OBSESSION
Starring: Michael Johnston, Inde Navarrette, Cooper Tomlinson, Megan Lawless, and Andy Richter
Director: Curry Barker
ADRIANO
Watching Obsession, it felt like I was witnessing a new horror hit. Weaponized with debut director Curry Barker's awkward sense of humour, he cannonballs onto the scene with confidence and a fantastic eye for creepy imagery. What makes this one so wonderful is the awfully relatable terror of having a hopeless crush, mixed with the highs of optimism that soon reveal some gross scares from the mere sight of Inde Navarrette. She is a true revelation, as her supernatural attachment becomes a nightmare. I hope for dear life that audiences embrace Obsession for the treat it is because it's special.
NICK
The buzz surrounding Obsession at TIFF last year was palpable, so maybe inflated expectations played a part here, but to me, this is a good (not great) horror film across the board. Director Curry Barker shows sincere promise as a horror filmmaker with his deft utilization of the wish concept. That said, the film gets a little repetitive, and at times reminds me of the Smile movies. Even the heavily acclaimed performance of Inde Navarrette didn’t overwhelm me. Obsession shows Barker deserves more opportunities, but I’m not in agreement with the amount of acclaim it’s receiving. Temper expectations.
PAIGE
While the “be careful what you wish for” concept has been done many times before, writer/director Curry Barker flips the idea on its head and makes it feel wildly unique. Obsession may not be downright horrifying, but it’s undeniably cringe-inducing. You’ll feel dreadfully uncomfortable through its entire runtime. Much of that comes from Michael Johnston’s intentionally awkward performance as Bear and Inde Navarrette’s uncanny and captivating portrayal of Nikki, in one of the best performances of the year so far. While the film becomes a bit repetitive in its second act, it tonally balances its unsettling premise with some dark humor extremely well.
BODE
A great thing about film festivals is that you never know if or when you’ll come across the potential “next big thing.” Coming out of Obsession at TIFF, I was convinced writer-director Curry Barker would be that. Taking the well-worn “be careful what you wish for” fable and turning it on its head with enough restraint and eventual force, he delivers a horror feature that’s genuinely frightening, gleefully mean-spirited, and surprisingly hilarious - occasionally in equal measure. It wouldn’t entirely work if it didn’t have Inde Navarrette, whose creepy yet empathetic performance is truly revelatory and makes it even more of a must-see.
KATIE
Curry Barker's debut feature, Obsession, is one of the most impressive horror films of the year so far. I did not expect such a gripping and affective commentary on the nature of consent and patriarchal entitlement to women’s bodies and attention, fuelled by an astonishing performance by Inde Navarrette. With hints of the best roles from Get Out, Smile, and Weapons, Navarrette’s performance is brilliantly unnerving and unhinged, yet still in complete control. Obsession successfully manages to grapple with its seemingly straightforward but downright chilling and troubling concept, whilst also supplying dark, cringe-inducing humour and satisfying jump scares.
ROBERT
Horror is set up to have the most challengers for the championship belt for now and the foreseeable future, and here comes Curry Barker with a steel chair in the form of Obsession. The trailers foreshadowed some bonkers moments and high-end unease that the movie delivered on indubitably. The headline is Inde Navarrette with her teetering mental shifts and physical prowess, but the hit rate is so high because of how it plays off of Bear (Michael Johnston) and his stoicism while tap dancing through raindrops of crazy. For the budget, the shots and scares are revelatory, and its conveyed brutality is palpably jarring.
This film was reviewed by Adriano as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival.