Obsession (2025) | Horror Cult Movies

Obsession 

Directed by: Curry Barker

Written by: Curry Barker

Starring: Michael Johnston, Inde Navarrette, Cooper Tomlinson, Megan Lawless, Andy Richter

Obsession, the place the title appears to have been taken on as a mission assertion. This can be a well-loved movie. And rightly So. Incomes $400 million on the field workplace on a $750,000 funds and having the cinematic run prolonged is remarkable. In response to Wikipedia, Obsession is now the 7^th highest grossing movie of 2026. How about that.

The story is straightforward, simply summarized in any dialogue on the Premise. We all realize it’s a “watch out what you want for” cautionary story getting into. And Obsession makes no pretences at being anything. This can be a “shut-your-mouth-and-enjoy-the-ride” sort movie. And wow, it is a roller-coaster.

With a stable, script, excellent performances, and a constant string of what I can solely name “right artistic selections”, this will likely simply wind up being the most effective horror movie of 2026.

The horror burns sluggish, it builds up, sneaks up on you, unsettles you and escalates.

We’ve got to speak about breakout star, Inde Navarrette. Her efficiency is just standout. This film will more than likely propel her into the Hollywood A-list at pace as if shot out of a circus cannon. She really had me eager about one thing throughout my first (of two) watch throughs: The Joker is a well-liked position that actors struggle for. Why? The character gives an incredible quantity of vary for actors to indicate of their appearing chops, from goofy and slapstick to threatening and intimidating. Within the a long time to come back, if/when Obsession is remade, actresses from throughout shall be competing to play the Nikki character. What Indie Navarette did with the position was sensible, unhinged, honest and susceptible, extremely unpredictable and in addition humorous in locations. Her appearing actually shines in these moments the place Nikki “glitches”.

I like that the lore is nebulous, unexplained and we, the viewers, are left to determine it out on our personal. The movie gives empirical proof, however there’s no laborious “guidelines” to go by apart from the Wishing Willow solely provides you one want. Nikki is just not “possessed”, there isn’t any Demon, ghost or malevolent entity puppeteering her physique, however it’s clear that her persona has been “written over” by a special “model” of Nikki. There are two Nikki’s, the true Nikki and the want Nikki and in these temporary moments the place the true Nikki regains management, it’s all confusion, shock and horror. There are echoes of James MacAvoy’s efficiency from Cut up right here, completely different persona’s wrestling for management. Nikki is very unpredictable. There isn’t a telling what she goes to do subsequent. She’s comfortable, she’s needy, she’s glitching, she’s freaking out, she’s comfortable once more – and all typically within the one scene. It was extremely creepy when she is hiding within the nook of the room at evening. Using ADR makes her voice appear other-wordly, like its coming from someplace apart from her mouth. In some scenes the place you may’t see her lips transfer, or her mouth is roofed, her voice comes by way of crisp and clear even when it shouldn’t.

Bear, Baron, is the one who we could assume is the one “obsessed” with Nikki. This could later transpire to be a mere crush or infatuation in comparison with what “Want Nikki” experiences. Bear is a coward. It is so simple as that. He can’t work up the nerve to ask woman out. Will get cajoled into an evening out with associates when he actually needs to remain in and course of the lack of his pet cat. He additionally stays associates with Ian regardless of the crimson flags. Regardless of being the protagonist, he’s typically buffeted round by the opposite characters. He’s a frustratingly passive protagonist. It’s out of his personal frustration with himself that he breaks the Want Willow and makes the want. He can’t implement even a single boundary so when the want “works”, Want Nikki takes full cost of his life. And I imply whole and full cost. She strikes in, co-opts his house and takes up all his free time. On condition that in addition they work collectively that is nearly 24/7. And when she steadily will get extra unhinged, taping up the door so he can’t depart, he treats it as if it’s a standard relationship hurdle to get handed.

Ian is a “good friend” who actively undermines Bear by withholding key data from him and sabotaging his efforts to win over Nikki. I wasn’t sorry to see him die, and it was executed in a humorous method.

One of many tragedies in Obsession is Sarah. She preferred Bear, he began returning that affection they usually obtained alongside properly. Had issues not gone sideways, they might have loved a wealthy relationship with one another. However that’s not how issues unfolded. She likes a man who likes another person and is struggling to get into school. She has acquired rejection letters. However she had Bear’s finest pursuits at coronary heart. She confirmed the suitable response, and compassion, to the information that Bear’s cat had died (actual Nikki didn’t). Her story is minimize tragically quick when she is killed, brutally, by Want Nikki. I’ve to focus on that this little element I solely noticed on the second viewing, and it is rather darkly humorous; Nikki smashes the window with a brick, holds it in entrance of the steering wheel then repeatedly bashes Sarah’s face off of it. With each hit, the automotive horn makes a really mild “parp” with every strike. It’s very darkly humorous. And I do know why I didn’t discover this the primary time round, it’s a surprising scene.

Small particulars I didn’t see on first viewing (sure, I’ve seen this twice now), are that Nikki holds the ebook she’s studying the wrong way up. Taking part in on the TV within the finale is footage of Bear in mattress which implies (off-camera) she filmed him sleeping.

I’ve come to understand that suspension of disbelief has a number of plasticity to it. It adjustments as a film progresses. Ian needs to grow to be a billionaire and cash instantly begins raining down from the sky. Its absurd, however by the top of the third act, its anticipated and accepted. That very same scene initially of the movie would have been wholly misplaced. It’s just like the Keep Puff’d Marshmallow man in Ghostbusters, by the top of the movie, you settle for it as a part of the story, however that very same towering monstrosity wouldn’t have labored within the movies opening. What I suppose I’m saying is that this, the escalation is dealt with fantastically. This sluggish burn begins mild, with eerie oddities and cranks all of it the best way to up screaming and shouting and exorcist vomiting. The director knew what he was doing when he has Bear and Ian discuss within the music store and within the background is an out of focus Nikki. However her black hair contrasts such along with her pores and skin that, even fully out of focus, we are able to see the place her face is pointing, the place, by inference, she is trying. Bear will get house and is messaging associates and within the background we see silhouettes by way of the skinny curtain. We don’t know what’s outdoors however one shadow seems suspiciously just like the define of somebody’s head. It’s rewarding, and spooky, when that immobile shadow then strikes.

Go and see this movie … you owe it to your self.