Obsession
Writer & Director ~ Curry Barker
2025, USA
Stars ~ Michael Johnston, Inde Navarrette, Cooper Tomlinson
A word-of-mouth success from YouTube comedian Curry Barker: he has struck a nerve here. As if crawling out of the same genus as ‘The Drama’ except in horror garb, ‘Obsession’ confronts the difficulties of relationships, in this case the terror of crushes for both sides. If ‘The Drama’ came on like an imposter dragged in romcom to talk about trust and dark thoughts, ‘Obsession’ lands equally thoughtful and resonant on unrequited love and the malignancy of romantic fantasies. ‘Together’, ‘The Invite’ and ‘The Drama’ reach a kind of truce, but ‘Obsession’ uses its supernatural ingredient to let the whole world surrounding Bear (Michael Johnston) suffer for his harmful crush. If he initially seems a little immature and lovestruck, as things get grimmer and he can’t give her up despite things getting murkier and crazier, it clear that he’s more like Josh from ‘Companion’ that he would admit to himself.
With one supernatural twist, Bear gets what he wants: a Manic Pixie Dreamgirl of his own. Only, straight away her transformation is a little off-putting to him. There are several discussions on social media of the moment where this is defined as rape, but it is a psychological and sexual assault from the moment Bear doesn’t really worry about Nikki’s agency or consent. Even when he knows the One Wish Willow is working – which is straight away, however much he could be forgiven for not expecting it – he asks for amendments rather than reversal. He can’t give up his power. There is the feeling that the film is also talking to its own peer group, rebuking those oblivious to their own toxicity.
I saw an online reading of the One Wish Willow company voice that Bear speaks to as possessed of a kind of omnipotent knowledge of Death and the supernatural context. My hearing of it was of a somewhat disgruntled customer service worker, bored of the special pleading that he hears repeatedly from people that won’t accept the consequences of their wishes coming true. Certainly, in a meta reading, it could be the voice of the film/director/writer admonishing those who harbour such one-sided fantasies. Not only is it a pell-mell descent into What If? your partner becomes a horror that you can’t quite figure out, stop or drop, but it is also about the responsibility of your fantasies. He’s clearly told to take responsibility.
Inde Navarrette as Nikki is a stunner, proving again that horror is a treasure-trove of bold and nuanced female performances: she is funny and scary, delirious and heartbreaking. She’s the showstopper, but Michael Johnson as Bear also gives a smart, knowing performance with a full understanding of Bear’s immaturity, manipulations, confusion and toxicity, and never quite giving into one-note villainy over complexity.
The taped-up door and the party are highlights. It looks like a horror take on romantic tropes but also subverts by not quite being what you expect, by being a headscratcher and leaving plenty of room for discussion about unrequited love, responsibility, agency, gender, etc. It swerves from romcom to cringe comedy to shock-horror (it was the first genuine jump-scare I have had for a long time). But the various tones are clearly directed by a central anger and an aching sadness (at the immaturity of male fantasy?) that makes this a criticism of the genre, endowing the film with maturity, complexity and fun that makes it a horror essential with much crossover potential.
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