Obsession: more dark comedy than horror

Some films are so unexpectedly successful that it is hard to explain why. Obsession is one of them. Shot for around $750,000, it has grossed more than $520 million worldwide. An absolutely staggering figure for a production of this size.

Behind it is Curry Barker, a young director who started out making YouTube videos and attracted attention with Milk & Serial, another horror film made on a shoestring. Now he has caught Hollywood's eye and won over much of the critical establishment.

On Rotten Tomatoes, it currently has 93% positive reviews, and its female lead, Inde Navarrette, is being praised everywhere.

For me, it wasn't quite that impressive. It's an entertaining film, with some very funny moments and an excellent performance by Navarrette. But it is certainly a long way from being a horror masterpiece .

In fact, I think it works better as a dark comedy than as a horror film, although to enjoy it you have to accept just how twisted its premise can get.

A simple premise, straight out of Big

Bear (Michael Johnston) is in love with Nikki (Inde Navarrette), a friend he feels more than affection for, but who doesn't return his feelings the way he would like.

One day he finds a mysterious object capable of granting a wish and decides to use it to make Nikki fall in love with him.

And, of course, the wish comes true.

Yes, very much like Big — the 1988 Tom Hanks film — but instead of a family comedy, we get a horror movie.

Because the problem is that things don't work out quite as Bear imagined. What seemed like the perfect solution ends up getting more and more complicated, turning his life upside down.

I won't tell you any more, because much of the fun lies in discovering just how far the film takes this idea.

The premise is simple and leans heavily on that familiar 'be careful what you wish for' mantra we've seen a thousand times in films, series and fantasy stories.

It's a decent starting point, and Barker knows how to exploit the situation, keeping the story moving at a good pace. He doesn't need to build a complex universe or explain where the object came from.

What matters here are the consequences of the wish and how the characters react to them.

Closer to Very Bad Things than Backrooms

If I had to compare Obsession with another film, I'd probably choose Very Bad Things, that 1998 dark comedy directed by Peter Berg.

Not because their stories are similar, but because of that ability to turn utterly unpleasant situations into something that is, at times, genuinely funny..

That's what I liked most about Obsession.. 

The film confronts you with events that ought to be repulsive because of their violence or unpleasantness, yet manages to give many of them a distinctly twisted comic edge.

It's a curious combination that works if you're willing to play along.

In that sense, its kind of horror is very different from Backrooms, which I reviewed recently.

There, the interesting part was the atmosphere: strange spaces, hard-to-understand situations and a sense of unease that lasted through much of the film.

Here, by contrast, the appeal lies in the situations and just how uncomfortable the relationships between the characters can become. There are unpleasant scenes and disturbing moments, certainly, but I enjoyed its dark humour far more than its ability to scare..

If you're after pure horror, you may be in for a surprise.

Inde Navarrette is the best thing about the film

Much of the reason the whole thing holds together is Inde Navarrette.

Her performance as Nikki is the best thing about Obsession. The character has to carry very different and rather extreme situations, and the actress makes them convincing within the story's own logic.

It's a difficult role precisely because the film constantly moves between the uncomfortable, the grotesque and the comic.

Michael Johnston also does a good job as Bear, a character whose insecurity sets everything in motion. In a way, he's a bit like Hughie from The Boys..

Together they keep things interesting, exploiting the possibilities of the premise again and again.

And that is also where one of my main reservations lies.

Because beyond the twisted situations and Navarrette's performance, I don't find all that much else worth highlighting..

The film isn't especially ambitious—obviously, on that budget—and doesn't pretend to be. It has an idea, develops it effectively and relies on its leads to keep you entertained.

That's fine. More than fine. But for me it still falls well short of justifying all the enthusiasm it has generated. I mean, I don't think the exact same film, with a budget ten or a hundred times bigger, would receive the same praise.

Conclusion: entertaining, but overrated

Obsession is thoroughly enjoyable if you like dark humour and have the stomach for certain situations.

Its premise works, the pacing is good and Inde Navarrette delivers a magnificent performance. Besides, Curry Barker shows that you don't need a gigantic budget to make a film that connects with audiences.

Whether it's quite the extraordinary work some reviews suggest is another matter.

I can perfectly understand why so many people liked it and why its approach appeals to certain viewers. But once it's over, it doesn't leave you feeling you've seen something memorable.

Still, it's an excellent choice for an entertaining evening, for laughing at things you probably shouldn't laugh at, and for discovering an actress worth keeping an eye on.

Because sometimes being able to switch your brain to airplane mode without feeling like you're being taken for a fool is more than enough.

The best of Obsession

• Inde Navarrette.
• Its dark humour and situations that are as funny as they are unpleasant.
• Good pacing that makes effective use of a simple premise.

The worst of Obsession

• Watch your expectations: I don't think it's nearly as outstanding as the reviews might lead you to believe.

Obsession: technical details

Feature	Information
Original title	Obsession
Director and screenwriter	Curry Barker
Year	2026 (theatrical release)
Release in Spain	26 June 2026
Running time	108 minutes
Genre	Supernatural horror, dark comedy, thriller
Cast	Michael Johnston, Inde Navarrette, Cooper Tomlinson, Megan Lawless and Andy Richter
Production	Under the Shell, Blumhouse, Capstone Studios and Tea Shop Productions
Distributor in Spain	Universal Pictures
Estimated budget	$750,000
Worldwide box office	More than $520 million