ā 6/10Curry Barker has crafted something mostly special for an almost non-existent budget. The story is compelling, the acting is solid, and Obsession feels like a breath of fresh air in comparison to similar horror films. However, itās disappointing that one...
Curry Barker has crafted something mostly special for an almost non-existent budget. The story is compelling, the acting is solid, and Obsession feels like a breath of fresh air in comparison to similar horror films. However, itās disappointing that one shrill character trait nearly ruins the entire film. Itās because of this that Obsession will have to settle for being a well-made, well-written film dominated by one aggressively irritating character, which will hinder future rewatches much like Frank Darabontās The Mist.
https://bit.ly/1WishWillO
Read More ā 7/10"Bear" (Michael Johnston) has a crush on his pal "Nikki" (Inde Navarrette) but it's a love that dare not speak it's name. He hasn't the courage to even ask her out! When she decides that she has had enough of...
"Bear" (Michael Johnston) has a crush on his pal "Nikki" (Inde Navarrette) but it's a love that dare not speak it's name. He hasn't the courage to even ask her out! When she decides that she has had enough of their two-horse town and wants to move away, he decides to buy her a gift and alights on a "make a wish" toy. Make your wish and it will come true as surely as if it were rubbed out on that lamp of "Aladdin". Well he gives her a lift home, but their parting is a bit wobbly and so in a fit of pique he snaps the gift and makes his wish after she has gone. What he doesn't expect is that it will come true, but that's just the start as the consequences of his hastily considered prayer begin to take over just about everyone's lives - and not necessarily for the better, or the safer, either. Things don't improve much for him when he discovers that his options to reverse his heart's desire are limited in the extreme. It's a toss up between the pair at the top of the billing here, but I reckon Navarrette might just have edged it on the acting front as both deliver positively visceral performances with this horror as it takes on an whole new perspective of maniacally tempramental behaviour and turns any sense of romance into something positively hysterical, menacing and at times quite menacingly gory and funny too. I really did enjoy the denouement and I reckon this is the best I've seen from this genre in 2026 so far. Never mind careless talk, just beware what you wish for?
Read More ā 8/10Full Review: aisleseatreviews.com "Waking up in the middle of the night with the eerie sense that youāre being watched, only to look down and see your kid standing pitch-black next to your bed staring at you. That is the exact...
Full Review: aisleseatreviews.com
"Waking up in the middle of the night with the eerie sense that youāre being watched, only to look down and see your kid standing pitch-black next to your bed staring at you. That is the exact level of visceral dread this movie locks you into."
Obsession is one of those rare, deeply unsettling horror films that doesn't just want to jump-scare youāit actively wants to get under your skin and suffocate you. You get about 15 minutes of relative safety at the start, but the exact second that One Wish Willow snaps, the air is completely sucked out of the room. You could literally hear a collective wave of tension ripple through the theater.
Inde Navarrette is phenomenal. Her ability to instantly pivot from an obsessed, psychotic girlfriend back to a normal, completely terrified Nikki who realizes she's trapped, and then snap right back into the madness is chilling. The bedroom scene where she watches Bear sleep is going to stick with me for a long time.
Massive props to director Curry Barker for making a flawless leap from YouTube horror to the big screen. He relies on old-school atmosphere rather than cheap audio cues, masterfully weaponizing camera placement, shadows, and lingering silence. There is a shot of her just standing there smiling that goes on for so long it made the entire crowd audibly uneasy.
With all the respect in the world, this is a "one-timer" for me because I am in no rush to put myself back through this emotional meat grinder. But it is an absolute must-experience with a theater crowd.
Verdict: Front Row (An Absolute Must-See)
Read More ā 9/10Obsession is an supernatural phychological horror film directed by Curry Barker, a youtuber turned filmmaker and what a crazy film he had made on a budget 1 million dollars. The concept itself is so interesting but terrifying at the same...
Obsession is an supernatural phychological horror film directed by Curry Barker, a youtuber turned filmmaker and what a crazy film he had made on a budget 1 million dollars. The concept itself is so interesting but terrifying at the same time that will make you think that why and how would Curry had come with such an idea. The film is so layered and deep in it's narrative that after watching the film every time you think about it, you will come across a new perspective and shade of every character. Technically the film is solid, may it be the sound design or the costumes or the prosthetics work or the set design which despite the minimal budget didn't look cheap. Performances of both the lead actors Michael Johnston & Inde Navarrette were exceptional, they nailed their roles. Michael does a great job as an observer, a guy who is terrified with what is going on around him, a guy trying to figure out but a subtle shade of selfishness in his character all along. And on the other side, there is Inde Navarrette, I don't think I have seen a better performance than her in any other film this year, the least the deserves is an Oscar nomination, she was freakin crazy as hell, you will be absolutely blown away with her expressions, her body language, her dialogue delivery, her creepy smile she does, she was just an absolute absolute blast throughout the film. You will hold your head in disbelief watching some of her actions in the film, she will surely make you go shivers down your spine. Overall, It is a crazy crazy ride which will keep you hooked with his 1.50:1 aspect ratio which make you feel something unconventional, uncomfortable and kind of claustrophobic and kudos to Curry Barker for his brilliant screenplay and execution. You need to watch it in cinemas near you at any cost. Just go for it, highly highly recommended.
Read More ā 10/10Curry Barkerās feature debut is a flawless, deeply unsettling masterpiece that takes the classic "be careful what you wish for" trope and turns it into a relentless nightmare. The film centers on a music store employee who uses a supernatural...
Curry Barkerās feature debut is a flawless, deeply unsettling masterpiece that takes the classic "be careful what you wish for" trope and turns it into a relentless nightmare. The film centers on a music store employee who uses a supernatural trinket to force his longtime crush to love him, unleashing a wave of horrifying, unhinged consequences. Visually striking and meticulously paced, the movie keeps you completely locked in from the opening frame to its devastating conclusion. What elevates this psychological horror film to absolute perfection are the phenomenal acting performances from Michael Johnston and Inde Navarrette. Johnston is brilliant as Bear, capturing a desperate, tragic vulnerability that makes his downward spiral incredibly painful to watch. Navarrette delivers a tour de force performance as Nikki, flawlessly shifting between heartbreaking torment and a chilling, vacant fixation that anchors the entire film. It is an intense, unforgettable ride that stands out as one of the absolute best entries in modern horror.
Read More ā 8/10Creepy and lovely. There's a movie called Smile which shares some of its constituent elements to this movie in that the creepiness of it builds over time and then becomes unimaginably violent towards the end. This movie does that quite...
Creepy and lovely.
There's a movie called Smile which shares some of its constituent elements to this movie in that the creepiness of it builds over time and then becomes unimaginably violent towards the end. This movie does that quite well and it is very effective at building its tension. So when the mind-numbing violence does happen, it Hogan impact and a significance. Smile sort of front loads all of that violence, which means that the tension doesn't have time to build and you have to rely on other things to make it scary. This movie is simply better at it. The main plot is just another learning opportunity when it comes to making wishes. Just don't. Having seen several movies on this theme, we ought to know this by now. The casting in this is great, the direction is amazing, and the scary elements are earned. It is a really good and scary movie.
Read More ā 6/10A well-acted take on an age-old monkey paw trope. For a low-budget debut, Curry Baker has made quite a splash. However, any 'horror' here was through cheap audio cues, and the narrative will require you to do advanced gymnastics with...
A well-acted take on an age-old monkey paw trope. For a low-budget debut, Curry Baker has made quite a splash. However, any 'horror' here was through cheap audio cues, and the narrative will require you to do advanced gymnastics with your willing suspension of disbelief. A poor narrative, with unimaginative cinematography and choppy audio, the stellar acting by the cast is the only thing keeping this movie alive.
Read More A chilling reminder that the shortest route isnāt always the fastest; in Obsession, it becomes a deadly psychological trap where the journey ends and the traveler vanishes.š« š¤«
A chilling reminder that the shortest route isnāt always the fastest; in Obsession, it becomes a deadly psychological trap where the journey ends and the traveler vanishes.š« š¤«
Read Moreā 4/10I know I'm supposed to say I love this movie and it's the best thing I've seen this year (cause, for some reason, it seems to be the current movie fad among White audiences) but I'm gonna be real: Obsession...
I know I'm supposed to say I love this movie and it's the best thing I've seen this year (cause, for some reason, it seems to be the current movie fad among White audiences) but I'm gonna be real: Obsession is a mess of a rag doll strewn up with overused clichƩs and age-old literary and movie tropes. Like, for instance, the use of wishes to weave a "be careful what you wish for" cautionary tale is a centuries old literary trope. So is the "crazy woman" trope.
Yet, even if one chooses to ignore this, the movie is haunted by numerous other problems that are impossible to igore: pacing issues, poor dialogue writing, poor audio quality, and choppy editing, to name a few. The only saving graces for the movie seem to be a couple of well-timed jump-scares and the relatively well-done "boys night out" scene.
Those aside, I've seen some people, bafflingly so, tout this movie as a "feminist" movie. Like, what?! In what world exactly is a movie made by a White man (Curry Barker), led by a White man (Michael Johnston), and whose main lesson seems to be cautioning White men to avoid getting into relationships with "crazy" women, feminist?? Also, the fact that Inde Navarrette is a fan of a court-adjudged wifebeater and rapist in real life (Johnny Depp) should be a massive red flag as to the kinds of people and work she'd be involved with. Speaking of Navarrette, I've seen lots of people praise her acting - even billing her for an Oscar [*eyeroll*] - but if you pay close attention to her scenes, special effects and editing do a tonne of work to help her achieve the kinds of emotions that may have moved audiences.
In all, I wouldn't recommend this one to most people except avid horror fans whose interest in it would extend beyond pure entertainment. The 4-star I gave it were mostly due to the couple of positives I've mentioned above as well Michael Johnston's (sometimes) outstanding performance.
Read More ā 7/10Check out my full review @ https://www.manuelsbento.com/obsession-2026-inde-navarrette-gives-the-horror-performance-of-the-decade/ Rating: B+ There's a version of OBSESSION that lives up to its own hype, and the version that I watched. What bridges the gap is Inde Navarrette's lead performance, which is so dedicated,...
Check out my full review @ https://www.manuelsbento.com/obsession-2026-inde-navarrette-gives-the-horror-performance-of-the-decade/
Rating: B+
There's a version of OBSESSION that lives up to its own hype, and the version that I watched. What bridges the gap is Inde Navarrette's lead performance, which is so dedicated, so physically all-in, that I genuinely believe it's the best horror breakout of the decade! Curry Barker's direction is patient and confident, favoring dread over noise. The story, though, plays it safer than it should, gesturing at real ideas without fully committing to them. A highly entertaining, satisfying horror flick that I wish (*wink wink*) was as great as I hoped it would be.
Read More ā 9/10Writer/director Curry Barkerās leap from YouTube viral fame to the big screen is one of the best success stories in Hollywood, and Kane Parsonsā **BACKROOMS** for A24 later this month appears to be further proof that the road from YouTube...
Writer/director Curry Barkerās leap from YouTube viral fame to the big screen is one of the best success stories in Hollywood, and Kane Parsonsā **BACKROOMS** for A24 later this month appears to be further proof that the road from YouTube to Hollywood ā while still less traveled ā can make all the difference.
The viral success of Barker's [**MILK & SERIAL** (2024)](https://letterboxd.com/fixateandbinge/film/milk-serial/) showcased enormous potential and a natural instinct for low-budget horror filmmaking, making his transition to the big screen feel like a well-earned graduation.
In **OBSESSION**, Barker has crafted a slow-burn psychological horror film that steadily builds careens towards its shocking conclusion.
While the deliberate pacing occasionally tested my patience, once Barkerās story fully unfolds, it seeps into the viewerās psyche in ways few recent horror films have managed ā provoking deeply uncomfortable questions about consent and free agency, while possibly making you think twice before blowing out candles on your next birthday.
**OBSESSION** presents a seemingly innocuous setup centered on the lovelorn Bear (Michael Johnston), who literally wishes to escape the friend zone with his longtime pal Nikki (Inde Navarrette). After stumbling upon a āOne Wish Willowā collectorās item in a new-age curio shop ā one that wouldnāt feel out of place beside the Zoltar machine in the Tom Hanks smash hit BIG (1988) ā Bear makes a wish without understanding the terrifying power he has unleashed.
Encouraged by his best friend Ian (frequent Barker collaborator Cooper Tomlinson), Bear initially appears to get everything he wants when Nikki suddenly develops a romantic interest in him.
But soon the wheels start to come off as Bear's happily-ever-after spirals into a nightmare after the possessiveness of Nikki becomes increasingly unhinged. Navarrette delivers a terrifying performance that has echoes of **FATAL ATTRACTION** and **SINGLE, WHITE, FEMALE** -- with additional layers of psychological torture for her loss of bodily autonomy
With shocking moments of terror, expertly sustained tension, disturbing imagery, and a fearless performance from Navarrette, **OBSESSION** stands as one of the yearās best horror films.
Read More ā 7/10Thereās a fine line between genuine affection and possession, and horror movies usually thrive when crossing it. I went into *Obsession* expecting a psychological deep dive into emotional dependency, but what we actually get is an experience that violently swings...
Thereās a fine line between genuine affection and possession, and horror movies usually thrive when crossing it. I went into *Obsession* expecting a psychological deep dive into emotional dependency, but what we actually get is an experience that violently swings between brilliance and frustration. Directed by Curry Barker, the film swings big in its attempt to show toxic masculinity and the loss of free will. The first thirty minutes are genuinely suffocating, doing a great job of making you feel trapped. But while Barker takes huge risks for his debut feature, the movie stumbles trying to keep that momentum going.
The real trouble starts when the story needs to stretch past its initial premise. The second act drags hard, trapping the viewer in a repetitive loop of jealousy and chasing that goes nowhere. They could have easily chopped at least twenty minutes in the editing room. On top of that, the indie budget really shows; scenes meant to be psychologically oppressive are ruined by amateurish lighting and set designs that break the immersion. Worse still is the jarring mix of tones. Right when the discomfort peaks, the script throws in bizarre dark humor. A badly timed joke or a goofy reaction completely kills the dramatic weight, making it clear the director hasn't quite learned how to trim the fat from his own ideas.
The whole plot with the mystical artifact hooks you at first, but it loses steam once the curse actually kicks in. Instead of building tension, the narrative just stalls. This makes the interactions suffer, too. Dedicated actors are stuck delivering stiff, unnatural dialogue, forced to spell out feelings that their body language was already showing perfectly. It makes some of the more dramatic scenes feel like a bad teen soap opera draft.
Following the protagonist, Bear (Michael Johnston), for almost two hours is a tough pill to swallow. Heās a pathetic guy whose harmless neediness quickly turns into a sick, one-dimensional selfishness. While the movie doesn't shy away from exposing the ugliest sides of possessiveness disguised as romance, Bear has zero redeeming qualities, making the watch tedious since there's no one to root for. If the movie survives its structural flaws, itās almost entirely thanks to Inde Navarrette. Tasked with playing a character who gets psychologically beaten down by both the male lead and bad writing, she delivers an incredibly mature, visceral performance. Her subtle shifts in posture and gaze anchor the whole movie, making her the only real emotional core in the story.
Using folk horror to talk about toxic masculinity is the coolest idea here, but the execution completely lacks subtlety. The movie talks down to the audience, hammering its message home so hard that it feels more like a lecture than an organic psychological study. This also exposes a major flaw in how it handles its female lead. In trying to call out abuse, the narrative reduces her to a mere tool for suffering, tortured just to push the bad guy's arc forward. It leaves you wondering if it's genuinely critiquing misogyny or just exploiting women's trauma for shock value.
The film's early strength is its grounded tension, relying on everyday paranoia rather than monsters in the dark. But by the third act, the director throws all that out the window and goes full grotesque. Instead of feeling earned, this sudden bloodbath of graphic violence feels like a desperate crutch to shock an already bored audience. The sound design also fumbles; they went for an eerie lack of music, which works at first, but ends up making long scenes feel empty. When loud noises do happen, they're poorly mixed and feel like cheap jump scares.
After racing through a chaotic, blood-soaked climax, the movie just ends. An abrupt cut to black rolls the credits without explaining the artifact or the rules of the curse. It doesn't feel like a thought-provoking open ending; it just feels like the writers painted themselves into a corner and didn't know how to wrap things up, leaving you waiting for a payoff that never comes.
In the end, *Obsession* is a tough, uneven watch. Curry Barker has the guts to poke at the painful wounds of toxic relationships, and Inde Navarretteās amazing acting keeps things afloat. But the pacing issues, weird tonal shifts, and the rushed, gory climax really test your patience. Still, it forces you to think. Horror is supposed to push us out of our comfort zone, right? If you want to feel that oppressive atmosphere, it's worth a watch. Just go in with a strong stomach, ready for the messy pacing, and see how you handle the sudden silence when those credits finally roll.
Read More ā 7/10**Emotional Hijacking** Bear is a shy, introverted young man working in a music shop who is deeply and secretly in love with his friend and colleague, Nikki. Desperate over his unrequited romantic longing, Bear acquires a mysterious supernatural object called...
**Emotional Hijacking**
Bear is a shy, introverted young man working in a music shop who is deeply and secretly in love with his friend and colleague, Nikki. Desperate over his unrequited romantic longing, Bear acquires a mysterious supernatural object called "The Weeping Willow," which has the power to grant wishes. Blind to the consequences, he wishes for Nikki to fall in love with him "more than anything else in this world." The spell works instantly, but the idyllic dream swiftly morphs into a nightmare: Nikkiās implanted love mutates into an irrational, suffocating, and deeply disturbing behavior. Her morbid devotion erases the boundaries of her sanity, unleashing a downward spiral of violence and obsessive possessiveness that threatens to destroy both their lives and everyone around them.
In certain aspects, "Obsession" stands out as the great revelation of contemporary horror cinema. Operating on a shoestring budget of just $750,000, director Curry Barker achieves what many Hollywood blockbusters can only dream of: building an atmosphere of tension relying strictly on the power of ideas, a fresh approach to staging, and raw storytelling.
Barker taps into 1980s cinematic references, taking the classic premise of magical manipulation (W.W. Jacobs' "The Monkey's Paw") and transplanting it into deeply uncomfortable psychological territory. The horror becomes visceral, psychological, and existential, confronting us with the terrifying facets of the human ego. It seeks to prove that forcing someone to love you does not stem from devotion, but rather from a craving for control and a pathological fear of loneliness or rejection.
Finally, a humble piece of advice for a talented Curry Barker, who will never read this review but is still in the budding stages of his career: the overreliance on jump-scare audio stingers is symptomatic of an endemic diseaseāone that blends narrative laziness, behavioral psychology, and the familiar commercial pressures of Hollywood. Do not fall into the temptation of mimicking the cheapest tropes of late-career Shyamalan. Instead, fully exploit that aesthetic and cinematic creativity currently flourishing within you. Flee once and for all from cheap, gimmicky chords, and lose your fear of silence. Remember that true horror dwells in the stillness of masterpieces like "Nosferatu", "Les Diaboliques" or "Rosemary's Baby", by Murnau, Clouzot and Polanski, respectively.
Read More ā 7/10### My little food critic šļø Just because Current Joys finally got justice for their underrated music doesnāt mean anyone else in this flick did. Long story short: Bear is the true villain of this story. I appreciated Curry Bakerās...
### My little food critic šļø
Just because Current Joys finally got justice for their underrated music doesnāt mean anyone else in this flick did. Long story short: Bear is the true villain of this story. I appreciated Curry Bakerās rom-com subversion. There were moments when Bear seemed like a guy trying to navigate romance in the age of disengagement and misunderstandings. However, at every twist and turn, he failed to correct his mistake. Ultimately dragging the cast of characters to a Shakespearean tragic ending.
Despite Baker not giving us insight into Nikkiās headspace, I assume sheās in a āGet Outā-adjacent sunken place. As a result of Bearās haphazard wish, Nikki has become a passive viewer of her relationship with Bear. Frozen at her doorstep, an [obsessive](https://youtu.be/GrNt7Vz68oY?si=x1CsxLA6K-vGQt6X) (take a shot) spirit takes control of her body. Rather than connecting the dots, Bear is blissfully ignorant of the effects of his one wish.
I havenāt watched the few commentary videos explaining why heās the villain in an effort to avoid unwarranted spoilers before watching this in theaters. Now that Iāve had my experience with āObsession,ā I understand why the āheās the villainā phrase has come up numerous times. Bear expected Nikki to be his eager companion who lived predominantly in the heart of his home. However, his inner darkness is alluded to through the color grading and lighting. Taking a Coppola approach to lighting, shadows consume the rooms Bear and Nikki occupy. Naturally, the low lighting heightens our paranoia when Nikki hides in corners, wailing for Bear.
As the curse worsens, Bear refuses to acknowledge the severity of his situation. The boundaries he establishes with Nikki are slaps on the wrist, at best. His delusion clouded his judgment so intensely that he doesnāt recognize that he canāt reason with someone in this state of mind. This contradicts his initial concerns from the exposition. His concerns about denying Nikki access to consent and being fearful that she was inebriated all withered away the moment he confessed his feelings for her. He is so careless with the *actual* Nikki, so much so that he waits until the end of Act Two to get curious about how to reverse or contradict the One Wish Willow.
Secondly, Bear tells Nikki over dinner that he wants to become a food critic one day. Granted, these characters are young people who have a right to evolve and shift their interests, but why do we have ZERO clues about this hidden dream of Bearās? The main set is his home. Mind you, there are no cookbooks, spice racks, or even elaborate cooking dishes. I interpret this as an intentional production design choice to reveal Bearās disingenuous passion. Bear claims heās in love with Nikki, but he never wanted her autonomy or actual demeanor. He wanted to be the center of her world without her input or personality. He wants to be a food critic, yet he couldnāt smell that Sandy-wich?
Bearās dismal commitment to anything smothered the fire of the women in his life. Nikki had plans of moving out to pursue her writing career. Sarah waited anxiously for an acceptance letter from art school, hoping to be a tattoo artist. All this dissolved into nothingness so Bear could have Sarah and Nikki's enamored attention. (Iām convinced Bear relished knowing Sarah had a crush on him. This boosted his ego, especially since Nikkiās in love with him more than anyone else in the f#%king world.)
Considering the amount of passion I have about these characters and how invested Iāve become in their worlds, itās safe to say I enjoyed this story. The themes about consent and free will were great, and the stakes rose at a decent rate. The pacing was a little off at times. The cinematography really outshone any other choices in this film. The costuming had a small-town alternative vibe we donāt see enough of in mainstream films. Dressing Nikki in red frequently throughout the story was a nice element as well. Inde Navarrette made this film beyond memorable. Her performance control is something to be marveled at. She embodied the mannerisms of a cat while simultaneously distinguishing the wavering boundaries of the real Nikki and the possessed spirit.
Even though the aesthetics of āObsessionā were well-rounded on screen, this film reminded me of too many other recent horror films to be immersive. The fact that Nikki was basically in the sunken place was a solid homage to āGet Outā (2017), but when Nikki started to say, āno, no, no, no,...ā it felt too similar to that kitchen scene for me to feel the energy shift completely. Most of the locations reminded me of different movies (the house = Barbarian (2022), the party scene = Talk to Me (2022)), and the tone was a little too clean to make its voice unique.
All in all, I give this film 3.9 stars out of 5 stars. And HEY! We have a new scream queen ā¤ļøāš„
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