OBSESSION is worth the hype

“I’ll be anything you want me to be.”

Curry Barker’s OBSESSION has quickly become one of the most talked-about horror films of the year. Opening last weekend to rave reviews -including early Oscar buzz for lead actress Inde Navarrette -the film has already become a massive financial success. Produced by Neon for under $1 million, OBSESSION is on track to join the ranks of ultra-profitable horror sensations like The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity.

But is the hype deserved?

In an era where horror films are constantly labeled “must-see” experiences, many end up feeling overhyped or quickly forgotten once the initial buzz fades. OBSESSION is not one of those movies.

This is the kind of film that lingers. A nightmare that follows you home.

What begins as an awkward, cringe-heavy horror comedy slowly mutates into something far darker and more unsettling, making every laugh feel increasingly uncomfortable.

At an 8 p.m. Wednesday screening in Stillwater’s AMC just days after release, the theater was nearly sold out. That may not sound unusual for a Marvel blockbuster or a family hit like Mario, but for a relatively obscure original horror film, it is enormous.

OBSESSION is written and directed by Curry Barker, who built a following through YouTube horror shorts before catapulting into mainstream success almost overnight. Following the film’s breakout reception, Barker is already attached to a new Texas Chainsaw Massacre reboot produced by Glen Powell and is reteaming with Blumhouse for the horror-comedy Anything But Ghosts, currently in production.

The film follows Bear (Michael Johnston), a lonely post-high-schooler working at a small-town music shop alongside his friends Ian (Cooper Tomlinson), Sarah (Megan Lawless), and his longtime crush Nikki (Inde Navarrette), a carefree party girl with whom he is hopelessly in love.

There’s just one problem: Bear and Nikki have been friends forever, and Bear is too insecure to confess his feelings - assuming she could never feel the same way.

That changes after a visit to a strange novelty shop, where Bear purchases a magical item known as a “One Wish Willow.” Make a wish, snap the toy, and your dreams come true.

Bear wishes for Nikki to love him more than anything else in the world.

And Bear gets exactly what he wants.

With horrifying consequences.

OBSESSION feels like a deeply twisted inversion of the magical wish-fulfillment romances popular in the 1980s and 1990s: attractive young adults working at a record store, messy friendships, romantic tension, and supernatural intervention bringing the dream couple together.

Only here, the fantasy becomes a nightmare.

The audience is forced to watch Nikki’s autonomy disappear piece by piece as her mind fractures between her trapped true self and the outwardly obsessive persona fans online have dubbed “Freaky Nikki.” At the same time, Bear evolves from an awkward “nice guy” into one of the most disturbing horror protagonists in recent memory precisely because of how believable he feels.

In many ways, OBSESSION does for toxic male entitlement what Jaws did for the ocean.

Barker, cinematographer Taylor Clemons, and composer Rock Burwell work together with astonishing confidence for relative newcomers. Every creative choice in the film is designed to unsettle the audience. Even the humor carries an undercurrent of dread.

There are undeniably funny moments in Nikki’s increasingly erratic behavior as the wish consumes her, but any comedy is quickly undercut by Navarrette’s devastating performance.

Her eyes alone tell an entirely separate story.

While “Freaky Nikki” performs the exaggerated affection demanded by Bear’s wish, the “real Nikki” remains visibly trapped beneath the surface : terrified, desperate, and powerless. Navarrette communicates that internal horror with trembling expressions and subtle moments of panic that make the film’s most disturbing scenes almost unbearable to watch.

Several moments show the real Nikki struggling to break through the curse, each one sadder and more desperate than the last.

Ultimately, OBSESSION is a film about control - specifically the way women are stripped of autonomy in service of male fantasy. Through Bear, the film examines the terrifying desire some men have not simply to be loved, but to possess and reshape another person entirely around their own emotional needs.

What makes the film especially disturbing is that Bear fully understands what he has done.

At one point, the trapped voice of the real Nikki begs Bear to kill her while “Freaky Nikki” sleeps. Rather than help her or attempt to undo the curse, Bear becomes offended that she would rather die than remain trapped as his fantasy partner.

It is one of the film’s most horrifying moments precisely because of how emotionally honest it feels.

OBSESSION is the rare horror film that feels destined for long-term cultural conversation. Its exploration of female autonomy, toxic masculinity, and romantic entitlement will likely fuel academic and critical discussion for years to come.

It really is that good.