Obsession: Curry Barker plays on the twisted ideas of the manosphere in a violent make-a-wish horror

Written and directed by Curry Barker, who gained attention with his micro-budget online prankster horror Milk and Serial (2024), Obsession gives chilling modern relevance to a classic tale of a wish gone wrong. As in films such as The Devil’s Hand (1943), The Monkey’s Paw (1948) or Tales from the Crypt (1972), to name just a few, the magical object grants the protagonist’s desire but in a twisted manner that leads to ruinous unforeseen consequences.

Bear (Michael Johnston) has a hopeless crush on confident, sassy Nikki (Inde Navarrette), but cannot bring himself to tell her how he feels. After one last failed attempt, he breaks the ‘One Wish Willow’ – a novelty item he bought in a magic shop as a present for her – and wishes that she would love him more than anything else in the world. It seems to work instantly, and she goes home with him. But her affection is so excessive, outlandish and violent that Bear becomes desperate to reverse his wish.

Initially, the obsession of the title appears to be Bear’s. In an opening scene that is both hilarious and creepy, he expresses his love for Nikki in terms so extreme they are a little alarming. Even his best friend Ian, who is trying to coach Bear to overcome his nervousness, is dismayed by the strength of Bear’s feelings, and it feels as though Bear is going to be the sinister character of the story. This expectation is complicated when the ‘obsession’ shifts to Nikki, who embodies it spectacularly.

Nikki’s fixation, unlike Bear’s, is not her own: she is dispossessed of her own self by Bear’s wish, behaving in uncharacteristic and increasingly disturbing ways. In one scene, the real Nikki talks to Bear while the scarily amorous Nikki sleeps, signalling that her body is no longer hers. There is an unsettling undercurrent to Nikki’s loss of control and consent, engaging in a sexual relationship she did not choose. She is the dream girlfriend not just for Bear, but for a certain section of the manosphere: beautiful, loving, needy, sexy, horny, devoted, her life centred around her man, and no longer in charge. But the film warns with comic exaggeration that trying to force such a girlfriend into existence turns the dream into a hideous nightmare.

Reversing the roles of the obsessed and the object of obsession, Barker muddies the boundaries between victim and wrongdoer and allows a rounded exploration of various sides of obsessive desire. On the one hand, supernatural Nikki is the ugly embodiment of unhealthy adulation; on the other, real Nikki is the tragic victim of Bear’s idolatry. His infatuation is, of course, the cause of the awful violence that destroys Nikki and his group of friends. But finding himself at the receiving end of fanatical obsession, he comes to experience its flip-side: the fear that comes from being trapped with an infatuated, possessive partner.

Despite the serious undercurrent, the film is satisfyingly comic. Skilfully blending genres, Obsession mixes intense outbursts of bloody violence with social awkwardness, laugh-out-loud humour with visceral horror. Nikki’s transformation is conveyed through unnerving body movements, sudden shrieking, and night-time peeping from dark corners of the bedroom. There are startling surprises as well as uncomfortable laughs as her behaviour spins out of control. A party scene is outstanding, and Bear’s realisation of what Nikki has done to the door as he is about to go out to work is unnervingly funny. The performances are excellent, particularly Inde Navarrette as the double-natured Nikki. It all culminates in a smart, nightmarish, blood-drenched climax.

The film has flaws: the workings of the ‘One Wish Willow’ could be more subtle, particularly in the scene in which Ian finally becomes convinced that the wishing stick works; Bear’s psychological progression could be better signposted and more tightly paced; and a prolonged brutal murder scene feels more cartoonish than nauseating. But Obsession is well crafted and enjoyable, and holds a troubling mirror to current male fears and desires. 

► Obsession is in UK cinemas 15 May.