Horror as a genre is having such a peak currently. It has often been a genre which has allowed filmmakers to be as creative as they like, making the most out of smaller budgets often to huge successes. They feel like less of a risk for the studios making them for that reason, and big studios are often happy to buy them up, or pass on them and let the films thrive, before snapping up the creatives that succeed for bigger projects.
Obsession follows Bear (played by Michael Johnston) who has a crush on Nikki (Inde Navaratte), when he decides to break a One Wish Willow, a novelty product which grants the person who snaps it 1 wish. His wish is that she loves him more than anything in the world. It comes true, but at what cost as it becomes darker than he expected.
This film had a lot of early very positive word of mouth, having premiered at a couple of film festivals in the latter part of 2025 including Toronto International Film Festival, one of the most respected film festivals in the world. A standout film from there, especially a horror is going to get the cinephile audience excited, and then even more so once that excitement filters down to the horror going film audience, who are one of the most cinema loving audiences out there. And the film certainly lives up the hype.
Writer and Director, Curry Barker, started his career on YouTube (like a number of current directors, especially in the horror genre) in the sketch comedy genre, but has managed to apply his trade to the genre perfectly. Having already been tapped by A24 to direct a new Texas Chainsaw Massacre purely off the back of this film. He understands the genre to perfection, nailing the exact tone as to what this film should be, balancing truly horrifying dark moments with almost awkward tension and humour to lure you into a sense of comfort. The film is also thought provoking, making you question not only what’s real, but what the right thing to do in that situation is. A good balance of the praise needs to go on him for the script and the creative decision he makes to make it clear who the victim of this scenario is. The script certainly isn’t perfect, and might not be the most extremely original film produced, but it is delivered in such a fresh feeling package, which makes it land hard as one of the best films of the year so far.
The biggest star of the film is Inde Navaratte who plays Nikki. There are a few sides of Nikki we get to see and Navarette has an extremely difficult job finding the right line for those and suiting the tone of the film. She is by far the most complex character due to the situation that she is in. Her performance is one that an actor of any level would be extremely proud of, Universal have already stated they will be launching an Oscar campaign for her in the hope of getting an Oscar nomination. It certainly reminds me of recent fantastic horror performances we’ve had from the likes of Florence Pugh in Midsommar, Lupita Nyong’o in Us and Amy Madigan in Weapons. She might not have a full plate on her schedule but she definitely will have studios looking to lock her down for a franchise in a supporting role (think of the many X-Men roles that are going to be cast in the next few years) or a lead in a TV series. She’s going to have a long career ahead of her.
The rest of the cast does a decent enough job. I did find that Michael Johnston who plays the lead and Cooper Tomlinson had moments where they felt quite amateur, but I’m willing to give them a break because on the whole they do a good job with what they’re given. I did wish we got more time with Megan Lawless for her plot line, only getting a couple of minutes of screentime but having a vital part of the plot which I wish would’ve been expanded on.
Overall, Obsession could very well be the best horror film of the year, or at least will be a contender. A career making performance from Inde Navarette will make her a star, but the biggest win is for director, Curry Barker who adds his name to the roster of strong horror directors who understand the genre, and deliver an engaging story that keeps you on the edge of your seat.
What did you think of Obsession?
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