The 2020s have seen a horror new wave that has been hard to ignore, and on the surface, it comes from the least likely of places. The likes of Zach Cregger and the Phillipou brothers have made excellent horror films like Weapons and Bring Her Back, respectively, and through their work, they have not hidden their comedic background. Work on YouTube skits, full-on comedic acts, it does not seem like the place that horror geniuses would spawn from. It is the way that they use their comedy during horror sequences that makes these films special, using their old talent and melding it with their newfound passion. Cregger in particular walks that thin line between horror and comedy so effortlessly, a reactionary marriage between horror and comedy, and honing it as a tool. In some of the scenes he crafts in Barbarian or Weapons, you don’t know whether to cry or slink back in your chair in fear, and that is due to his mastery of that horror-comedy genre blend. With this new wave of skit makers turned horror directors, it would only be natural that others that fall under the same bracket would try their hand at the same thing, and that is exactly what Curry Barker has done with Obsession. With horror-comedy skits and short films under his belt on his and Cooper Tomlinson’s ‘That’s a bad idea’ YouTube channel, gearing up to make a proper feature-length film seemed like the natural next step. Though there is perhaps less of a comedic blend than those mentioned before, Obsession succeeds in being a malicious and mean horror film that will leave you reeling for days afterwards. Utilising some dark comedy and over-the-top sequences reflecting his roots, but also some expertly crafted and terrifying sequences, Barker has crafted one of the best horror films of the decade, and you must watch it.

Obsession follows Bear (Michael Johnston), a shy and awkward hopeless romantic who has an overwhelming crush on his co-worker Nikki (Inde Navarrette). Trying to pluck up the courage to ask her out, his best friend Ian (Cooper Tomlinson), coaches him and tries to encourage him to go for it, especially seeing as she has handed her notice in at work and they will not see much of each other. Bear gets desperate and obsessive over her thinking of how to win her heart. When he goes to buy a gift for her at a mystic shop, he finds a strange novelty item called a ‘One Wish Willow’ that supposedly grants you a wish once you break it. After failing to tell Nikki how he feels, Bear wishes for her to love him more than anyone in the world, breaking the One Wish Willow as a half-joke but hopeful that it might work in some capacity. Immediately, there is a strange energy after making the wish. Nikki steps out of the door of her house and comes back into his car, and she goes back to his house, insisting that she does not want to be alone. The two quickly spiral into a romance, their friends unsure at this sudden turn of events, with everything feeling slightly off. Nikki has small, split-second outbursts of screaming, only to flash back to herself. But the weirdest thing is that Nikki is almost too in love with Bear to the point of watching him sleep and wanting him only for himself. That obsessive nature spirals further on, and it is clear that Bear’s wish was maybe too effective.

Obsession‘s writing is incredibly strong, and it is one of its key strengths. There is a lot of subtext here, particularly concerning things like consent, obsessive love, co-dependent relationships, and so much more. It puts a lot on your plate, but it never feels heavy-handed in the way it portrays all this commentary, quite the opposite, in fact. Much like the horror, some of it is over the top, but those little tidbits below the surface are what is most interesting. Nikki’s loss of autonomy and essentially just turning into a love robot for Bear is obviously a commentary on misogyny and controlling husbands when you look at it on the surface, but the true implications of this are much darker. The idea that Nikki is trapped without the ability to control her body, having to watch as Bear kisses her and does sexual things with her without her actual consent, is horrifying. When her body, or whatever entity that is controlling it, does awful things, she cannot help but watch, and that is all I was able to think about during this. I have heard people say that they would like a POV of Nikki whilst she is trapped, but I think letting your imagination run wild about her situation is far more terrifying than actually seeing what is happening to her. There has also been a lot of comment about whether Nikki actually liked Bear beforehand, and I really think that misses the point entirely. In her trance-like state, she has no choice as to whether she does or not. Whether she did or not doesn’t matter when she has to do all these things without her consent as a mindless drone. Though this horrible fantasy is nobody’s actual reality, it may come close for some, and that is more awful than any of what you will see on screen in this film. You could talk for hours about all the ideas this film has subtextually, and that just shows how well written it is.

Aside from the more subtle and under-the-surface horror, Obsession‘s full-fledged horror sequences are masterfully crafted. The biggest compliment I can give to a horror film is that it scared me, and this is one of the few to gain that acclaim. Without sounding big-headed, horror films these days just do not scare me, with predictable jump scares and poorly crafted sequences that do not evoke any sense of fear. The opposite is true with what Curry Barker has done here, making painfully creepy imagery and an unshakeable atmosphere that is so uncomfortable in all the right ways. One sequence where Bear wakes up to find Nikki watching him sleep is a great example of all of this working together well. Nikki is obscured in the shadows, in a way reminiscent of Hereditary, and the way she unnaturally moves is similar to the ghost woman scene in Pulse by Kiyoshi Kurosawa. It pulls from all corners of the scariest horror sequences you have ever seen, all intensified by Nikki’s creepy dialogue, her drooping face, and soul-piercing screams. Even jumpscares are done masterfully here, one of which may be one of the best I have ever seen, constantly teasing you, it will happen just to then get you when you think the moment has passed. It is rare that I actually jump from jumpscares, but that made me jolt more than I have in a cinema in years. None of these horror sequences would be complete without the shining star of this film, Inde Navarrette, who is spellbinding in this villain role. Everybody is doing a good job, acting-wise, in this film, but she takes it to another level, and then some. The way she uses her face and body to keep you on edge, how quickly she changes her voice from sweet and unassuming to borderline demonic; it really is a performance that has to be seen to be believed. I imagine her agent is going to be very busy after this, and she fully deserves it. If the academy were not so biased against horror, she would easily be in the Best Actress Oscar conversation, though after Amy Madigan’s win, maybe there is hope?

Obsession is truly excellent and the best horror film in a year that has been stacked with them already. Barker and Navarette’s mutual understanding of what makes a scene scary is key to this film’s success and if they work together again, I will be seated for it day one. this was a hard one to rate initially, purely due to the intense emotions that is overwhelms you with, leaving you reeling when you walk out of the cinema. I need and want to see this again and my score may well increase to a 10 on rewatch, because I can see my love for it growing even more. It definitely strikes me as a film full of hidden stuff that benefits from a rewatch, even in the smallest bits of dialogue to little details in the background, in the same way as the likes of Get Out. But even with that aside, this is an unbelievable horror film that is the most fun I have had at the cinema this year. I was constantly writhing around in my seat, with sweaty palms and a grin on my face. This is what horror films are so good for when done right, that intense reaction both during the film and after you have watched it. Obsession is certainly a case of a film that leaves you feeling breathless, mortified and uncomfortable in the best possible way, and I cannot recommend it enough.