Obsession review: Scary, heart-pounding horror
Horror has always been an effective way for independent filmmakers to establish themselves in the industry. For example, Obsession announces Curry Barker – making his first cinematic release – as an exciting voice in horror, and I will be watching everything he makes from now on.
The film stars Michael Johnston as Bear, a nerdy music store employee who has been harbouring a massive crush on his colleague Nikki (Inde Navarrette). Unable to come out and say how he feels, fearing she doesn’t like him back, Bear breaks a supernatural One Wish Willow and wishes for Nikki to love him more than anything else in the world.
As we’ve learned from previous “monkey’s paw” films, you should always be careful what you wish for because there’s usually a catch. Bear’s wish is granted but Nikki loves him too much. She becomes clingy, obsessive and scary. Turn the co-dependency and insecurity dial up to 10 and you might have an idea of what Nikki is like. She is effectively a child with separation anxiety, freaking out when he wants space or alone time, or even when he needs to go to the bathroom by himself.
But that’s not all. There is something really wrong with Nikki. The supernatural magic in the One Wish Willow makes her weird and freaky. Her behaviour gradually escalates over the course of the film and she becomes genuinely scary, unnerving and disturbing. She switches from doting, loved-up romantic to crazed, insecure woman and violent scorned lover constantly, and you’re never sure which version of Nikki you’re going to get. Navarrette is fantastic, flipping between sweet, charming and normal and absolutely terrifying at a moment’s notice.
Obsession is definitely one to watch with a crowd. It is a heart-pounding, adrenaline-pumping horror that will have you doing a big sigh of relief once it’s over. You will be stressed. You will be holding your breath and quietly telling Bear what to do. If you’re like me, you might even audibly react to the scares and gore and then laugh afterwards. At one point, I actually screamed out loud and then felt silly! This one is absolutely worth the cinema experience.
If you’re a horror fan, do not sleep on Obsession, it’s the best original horror so far this year and the second overall behind 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.
In cinemas from Friday 15th May