Obsession

It’s no secret that horror films from this past year have felt a bit stale. The Monkey was a tonal mess and while 28 Years Later and Final Destination: Bloodlines weren’t terrible, they were riding on the coattails of their respective film franchises. Sinners was great and original, but wasn’t exactly straight horror. It feels like it’s been forever since we have gotten a solid, original horror film. This is where Obsession comes in.

Obsession is directed by Curry Barker in his first directorial feature film. The story follows Bear (Michael Johnston) as he tries to seduce long-time friend Nikki (Inde Navarrette). He soon gets in possession of a wish stick which he uses to make her fall in love with him. Unbeknownst to him, this one wish will have deadly consequences.

The performances are excellent from both the leads. Johnston balances between having Bear be likeable yet incredibly frustrating at the same time. Navarrette on the other hand goes balls to the wall, having to switch between cute girl next door to monster at the drop of a hat. The chemistry all the characters have, including with the other friends Ian (Cooper Tomlinson) and Sarah (Megan Lawless), is just fantastic. The dialogue is also very snappy and realistic which is always nice to see.

The color grading is also excellent. The use of sickly yellows, chilling blue, and blood reds is to die for. The pacing is also excellent. It clocks in at 108 minutes but feels like a tight 90 minute film. The makeup design for the gore is also well done. Big props to Allie Shehorn.

The scares are some of the biggest issues with me personally. What people find scary is subjective, so take what I say with a grain of salt, but I did not really find this film scary. There was one scene near the end when Nikki moves past a window in an unconventional manner that is quite disturbing, but other than that I didn’t really feel all too freaked out. I honestly believed this film could have pushed a bit more with its disturbing content. There is a scene where Nikki and Bear are at a party and she starts to go off the rails. There is some good tension and a powerful monologue, but it felt like it could have gone even crazier to really make it something special. The film does also suffer from really out of place jumpscares which took me out of the film, so that could be a reason I struggled to connect with the thrills.

Overall the film is fresh and fun. Definitely one to watch this upcoming halloween season. Maybe not with your girlfriend though.