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2026 is home to yet another hot horror breakout in Obsession. Coming courtesy of director Curry Barker (no relation to famed horror icon Clive Barker), who is part of a continuing trend of comedy directors/creatives moving into the horror space, Obsession is one of 2026’s most harrowing watches yet. Anchored by a star-making and darkly captivating performance from Inde Navarrette, it readily stakes a claim for best film of the year so far.
It isn’t because of some vastly original story. Obsession plays in the well-trodden territory of the “monkey’s paw” tale, wherein protagonist Bear (Michael Johnston) has a crush on his co-worker Nikki (Navarrette), though the feelings are seemingly unrequited. “Seemingly” is a key term because Bear is too cowardly to ever fully express himself to Nikki. Regardless, Bear happens to buy a strange, kitschy trinket, the One Wish Willow, and uses it in his disappointment, wishing that Nikki loved him more than anyone else in the world. One can guess where things go from there.
Yet where Obsession shines is in Barker’s pitch-perfect execution. From the moment the wish is used, Barker uses camera framing to create tension, cutting to a wide shot of Nikki standing on her porch in shadow as Bear watches through his car window. This creeping sense of dread is arguably never fully released until the final moments of the film, a testament to Barker’s craft behind the camera.
Obsession is masterful in its balance of tone. Much of the movie aims for a dark off-kilter humor, scenes vacillating between cringe laughter and uncomfortable creepy horror in mere seconds of holding a shot longer than normal. Barker’s instincts are exactly where they need to be, with multiple sequences causing one’s face to scrunch up in discomfort at what’s onscreen before breaking out in goosebumps as the moment escalates.
Much of this works also due to Navarrette’s aforementioned performance. It is not hyperbole to suggest this is an Oscar-worthy turn. She runs a gamut of emotions and places throughout the runtime, alternating between cutesiness, extreme anger, deep pain, and also pulling in a jarring physicality when her character does some bizarre body movements.
She commands attention whenever onscreen, working in perfect combination with Barker’s framing in each shot. One such moment of a closeup on her face cast in shadows is played to perfection as it takes on an intentional uncanny valley look, yet seemingly without special effects. It’s just performance and framing and is super unnerving. Navarrette should launch into the big-time after this one.
While not quite as showy, Johnston does a more than passable job as Bear. His character is this perfect mix of dorky nice-guyness, yet continuing down a wrong path despite all the warning signs. A lesser performer might not commit to the bit and give him more animus one way or the other, but Johnston resists such temptation.
As one might guess, Obsession aims to be a commentary on the entitled nature of the “I’m a nice guy, why won’t she date me?” mindset. This skewers the violation of consent that happens in romantic dynamics at times and the way relationships can become controlling and consuming. Ultimately, the thematic commentary is a weaker aspect of Obsession, as Barker is more concerned in ramping up the visceral experience than anything too searching. Johnston’s Bear also arguably needed to be written a little meaner to justify the morality at work. The film also runs slightly too long, starting to lose a tad of steam midway through the second act.
Such flaws are minor in the end. Obsession is an unrelenting piece of horror filmmaking and goes to some wild places along the way. Despite the conclusion almost being foregone if you have any familiarity with “be careful what you wish for” tales, Obsession still manages plenty of surprises en route.
With news that Barker has the keys to the Texas Chain Saw Massacre franchise, there is hope he might bring quality back to that series. Even if we’d prefer he keeps writing his own ideas. But we’ll try not to obsess about the future too much.
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