Why Obsession is the must-watch horror of the summer

Obsession, the gripping new horror movie from writer-director Curry Barker, marks the arrival of a major filmmaking star. Boasting brilliantly atmospheric direction, electrifying set-pieces, and a generous helping of blood-curdling thrills and spills, the movie has all the hallmarks of a cult classic in the making.

Like Zach Cregger, writer-director of last year’s Oscar-winning Weapons, Barker has a partial comedy background – having appeared in the likes of Dave and It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia – and like Cregger, the Alabama native has a striking flair for mixing rip-roaring horror set-pieces with moments of mordant dark humour.

Adding to Obsession’s genre bona fides, the movie is backed by Blumhouse Productions, the company responsible for a host of iconic horror films, including the Purge, Paranormal Activity and Insidious franchises, in addition to Get Out, Us and the Black Phone and M3GAN movies. And advance buzz strongly suggests Obsession is perfectly placed to join the illustrious Blumhouse pantheon.

Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features / © 2026 FOCUS FEATURES LLC

The story follows socially awkward music store employee Bear (Michael Johnston), who can’t bring himself to express his feelings for his co-worker Nikki (Inde Navarette). Whilst browsing in a new age store, Bear purchases the mysterious ‘One Wish Willow’, which promises to grant – yep, you’ve guessed it – one wish.

Having wished for Nikki to love him, Bear’s dream is realised – only for her affection to grow increasingly twisted and obsessive, thus setting the scene for an exhilarating, nerve-shredding horror tale.

Barker initially came to prominence thanks to the one-two punch of The Chair, a short which garnered nine million YouTube views, and his debut feature Milk & Serial, a found footage horror that became a viral sensation. Last year, the rising star enjoyed a hugely enthusiastic reception for Obsession at the Toronto International Film Festival, subsequent to which Blumhouse came onboard the movie.

Inde Navarrette as Nikki and Michael Johnston as Bear in Obsession. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features / © 2026 FOCUS FEATURES LLC

In creating the script for Obsession, Barker was also inspired by an episode of The Simpsons where “Bart gets a monkey paw and causes a bunch of chaos.”

As well as the unique chemistry between Johnston and Navarette, there also memorable turns from Barker’s long-term creative partner, Cooper Tomlinson, and Megan Lawless, who respectively star as best friends and co-workers Ian and Sara, each rightly sceptical about the overnight romance between Bear and Nikki. For good measure, there’s also an appearance from Conan O’Brien’s long-time sidekick, Andy Richter.

For Barker’s part, he was clear on his thematic intent.

“With Obsession, I wanted to tell a story about how far someone’s fixation on another person can go,” says the director. “At what point does something we call love stop being love? And beyond that, what does the word ‘love’ even mean?

“The film opens with Bear, a young man reeling from the sudden death of his cat. Grasping for something to hold onto, he decides that tonight he’ll finally confess his feelings to his longtime crush, Nikki. But when his courage fails and he chickens out, everything shifts – because Nikki begins acting strangely, and it’s suddenly her who is showing a drastic attraction towards him. What begins as a moment of wish fulfilment quickly unravels into something darker and far more unsettling.

Michael Johnston as Bear in Obsession. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features / © 2026 FOCUS FEATURES LLC

“I wanted to take a story we’ve all seen before – a wish story – and ground it in the real world, flipping it on its head to make something completely new. I love putting ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances, but what matters just as much is that every character reacts in natural, believable ways.

“With Bear, I set out to create a protagonist who isn’t simply a good guy. He’s flawed, grey, capable of both vulnerability and cruelty. I didn’t want to dictate how the audience should feel or point to what’s right or wrong. Instead, my goal was to present the story honestly and let the audience wrestle with it themselves.

“I want people leaving the theatre arguing over how they felt, what they would have done differently, and whether what they saw was love or obsession.”

Director Curry Barker on the set of Obsession. Credit: Manny Liotta / © 2026 FOCUS FEATURES LLC

Confirming Barker’s status as the hottest new horror auteur on the block, he’s already working on his third feature, Anything But Ghosts, while also being tapped to helm a reimagining of all-time classic horror flick, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. But before all that, there’s an unmissable opportunity to get in on the ground floor of the Barker legend, courtesy of the exhilarating thrill-ride of Obsession.

• Obsession is released in cinemas on May 15. Watch the trailer below: