Obsession-2026
Director Curry Barker
Starring Michael Johnston, Inde Navarrette
Scott’s Review #1,547
Reviewed August 31, 2026
Grade: A-
Thanks largely to tremendous word of mouth about Obsession (2026), I couldn’t wait to see the new film. One reviewer even described it as ‘mind-blowing ‘.
Reported to be shocking, disturbing, and downright freaky, the film’s reviews are refreshing in a modern embrace of the horror genre.
Some recent horror films have even received Oscar nominations!
I loved Obsession, and the strong accolades kept me on my toes throughout, knowing creepiness and shenanigans lurked around every corner.
I worried the buzz might leave me ultimately disappointed, but it didn’t, and I still find myself replaying various sequences in my mind.
However, I also don’t agree that Obsession has changed the world or reshaped the horror genre. It’s not that good.
Patterned after the classic Fatal Attraction (1987), at least in subject matter, though even more warped, it’s a film for a new generation that veterans can also enjoy.
It’s a fantastically disturbing supernatural offering on par with Hereditary (2018) or Midsommar (2019) in terms of modern horror.
I’m already a fan of director Curry Barker, who also writes and edits the project. At a mere twenty-six years old, he’s been influenced by Ari Aster while peppering Obsession with his own unique blend of terror.
The film follows Bear (Michael Johnston), a young music store employee who has feelings for his friend, Nikki (Inde Navarrette). He is kind and a hopeless romantic, but he doesn’t want to risk ruining the friendship.
Unsure if the feelings are mutual and feeling insecure after a botched attempt at revealing his feelings, he buys a supernatural toy called a “One Wish Willow” that grants his wish for Nikki to fall in love with him.
Bear soon discovers that some desires come at a dark, sinister price when Nikki’s personality shifts and she becomes obsessed with him.
Bear and Nikki’s other friends, Ian (Cooper Tomlinson) and Sarah (Megan Lawless), are also involved.
Barker does a wonderful job setting the mood, and whether scenes are in the daytime or nighttime, it always feels dark. When the group is working at the music store, dining in a restaurant, or sitting in a car, it’s always dark.
The film has a quiet feel and, blessedly, isn’t ruined by over-the-top or bombastic echoing noise.
In the first scene, Bear sits in a diner across from a woman he is pouring his heart out to. The scene runs long as the viewer sits perplexed about what is going on until we realize the woman is only a waitress helping Bear practice expressing his feelings for Nikki.
Of course, sudden violin sounds of creepy peril surface in the creepiest sequences and at just the right time, like when the audience notices Nikki standing in a corner or hovering in the background watching Bear.
Navarette does a wonderful job as Nikki. Teetering from sociable to a crumbling emotional madwoman, she teeters between emotions seamlessly.
She’s good at subtly playing ‘off’ so we’re not sure if she’s Nikki or the stark raving wackadoo bubbling beneath the surface as the personalities tend to duel.
Her pageant smile as she watches Bear leave the house is both comical and frightening.
Johnston is also impressive as Bear. Sensitive yet realistic, he is the film’s anchor, and it’s easy to want to be friends with a guy like him. Handsome yet not conceited, we want him to be with Nikki the normal and fear for his life with Nikki the psycho.
Disturbing scenes like a character’s head bashed against a steering wheel or a filleted ‘cat sandwich’ provide appropriate gross-out moments.
Teetering with dark comedy, it’s hard not to laugh, if not nervously, when Nikki wets her pants or shrieks at Bear to stay in bed.
Fortunately, the film never dissolves into complete foolishness.
Thankfully, gone are the days of female exploitation in horror films, and there is not a bare breast to be found. The only gratuitous scene is a quick bare-assed shot of Bear, so it’s nice that the males are getting their naked due.
Obsession (2026) delivers a ‘be careful what you wish for’ message and frames the danger of making someone love you above all else.
The only way to do that is to dehumanize them and strip away everything that made them someone you liked in the first place, which is dark territory.
