'Obsession' Review: A Deranged And Demented Delight
Horror fans have been eating well this year with a myriad of refreshing new entries into the overpopulated genre. However, writer/director Curry Barker’s Obsession takes your expectations and laughs at them as it toys with them, becoming the year’s best new addition so far.
‘Obsession’ centers on Bear (Michael Johnston), a likable, but sheepish young man with shy tendencies who happens to have a giant crush on one of his closest friends Nikki (Inde Navarrette). However, when the time comes to confess his feelings for her, he decides against speaking his mind and instead enlists the help of a One Wish Willow, an item that when broken in half will grant one wish to its user. Naturally, Bear wishes for Nikki to love him more than anyone a world, a wish that not only comes true, but comes with horrifying consequences. After making a splash with his beloved comedy skits and short films, writer/director Curry Barker truly makes a name for himself with a horror film that is wholly singular.
This is a horror film that buckles under its feet if the two central performances aren’t up to task. Thankfully, Johnston and Navarrette make one of the best pairs in the genre in quite some time. Johnston is terrific as Bear, making the timid and insecure character likable and endearing, allowing the audience to become emotionally invested in him and his romantic aspirations, especially as his wildest dream becomes a reality and slowly turns into a living nightmare. As the story takes shape and chills begin to spill into the frame, Johnston sells every ounce of the horror and trauma inflicted on the character wonderfully. He essentially is the beating heart of the film and his journey becomes as horrific as it is heartbreaking.
However, if there is just a single reason to seek out this film it is to witness the dizzying performance from Navarrette. Many have compared her work here to Toni Collette in ‘Hereditary’, a claim that any horror fan would jump on the defensive after hearing, but after seeing the film those claims feel less like hyperbole and more like understatements. Her work here is remarkable, not only able to imbue Nikki with a charm and charisma that makes it heavily apparent to the audience why Bear has feelings for her, but she’s also able to deftly sell the transition to creepy and unsettling with the kind of virtuoso precision that cements her as a once in a generation discovery. She’s able to be charming and adorable one second and deeply unsettling the next, a feat that would be daunting for any actress, but she makes it look effortless throughout. The way she is able to portray the underlying humanity trying to scratch its way out from underneath what or who has taken over Nikki adds a palpable heart-wrenching element to this twisted tale. Simply put, she has a very bright future and career ahead of her.
Barker’s direction is also wildly playful and assured, oozing the confidence of a seasoned genre filmmaker despite this being his first feature length film. The way he plays with lighting, blocking and tension is extremely effective, consistently making the audience feel uneasy and paranoid, using the space of a frame to weaponize their imagination against them. The thrills are nearly relentless and the way in which Barker is able to utilize humor to pull the rug out from underneath the viewer with effectively placed jump scares is genuinely impressive. His visual panache coupled with the incredibly immersive sound design is a match made in heaven, a combo that passionately pleads to be seen and heard on the biggest screen possible with the best sound system available.
His script is also effectively well-balanced, toeing the line between funny, heartbreaking and terrifying with a dexterity that is difficult to comprehend. This is a horror film that consistently zigs when one thinks it’s going to zag, making the viewer laugh, become emotional and jolt out of their seat, sometimes all within the very same scene. Thankfully, Barker takes this refreshing concept and utilizes to its full potential, crafting a mythology that isn’t watered down or hampered by underwhelming exposition, but instead is brimming with mystique and allure, taking the less is more approach to the central conceit which works in the film’s favor tremendously. He’s smart enough to respect the audience and allow them to piece together the story and what may or may not be happening in real time.
The only minor hindrance the film suffers from is its relatively shaky first act. The first ten to fifteen minutes or so unfortunately fall victim to some awkward dialogue and sluggish pacing, issues that are remedied fairly quickly once Bear makes his wish and the film’s central conflict takes shape. With some minor tweaking on the page and in the editing bay, the first act could’ve started stronger out of the gate to get its bloody hooks in the viewer sooner rather than later.
‘Obsession’ is truly unlike any horror film that has been released in recent years, taking a fun, inventive concept and squeezing every last ounce of juice out of it. Barker’s delightfully surprising storytelling, coupled with the two rock-solid performances at its center, make for a genre film that won’t soon be forgotten as it’s destined to be a blood-soaked, crowd-pleasing new classic. This film gives a whole new meaning to '“be careful what you wish for” as it solidifies Barker as one of the most exciting new voices in horror.