I have never been a fan of scary movies, or rather, I never choose to seek them out. If I watch a horror movie, it’s because I find the film and storytelling elements to be worth watching.
That’s what makes Curry Barker’s 2026 surprise summer hit Obsession so interesting. The 26-year-old made this film for less than $1 million, and it made 330 times that, showing Hollywood that YouTubers can be powerful filmmakers, and audiences are starved for original and creative stories rather than unnecessary big-budget sequels and adaptations.
Obsession follows Bear, a man in love with his best friend Nikki, who is too chicken to admit his feelings or act on them. He buys a magical fad, a One-Wish Willow, which lets him wish for whatever he wants, so naturally, he wishes Nikki could love him more than anyone in the world. Typical chaos ensues, and Nikki can’t seem to leave Bear alone.
The cast, while small, is firing on all cylinders. Quickly, I want to address how strong Megan Lawless and Cooper Tomlinson are as Sarah and Ian, two stereotypical horror movie best friends who also represent aspects of Nikki and Bear that aren’t immediately noticeable.
Inde Navarette is the real standout as Nikki, perfectly balancing the possessed insanity with the sweet, victimized person she was before the One-Wish Willow. Countering her, Michael Johnston cranks up Bear’s toxic masculinity. His evil is glaring, while the worst parts simmer under the surface until it’s all you can think about after the watch.
While a terrifying concept, this movie is very funny. The awkward comedic timing of the writing and the performers is perfect, and Nikki’s literal take on everything Bear tells her is hysterical.
Obsession is also wracked with symbolism. Nikki is writing a book that she deems a “love story,” and Bear misinterprets it as a “romance”, similar to how their relationship unfolds: a surface-level “love”—not anything more. Additionally, Nikki tells a very messed-up, incestual version of Hansel and Gretel while under the spell, showing how she thought of Bear as a brother and trusted him before he made his wish.
A brief shout-out to Curry Barker: he directed, wrote, and edited this film. Director-editors, especially from the YouTube era, are becoming significantly more common, and as an editor, it gives me a lot of hope. Editing gives you the most control over a final product, and a director in that position lets them bring the creative vision to fruition.
This film is an example of a recent genre called “incel-horror,” in which a male (typically a “nice guy”, or someone who acts nice to gain romantic attention) uses mainly supernatural forces to seize access to a woman’s body against her will (think Companion or Don’t Worry Darling).
Bear acts selfishly at every opportunity, choosing not to cancel the wish but, rather, alter it and ask the “real Nikki” what’s so wrong with being with him while she’s briefly conscious. Curry Barker has even said the One-Wish Willow isn’t an evil invention; Bear just chose to use it with malicious intent.
The biggest irony of all of these “incel-horror” movies is the fact that these same kinds of men who are being made fun of most in this movie are misunderstanding what the movie is about, saying that women couldn’t relate to it and that Bear was the victim. As a woman who has had her fair share of run-ins with these types of men, it makes me chuckle how they’re reacting to Obsession.
I’m so happy to see how well this movie’s doing, and I hope the hype lasts all the way up until Oscar season. You rarely see something this low-budget perform so well anymore.
I’m excited for this new era of filmmaking!
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