It’s been a whole four years since a horror movie affected me in such a way that I had literal chills in the theatre and a weird awkward feeling long after the credits rolled, that film was Talk to Me back in 2022 but fast forward until last night when I finally got around to watching Obsession and let me tell you, the hype is real!
Throughout the film, the majority of the events that unfold are predictable to anyone who has watched a jump scare horror before, you know pretty much what jump scare is happening when and what action is going to happen before it unfolds on screen but what Obsession does so beautifully is drive your attention towards the two main leads with a hyper focus to the point you’re wholly invested as the sinister and quite beautiful musical score guides you on this roller coaster of emotions.
The story revolves around a very familiar premise done to perfection. Bear, a shy young man makes a supernatural wish to force the person he has feelings for to love him back. That wish comes true but with deadly consequences as what started as a fun bouncy romance flick for the opening few minutes turns into one of the most dark, chilling and incredible pieces of cinema I’ve seen for a long time.
We as the audience are hyper-focused on the film with as much nail-biting attention and fixation as Nikki is with Bear and I find that kind of investment into a horror movie is rare in modern films, it’s a film where you’re feeling every ick and tension with an awkward laugh here and there before the tension lets go with devastating effect.
What Obsession does beautifully is that it avoids the usual supernatural angle of demons and curses and anything else to get a cheap scare out of you but instead resorts to telling the story of the curse through stellar performances with a whole number of intense scenes where Inde Navarette (Nikki) puts in one of the most blood-curdling performances I’ve seen in a horror film in decades.
As the curse takes hold Nikki bounces between affection, desperation, volatility, emotional instability and terror. One minute she’s laughing and joking but the second she feels a withdrawal of affection from Bear all hell breaks loose! Obsession is genuinely heart-stopping in moments and I can see why many people who went to see this on the big screen had to leave and take a breather, it’s intense!
The film also addresses things a little closer to home in many relationships and that’s attachment theory.
Bear starts off very avoidant and unable to communicate his feelings to Nikki forcing him to make this wish to be noticed and to be loved where Nikki in this situation is almost controlled against her will by a supernatural force to love Bear. This attachment style leads to extreme consequences with absolutely no boundaries for that twisted display of love and affection.
One partner seeks reassurance, the other becomes overwhelmed by the intensity, forcing the issue leads to greater instability and the closeness and affection starts to become suffocating and unhealthy.
This exploration of attachment theory within the context of a horror movie was quite fascinating as the emotional logic (whilst embellished for cinematic effect) could hit home for a lot of people who have experienced similar behaviours (hopefully, watered down versions) in their own lives.
Nikki’s entire identity becomes unrecognisable and entirely consumed by the relationship and Bear very quickly realises that being the sole reason of someone else’s entire identity is more horrifying than loving.
Love without freedom is not love and the psychological aspects that this movie taps into are intriguing and relatable.
Remove the logic and balance of a stable relationship and add a horror twist and Obsession takes you down a very dark and psychologically tolling path.
Attachment becomes possession and after leaving the cinema feeling on-edge and quite blown away by what I’ve just seen I’m pretty confident in saying that 2026 has just delivered it’s best horror movie and I can’t see it being topped anytime soon.
An instant cult-classic.
Our Rating
Summary
A film that has cult-classic written all over it, an absolute masterpiece of a horror movie that is dark, chilling and driven not by supernatural forces but the real horror of unhealthy attachments with a sinister twist.
Obsession is beautifully crafted, intensely scored and driven forward by some outstanding lead performances, believe the hype, this movie is special!
