• Release year: 2025
• Director: Curry Barker.
• Producers: James Harris, Haley Nicole Johnson, Christian Mercuri, and Roman Viaris-de-Lesegno.
• Screenplay by: Curry Barker.
• Cinematography by: Taylor Clemons.
• Music by: Rock Burwell.

Shotgun Commentary: almost two hours of your life you will NEVER get back.

Review

Obsession is accidentally everything that is wrong with modern takes on relationships. And by “modern takes”, I mean incredibly outdated takes that for some reason young adults and teens who date are adopting. Namely, confusing obsession with love. Why on earth does the idea of “loving someone more than anyone else in the world” immediately become “I’ll yell at you, harass you, self-harm, and urinate on your floor”? Whose idea of love is that?

We begin this absurd journey with Baron (Michael Johnston), a wet rag of a man who is incapable of telling the girl he likes that he likes her, so he resorts to stealing the gift that was to be for her for himself. Namely, a wishing willow branch. So instead of answering truthfully to her very direct question “Do you like me?”, he wishes that she will love him more than anyone in the world. Because that is what constipated, unlikable wet rags do.

Heard that one before

Surprising nobody who’s watched Supernatural’s “Wishful Thinking” (S04E08, 2008), or any of the other millions of movies and shows that talk about the matter, including classics like Aladdin (1992), that wish goes VERY wrong.

Sadly, unlike the Supernatural episode or the Disney animation, this movie has no comedy or charm whatsoever, which obliterates any energy or hype you may have had about the film after about five minutes of dialogue that could just as well have been written in crayon. If the cardboard characters and their preschool dialogues do not put you off, worry not; the increasing absurdity and predictability of the story will.

Quiet on set, please

Are you the kind of person who cannot stand to hear random people scream on the street for absolutely no reason? Does it awaken the murderer in you when drunk people or children suddenly yell out in the street? Then this will be your worst nightmare.

Imagine almost two hours of that. A quiet setting, and then someone screams… Over, and over, and over… Which feels a lot like those loud bangs on horror scores that make you jump because of the sudden loud noise and not because anyone has put any effort whatsoever into writing an actual story. Well, the score in this film is fantastic for a horror movie, but you will have to endure the hysterical screams of various characters throughout the film. Screams that are mostly understandable, but no less annoying.

The saving grace

Another beloved resource in the film is backlighting. Literally ALL the scenes where you are supposed to be scared feature Baron’s love interest Nikki (Inde Navarrette) as a silhouette saying increasingly disturbing things to Baron. Every single one. Why? Well, the most obvious theory would be that Navarrette cannot act. However, this is not the case. In fact, her talent is wildly underused.

She can be really disturbing, as demonstrated in the very few chances that she actually gets to act, so the possibility is definitely there. Why not use her abilities then? Maybe as a way to separate Nikki from the entity that has possessed her, which would be fine… were it not for the fact that both entities are not clearly separated by that technique. Conclusion: There is no real reason to do that other than trying to make you scared of what you cannot see, which is Horror 101, but hey, at least… they had fun?

All in all, Obsession is probably the worst horror movie of 2026. It is completely unoriginal, tedious to watch beginning to end, and irritating for any sane person who doesn’t appreciate getting yelled at. The acting was fantastic, but that is the only salvageable element of an otherwise unwatchable attempt at a horror film.

Advice to take from this movie:

• If you love someone too much, you will apparently pee on their carpet, like dogs do.
• Men will literally turn you into a meat puppet before discussing feelings with you.
• If the guy you like is in a toxic relationship from which he does not want to get out, it is time for you to find someone else to like. Do NOT engage the psycho girlfriend.

What’s your take? Have you watched Obsession? Don’t hesitate to let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, or leave a message on my contact page! For more reviews and cinema-related articles, check out the rest of my blog! 😀