Obsession – Movie Review (4/5)

OBSESSION is a horror movie that has become a huge hit at the box office. I can’t say I’m surprised, as I already adore the filmmaker, Curry Barker, from his YouTube channel. Still, this has surpassed all earning expectations. Personally, I cannot wait to see the unrated version on Digital soon. Read our full Obsession horror movie review here!

OBSESSION is the kind of horror movie that I love. From watching the trailer for it to realizing that the filmmaker was Curry Barker, I could not wait to watch it. And yet, life happens, so I had to wait until a week after its release before I was able to finally check it out.

To my surprise, the theater I watched it in was almost full. This may not be a surprise given the hype it has received, but I watched it on a Friday afternoon!!!

That’s usually when you can get most theaters to yourself, maybe share the experience with one or two other guests. Suffice it to say that this movie clearly isn’t like all other movies.

Continue reading our Obsession horror movie review below. Find it in theaters now.

Careful What You Wish For…

Obsession begins as a fairly typical young adult movie. Bear (Michael Johnston) has a huge crush on his co-worker and friend, Nikki (Inde Navarrette), but is too shy and timid to ask her out. On a whim, he buys a mysterious “One Wish Willow”, which reminded me of Aunt Gladys’ little branch, so I would never touch it.

Anyway, Bear not only touches this wish willow, but he also breaks it and wishes that Nikki would love him back. And she does. Maybe even more than he expected. She certainly has a strange and obsessive behavior around him.

Obviously, Bear didn’t actually expect the wishing willow to actually work.

But it did.

And now Nikki is obsessed with Bear… and Bear is both happy and terrified of this predicament. Not least due to Nikki’s irrational behavior. The kind of behavior that seems out of her own control. Is this person even truly Nikki any longer?!

Inde Navarrette as a horror superstar?

Sure, this is Inde Navarrette’s first horror movie (Superman & Lois, 13 Reasons Why), but I don’t know how you can watch Obsession and not recognize that she is pure gold for our genre. She could easily be a new Scream Queen or (even better) a Final Girl of the most amazing kind.

With her performance as “Nikki” in Obsession, I cannot imagine anything she couldn’t handle. From the physicality to the raw emotions. This is on par with the insane violence of Evil Dead movies or the brutal horror of Talk to Me and Hereditary, so I desperately hope that she will continue making genre movies.

The good kind that stays with you long after the end credits.

And yes, Obsession is that kind of horror movie!

Of course, I do also want to give credit to Michael Johnston (Teen Wolf), who has the male starring role as “Bear”. He is amazing and delivers a nuanced performance that highlights the errors of this young man. Whenever he has the chance to change the current situation, he doubts… because he wants to keep the girl!

Also, Cooper Tomlinson (Curry Barker’s filmmaking partner) is really good in the key supporting role as Ian.

Watch Obsession in theaters now (and rewatch on digital later)

Curry Barker is the writer and director of Obsession, which he also edited himself. On board as associate producer is Cooper Tomlinson with Jason Blum as executive producer. Curry Barker and Cooper Tomlinson also have the YouTube channel “That’s a Bad Idea”, which is full of amazing shorts.

Also, they made the amazing horror-comedy movie Milk & Serial, which I highly recommend checking out. You can watch it for free on their YouTube channel.

Admittedly, I cannot even read the title of Obsession without hearing the Army of Lovers song with the same title in my mind. In fact, I am writing this review with that song on repeat (anything else would be madness to me). Oh yeah, one might even say that I am obsessed.

And yes, this movie has already had a similar impact on me, so I cannot wait to watch it again.

In any case, I would highly recommend watching it in the theater as well. The impact of a dark theater with gorgeous sound delivers a solid impact with Obsession. And then, of course, you’ll want to rewatch it when the unrated version comes out on VOD.

Oh yes, “unrated”… a terrifying thought. I can’t wait!

OBSESSION is out only in theaters where it premiered on May 15, 2026. Rumor has it that it will be out on VOD in early June 2026.

Details

Director: Curry Barker
Script: Curry Barker
Cast: Michael Johnston, Inde Navarrette, Cooper Tomlinson