Obsession review — I couldn't have wished for a more disturbing, heart-pounding horror movie if I'd tried

Obsession is among the huge range of new horror movies in May, and it is already doing more than enough to stand out from the crowd. With clever marketing including a phone number to call, everyone's been creeped out by the premise from the very beginning. I've been following this movie on social media for months, and I will admit that I am obsessed with Obsession.

When you strip it back, the premise of Obsession is a very simple one. A man makes a wish on a novelty toy, asking that his crush would "love him more than anything else in the entire world", and it comes true. But like any cautionary tale whether it's a genie's lamp or a monkey's paw, sometimes wishes backfire spectacularly.

Immediately, you face palm at just how extreme this wish is. Bear (Michael Johnston) is very explicit in what he wants, to the point that he asks to be the singular object of Nikki's (Inde Navarrette) desire. It's an unreasonable wish, because even those of us in committed relationships have other things that we love. Nothing can come between me and my hobbies, let me tell you.

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The One Wish Willow, a whimsical novelty toy invented by director Curry Barker, takes Bear's request very literally. Indeed, Nikki does begin to love Bear more than anything, and it's more terrifying than he could have anticipated. Instead of giving Bear a passionate romance, she begins to stalk and obsess over him, and it is soon clear she is no longer Nikki but something else far more sinister.

Obsession sets out to make us incredibly uncomfortable and succeeds in multiple ways. Inde Navarrette's portrayal of Nikki is well rounded because yes, she does an excellent job at freaking us out, but she also shows us a human side of Nikki and what she lost. The movie reminds us repeatedly that Bear wished for this, he took away Nikki's agency, and now he's left with the stuff of nightmares.

Navarette's unhinged performance is impossible to look away from, no matter what she's doing. There are some incredibly horrifying scenes in Obsession, as "Nikki" does her best to win Bear's affections and be the girl of his dreams, just as he asked. I did not expect things to get as dark as they did so be warned, some really messed up stuff happens. Nikki twists into something monstrous, a far cry from the person Bear loves.

Curry Barker has made something very special here. It ticks all the right boxes for any horror fan: it's gory, scary, and shocking. But it also forces us to confront some uncomfortable topics about relationships, desire, and consent. Nothing that happens in the movie would've happened if Bear hadn't broken the One Wish Willow, everything is a horrible, twisted consequence of his own actions. It's a tough pill to swallow.

Obsession is the kind of movie that lingers. Whether it's the disturbing scenes or the very idea of robbing someone of their humanity for your own selfish desires, it's sure to stick with you. I've seen plenty of interesting opinion pieces, videos and debates around the movie, which all good horror movies should do. It's a modern classic and I believe we'll be discussing it for many years to come.

Everywhere you look people are really analyzing Obsession and having a blast doing it, and because of this, its impact should not be ignored. It's only May and it has a very real chance of being 2026's best horror movie.

Many people are rallying for Obsession to be recognized during award season. With more horror movies being noticed recently, like Amy Madigan's performance in Weapons, I am hopeful that Obsession will get the flowers it deserves. It's thoroughly entertaining and grabs you by the throat, refusing to let go.

Truly, I could not have wished for more.

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