Obsession (2026)

DIRECTED BY

Curry Barker

STARRING

Michael Johnston - Baron "Bear" Bailey

Inde Navarrette - Nikki Freeman

Cooper Tomlinson - Ian 

Megan Lawless - Sarah Harper 

Andy Richter - Carter Harper 

Genre - Horror/Supernatural

Running Time - 109 Minutes

PLOT

After breaking the mysterious “One Wish Willow” to win his crush’s heart, a hopeless romantic finds himself getting exactly what he asked for but soon discovers that some desires come at a dark, sinister price.

REVIEW

If you’re a horror movie fan, then you most likely contributed to the success of OBSESSION at the box office this past weekend. But if you haven’t yet, then believe the hype for once - OBSESSION is not only a fantastic horror film, but the best horror film of 2026 so far. One of the best 2026 films of the year actually.

A take on "The Monkey’s Paw" story, OBSESSION tackles the so-called “male loneliness” issue that many young men are apparently dealing with, especially since the pandemic. The main character, Bear, is so focused on his selfish need to be with a girl who has obviously friend zoned him, that he ignores all the signs around him and makes a terrible wish to get the love and attention that he wants from this girl. It doesn’t matter that he’s forcing Nikki to be with him against her will, which brings about topics of sexual harassment, sexual assault, and other icky topics involving gender dynamics and misogyny. It doesn’t matter that his best male friend, who he doesn’t seem to have the greatest bond with to begin with, is warning him to move on from Nikki. It doesn’t matter that his co-worker, Sarah, is into him and is just as lonely as he is when it comes to love. Bear makes a selfish wish about what he needs, not realizing he’s taken away all agency from Nikki without considering what she would want as part of this wish [which would most likely have nothing to do with being with Bear anyway]. Nikki’s a puppet in Bear’s fantasy, making Bear one of the more disgusting villains in horror movies this century. 

I think that’s what elevates OBSESSION for me. Yes, it follows the familiar tropes of “The Monkey’s Paw” narrative and provides that well-known commentary that you should be careful what you wish for if you don’t really consider the pros and cons of that very wish. But the story gives those tropes some dimension, as it brings a lot of issues involving men and women within friendships and relationships to the forefront. The movie could have been marketed as a simple “the woman is bad because she isn’t providing what the man had hoped for” sort of deal. Hell, that probably could have been the case prior to social media. But throughout the film, you’re never given the implication that Nikki is the bad person here. Yes, she does awful things but they’re all under duress, under a spell that she’s a puppet of against her will. Other characters in the film gaslight her because Bear is the “nice, quiet guy who couldn’t harm a fly”. But as the film runs along, Bear’s uneasiness with the situation becomes easier for him despite the chaos he’s created.

Bear making a selfish wish doesn’t automatically make him a terrible person. He probably didn’t believe the wish would come true and felt lucky when it did. But he perpetuates the situation, especially when he learns that something that Nikki told him wasn’t actually true and he lets it slide because he finally has what he wants, despite the fact that the lie is a pretty awful one. Then he has sex with her, knowing she’s not in her right mind and has no ability to consent. That’s when he becomes the true villain of OBSESSION, revealing how ugly and self-absorbed he is despite others around him thinking otherwise. His role as villain is cemented with the moment where the real Nikki cries for help during a moment where the wish version of Nikki is asleep. Instead of doing what she asks, Bear just asks her “What’s so wrong about being with me?” There’s no redemption arc here and we know the story has to go a certain way to be completely satisfying for the audience. The marketing makes Nikki seem like the crazy one here, but it’s really Bear who is the puppeteer and refuses to see the error of his ways until he realizes the wish is more than he can handle. Again, he only makes moves when the situation affects him negatively, not when it’s affecting the woman he supposedly loves. It’s effective in turning a silly situation into something that’s both awkward and, eventually, frustrating to watch for a girl who didn’t deserve the situation she was put in.

Curry Barker, alongside Mark "Markiplier" Fischbach, have proven that YouTube filmmakers are now the new “It” boys in an industry that probably despises them for not being true auteurs. But Barker has made a statement piece with OBSESSION, as he definitely has a great eye in directing horror [despite coming from a comedy background]. Lights and shadows are used brilliantly. The pacing and editing is almost pitch perfect. Lingering shots create dread and tension without the need for a jump scare to unnerve audiences. Everything on screen feels earned. I actually felt uncomfortable watching certain moments of OBSESSION, especially during the film’s second half, where all the true visual horror begins. Also the writer of the film, Barker has proven that he has a bright future in the genre by creating a project that affected a lot of people, possibly triggering something in many in terms of their own dating lives or something within themselves that connects to one of the main characters. OBSESSION cost less than a million dollars and looks better than most films made for 20x that much. I look forward to his TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE movie, hoping he works the same kind of magic on that as he does with OBSESSION.

The film also wouldn’t work without the two leads. Despite watching trailers for OBSESSION, I didn’t realize Bear was portrayed by Michael Johnston, who I knew from later seasons of MTV’s Teen Wolf and from his video game voice work. He’s super good as Bear, creating a human being that becomes more unlikeable as the film runs. His good looks and quiet personality adds to the menace that Johnston provides, never coming across as sympathetic when the shit hits the fan. 

But the real star is actress Inde Navarrette as Nikki, who provides one of the best performances in any horror film I’ve seen. I like the fact that we never have a chance to see Navarrette as normal Nikki much, as the lack of knowing gives her more layers and beats to play with to manipulate the audience’s feelings about her. She’s sweet. She’s out of her mind. She’s scary. She’s vulnerable. She even portrays all these beats within the same scene like they’re mood swings, jarring you and making you worried what this wish has done to Nikki and what it will make her do [usually nothing good]. Despite admitting she’s not a horror fan, it’s obvious Navarrette watched certain films to gain some inspiration for her performance. Like Mia Goth in PEARL. Or Naomi Scott in SMILE 2. Or more likely, the amazing Isabelle Adjani in 1981’s POSSESSION and her extremely memorable manic performance. Whatever the case, OBSESSION has turned Navarrette into a major star, with some wanting some sort of Academy Award nomination for her performance. Both Johnston and Navarrette will get a ton of work after OBSESSION and look forward to what each does next in their careers.

THE FINAL HOWL

Believe the hype. Not only is OBSESSION the best horror film released in 2026 as of this writing, but it’s one of 2026 best films, period. Despite the use of a tired “Monkey’s Paw” narrative trope, director-writer Curry Barker adds dimension by adding social commentary on sexual assault, consent, misogyny and the effects of the so-called “Male Loneliness” issue that seems to be an alleged thing amongst some younger men since the pandemic. It also provides that cliche that one should always be careful what they wish for, putting all the fault on the wish maker instead of the person under the spell of that wish, despite her manic actions and how negatively the other characters react considering they don’t know the situation. 

The film, with its $750,000 budget, looks fantastic with great lighting, editing, framing, and confident pacing. Hell, it looks better than horror films with much bigger budgets. Michael Johnston is great as the self-absorbed and unlikable Bear. But it’s Inde Navarrette who steals the film as Nikki, who plays the menace of Bear’s wish perfectly, going from nice and sweet to downright scary and obsessively violent and needy. You’re unnerved by Nikki, but you also feel really bad for her since none of this is her fault. Navarrette has a star making turn here and I could see her doing great things in her acting career. I was hoping OBSESSION would be good judging by the trailers and good word of mouth, but I never expected it to be this good. The highest of recommendations. 

SCORE

3.5 Howls Outta 4

(9 out of 10)