Fans Can’t Get Enough of Curry Barker’s “Obsession”
Film Review★ Emily Galeas ★ @emilyofftherecord.mp3★ 4 Minutes
*Please note that there are spoilers in this reviewIn the years following the COVID-19 pandemic, the film industry became lackluster to many. There were no good films that were worth paying anywhere between $15-20 to see, and movie theaters were not seeing a packed house.
However, 2026 is proving to be a turn-around year for the film industry, but specifically for horror. Following the release of Kane Parsons' phenomenal ‘Backrooms’ film, 26-year-old Curry Barker's ‘Obsession’ quickly followed. Both of these movies saw outstanding profit and theaters packed wall-to-wall.
Going into ‘Obsession’, I wasn't sure what to expect. Having waited a decent amount of time after its release to actually purchase my ticket, I had already heard that this film was not what it looked like at face value. After sitting on my thoughts for a few days, I can safely say that this film is going to be one of the best horror films of 2026, and it was a refresher compared to some of the releases of the past few years.
A key component to this film is the uncomfortable angles and thought-out camera work in every shot: the film does a great job at making you feel like you are sitting in on something you aren't meant to see. A lot of this effect is done through the lighting and the camerawork for this film, which looks like a highly-produced, beautifully shot film even though Barker was working with a production budget of around $750,000. (For comparison, the typical horror film budget usually sits between 1 million to 5 million dollars, making this film relatively low-budget.) This aspect of the production process makes the film all the more shocking when you see the finished product, especially after hearing post-release interviews of Barker talking about the small elements of camerawork/lighting that they had to do by hand rather than with high-cost machinery.
One of the main talking points for this film after the fact, is the allegory within the film. At face value, the main character, Bear (played by Michael Johnston), is just a man in love with his close friend Nikki (played by Inde Navarette), who seems to not feel the same towards him. However, the film's darker turn shows the experience of a woman (Nikki) losing control of herself, her body and emotions, becoming a shell of her former self to appease Bear. The main plot of the movie begins when Bear makes a wish using the film's patented ‘One Wish Willow’, wishing for Nikki to “love him more than anyone else in the whole world”. From here, we quickly see Nikki lose a battle with (fan named) “Wish Nikki”, and become a woman that is dead set on pleasing Bear in any way she can, no matter how much she hurts herself emotionally or physically.
The real allegory within the film is not only that Nikki loses control of herself, but also that Bear is completely content taking advantage of her situation, even after being given multiple chances to alter or change his wish. There is an element of selfishness Bear displays throughout the film that shows you that the antagonist of the film was always him.
Horror is a highly-saturated genre in the modern film scene, however, ‘Obsession’ plays on a theory that has not been as heavily focused on. The Uncanny Valley Hypothesis was first introduced in 1970 by a roboticist in Japan named Masahiro Mori. The hypothesis consists of “The Rise”, “The Valley” and “The Top”. The Rise takes place when we see a robot that looks slightly human, with cute cartoonish features that distinguish it as a robot, making us feel content. The Valley takes place when the robot is given skin and hair and more realistic features, with movements that are meant to mimic a human but are clearly slightly off. This creates a feeling of discomfort, which is exactly what ‘Obsession’ experiments with. The Top would take place when the robot looks exactly like a real person, causing the unease to dissipate.
Throughout the movie, we see flashes of Nikki coming through “Wish Nikki” and attempting to regain control of her body, which takes away some of the physical discomfort that we feel when Nikki is not herself. Her unnatural movements, facial expressions, volume in her voice, and even makeup in some scenes of the movie play off of this fear. Uncanny Valley horror has been utilized all over social media for short films and Tiktoks, but we have yet to see it to this extent on a film screen. Barker even goes as far to give Inde Navarette the iconic “Uncanny Valley” makeup, featuring the sunken, larger than normal eyes, the exaggerated smile and unusual facial contour for a short portion of the film.
The plot of ‘Obsession’ also leaves much to be questioned by the end of the film, which normally would mean leaving room to continue the story with a sequel. However, though Barker has mentioned continuing the “One Wish Willow” universe, this particular storyline has been closed. ‘Obsession’ has left us with a lack of answers that feels intentional and not an oversight. You are meant to leave the theater feeling disturbed, questioning everything, and in a general state of discomfort. For horror fans, this movie is a perfect storm.
Curry Barkers ‘Obsession’ is now available to buy or rent through the film's social media, and it is breaking records in the box office. If you are a horror fanatic looking to venture down a road less traveled, ‘Obsession’ is waiting for you.
