Film Review: Obsession
Curry Barker's be-careful-what-you-wish-for horror proves effectively scary
Is love a horror story? You’d better believe it. Ever since seeing Vertigo (1958), in my opinion Alfred Hitchcock’s greatest film, the terror of out-of-control obsessive love is something far more frightening to me than any number of slasher flicks. Hence, why, comparatively speaking, for all its innovative brilliance, Psycho (1960) bothered me a lot less. Perhaps the greatest reason for this terror is my lived experience of meeting and falling in love with my wife, an intense emotional rollercoaster in which I felt frighteningly out of control. What if she hadn’t reciprocated my feelings? What if I had not fallen in love with her, but my projected idea of her? Such horrors don’t bear thinking about (thankfully, 26 years later, we’re still happily married).
Anyone who has ever been romantically obsessed with a person but too paralysed with fear to express their feelings will relate, at least initially, to Baron “Bear” Bailey (Michael Johnston). He’s the protagonist of writer-director Curry Barker’s chillingly effective (and extremely gruesome) be-careful-what-you-wish-for horror gem, which opens with Bear rehearsing telling the object of his affections, his music shop colleague Nikki (Inde Navarrette), his true feelings for her, in front of his friend, Ian (Cooper Tomlinson). Ian tells Bear his confession is nauseating and the reason he’s been potentially “friend-zoned”. He urges a strategic rethink: flirting, teasing, and acting like he doesn’t care.
The problem is, Bear just isn’t that kind of bloke. He’s mild-mannered, kind, sensitive, serious, feels things deeply, and is considerate to a fault. He’s also so consumed with his obsession with Nikki that he ignores the obvious romantic overtures made towards him by another friend and colleague, Sarah (Megan Lawless). If this were a romantic comedy, it would be immediately obvious how things would turn out, but this isn’t a romantic comedy. It’s an extremely disturbing and, at times, genuinely frightening horror story.
When Nikki loses a beloved crystal necklace, Bear decides to purchase a replacement from a New Agey shop. Here, he happens upon something called a “One Wish Willow”, whereby he can make a single wish, as the name states. He buys it, intending to give it to Nikki. However, after he loses his nerve yet again in expressing his true feelings, Bear uses the product himself, wishing that Nikki would love him more than anyone in the world.
What follows is skin-crawlingly unsettling. Barker directs this brilliantly, often framing post-wish Nikki in silhouette, or with her face concealed, except for twin dim points of light from her eyes, making her appear possessed. At no point do we feel anything akin to the warm and fuzzy feelings of romance. Instead, we’re horrified by Nikki’s sudden loss of personal choice, knowing full well that Bear’s act of emotional desperation is going to go seriously sideways.
And boy, does it. Obviously, I’m not going to spoil exactly how, but there are jump scares here that are genuinely effective. Sudden audio cuts to screams are particularly effective. Things build to an extremely nasty climax, with some fiercely bloody moments. There are visual references to everything from The Exorcist (1973) to Ringu (1998), and more recently, Smile (2022), but this still has enough singular visual and narrative heft to stand in its own right.
As well as being a variation on wishes coming true in the worst possible way (a long-running horror tradition that goes back to WW Jacobs’s classic short story The Monkey’s Paw), Barker explores themes of coercion at a metaphorical level. Is Bear guilty of this? His friends, who notice Nikki’s peculiar behaviour, start to think he might be taking advantage of her in an emotionally vulnerable state. Of course, it’s a lot more sinister than that, but like the best horror films, this has something on its mind beyond simply terrifying the living daylights out of the audience (something it does very well indeed). I should add that performances are excellent, especially from Inde Navarrette. Given the gasp-inducing moments of social faux pas and menacing physicality in the gnarlier moments, she’s definitely a talent to watch.
In conclusion, once again, we seem to be living in something of a golden age for horror. Obsession is yet another one I’d recommend to genre fans, to add to the string of others I’ve given a thumbs up to this year. Obviously, if you’re not into horror, you’ll want to avoid it, but you should also be grateful horror is having a moment. Here’s why: Many great directors cut their teeth in horror and go on to make your favourite films. For example, Sam Raimi started with The Evil Dead (1981) but went on to a hugely successful Spider-Man trilogy (2002–7). Peter Jackson started with Bad Taste (1987) but went on to The Lord of the Rings (2001–3). In ten or fifteen years, it may well be that the likes of Julia Ducournau, Damian McCarthy, Coralie Fargeat, Ian Tuason, Natalie Erika James, Jennifer Kent, the Philippou Brothers, Zach Cregger, Genki Kawamura, and indeed Curry Barker (who, incidentally, has a background in comedy) go on to similar, big-scale beloved projects.
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"Here, he happens upon something called a “One Wish Willow”, whereby he can make a single wish, as the name states."
Like the infamous Monkey's Paw, except that one granted three wishes.