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Initial Thoughts

(L to R) Inde Navarrette stars as Nikki and Michael Johnston as Bear in ‘Obsession’, a Focus Features release. Photo: Courtesy of Focus Features / © 2026 Focus Features LLC.

Taking a well-worn horror trope – ‘be careful what you wish for’ – which has been utilized in classics ranging from ‘The Monkey’s Paw’ to ‘Pet Sematary,’ writer/director Curry Barker’s theatrical feature debut, ‘Obsession,’ fashions that premise into something original, provocative, and eerie.

Barker’s narrative doesn’t quite develop its characters in a way that would make them fully empathetic, making ‘Obsession’ seem in some ways more like a collection of shocking sequences than an emotionally resonant story. But loads of atmosphere, terrific performances, and Barker’s remarkably sure hand behind the camera keep this a compelling watch and point the way to a strong future for another promising new genre filmmaker.

Story and Direction

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Director Curry Barker on the set of his film OBSESSION, a Focus Features release.
Credit: Manny Liotta / © 2026 FOCUS FEATURES LLC

Bear (Johnston) works in a music store with several of his childhood friends, including Nikki (Navarrette), for whom he harbors a secret crush. But when he fails to express his true feelings to Nikki – who, it’s hinted, may have the same feelings for him – he impulsively uses a novelty item from a New Age store, a ‘magical’ stick called a One Wish Willow, to wish that Nikki has eyes only for him.

Imagine Bear’s surprise when it works only too well. Nikki manifests some odd behavior from the start – which is chalked up to her taking molly that same night – but the relationship initially blossoms into what Bear always dreamed of. Until it doesn’t: Nikki grows increasingly fixated on him to the point of cutting him off from all their friends, exhibiting more extreme behavior, and eventually turning into someone – or something – that he no longer recognizes. And he doesn’t have a way out.

There is much percolating below the surface of ‘Obsession’ about toxic relationships, co-dependency, and the hijacking of a person’s agency and bodily autonomy. That’s quite a lot to pour into these characters, and the biggest problem with ‘Obsession’ is that they’re not entirely up to the burden. We don’t get to know much about either Bear or especially Nikki before the horror starts, and while that’s not always required in a genre film, this one feels like it needed more of a slow burn to establish their personalities better.

Inde Navarrette stars as Nikki in ‘Obsession’, a Focus Features release. Photo: Courtesy of Focus Features / © 2026 Focus Features LLC.

It’s interesting that Barker – working with cinematographer Taylor Clemons – often shoots Nikki in shadow; it renders her unknowable and unpredictable, but it also emphasizes the fact that we barely get to know Nikki before she is subjected to Bear’s wish, which makes her less tragic and more a plot device.

We get to know a little more about Bear – he’s living in the house he inherited from his grandmother, which bears (get it?) more of her personality than his – and the film leans on us to sympathize with him as his relationship with Nikki spirals, even though she is clearly the victim here. The film’s second act also becomes somewhat repetitious as Nikki’s actions become more dangerous and inexplicable, escalating beyond where anyone would keep trying to interact with her on a normal basis.

Nevertheless, plenty of other components here make ‘Obsession’ a striking new genre effort. Barker and Clemons’ use of shadow and space – the film is framed at 1:50:1, creating a real sense of claustrophobia – is highly effective, Vivian Gray’s production design emphasizes the dreary suburban bubble in which the characters live, and the combination of Rock Burwell’s music and Cailey Milito’s sound design makes for a haunting audio backdrop. It’s a well-designed horror package on a budget (reportedly $1 million) that provides both a number of eerie sequences and outright shocking moments – one scene toward the end is unforgettable in its brutality – and manages to feel like the work of a fresh voice.

Cast and Performances

(L to R) Michael Johnston stars as Bear, Megan Lawless as Sarah and Cooper Tomlinson as Ian in ‘Obsession’, a Focus Features release. Photo: Courtesy of Focus Features / © 2026 Focus Features LLC.

In a film that is mostly a two-hander, leads Michael Johnston and Inde Navarrette both have a challenging assignment. Johnston’s Bear is neither the hero nor villain, but somewhere in between: all the film’s disastrous consequences spring from his selfishness and insecurity. That could render the character unlikable from the start, but Johnston skillfully balances Bear’s deeply flawed persona with a genuine earnestness as Bear does his best to navigate and eventually fix the situation he’s created. It’s a fine line to walk but Johnston largely pulls it off, even if the character is more ambiguously drawn.

Navarrette has a different test: Nikki is mostly sealed off to us from the start, and we only get to know her through her increasingly frightening behavior. Navarrette throws herself wholesale into the grueling physical aspects of the role, to the point that we dread seeing Nikki every time she appears onscreen. Even if the script lets her down, Navarrette is a literal force of nature as she careens from slightly overcooked affection to full-on supernatural fury.

Our favorite supporting character (out of the five main speaking parts) is Sarah, the friend to both Bear and Nikki played by Megan Lawless. Lawless gradually reveals layers to Sarah over the course of the film that make her both the voice of reason and, to a degree, the character with the most heart – which only makes her arc all the more heartbreaking.

Final Thoughts

Michael Johnston stars as Bear in ‘Obsession’, a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features / © 2025 FOCUS FEATURES LLC

As noted above, ‘Obsession’ is a remarkably confident feature debut from Curry Barker, and while the film’s screenplay doesn’t quite resolve its own inner tension or the wheel-spinning of its middle section, this is still a thoroughly engaging film simply due to its coherence of vision and its dread-inducing control of mood.

Barker, at least from this outing, seems to be part of a vanguard of new horror voices – including filmmakers like Kane Parsons, Zach Cregger, and Ian Tuason – who are taking cues from the genre’s past and projecting it into the future via modern issues like trauma, current social mores, and human toxicity. As a horror fan, I’m intrigued – but not obsessed! – with seeing where this crop of horror auteurs goes.

‘Obsession’ receives a score of 75 out of 100.

‘Obsession’ opens in theaters on May 15th.

What is the plot of ‘Obsession’?

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.

Who is in the cast of ‘Obsession’?

• Michael Johnston as Bear
• Inde Navarrette as Nikki
• Cooper Tomlinson as Ian
• Megan Lawless as Sarah
• Andy Richter as Carter

(L to R) Michael Johnston, director Curry Barker, and Inde Navarrette discuss ‘Obsession’.

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