Obsession – I haven’t felt this uncomfortable in a cinema in ages
Obsession has hit Swiss cinemas with plenty of advance praise, from top ratings on film portals to glowing reviews from critics. Rightly so. Curry Barker’s nasty horror shocker brings fresh blood to Hollywood and the big screen.
Fear not, this review contains zero spoilers. I won’t be revealing anything more than what’s already in the public domain or has been shown in trailers. Obsession has been in cinemas since 25 June.
It doesn’t matter what I write about Obsession – this movie is already a phenomenon. With a budget of just about USD 750,000, it’s already grossed well over 300 million worldwide. And, as Cosmic Book News reports, it’s the first film since E.T. (1982) to actually increase its box office takings over the two weekends following a strong opening weekend.
I could go against the grain and write that Obsession is rubbish. But it wouldn’t negate its success. It would be the cheapest kind of ragebait. Not to mention a blatant lie. The truth is I love almost everything about Obsession. Even though it leaves me shocked and gives me pause. Or maybe precisely because of that.
Source: Universal Studios
What Obsession is about
Bear (Michael Johnston) loves Nikki (Inde Navarrette). But she has no idea; he can’t for the life of him bring himself to reveal his feelings. If only he could make a wish for her to know and have it come true... As luck would have it, Bear indeed gets this chance, courtesy of a so-called One Wish Willow from an esoteric shop. But it’s not long before he regrets his wish. Or does he really?
Careful what you wish for
Let’s be honest – we’ve all wished for a thing or two before. At least I certainly have, and Aladdin with his magic lamp definitely has. Wishes – and above all their devastating consequences – are a recurring theme in horror movies. Take the 1997 Wishmaster, produced by horror legend Wes Craven, which even spawned several sequels. I just wish it was actually a good movie. But you can’t always get what you want.
In Obsession, Curry Barker also grants a wish – along with all its consequences. No genie needed; a gimmicky «make-a-wish» willow branch is enough. Things still get monstrous, don’t worry. In fact, in more ways than one if you engage with the movie and read between its decidedly bloody lines. Obsession has two sides to it: the first is a shocker with gore elements that mercilessly galumphs ahead. The other invites you to read it as a metaphor for relationship problems we’re probably all too familiar with.
I can’t say more than that for spoiler reasons.
Source: Universal Studios
Believe the hype
What I can and will proclaim is this: Obsession is fantastic! Curry Barker delivers an atmospherically dense horror thriller for the eyes and the brain, breathing new life into an entire genre. Barker does work with classic elements like the jump scare. But the very next moment, something utterly unpredictable and unexpected could knock your socks off. I’ve rarely been as on the edge of my seat as I was during Obsession. And that’s saying something!
The undisputed star of the show is lead actress Inde Navarrette. She doesn’t just play Nikki, she embodies her: a being who loves someone more than anything in the world – who has to love them. She also graces us with the creepiest smile since Smile. Practically every scene with her ranges from unsettling to downright frightening for viewers, whether she’s on screen or just in voiceover. Cold shivers run down my spine more than once. For a horror movie, that’s probably the most candid compliment there is.
Unfortunately, Navarrette’s outstanding performance has a downside: it highlights that the rest of the cast doesn’t rise above sound mediocrity. On top of that, with a running time of 109 minutes, there’s the odd longueur. Cutting a few minutes wouldn’t have hurt Obsession. Otherwise, I have no complaints. I agree with what everyone’s saying: this movie is a gem!
In his piece on the raison d’être of movie reviews, my colleague Luca notes that critics and audiences quite often disagree. Obsession shows the opposite is also very much possible. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film scores a stellar 94 per cent, both from critics and audiences. On IMDb, it stands at 8.1 out of 10 stars with nearly 115,000 ratings – and is the most popular movie (as of 24 June 2026).
Source: rottentomatoes.com
Young guns are shaking up Hollywood
The fact that 26-year-old Curry Barker can bring his vision to the big screen with Obsession fits the spirit of the times. Like others before him – Kane Parsons, director of Backrooms, for instance – he first made a name for himself on social media, with short comedy sketches on TikTok. Over time, the films got longer and Barker’s craft got sharper. His award-winning short film The Chair, which has more than ten million views on YouTube, is proof of that.
It’s no coincidence that Obsession and Backrooms get mentioned in the same breath. Their makers share a similar background, just like twins Danny and Michael Philippou (Talk to Me, Bring Her Back) before them. On top of that, their budgets – just under a million dollars for Obsession and ten million for Backrooms – are modest by Hollywood standards, making their explosive power at the box office all the more impressive.
At first glance, the two films may seem worlds apart thematically. And yet they share a common thread: shining a light on the darker depths of human nature. That’s fascinating and, in a strangely comforting way, off-putting. I can’t think of any other way to describe it. One thing is clear to me: amid all the multimillion-dollar blockbusters, sequels, prequels and whatnot, Barker, Parsons and the Philippou brothers’ work is a direly needed breath of fresh air in Hollywood.
Source: Universal Studios
In a nutshell
What could possibly go wrong with a simple wish? Obsession: «Yes.»
Curry Barker’s feature debut packs a real punch. He directs the seemingly simple «make-a-wish» premise with such depth and complexity that Obsession lingers and keeps you thinking long after the credits roll. The explicit scenes of violence may be hard to stomach. But they’re well dosed and never out of place.
Equally punchy – a force of nature, really – is Inde Navarrette. She carries the movie, playing Nikki as if there were no tomorrow. I’ll go as far as to say that even with Barker’s dense and accomplished direction, the movie wouldn’t be anywhere near as gripping without her. As it stands, Obsession is undoubtedly a contender for horror film of the year.
We’ll be seeing and hearing a lot more from Curry Barker and Inde Navarrette in the future. Mark my words!
I'm a full-blooded dad and husband, part-time nerd and chicken farmer, cat tamer and animal lover. I would like to know everything and yet I know nothing. I know even less, but I learn something new every day. What I am good at is dealing with words, spoken and written. And I get to prove that here.
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