Not often does the word of mouth continue to circulate for an independent horror film, like the extent we have seen with Obsession. We had to see why there is so much passion and love for this film, and we now understand why. The first thing that Nora said while the credits were rolling was “What? This was crazy,” and I sat there with a tiny smirk on my face. Why the smirk? Obsession is one of those films that uses its lack of budget to its advantage; it feels like the modern day Paranormal Activity meets high concept horror like Hereditary.

Recommended by Nur-D (Check out our interview with him on our YouTube channel) by questioning who the villain is in the film. Which after sitting through the 108 minute film written and directed by Curry Barker, I understand the question. Its a silly concept that feels serious when you sit and think about the plot of the story. What happens when you get the dream girl, but the dream girl is trapped in state of an obsessive love?

When Baron aka Bear (played by Michael Johnston) is tired of being friend zoned by his co-worker and friend Nikki (played by Inde Navarrette), he stumbles across this novelty toy “One Wish Willow” at a crystal shop. Originally with the thought of giving it to Nikki as a goodbye gift, but after getting friend zoned, he makes the wish for her to “Love him more than anyone in the world.” After making the wish, Nikki comes running to Baron with an obsessive love towards him, while he sits in his car outside her house after a night out with friends. Nikki does everything in her power to keep Baron to herself, however its not really Nikki, but instead, some type of entity that is holding Nikki hostage within her body.

Obsession is not a complicated movie, moreover, its the pacing and performance that makes this film work. Michael Johnston and Navarrette’s performances are some of the more memorable in a horror film. Navarrette, who has starred in 13 Reasons Why and Superman & Lois proves that she is a powerful force with her ability to instantly switch personalities. We see Nikki as a character that struggles to exist without being in the presence of Baron, Inde Navarrette goes from cute to insane to being in pain. This film does not work if not for the leads, as some horror films slow things down to get a jump scare, the scares here come from the pain that both characters go through. I will admit that it took a while to warm up to Johnston as Baron, but once the wish fulfillment happens and ruins his life, the conflicting feelings are shown in his facial expressions.

Credit needs to go to Curry Barker for being 26 years old and crafting a generational horror film. A horror film under a million dollars should not work today. If a film has a blooper or looks cheap, people will focus on it. However, Barker uses that to his advantage. It only makes me excited for his version of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre that is currently in pre-production. One thing that Obsession has in common with other horror films that I have loved recently, is the dark humor. There are moments that the way Nikki acts could come off as cartoonish and not terrifying, but the change from love sick puppy to being controlled by this obsessive personality makes this film that much stronger.

We are definitely in a great era of horror right now. Obsession will be a film that is studied in film classes as how to use a shoestring budget effectively. Late Night With The Devil was the last time I had a feeling of disbelief watching a horror film, I strongly recommend this film.