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Obsession (2026): The Wish That Went Wrong
Curry Barker's Obsession starts as an awkward office crush and ends as one of the year's most talked-about horror films. It cost under a million dollars to make and has earned hundreds of millions, which is reason enough to ask what it does right.
The setup
Bear is a shy young man who works alongside Nikki, the friend he can't quite tell he loves. One day he finds a shop selling "One Wish Willows," small twigs said to grant a deep wish when snapped in two. He doesn't believe it, but he snaps one anyway and wishes that Nikki would love him back.
She does. Then she keeps going. Her devotion grows strange, then frightening, and Bear starts to wonder whether the person beside him is still Nikki at all.
The film is the feature debut of writer-director Curry Barker, who also edited it. Barker made his name online with comedy and horror sketches alongside his filmmaking partner Cooper Tomlinson, who appears here as Ian. Jason Blum of Blumhouse is an executive producer, and Focus Features bought worldwide rights after the film premiered at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival.
Why it works
The first act plays like a small youth romance, and that is the trick. By the time the film shows its teeth, you already care about two people who feel real, so the violence lands harder. Reviewers compare its intensity to Evil Dead, Talk to Me and Hereditary.
The performances carry it. Michael Johnston plays Bear with a quiet, growing unease that makes you complicit in his wish. Inde Navarrette is the standout as Nikki, and critics praise how she plays the character's unraveling without turning her into a caricature. One reviewer predicts the role could make her a genre star.
Under the scares, the film asks an uncomfortable question: if you get exactly what you wished for, who has paid for it? Bear's fragile ego and his part in what happens are as much the subject as the supernatural twig.
Where it falls short
The most common complaint is that the film stops short of its own best idea. It raises the toxic dynamics of the relationship and the lack of free will in a love that was granted, then spends more time on shocks than on digging into them. Critics still give it four out of five, so this reads as an opportunity missed, not a flaw that sinks it.
The numbers
Obsession was reportedly made for about $750,000. Outlets disagree on the exact worldwide gross, with figures ranging from roughly $270 million to roughly $370 million, but every one of them puts it far past any reasonable expectation for a film this small. It is also reported to be Focus Features' highest-grossing release to date.
How to watch it
The R-rated film opened in cinemas on May 15, 2026. It reached premium video on demand on June 30, 2026, through Prime Video, Fandango at Home and YouTube Movies & TV, and a 4K and Blu-ray release was announced for July. It is a film that benefits from loud sound and a dark room, so it suits a night in with the lights off.
Barker's next film, Anything but Ghosts, is a supernatural comedy in post-production. It is unconnected to Obsession, but it reportedly includes a nod to the character Nikki for viewers who are paying attention.
Sources: Heaven of Horror, Popped News, Eastern Eye, Fangoria.