Many, if not most, have experienced some level of the dreaded ‘friendzone”; an emotional dead end of yearning for someone who will never reciprocate those feelings, while you continue to be present and engaging in a friendship, hoping against all hope that the perfect circumstances will play out so you can finally be together. It’s a selfish act, hoping you can manipulate the emotional strings of friendship to get what you want, and it always ends in some level of heartbreak. It’s also a natural pain of growing, and a life experience that many of us go through.
But what if you had actual control? What if, through a simple wish, you could make that person, the one you’ve loved from afar for what feels like a lifetime, love you? This is what Obsession posits when Bear (Michael Johnston) uses what appears to be a cheap party favor to gain the love of Nikki (Inde Navarrette), a girl he’s had a crush on since high school. While this seems more like the plot of a Disney Channel movie, the aftermath of said wish is more horrifying and disturbing than you’d ever expect.
Curry Barker has made a name for himself in horror circles through his short films (namely Milk & Serial and The Chair). Obsession is Barker’s first theatrical feature, and it isn’t just one of the most stunning horror debuts of the last decade, but one of the scariest films of the 2020s. Obsession not only understands the pains and selfish nature of an unattainable crush, but also the terrifying nature of being trapped in a relationship that begins to turn violently co-dependent. You see, Bear isn’t dating who he thought he was; even though he does his damnedest to pretend the situation isn’t spiraling, Bear knows deep down he is dealing with forces beyond his control.
Obsession deals with many different heavy subjects, from consent to abuse to mental health, but does so in a narrative way, allowing the horror of the situation to tell the story. It can be a propulsive and frightening horror film, while also having an incredibly dark, vicious underbelly. Barker creates a sense of evil that spreads through Obsession’s entirety, from the first act’s perfect replication of a 2010s indie romance to the film’s insanely violent and psychotic conclusion.
Obsession also walks the very tight line of comedy and horror; many scenes not only effortlessly bounce between the two, but also allow for moments that are equal parts of both, featuring insane absurdist sequences that provoke laughs alongside fear. There is an extended sequence at a house party that somehow becomes Obsession‘s comedy centerpiece, while also being deeply unsettling and frightening, ending in an escalation of violence that starts a downward spiral for several different characters’ lives.
One of the core reasons all of this works, the comedy and the horror, is the stellar performance from newcomer Inde Navarrette, who plays Nikki. Inde is an absolute powerhouse playing a caricature of a person, an alien entity pantomiming a person in love. It is an incredibly brave performance that gains our sympathy and our terror, one that many actors would balk at. However, Inde’s full commitment to “the bit” makes for one of the scariest performances I’ve seen in years.
As the credits rolled, I couldn’t help but think, “I just saw the new horror phenom”. Obsession is the real deal, a genuinely funny, genuinely scary, genuinely dark, and genuinely great horror film. While no official release date has been announced, I know whenever it gets its full release, it’s going to knock everyone on their ass.
Obsession had its US Premiere at Fantastic Fest 2025. The film was recently acquired by Focus Features for a 2026 theatrical release.
