Obsession(2026)(Review)

It seems safe to say that there’s a new wave of upcoming horror directors that have permeated the scene. To be more specific, a younger generation of directors that grew in popularity making short-form content on YouTube who then expanded into making full features that not only carried their fanbases with them, but also gained admiration from the public. The Philippou Brothers (Talk To Me, Bring Her Back), Kane Parsons (Backrooms), and David F. Sandberg (Annabelle: Creation, Shazam) are some of the hottest names in this field together at the moment, but today we are taking a look at Curry Barker and his new film, ‘Obsession’.

Our main character is Bear. He’s a rather pathetic, sad young man whose madly in love with his best friend and co-worker Nicky – but he’s far too much of a coward to admit it. Nicky calls him one night to let him know that she’s planning to put in her two weeks’ notice and start a new chapter in her life. He decides to go to a mystical-novelty shop to get her a present and comes across a strange toy called the One Wish Willow. This toy is essentially a twig-like-bundle that allows the user to make a wish and snap it. When he has the perfect opportunity to share his feelings with Nicky, he chickens out. Out of frustration, he uses the toy and wishes that she would love him more than anyone else in the whole world.

Bear completely underestimates how real this wish would become. And as things immediately unfold, they escalate to horrifying levels of shocking and terrifying behavior.

The very classic tale of the ‘Monkey’s Paw’ is a gothic-styled horror story where the character ultimately learns the hard lesson of “be careful what you wish for.” This film is another example of this rather simple story, but the brilliance is in the execution of it. Curry Barker knows to share just enough details and facets with us to pull us into this very believable world. But instead of relying on generic tropes and jump scares to push this engine along, he uses massive amounts of cringe humor, terrifying tone shifts, and a deep reliance on the uncanny valley to disturb his audience. His smash-hit ‘Milk & Serial’ is available to stream on YouTube, and it’s easy to see why he’s become a name to watch for.

The standout star of this film is the character of Nicky, played by newcomer Inde Navarrette, who seriously delivers one of the most intense and complicated performances since Toni Collete in ‘Hereditary’. It’s not only extremely impressive, but it gets under your skin with just the right amount of pressure to sink in and haunt you. When most of the horror really hits, she’s shrouded almost entirely in darkness which keeps us uncertain of what we’re looking at. This almost feels akin to J-Horror styled scares instead of what we get in typical Blumhouse films.

There’s plenty of twists and turns along the way that not only keep us entertained but keep elevating the stakes and the story. It’s heartbreaking, jaw-dropping, and gets the blood pumping in a way that I have yet to feel this year. I could honestly keep talking about this picture and what I found brilliant about it, but since it’s only been in theaters for a week, I’d rather just strongly encourage you all to go see for yourself.

5/5

“Obsession” is currently playing in theaters.

‘Til Next Time,
Mike Cleopatra

The Gruesome Gazette

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