Obsession is still in cinemas, and its run has been remarkable. Made for $750,000 and shot over 26 days in Los Angeles, it has crossed $300 million at the worldwide box office. Focus Features, which acquired the film for around $14 million after its Toronto premiere, has since called it their highest-grossing title in the company's history.
The film centres on Bear, a music store employee played by Michael Johnston, who breaks a supernatural object called a One Wish Willow in order to win the love of his friend Nikki, played by Inde Navarrette. Getting what he wished for turns out to be the beginning of the problem. Barker, who comes from a background in YouTube sketch comedy, keeps the horror grounded in character rather than spectacle.
What makes Obsession work as a debut is the control Barker exercises over tone. The film walks a line between genuine dread and something darker and stranger, and it mostly holds that line. At 108 minutes it runs tight. Navarrette earned particular critical attention for her performance, and Johnston carries the film's emotional weight with enough conviction to make the horror land.
Obsession holds a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes and an 8.2 on IMDb, alongside a 77 on Metacritic. For a first film made outside the studio system on this kind of budget, those figures reflect something more than a pleasant surprise. The film also won the Special Jury Prize at the Sitges Film Festival.
If you have not seen it yet, Obsession is the kind of film that rewards going in without much preparation. The supernatural premise is clear from the marketing, but the film earns its tension rather than leaning on it. Curry Barker is a filmmaker worth watching.
