“I feel like I’m coming apart. I think about you all the time, Nikki. I try not to. You’re in every song I listen to. I would choose you over everything.” — Bear, from Obsession.
On May 21st, Obsession premiered in theaters. Directed by the YouTuber Curry Berry, the film follows Bear (Michael Johnston), a shy man who uses a magical “one wish willow” to make his coworker, Nikki (Inde Navarrete), love him more than anything in the world. As soon as he breaks this magical wish willow, a curse is cast over the girl. What begins as a cute romance quickly becomes something darker, as the magic turns Nikki’s behavior into a disturbing, uncontrollable obsession.
The creepiest thing about this movie, which helped it become the first film since E.T (1982) to grow its box office each weekend, is that the man on the screen is not a monster at all: he is just a guy who uses his apparent kindness and consideration as part of his “romantic sales” pitch.
The film’s most unsettling aspect — and a factor in its growing box office success — is it’s depiction of the ‘monster’ as an ordinary man. Bear’s weapon is not violence or disfigurement, but the appropriation of kindness and consideration as manipulative tools. This sharply reflects a cultural anxiety about seemingly innocuous behaviors that mask something much darker.
In fact, the Nice Guy trope has been blowing up in horror movies. Also known as “Incel Horror,” this sub-genre’s villains have shifted from monsters and facial disfigurements to the figure of a ‘nice guy’, and somehow, the result is just as creepy.
The Origin of the “Nice Guy”
The Nice Guy trope isn’t new in cinema; it just belonged to another genre, the rom-coms. This figure was softened by the industry, often shown as a hopeless romantic man who struggles to act on his feelings. He is either a dreamer who hopes to find “the one,” or fixated on a woman who is not on the same page.
They were normally portrayed as the male best friend who complained that “his girl” only dates the wrong guys. He believes he is the right one, and wishes he had their confidence. The “nice guy” feels misunderstood and swears he loves harder than anyone else.
Have you ever noticed what Ross from Friends, Ted from How I Met Your Mother, and Cameron from 500 Days of Summer have in common? They are all the archetypes of nice guys. However, horror movies show something that rom-coms try to hide: Nice guys are actually terrifying.
These patient, supportive guys often treat friendship as a waiting room for a relationship. They have given themselves this label and view acts of kindness or basic social decency as a form of currency, expecting romantic or sexual rewards in return.
He is not nice because he feels that way, but because he thinks such behavior will lead to a relationship. He believes persistence pays off, even if she doesn’t feel the same.
As Anjali Patel from Cosmopolitan India explains: “He is just persistent. He really likes you. He doesn’t mean any harm. Incel movies strip away those excuses and treat the dynamic for what it can be: a threat.”
Why does it fit so well in horror movies?
That delusion of endless love is what makes the Nice Guy trope so famous in horror movies. Because they reflect the dark side of modern dating: the misogyny, online radicalization, and male loneliness discourse.
Those incel movies take an experience that many women went through and place it in a creepy and horrifying context. Through metaphors of horror, it shows what really happens with women in real-life relationships.
Let’s take Bear from Obsession as an example. Bear has been in love with Nikki for years, but never had the courage to tell her, so he settled in a friendship space, just waiting for her to realize that he is the one. He is romantic and devoted to her.
Throughout the first minutes of the movie, it’s clear that Nikki only sees Bear as her little brother and doesn’t feel the same way for him. Bear cannot see it. He is so single-minded about this relationship (which only exists in his mind) and so fixated on Nikki that he just keeps going, ignoring her feelings.
The nice guy projects a fantasy onto the woman he is interested in, perceiving her as his dream girl rather than as a complex individual with her own identity and agency. He gains her trust, befriends her with second intentions. Bear loves the idea of Nikki, not who she really is. Beneath the surface of those guys, there is an uncontrollable obsession and possession of a desired partner, often objectified, rather than a real connection.
None of those characters actually care about how women feel, or think. They are just thinking about themselves and how their friendship make them owed. When he gets the girl, he doesn’t need to be kind anymore. He begins to see her a passive figure in the relationship, attempting to control and suppress her individuality. As the woman tries to fight back and reject him, the obsession and control take over.
Unlike traditional villains, these “nice guys” do not see themselves as monsters. In their minds, they are loving and deserving of affection. They believe they have earned her love through their kindness and persistence. To them, she becomes a reward for being a “good person” — she is the answer to all of his problems.
Here, the horror lies in the fact that those guys see their partner’s personality as an obstacle to fulfilling their wish, and for that, take her autonomy, independence, and control over her nature and consent.
As Helen Coffey from AOL wrote about the movie Obsession: “Nikki may ostensibly be the film’s monster, but the real horror lies in the feigned friendship of a man who would happily strip a woman of all free will, if only it meant he could live out his fantasy.”
Horror movies are really popular among Gen Z, especially those that lie their horror factor in real-life situations. According to Lauren Cook, therapist and author of Generation Anxiety: A Millennial and Gen-Z Guide for Staying Afloat in Uncertain Times: “This generation is too focused on social aspects, and this is a defining thing for this generation. That’s why the horror genre is exploring darker real-life concepts instead of monsters and blood.”
Enjoyed ‘Obsession’? watch these movies.
It is important to disclaim that being a nice guy, in this context, is different from being a good person. A good person (or guy, in this case) is someone who is truly kind, without any second motives. A person who really cares about others. The opposite of the nice guys portrayed in horror movies.
That being said: If you enjoyed ‘Obsession’, check out these 5 movies featuring the Nice Guy trope!
Companion (2025)
Directed by Drew Hancock, the movie follows the happy couple Josh and Iris on a trip to a friend’s cabin. However, when they arrive, Iris realizes nothing is as it seems. Full of secrets and androids, Companion is available on HBO Max.
Don’t Worry Darling (2022)
With Harry Styles and Florence Pugh, Don’t Worry Darling is about a community of couples surrounded by a desert. Everything seems perfect, until one of the wives goes missing for breaking one of the rules: questioning what their husbands do while the wives stay at home. Turns out this community isn’t as happy as it seems. The movie is available on Netflix.
Borderline (2025)
Borderline follows up on the hostage of a 90’s pop star by an obsessive fan. Directed by Jimmy Warden, the situation turns into a violent, psychological, and horror nightmare. The movie is available to watch on Netflix.
Fresh (2022)
Available on Disney +, Fresh reveals the horrors of modern dating. It follows a young girl who battles to survive her new boyfriend’s unusual habits.
The Invisible Man (2020)
Cecilia (Elisabeth Moss) is trying to rebuild her life after the death of her abusive partner. However, soon she figures that he might still be alive: he turned invisible to continue hunting her. Available on HBO Max.
The article above was edited by Alyah Gomes.
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