Studio: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
Release Date: 7/14/2026
Rating: R
Film Grade: B+
The Story: Coworkers Bear, Nikki, Ian, and Sarah spend their nights at the bar playing trivia games and enjoying karaoke. Bear’s confided in Ian that he has a crush on Nikki, and the two discuss the best way to let her know. At the same time, Sarah has confided to Nikki that she’s attracted to Bear. After a tough day at home, Bear makes a stop at a unique gift shop to pick up something for Nikki. While there, he spots an amusement item that he can’t resist, an item that will change their lives forever.
My Take: I intentionally avoided all spoilers for this movie, not knowing much more about it than the title and that it was written and directed by YouTube personality Curry Barker. Some of that prior work leaned heavily into sketch comedy but others were horror shorts. That success caught the attention of Hollywood, and he was given his first shot at a full-length motion picture.
Barker is one of a number of YouTubers who have found their short form success leading to big screen opportunities. And why not? Today’s consumer level equipment is capable of creating solid content, crews can be reduced by concentrating on smaller stories, and costs are kept low. Obsession was said to be filmed in around 20 days with a budget under a million dollars and yet it’s earned over $250M domestically and almost $500M worldwide. That’s an amazing return on a minimal investment.
But is it any good? The quick answer is yes. The key to a good movie is a good story. I’ll not get into any spoilers at all, but Barker has taken a well-worn trope found in countless tales and brought it right into the 21st century. If you edited out the few violent scenes, even fewer racy moments, and cleaned up the language, it’s easy to imagine it as an updated episode of The Twilight Zone. That’s not to say that the film is overly gratuitous, and I’d say it never crosses over into exploitation. The film works on the creepy/eerie level rather than simple shock and gore.
Additionally, character relationships are interesting and complicated. The main theme revolves around the film’s title, playing with the risks and consequences of deep, deep longing. The plot invites the audience to wonder what they would do if they were thoughtless enough to get themselves into a similar situation. One of the frequent flaws with horror is that it’s often dependent on characters making stupid decision after stupid decision, just to advance the plot. That’s not the case here, as the actions stem from the characters rather than the other way around.
Burton has spiced up the script with some deliciously dark humor, which always goes a long way to relieve tension. And he’s done a good job of weaving back and forth between the relaxing, mundane moments and those filled with unease and trepidation. The man has talent for crafting an interesting story. He’s also pulled good performances from the cast. Michael Johnston gives Bear an average Joe personality, likeable, not particularly the smartest guy, but with a kind heart. Cooper Tomlinson plays Ian as the slightly tubby stud/jock, oozing with confidence and confused by how much Bear struggles with simply expressing his feelings to the woman he loves.
But it’s Inde Navarrette in the role of Nikki that absolutely steals the show. My wife and I both commented to each other during the movie just how good she is in a particularly difficult part. These roles typically get overlooked when it comes time to hand out Oscars, but her performance is definitely worthy of a Best Supporting Actress nomination. Then again, I said the same thing about Amy Madigan in my review of Weapons, and she ended up walking away with the Academy Award, so you never know.
My one knock on the film is the resolution. In general, I have a personal bias against stories that are ended this way. It feels cheap and an easy way out, but I can see what the director was going for. It may not bother others in the same way.
Visuals: One of the unusual features of this film is that it was shot with a 1.5:1 aspect ratio. Annoying at first, it wasn’t long before the story gripped us to the point where that was forgotten. I didn’t see a lot of definition in the extremely dark shots, but that may have been intentional. There are moments with someone standing in shadowy darkness where the most prominent features are the light glistening off the eyes. It’s a creepy effect that will leave you wondering what’s not being shown. Skin tones looked natural.
Audio: I didn’t have time to dissect the Atmos soundtrack, but the mix is front heavy. Some of the dialog is mumbled, but we didn’t have any issues following the plot. This isn’t demo material, but it worked to tell the story. The musical score by first-time feature film composer, Rock Burwell, fits well with the movie, offering a low-key accompaniment that occasionally morphs into atonal and dissonant chords.
Special Features: The short making-of featurette was well worth watching. It was interesting to hear the director talk about the story and see the cast as themselves discussing the making of the movie. I wasn’t able to listen to the commentary track.
- Obsession Unleashed - Take the obsession further by going behind the scenes with filmmaker Curry Barker and the cast, Michael Johnston, Inde Navarrette, Cooper Tomlinson and Megan Lawless, to see them create a wild horror story out of intense performances and shocking scares. Hear the cast reflect on their most memorable scenes, get a peek at Michael and Inde’s chemistry test that sparked the film’s emotional core, and see how their collaboration shaped the film’s most unsettling moments.
- Feature Commentary with Director/Writer/Editor Curry Barker
Final Verdict: This is a horror movie with broad appeal and an oddly romantic element. My wife is not a particular fan of the genre but enjoyed it just as much as I did. I’ll make special mention that there’s a scene that made me physically flinch and jump in my chair. Those moments don’t happen that often, but this one absolutely nailed it. And I loved it.
Burton showed that he’s got great instincts for writing and directing, and I’ll be eagerly looking forward to his next movies. Given the success of Obsession, he’ll have plenty of opportunities. Highly recommended for horror fans, or those looking for a story that plays with the intersection of psychology and desire. I’ll be adding this one to my shopping list.
Adorably Delivered Line: “If you're having trouble with the door, maybe you should just stay home.”
I’ll include the trailer here but skip it if you want to preserve the surprises.
This review was written by a human without the use of AI.My Review System:JVC DLA-RS3100 4K Ultra High-Definition Front Projector
Elite Screens Sable Frame B2 117” Width with Infinitely Variable Height
Monolith by Monoprice HTP-1 16 Channel Processor with Dirac Live
Monolith by Monoprice 7x200 Watts Amp
Monolith by Monoprice 3x200 Watts + 6x100 Watts Amp
JBL Studio 590 for Left, Center, Right, Wides, and Rears
JBL Studio 580 for Side Surrounds
JBL Studio SCS 8 for Tops
JTR Captivator 1400 Subwoofer X 4
Panasonic DP-UB420 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
Oppo BDP-93
NVIDIA Shield Android TV - 4K
Xbox One X
HTPC Running madVR (work in progress)
Remote: URC MX-780
Mini DSP 2X4 HD controlling all subwoofers
APC S15 Power Conditioner with Battery Backup
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