Obsession Deserves the Obsession

Obsession, directed by Curry Barker, has been one of the first movies in a long time to become a part of mainstream lexicon and discussion without having been a part of a franchise, without having been a remake, and without having household names starring in it. It takes a LOT in the year of 2026 to achieve that. Only six years out of the pandemic, people are not going to movies like they used to, especially not with how expensive tickets are (not to mention snacks). This is also a horror film – a genre that is known for overused tropes, that is easy to fall into some problematic territory. I say this with a lot of love for the genre, because I consider it to be the most effective and important genre when done right. And Obsession did it right. 

While people go into horror films expecting some type of gore and violence, so many writers overdue it with violence of specific categories. The most famous example is violence against women, which usually is sexual violence. So much of the time it is straight up trauma porn. It serves little to no purpose to the plot, but is used, implicitly or not, to fulfill some type of fantasy involving women being tortured or raped. It is important to recognize that of course, in horror as in any genre, these issues can be discussed and depicted. The issue is that horror, which is fueled by making viewers uncomfortable and uneasy, inspires many writers to simply use these scenarios as a scare tactic, rather than explore the experience and its effects more. Back to Obsession, a film in which the plot is a woman non-consensually losing control over her body and being forced to worship a man against her own will. This premise inherently replicates the experience and trauma of being violated, and the film includes a sex scene that is intrinsically rape due to the fact that the real version of Nikki has no ability to consent. The entire film is centered around a theme of losing autonomy and having one’s body consistently violated, but it is done in a way that shows a lot of genuine care for this subject matter, which is why I believe so many women appreciate the film. 

There is  no way for me to talk about this movie with the admiration it deserves without spoilers, so if you did not get around to watching the film over the summer, take advantage of spooky season and watch it at home. 

One of the storytelling tactics of Obsession is oftentimes showing the aftermath of disturbing events, or showing just enough of them occurring. Through showing the character’s realization of events rather than the occurrence itself, it amplifies their worry since they know they could have prevented it. 

The earliest example of this happens within the first ten minutes of the movie, when Bear comes home and realizes that his cat consumed oxycodone pills, and has died. It is of course devastating to see the aftermath of this, but at the same time, I was also relieved the director, Curry Barker, did not take the approach of showing the cat actively dying, which is something other horror films would do. It is not only an impactful storytelling method, but it handles the subject matter with care. On the topic of the cat— the most shocking part of the film for me, when Bear realizes Nikki has put the remains of his cat in his sandwich for lunch, also uses this tatic. We do not see Nikki actively, to put it plainly, making his lunch, which would probably be overly grotesque and shocking. Instead, we see Bear’s realization as he has already eaten it, which is just as, if not more stomach-churning. The most infamous scene, when Nikki kills Sarah, is the one scene that is a little bit exaggerated and over the top, with Nikki drawing out her attack on her for a decently long period. While the scene itself is repulsive, and can even look a bit silly given it is pretty obvious a dummy was being used, Sarah’s character is still treated with a lot of care. Right after this moment, Bear learns she ended up getting into the art school she had been hoping to attend, yet had that all ripped away from her because of his ignorance. The audience is initially shocked by her death, but they are immediately reminded of her humanity and how she had no chance to fulfill her ambitions. When simply looking at the pain Nikki undergoes throughout the film, while she does deal with bodily harm, it is not over the top or drawn out. It is disturbing to see what happens to her when she is under the “One-Wish-Willow” spell, such as sexual assault and self-harm, but these scenes are short and quick. Rather than making them long as a way to emphasize their brutality, other filmmaking tactics are used to highlight that, such as changes in sound editing and slow, ominous zoom-ins. 

The women at the center of this story also feel like real human beings, not like shallow archetypes. We don’t see much of Nikki’s actual personality since she spends most of the movie as a Bear-obsessed duplicate, but for the short amount that her genuine self is shown, we learn about her passion for writing and her other leisurely interests like music and crystals. As mentioned before, Sarah has a passion for art, as shown through her numerous tattoos and her stress over art school applications. However, it is important to note that they are not depicted as being perfect either. Nikki is a kind soul, but can be a bit inconsiderate at times when it comes to her job at the music store, and using Sarah’s spare cash to share with an unhoused person. When Nikki started acting strange, Sarah focused more on comforting Bear rather than checking in on Nikki, as it is implied that she had a crush on him. The girls are shown being focused on their desires and futures, but are realistically imperfect, and sometimes messy. It was so refreshing to see women who were not just used as plot devices, and who felt like real girls I would meet at a house party. It is the bare minimum for filmmakers to write women like this, but that is part of why it is great that this movie became so popular in mainstream media. It is incredibly important for the story to honor their characters, since the film offers a lot to say about the dangerous dating culture that has influenced men’s behavior in our generation. 

A lot of the praises I am giving to this film may sound like the bare minimum, and it is true. It should not be this shocking for a male horror director to write and create a film with realistic female characters that are treated with respect, and without solely depicting the violence against victims as a way to make a point. However, it has become easier and easier for mainstream media to promote works solely for their shock value, even when there is  no purpose behind it. So many books and films have become extremely popular in recent years only for the terrible or disturbing events that take place in them, rather than what those events have to say for the larger themes of the piece. I went into Obsession with these expectations in mind, thinking it was intending to make a lot of money with an interesting premise and crazy twists and turns. It ended up having something to say, and doing so tastefully. The aspect of the film that I may have loved the most was the fact that it was clearly made by people with a love for movies, who had no idea what a box-office success it would be. Out of all the films that have become phenomenons in recent years, this one definitely deserves it. 

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