After spending the past month watching international audiences rave about it online, Obsession has finally arrived in Malaysian cinemas. The wait was worth it. And yes, this time I’m going full spoiler zone, sorry, but I have to.
Directed by Curry Barker, Obsession follows Bear, a hopeless romantic who breaks a mysterious “One Wish Willow” in hopes of making his childhood crush, Nikki, finally love him. The wish works, but not in the way he imagined. Nikki’s affection quickly spirals into obsessive devotion, becoming increasingly dangerous and supernatural as Bear desperately searches for a way to undo what he has unleashed.
YouTube’s Horror Generation Continues To Deliver
Going into the film, I was already intrigued. Barker and actor Cooper Tomlinson are best known for their comedy sketches on YouTube through That’s A Bad Idea, while Barker himself has spent years creating short horror films online. On paper, that combination might sound risky. Comedy sketch creators making a feature horror film does not immediately inspire confidence.
Instead, Obsession serves as yet another reminder that YouTubers are currently on a generational run in horror filmmaking.
Kane Parsons turned a viral internet concept into Backrooms. The Australian twins behind RackaRacka delivered one of the decade’s most acclaimed horror debuts with Talk to Me before following it up with Bring Her Back. Earlier this year, gaming creator Markiplier successfully brought Iron Lung to the big screen after years of building an audience through horror game playthroughs. Now Barker can comfortably sit alongside that growing list of creators proving that some of the most exciting voices in horror are no longer emerging from traditional Hollywood pathways.
And after watching Obsession, it is easy to understand why audiences have embraced it so enthusiastically.
With critic scores reported in the mid-90s on Rotten Tomatoes, audience scores hovering in a similar range, a strong Letterboxd average and positive reception across horror communities, expectations were understandably high. Somehow, the film still exceeded mine.
A Horror Film Built On Pure Dread
Let me put it this way: I cannot remember the last time a horror film genuinely kept me on edge for almost its entire runtime.
The movie feels long, but for a very good reason.
Every scene is soaked in suspense.
From the moment Bear makes that wish, the atmosphere changes completely. I found myself constantly wondering what Nikki would do next. Every conversation carries tension. Every interaction feels dangerous. Every frame feels like it is hiding something. There are jump scares, but they are not what makes the film terrifying.
The suspense and creep factor are through the roof.
Most horror films become less scary once the monster, ghost or demon is revealed. Audiences get a chance to understand the threat and mentally prepare themselves.
Obsession somehow achieves the opposite.
Nikki remains terrifying whether she is on screen or not.
Whenever she disappeared from a scene, I found myself scanning every corner of the frame expecting her to suddenly appear. And when she did appear, director Curry Barker often lets scenes continue far longer than expected. Just when you think the tension has peaked, he keeps the camera rolling, allowing the discomfort to build further and further.
There were moments where I genuinely wanted the scene to cut away simply so I could relax.
It never did.
Every Shot Means Something
What impressed me most was how deliberate everything feels. There is no wasted scene. No unnecessary subplot. No convenient plot point inserted purely to move the story forward.
Everything matters.
The mirror shots matter. The pills matter. Sandy the cat matters. The car scenes matter. Bear’s relationships with Sarah, Ian and Nikki all matter. Every shot feels carefully designed to either develop character, increase tension or push the narrative forward.
The attention to detail is so precise that viewers have already begun dissecting individual moments online. One of the most discussed examples involves a bedside clock during a key scene between Bear and Nikki. The clock briefly displays “16:55 AM”, an impossible time format. While some viewers initially assumed it was a continuity error, others linked it to Ezekiel 16:55, a Bible verse that some believe hints at Nikki eventually returning to her original self.
Another viewer pointed out that Nikki’s unsettling story at Ian’s party may parallel themes found within that same verse.
Whether these theories are correct or not is almost beside the point.
The fact that audiences are analysing background details and hidden meanings weeks after release demonstrates how intentional the film feels.
When The Horror Gets Brutal
The horror itself is not afraid to get ugly when necessary.
The car sequence involving Sarah is particularly brutal, while Nikki’s physical deterioration, self-harm and increasingly disturbing behaviour create a level of discomfort that rarely lets up. What makes these moments effective is that they never feel exploitative.
I was never afraid because of the gore.
I was afraid because I genuinely had no idea what Nikki was capable of doing next.
To herself.
To Bear.
Or to anyone unlucky enough to get caught in her orbit.
Sound Design That Never Lets You Relax
The sound design deserves enormous praise as well. The score feels like a dial that only moves in one direction, steadily increasing tension throughout the film. Yet some of the scariest moments occur in complete silence.
Unlike many horror films that rely on loud music cues to announce incoming scares, Obsession understands that silence can be every bit as terrifying. Ordinary conversations can suddenly become unbearable. Empty rooms feel threatening. Quiet moments become loaded with anxiety.
Even when nothing is happening, it feels like something terrible is about to happen.
Inde Navarrette’s Star-Making Performance
Then there is Inde Navarrette.
Quite simply, she is phenomenal.
Nikki is one of the most unsettling horror characters I have encountered in years and almost all of that comes from Navarrette’s performance. Her control over her voice, facial expressions and physical presence is extraordinary. She can shift from sweet and vulnerable to deeply unsettling within seconds.
Every time Nikki appeared on screen, a sense of dread immediately followed.
Even when she was absent from a scene, her presence lingered.
That is how effective Navarrette is.
The performance deserves to be mentioned alongside some of the most celebrated horror performances of the modern era. Toni Collette in Hereditary. Essie Davis in The Babadook. Mia Goth in Pearl.
If horror fans are still discussing Nikki years from now, I would not be surprised. And yes, the Academy. Oscar nomination for best actress for her, NOW.
More Than A Romance, More Than A Horror Film
One line perfectly captures the film’s core idea.
When Nikki tells Bear she is writing a love story rather than a romance story, it sounds insignificant at first. By the end of the film, however, it becomes clear that the distinction is everything.
This is not a romance.
It is a story about obsession.
About possession.
About the terrifying consequences of becoming someone’s entire world.
Beneath the supernatural horror, Obsession holds a troubling mirror to modern fears and desires, particularly surrounding attachment, loneliness and unhealthy relationships. Yet despite these darker themes, the film remains surprisingly funny. Barker successfully blends social awkwardness, dark comedy, laugh-out-loud moments, graphic violence and genuine horror into a package that feels remarkably balanced.
That combination is difficult to pull off.
Obsession makes it look effortless.
Final Verdict
I do not get creeped out easily by horror films anymore.
I rarely feel genuinely scared.
This movie stressed me out.
Every appearance by Nikki filled me with dread. Every empty frame made me nervous. Every scene felt like it could explode into chaos at any moment.
And I loved every second of it.
Rating: 9.5/10
By far my favourite horror film released this year so far. Suspenseful, intelligent, genuinely frightening and anchored by a star-making performance from Inde Navarrette, Obsession proves that the next generation of horror filmmakers has already arrived.
And Curry Barker may have just delivered one of the year’s very best.
