Obsession (2025): Curry Barker's Horror Hit, Cast and Reception
Obsession is a supernatural horror film written, directed and edited by Curry Barker, a filmmaker who first found an audience on YouTube. It premiered in 2025, reached cinemas in 2026 and became one of the year's biggest surprises. Here is what it is about, who is in it and how it was received.
Quick facts
- Director and writer: Curry Barker
- Premiere: Toronto International Film Festival, 5 September 2025
- Cinema release: 15 May 2026 in the US and UK
- Genre: Supernatural horror with dark comedy
- Running time: roughly one hour 49 minutes
- Rating: R in the US
- Distributor: Focus Features in the US, Universal Pictures internationally
What the film is about
Bear is a shy music shop employee who cannot find the nerve to tell his friend and co-worker Nikki how he feels. After another failed attempt, he makes a wish on a cheap novelty toy called a One Wish Willow. He asks that Nikki will care for him more than for anything else in the world.
The wish works at once. Nikki becomes affectionate, clingy and then frightening. Every so often her old self breaks through for a few seconds, terrified, before the devotion returns. Bear's friends notice the change, and he has to decide how far he will go to keep what he wished for.
Cast and characters
The film was made with largely unknown actors, which is part of its appeal. Barker's own comedy partner appears in a supporting role.
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Michael Johnston | Bear (Baron Bailey), the shy music shop employee |
| Inde Navarrette | Nikki Freeman, Bear's co-worker and friend |
| Cooper Tomlinson | Ian, a friend and co-worker |
| Megan Lawless | Sarah Harper, a friend and co-worker |
| Andy Richter | Carter, the shop's boss and Sarah's father |
Barker also supplies the voice of the One Wish Willow's customer service representative.
How it was made
From YouTube to feature film
Barker is one half of the YouTube comedy duo That's a Bad Idea, alongside Tomlinson. His short horror film The Chair went viral, and producer James Harris then approached him about turning it into a feature. Barker pitched Obsession instead, built around a pair of people fixated on each other. He had already released a found-footage slasher, Milk & Serial, on YouTube for free.
A tiny budget
Reports put the budget at about $750,000, a fraction of a typical studio horror. Taylor Clemons shot the film and Rock Burwell composed the score. Blumhouse Productions is among the credited production companies. The setting is mostly modest: a music shop, a few homes and one increasingly suffocating house.
The festival sale
After its premiere in Toronto, Focus Features bought the film in a deal reported at around $15 million. That was a large sum for a first-time feature director with no recognisable names in the cast.
Themes
On the surface this is a monkey's paw story about getting what you ask for. Critics were quick to point out that it goes further. The film keeps asking who the victim really is. Bear is not presented as a hero, and his wish is shown as selfish and dehumanising, however lonely he may be.
Many reviewers read it as a story about consent, entitlement and the damage done when one person decides what another should feel. The film also leaves parts of Nikki's possession deliberately unexplained, which has fuelled plenty of discussion.
Reception
Reviews were strong. Early on, Rotten Tomatoes showed a critics' score of about 94 per cent, with reviewers praising its crowd-pleasing mix of dread and humour. Writers singled out Inde Navarrette's double-sided performance as Nikki, with some calling her a possible new horror icon.
Not every note was glowing. One Rotten Tomatoes summary argued that the plot is where the film runs into trouble. Even so, the general verdict was that Barker had made an assured, unusually funny debut feature. Sight and Sound described it as a skilful blend of bloody violence and awkward comedy.
Box office
Trade forecasts for the opening weekend were modest, at around $8 million to $9 million. The film took about $17.2 million in the US and Canada instead, plus a further $2.6 million from earlier premium-format previews. It also earned an A- CinemaScore, which is rare for horror.
Word of mouth did the rest. Its fourth-weekend drop was just 7 per cent, a record hold for a horror film. It then passed $200 million worldwide to become the biggest release in Focus Features' history. Reported worldwide totals later climbed well beyond $400 million, and different outlets give different final figures. It ranks among the highest-grossing horror films ever made.
What comes next
Barker's next film, Anything but Ghosts, is set for release in May 2027. It takes place in the same fictional universe as Obsession. Reports say it features Tomlinson and Barker himself, with Bryce Dallas Howard and Aaron Paul also in the cast.
Is it worth watching?
Obsession suits viewers who like horror with a sense of humour and a point to make. It is bloody in places and uncomfortable in others, so the R rating is worth heeding. If you enjoyed sharp, low-budget debuts such as Get Out or Barbarian, it is an easy recommendation.