Writer / director Curry Barker’s “Obsession” is a movie that walks a tightrope between horror, romance, and dark comedy. And while it stumbles more than once, the moments that work are so good that you might just forgive the rest.
The premise is simple but offers a clever twist on similar stories. Bear (Michael Johnston) pines after his childhood best friend Nikki (Inde Navarrette). After another failed confession, he unknowingly triggers a supernatural curse that flips their dynamic. Suddenly, Nikki is head-over-heels for him, but not in a good way.
Navarrette’s goofy, scary, and physically demanding performance is the highlight of the movie. Her character becomes unpredictable, eerie, often hilarious, and occasionally heartbreaking. She plays Nikki with just the right blend of charm and menace, giving a layered take on obsession that goes far beyond the stock “psycho girlfriend” trope. It’s a smart, sad, and scary portrayal of a character whose autonomy is being slowly erased not just by supernatural forces, but by a culture that still sees love as possession.
That’s where the movie hits its thematic sweet spot. This isn’t a story just about cursed love, but one about control and the dangers of wanting someone so badly you forget they’re a person and not a prize.
Unfortunately, the script doesn’t always keep up with its big ideas. The writing is uneven, sometimes contradictory (why does a love spell lead to psychotic violence?), and it leans a little too hard into the idea of a dangerously crazy partner. The escalation of violence feels stretched out and after a while, it stops being scary and just becomes overkill. Some of the dialogue veers into clunky or overly expository, and the pacing drags in the middle.
That said, when it hits, it really hits. There are some wild shock moments, some truly original flourishes, and a tone that mixes absurdity with dread in fresh and unique ways. Barker, in his directorial debut, shows real promise with a bold style, sharp sense of tone, and complex ideas buried in the subtext. The execution is mostly bumpy, but the intent to take a well-worn horror premise and twist it into something fresh and thematically relevant is still commendable. The film expresses this well enough, but it just needs a little polish.
The ending is going to be talked about because it’s a great one. Without spoiling anything, Barker sticks the landing with a final act that ties the whole thing together, both emotionally and conceptually. It’s weird, satisfying, and surprisingly poignant.
While the writing could be tighter and the premise is stretched too far in places, “Obsession” has a lot of guts. It’s a glorious mess with ambition, a killer lead performance, and bursts of horror that are flat out terrific. This is one of those films that’s not perfect, but it sure is memorable. And sometimes, that’s even better.
By: Louisa Moore
Screen Zealots 