Movie Review: Obsession (2026)

Obsession (2026) written and directed by Curry Barker

Bear (Michael Johnston) works at a local music shop with Nikki (Inde Navarrette), Sarah (Megan Lawless), and Ian (Cooper Tomlinson). Bear has his eye on Nikki, though she is so cool and aloof that she doesn't show signs. Bear is shy and unassertive, so he's getting nowhere. Sarah is into Bear but he's not interested. Her dad owns the shop and is hoping she will make it into one of the colleges she applied for. Ian is a wing-man for Bear. He thinks Bear just needs to be honest and admit his feelings to Nikki, though not at their usual trivia night because he doesn't want Bear's situation to ruin the vibe. Bear is a bit distraught because his cat died, something he has trouble admitting to his friends. Chatting on the phone with Nikki, he finds out she lost a crystal necklace. Bear goes to a local New Age gift shop to get her a replacement but winds up buying a One Wish Willow, a novelty item that promises to grant a wish. After trivia, he winds up driving Nikki home but still can't get the courage up to talk to her even though she seems very open. He uses the One Wish Willow for himself, asking that Nikki love him more than anyone else in the whole world. She comes back from the house and is more aggressive about inviting him in, claiming she's distraught over her estranged dad's cancer diagnosis. Nikki and Bear start having a romantic relationship, but she becomes very possessive and very erratic. That's noticed by Sarah and Ian, who try to intervene. The situation spirals out of control as Bear can't say no to Nikki and Nikki can't behave like a decent human being.

The movie is a Monkey's Paw-style horror film. Bear is sympathetic at the beginning though his unassertive behavior and dishonesty make him less and less appealing. By the end, I considered him the villain of the piece. Nikki seems like the obvious villain, but her character is underdeveloped, leaving her erratic behavior less character-driven than plot-required. Her obsessive behavior does not seem like love on any level, just possessive manipulation. She's scary for sure but not really a person. Navarrette is great in the role, selling the erratic behavior and keeping it from becoming over-the-top nonsense that's more laughable than frightening. The story runs through its paces with good direction and fine performances from the supporting characters. The ending is the typical bleak modern horror ending. After the movie was over, I felt like this was following in Joker's footsteps as the "feel bad" movie of the year. I don't think I'll ever watch it again. 

Mildly recommended--I am surprised this was a big box office hit (do people really watch this multiple times?), but I say the same thing about Joker.