The Simple Art of Filmmaking

A cowardly young man resorts to a supernatural device instead of confessing to the girl of his dreams and the consequences are disastrous. 2026's Obsession certainly treads on well trodden ground but the performances and filmmaking, particularly in the first third of the film, make for some engrossing horror and comedy.

Obsession is the talk of the town, along with Backrooms, for soundly dominating the box office despite being made for a mere $750,000. Director Curry Barker's background is as a comedy YouTuber and there are many times, particularly in the last portion of the film, Obsession succeeds more as a comedy than a horror film. I was strongly reminded of Get Out, another horror movie from a director with a comedy background. Both Get Out and Obsession lead with a strong concept delivered with effective cinematic storytelling from a main character's point of view but kind of fall apart in the final act. I would say Obsession is slightly better, though.

Aside from Andy Richter in a tiny role, the cast is entirely unknowns. Barker lucked out with his two leads, Michael Johnston and Inde Navarrette, who both deliver good performances. Their performances are crucial because the meat of the story is studying their characters and trying to figure out their real motives.

Johnston plays Bear, a guy who's liked Navarrette's character, Nikki, for some time but hasn't had the guts to confess. Even when he plans it out and has a perfect opportunity, he still chickens out. So he makes a wish on a cheap novelty item he bought at a magic shop and suddenly Nikki is making excuses to come over to his house.

It would be difficult to guess how many love potion stories there are in the history of fiction. Millions, at least. It's been done on every fantasy or sci-fi show from Buffy the Vampire Slayer to multiple iterations of the Star Trek franchise. Barker says he was inspired by one of The Simpsons' "Tree House of Horror" episodes based on "The Monkey's Paw". I found myself thinking of Tristan and Isolde. The point of interest in Tristan and Isolde, particularly in Wagner's opera version, is in contemplating how much of what's happening to the two is the love potion or if the potion only liberated feelings they already had or if the feelings they had before they drank the potion are significant in how their affections manifest.

Obsession forces you to contemplate every subtle facial expression, every small, odd inflection as you wonder, first, is this really happening? Is this a gag? Is it a coincidence? The film's effectiveness diminishes as Barker provides definite answers. He could have kept it going for the whole movie, I think. He kind of channels Bergman. It goes to show how effective just two actors with dialogue can be.

The last two thirds of the film aren't bad. There are a lot of plot details that don't make sense, some things seem like they were thrown together a little to hastily but the jump scares are generally effective. The best parts in the last act are certainly the gags.

Obsession is now in theatres.