Inde Navarrette stars as Nikki and Michael Johnston as Bear in OBSESSION, a Focus Features release.
Intensity 🩸🩸🩸 out of 🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸
Written and Directed by Curry Barker
Obsession is the latest movie to apply the Monkey’s Paw wish dilemma. Be careful what you wish for; you just might get it. This independent horror gem is the latest example of how original storytelling and great performances can launch a tiny-budget movie into the box-office stratosphere.
If you could have just one wish, what would it be? And, more importantly, how would you phrase it? This is the dilemma that has existed since the Tales of the Arabian Nights and Ali Baba’s lamp. Wish fulfillment shouldn’t be easy. There are rules, and the bigger the ask, the bigger the risk. Perhaps the most successful implementation of this trope comes not from horror, but from comedy. Big was a fantastic story that propelled Tom Hanks from television star to MOVIE STAR, and it was his effervescent charm merging with his problematic wish to be an adult that was pure movie magic. For horror movies, we have had the old classic The Monkey’s Paw (1933), Wishmaster (1997), and Wish Upon (2017). However, none of those movies can lay a paw upon what Curry Barker managed to pull off with Obsession.
Obsession is where horror and magic cross. The power in the story isn’t played out with spectacle. There are no gaudy and wild twists of fate moments like in the Final Destination movie series. This wish/curse takes its time. It allows our characters to marinate in the situation until it gets completely and grotesquely out of control. The horror largely emerges from the performances, allowing the brutality of the gore effects to land spectacularly when used. The dread is built from bad and bizarre behavior, and punctuated with violence.
The Cast of Obsession
- Michael Johnston plays Bear, an awkward, hopeless romantic with a crush on Nikki.
- Inde Navarette plays Nikki, the coolest member of Bear’s social circle, who is planning on leaving town.
- Cooper Tomlinson plays Ian, Bear’s best friend and not-so-great romantic advisor.
- Megan Lawless plays Sarah, an aspiring musician who has a crush on Bear.
- Andy Ricter plays Carter, the owner of the music store where the quartet all work.
A Summary of Obsession
Bear is desperately smitten with his co-worker, Nikki. She is the alpha of Bear’s social circle. She is pretty, confident, smart, and is the center of gravity in any gathering. Bear has enlisted the support of his friends Sarah and Ian, who also work with Bear and Nikki at Cassell’s Music store, to coach him on how to ask her out on a date. It isn’t much use. Bear struggles to find the right words. His friends are of little help and actively discourage him from telling Nikki how he feels. When the four of them go to trivia at their favorite watering hole, Nikki tells the group that she’s tired of working at the shop and wants to move on with her life, somewhere that she can expand her horizons.
As a goodbye gesture, Bear gets Nikki a farewell gift, a “One Wish Willow” collectible trinket. After another night at the bar, Bear offers Nikki a ride home, where he intends to ask her on a date. It’s his last, best chance. But he chickens out, insults her instead, and fails to deliver his gift. He blew it. In a moment of humiliation in his car, he uses the trinket on himself. “I wish Nikki would love me more than anyone in the entire world.”
It worked. Too well.
Nikki returns to Bear’s car and convinces him to take him back to his home instead. Her behavior is a little off, but Bear is eager to overlook the shift the change in attitude. There is a momentary lapse when Nikki seems to snap back, but then the curse resumes, and she once again becomes a fawning new girlfriend. This isn’t the Nikki from before. Gone is the cool, confident Nikki. She has changed into an obsessed and possessive woman, and her behavior has swung wildly to psychoses. Manic yelling and weeping is just the start of the change. This isn’t what Bear wished for, but he didn’t phrase his wish carefully enough, and it doesn’t take long before Nikki becomes wildly dangerous.
Can Bear reverse the curse? He’d better hope so, for Nikki, particularly. She’s clearly a danger to herself, and it soon becomes clear that she is a threat to everyone she knows.
Evaluation:
This is the type of story that seems straight out of the Twilight Zone. We can all relate. We all would like a do-over at some point. Prayers, wishes, hopes, and dreams. Anyone who has been turned down on a date or has embarrassed themselves in a romantic situation can identify with it. Too bad life doesn’t have an undo button. Be careful what you ask for, you might just get it.
The beauty of this story is in its construction. This is a patient curse. This is a career-building moment for Inde Navarette. Her facial expressions make this movie, and towards the end, she is almost unrecognizable as the same actress. She may have won the job by frowning, which was both endearingly cute and rather frightening. Her transition from a confident, swaggering social ringleader to a hysterical madwoman was showstopping.
The movie’s emotional environment also benefited from a social unit layered with unrequited feelings. Both Ian and Bear like Nikki. Sarah likes Bear. Nikki plays the others like an instrument, even when sane. (The irony of the music shop is not lost on me.) The problem was that none of them would be open with the others about how they felt, and it was a passive-aggressive time bomb that only needed a Wishing Willow stick to force these relationship issues to the forefront. Violently.
The audience can sense this tension even if the characters don’t. (Ah, dramatic irony!) Their inability to deal with it is fundamental to the disasters that lie in wait. If there is room for criticism, it is that the friends really aren’t very aware of each other’s feelings. Certainly, the plot wouldn’t work if the characters were more insightful, but there are many instances when they get cringey. Kudos to the actors for bringing the cringe.
I know there are some out there, including my Scariest Friend Robyn (love ya, Robyn!), who believe that Nikki is something of a prop. The circumstances of the wish/curse force her into a compliant state, but the way Navarette plays it is with full ownership of the personality change. Yes, she has changed on the whims of a cowardly man who could not express his feelings for her, but despite the turn of events… she is still the power player in the relationship. Now it comes with a heavy dose of insane rage and glee. Pun intended, Navarette kills this role.
A nod to a subtle design decision of the movie: sometimes, when Nikki’s attitude turns dark, she transforms a little. A shadow creeps over her, her eyes glint in the darkness, and she steps back. Her face alters ever so slightly. It’s a little quirk, but a terrific stylistic decision by Barker.
Concluding Thoughts
Obsession has already become the little independent engine that could for 2026. It boasted a modest budget of $750,000, but it was easily recognized as a notable horror film, pulling the SXSW and Overlook double header, and was the Opening night feature for Overlook. The opening week for Obsession was over $18 million. This parlayed quickly into the rare film that gained views after its second week. Now, it stands at $68,396,000 in just two weeks, picking up steam.
The most encouraging aspect is that this is original content. Not a sequel. It is not a reboot. There are no big stars in this movie. Word of mouth in the horror community, which grows every year, has earned it this rare achievement. Curry Barker was known in the horror film festival world for his work on the brilliant little horror short “Milk & Serial”. Nobody else knew much about him, but this launch platform will elevate him to great new opportunities.
Despite the film’s bittersweet ending, I have little doubt that fans will clamor for a sequel. To this, I hope Barker goes down the path of the Philippou Brothers, Jordan Peele, Coralie Fargeat, or Ari Aster. Resist the temptation to go down the sequel route. Stay in the genre. Continue to make good new content, with fresh ideas.
This week, there is another film, Backrooms, an intriguing A24 film starring Chiwetel Ejiofor that looks to capitalize on the indie horror momentum. The last few years have proved that horror can be artistically rewarded and financially lucrative. Obsession extends this confidence at a time when moviegoers are growing weary of the more traditional blockbuster formulas. Tell good stories. Make us feel something, even if it makes us uncomfortable. That’s entertainment. Congratulations to Curry Barker, Michael Johnston, and Inde Navarette for becoming the movement of the moment. We in the horror community are awfully proud of you.
Obsession is rated R for strong bloody violence, grisly images, sexual content, pervasive language, and brief graphic nudity. It is in wide release across the country and is probably gaining theaters due to its wild financial success. Focus Features and Blumhouse’s trust in indie filmmakers really paid off.