By: Lana K. Wilson-Combs
LOVE HURTS IN THE CHILLING HORROR THRILLER "OBSESSION"
Horror movies had a major moment last year with the success of "Weapons" and "Sinners." Now director
Curry Barker looks to build on that momentum with his feature film debut,
"Obsession." It's a chilling knockout that feels destined to become a horror classic.
What makes Barker's film work so unnervingly well is how it weaponizes longing, insecurity and loneliness into something genuinely monstrous.
The setup sounds deceptively familiar: Bear, a painfully shy record store employee played by newcomer Michael Johnston (TV's "9-1-1”) harbors deep feelings for his lifelong friend Nikki (a sensational Inde Navarrette, TV's "Superman & Lois"), only to make a supernatural wish that turns affection into all-consuming fixation.
After purchasing a mysterious "One Wish Willow" gift from a mystic shop--its packaging promising one wish per person once broken--Bear makes the desperate mistake of wishing Nikki would love him more than anything else.
From there, Barker doesn't rely on cheap jump scares or recycled possession cliches. Instead, he builds dread through emotional imbalance, trapping viewers inside a romance that curdles into dependency, manipulation and psychological terror.
Johnston delivers a remarkably grounded performance, making Bear sympathetic even as his desperation fuels the nightmare around him. Navarrette is the film's real revelation, shifting seamlessly from warm and vulnerable to deeply unsettling without ever losing the tragic humanity underneath Nikki's unraveling.
Together, the pair create a toxic chemistry that becomes impossible to look away from. Barker wisely surrounds them with sharp supporting players, especially Cooper Tomlinson ("Homecoming") as Bear's confident best friend Ian, and Megan Lawless ("Killer Rental") as the overlooked Sarah, while Andy Richter (TV's "Conan") brings an unexpectedly funny deadpan energy as Carter, the owner of the music store where these damaged young people orbit one another.
What lingers after "Obsession" ends isn't simply the gruesome imagery or the escalating carnage-- though Barker stages several sequences with stomach-turning effectiveness--but the film's bleak understanding of unhealthy desire.
The horror grows from recognizable emotions pushed past the point of reason, giving the movie a lingering sting many genre films lack. Barker occasionally indulges in excess during the final act, but even when the film threatens to spiral out of control, its emotional core remains disturbingly intact.
Dark, strange and impressively confident, "Obsession" announces Curry Barker as a filmmaker horror fans should be watching very closely and eagerly anticipating what's next from his twisted, dark and thrilling mind.
Editor's Note: Be sure to catch my N2Entertainment.net movie talk segment on the Kitty O'Neal Show Fridays at 5:17 p.m. and 6:47 p.m. on radio station KFBK 93.1 FM and 1530 AM.
Watch This Trailer For
"OBSESSION"
Lana K. Wilson-Combs is a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA), The American Film Institute (AFI), and a Nominating Committee Voting Member for the NAACP Image Awards.
