Movie Review - Obsession

Director: Curry Barker
Genre: Horror/ Romance
Runtime: 108 minutes
Year: 2026
Starring: Michael Johnston, Inde Navarrette, Cooper Tomlinson, Megan Lawless, Andy Richter
 
Description: After breaking the mysterious “One Wish Willow” to win his crush’s heart, a hopeless romantic (Michael Johnston) finds himself getting exactly what he asked for, but soon discovers that some desires come at a dark, sinister price.
 
Review: Socially awkward Bear is in love with his childhood friend Nikki, but no matter how much he practices with his friends, he just can’t bring himself to ask her out. Even when she asks him point-black if he has feelings for her, he’s too scared.  But then Bear finds a so-called “one wish willow” in an occult store: a wish stick that grants him one wish. You can guess what happens next: out of frustration Bear breaks the stick and wishes that Nikki loves him more than anyone in the entire world.

At first glance, Bear’s solutions seems like every incel’s wet dream in the manosphere, where the prevailing idea is that women should be subservient to their men. But the saying, be careful what you wish for, exists for a reason. And the longer Bear and Nikki are “together”, the crazier, more unpredictable, and more obsessive her behavior becomes.

Bear is such a naïve fool that you almost overlook the fact that something isn’t quite right from the very beginning. Director Curry Barkers initially cleverly positions Bear as the protagonist in a rom-com, making you root for his success in love. Things get more interesting after the wish, when none of Nikki’s bizarre actions prompt Bear to take concrete action. Not even when his friends are seriously concerned about her mental health. Until Bear finally gets a taste of his own obsession and that true love suddenly isn’t that great anymore.

Barker added a delightfully devilish sense of humor. This is largely thanks to Inde Navarrette, who plays Nikki. This is one of the best lead roles in horror I have seen in the last years. It’s amazing how Navarrette walks a fine line between grotesque, humor and mental torture. Even in a finale, that is so unhinged, she never lets us forget for a moment just how deeply unsettling it all is.

Curry Barker, who started out as a content creator on YouTube, proofs with this horror film that he is a lot more than just an internet sensation. He created one of the best horror films in modern history with a very small budget. It’s not an easy watch, it’s very uncomfortable, but this film will haunt you for a very long time. And that's a good thing.

Rating: 5/ 5