Obsession, at its core, is a possession movie mixed with a toxic romance, the kind of horror film that’ll have the audience talking about past relationships and maybe even side-eyeing their current one.
The story follows Bear, played by Michael Johnston (Teen Wolf), who has a massive crush on his friend Nikki, played by Inde Navarrette (Superman & Lois). Being the timid nice guy struggling to confess his feelings, Bear gives in to frustration and takes the easy way out by casting a love spell of sorts on Nikki.
For his big-screen directorial debut, Curry Barker confidently dials everything up to 110%. Coming from his YouTube horror roots, he uses this bigger playing field to deliver stronger visuals and a larger-scale production while still retaining the raw indie spirit.
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The film plays as horror all the way through, but there are a few comedic moments that show just how absurd everything gets. The balance is mostly well handled, even when the humour itself proves a touch uneven.
This is easily one of the most effective horror movies of the year. On a visual level, the way it plays with shadows and darkness takes your mind to scarier places before it actually hits you. The sound design is also very effective here, turning the simplest moments into something much more terrifying. Those elements extend into the jump scares, which are tastefully handled, with the fear hanging on after the initial shock.
The film also does a great job of making the audience empathise with its characters. Their motivations are clear, messy, and realistically flawed. The two leads deliver strong performances, but Inde Navarrette steals the show. Often without relying heavily on special effects, she brings a genuine creepiness through her expressions and performance alone.
At first, the story can feel like your typical “be careful what you wish for” setup, but it slowly becomes much more than that. Similar to Talk to Me or It Follows, Obsession takes a simple idea and keeps pushing it further and further. The gore is brutally realistic, and the camera doesn’t cut away either, making sure you get a good look at the mess. The plot, although predictable in parts, builds to a finale that I didn’t see coming.
Obsession really is a terrific piece of modern horror, driven by a straightforward yet thought-provoking premise. Wishing Curry Barker continued success with whatever comes next, especially if he ends up dining with the Sawyers.
