Horror has been on an absolute streak of incredible films. Every genre from body horror to out and out gorefests have dominated the silverscreen. Even in this climate of new age icons, Curry Barker’s ‘Obsession’ does something entirely different. It’s psychological horror in a way few films dare to even embark. The film is pure cinematic horror how it is supposed to be. ‘Obsession’ has set a new bar for terror.
Bear has been in love with Nikki for a long time. Problem is…he can’t bring himself to make a move or even tell her how he feels. When the opportunity to make a simple wish presents itself, Bear takes it, never thinking that there could be a real world consequence. Bear would be tragically wrong. In ‘Obsession,’ Barker weaves a narrative that feels part roller coaster, part Haunted House. It’s horror in it’s purest sense.
9, 10 Never Sleep Again
The psychology of horror is complex. Using psychology as a way to enduce horror is purely psychotic. ‘Obsession’ grabs the audience by the brain and drags it kicking and screaming to tortuous new depths following Bear as he slowly loses grasp of the situation that he’s created around him. What makes ‘Obsession’ so horrifying in this aspect is it’s relatability. Who among us wouldn’t have done the same thing without thinking about what consequence laid in wait on the other side? The “Damn…I guess I really never actually wanted what I wished for” feel that the audience leaves the theater with is why ‘Obsession’ will continue to be a part of the discussion for months to come.
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It’s that same kernel in the tooth, stick with you vibe that will be the reason ‘Obsession’ keeps the audience up at night. The use of dark and light as Nikki’s condition worsened was traumatizing. The moments where she was watching Bear sleep hidden in a dark corner tap into a deep human instinctual fear. That is all before she moves. The staggered nature of her walk. The forward and backward movement as if her body was glitching. Meant to keep the audience off balance, Barker uses each moment to subsequently knock them to the floor. ‘Obsession’ is truly a masterclass in horror.
Future Stars
Inde Navarette.
Remember that name. Navarette was absolutely brilliant as Nikki, weaving in and out of Nikki and Wish Nikki effortlessly, forcing the audience into a panic with each switch. The way in which Navarette separates even the original iteration of Nikki is magnificent. As the wish demands more and more out of Nikki and Bear, Navarette had to show how far down the rabbit hole Nikki had fallen. Navarette was more than up to the task. Crawling through the dark and dragging the audience into a new type of terror.
While the character of Bear may hold my few criticisms, such as the characters obnoxious inability to make even the most basic of decisions, damning all around him, Michael Johnston portrayed him exquisitely. Johnston provided the perfect level of weakness to the power of Navarette and Nikki. There were times that I found the decisions that Bear, himself, made unbelievable, but Johnston was still effective in his portrayal of him. It was essential that it be clear that Bear was not the one that was in control, Nikki was, and it took a stellar performance like Johnston’s to make the chaos work.
Final Thought:
‘Obsession’ is a horrific lesson in not always wanting what you wished for. It’s pure unadulterated terror in every sense of the word. A modern classic in the making, ‘Obsession’ is surely a film we will be talking about for years to come as the blueprint for modern horror.
