earth, and it magically comes true. Virtually immediately, issues get awkward. Out of nowhere, Nikki begins performing extremely odd, nearly like there are two individuals preventing inside her. Bear’s okay with it, although, as a result of she’s lastly into him. Quickly, issues begin to escalate, and escalate, and escalate. Their interactions are humorous, then creepy, then violent, then actually creepy, then actually violent, then actually actually… you get the concept. For the whole movie, Barker retains us on our toes by continuously various the extent of depth. Every scene adjustments wildly from one to the subsequent, however, thanks partly to nice performances from Johnston and Navarrette, the film by no means feels tonally awkward. All of it suits collectively seamlessly.

Each leads are unimaginable within the film. Johnston begins as an aw-shucks, good man missing confidence—at first, he appears okay with getting his want fulfilled. However as issues get weirder, extra awkward, and scarier, we see him battle with simply how far he’s keen to push this, and the way a lot he’s keen to forgive. The film concurrently desires you to like and hate Bear, rooting for him to achieve his desires however admonishing him for what he’s carried out to his buddy, and with every scene, Johnston conveys all of that in his being. Then there’s Navarrette, who, as Nikki, is nothing in need of astonishing. She’s bought an enormous vary to play with within the position, after all, however she is consistently fascinating, terrifying, and likewise insanely lovable. It’s the same stability to the film’s lens on Bear himself: you get why he would love her a lot, however really feel more and more horrible for what is going on as she places her physique by way of the ringer and again once more.

And whereas Barker might’ve simply stored that story as the only focus, Bear and Nikki’s two finest pals, Ian (Cooper Tomlinson) and Sarah (Megan Lawless), present much-needed perspective on all this. Identical to an actual relationship, typically once you’re inside one, you don’t actually know the way it appears to everybody else. Ian and Sarah determine in a short time that one thing could be very, very incorrect with Bear and Nikki’s relationship, and that standpoint offers much more twists and turns.

There’s even a throughline concerning the lore of this mysterious wish-granter referred to as a “One Want Willow,” which we might’ve cherished to see explored much more. However perhaps that may occur if we go to this world once more. As a result of the concept that these “One Want Willows” are on the market in the true world, able to screw up somebody’s life, is simply as ripe, if no more so, than the story we’re seeing unfold.

However the true brilliance of Obsession—and make no mistake, it’s sensible—is its simplicity. Bear wished for Nikki to like him greater than something on the earth. Something: meaning greater than herself. Greater than her pals. Greater than, nicely, something, and the movie pushes these boundaries and performs with the notion to unimaginable impact. It by no means will get too far excessive, nevertheless it additionally by no means enables you to neglect simply how far the boundaries of these phrases can go.

At occasions throughout Obsession, I used to be laughing out loud. At different occasions, I used to be legitimately terrified. And there have been loads of moments alongside the best way stuffed with shock and disgust. It has the whole lot you may need in a horror film. And the truth that it offers such a brand new, distinctive spin on the concept of needs or love makes all of it the higher.

Obsession simply had its U.S. premiere at Implausible Fest 2025 and was just lately picked up for distribution by Focus Options out of the Toronto Worldwide Movie Pageant. Which is nice information. Which means, in some unspecified time in the future sooner or later, it is possible for you to to see our newest horror obsession: Obsession.

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