Curry Barker’s latest horror feature, “Obsession,” has been generating buzz ever since it premiered last fall during the Midnight Madness block at the Toronto International Film Festival. There, the film earned a standing ovation and sparked an immediate 24-hour bidding war. Focus Features ultimately secured global distribution rights, beating out genre heavyweights A24 and Neon.Officially arriving in theaters today, May 15, 2026, the film has sustained that buzz leading up to the release, netting $2.6M in preview screenings on Wednesday and Thursday. But does it live up to all the hype? I’m happy to report, it does — and then some. “Obsession” is a tightly wound, wickedly fun horror film that earns every bit of its buzz.“Obsession” stars Michael Johnston (“Teen Wolf”) as Bear, a hopeless romantic pining for his close friend Nikki (Inde Navarrette, “Superman & Lois”). After Bear is unable to muster the courage to ask her out, he frustratingly breaks into the mysterious “One Wish Willow,” wishing that Nikki would love him more than anyone in the world. But Bear soon discovers the One Wish Willow is more than a novelty, and the wish worked—perhaps too well. As Nikki’s devotion turns into a violent, claustrophobic fixation, Bear discovers that some desires come at a sinister price.Cooper Tomlinson (“Milk & Serial”) and Megan Lawless (“Killer Rental”) round out the core members of the film’s cast, and there isn’t a bad performance in the bunch. Johnston and Navarrette are the engine that drives the film, and both are exceptional. Johnston plays Bear with a raw, fragile authenticity. His early scenes ache with crushing longing before giving way to wide-eyed terror as Nikki’s “love” spirals out of control. Navarrette, meanwhile, pulls off something genuinely difficult: she makes Nikki magnetic and unsettling in equal measure, sustaining the character’s desirability even as she becomes completely unhinged. Her facial expressions, movements, and vocal shifts are so precisely calibrated that you find yourself feeling Bear’s fear rather than just watching it. Her performance elevates the tension, which is so effective in this film.(Image courtesy of Focus Features)Like Nikki’s newfound love for Bear, the tension in “Obsession” is suffocating. Beyond Navarrette’s performance, the film maintains a suffocating tension through its tonal whiplash — a scene can pivot from darkly comic to genuinely terrifying in a single cut — and Barker’s command of tight framing, shadow-heavy lighting, and precise blocking, which make every room Nikki enters feel smaller than it is. Pair that with jarring bursts of extreme violence that arrive without warning, and the film keeps you coiled and uncomfortable all the way to the credits.At its core, “Obsession” is a modern “monkey’s paw” tale that reminds you to be careful what you wish for. However, Barker takes the premise to new extremes, trading traditional tropes of greed for a harrowing look at codependency and fixation. It’s a remarkably fresh take on a familiar concept that never feels like previously traversed territory.Sensitive viewers should know going in that the film doesn’t shy away from some heavy territory: a dead cat features prominently in several scenes, and the story also weaves in themes of drug use, suicide, and consent — handled with enough weight that they land as genuinely disturbing rather than gratuitous.“Obsession” marks Curry Barker as a horror filmmaker worth watching closely. It’s the kind of film that burrows under your skin long after the credits roll. It’s one horror fans will want to see sooner rather than later, as it’s going to be talked about a lot over the coming days, weeks, and probably months. It’s generating hype because it deserves the hype. It’s well-executed, well-acted, and well worth a watch in theaters.
