With a clever conceit, a wicked sense of humor, and one incredible performance, Obsession has staked its claim as the horror movie to beat this year. YouTube horror creator Curry Barker makes his theatrical debut here, and it packs a wallop.
Michael Johnston stars as Bear, a 20-something going nowhere. He's harbored an unrequited crush on his friend Nikki (Inde Navarrette) for years, but has always been too nervous to express his true feelings. Johnston perfectly captures the twitchy, pathetic energy of this character. Yet he makes his desperation, excitement, and eventual terror believable.
After a particularly bad day and another botched attempt to reveal his heart to Nikki, he makes a wish that she would "love him more than anyone." It comes true in the worst possible ways. At first, their relationship has all the excitement, tenderness, and passion typical of new love. But soon Nikki does increasingly creepy things, like watching him sleep from a dark corner, listening outside the door while he uses the bathroom, and even trying to keep him from leaving the apartment. Navarrette, who I'd never seen before, doesn't just make her a shrieking monster. There are unsettling moments when "the real Nikki" briefly appears, distraught and terrified at the increasingly violent situation. It's an excellent piece of horror movie acting, bringing through real emotions.
While I was unfamiliar with Barker's previous work, I dug his particularly nasty humor, which can burst through a tense or horrifying scene. At one point before the film's bloody climax, Bear returns to the store where he purchased the cursed object he made his wish upon. The clerk, instead of being sympathetic, gives him shit for the situation he finds himself in, offering questionable solutions with a smarmy attitude. It was completely disarming and hilarious, and leads to an ending that is unpredictable, devastating, and also darkly funny.
2026 will see a glut of horror movies, with at least half a dozen slated to come out in the few weeks after this is released. But they'll have to be truly special to top this twisted tale.
