“Obsession”: this horror film will make you very uncomfortable

Anxiety is born at the same time as love.Image: dr

In Obsessionhorror does not emerge in the form of a clown hiding in the sewers, or a sick person walking around with a chainsaw. She is born from a romantic relationship that seems too perfect to be true. A film as disturbing as it is captivating. We’ll tell you if it’s worth it.

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Some horror films make you want to sleep with the lights on for a few days, or at least with a little unicorn night light. WhileObsession especially makes you want to send a message to your ex to thank him for being cowardly, but ultimately quite normal. In any case, less crazy than the protagonists of this film.

Because behind its love story that goes wrong, the film delivers a perfectly distressing portrait of toxic relationships. The kind that, before making you jump, above all makes you extremely uncomfortable.

The story is, however, almost naive. A young man has harbored feelings for his friend for years. But a magic toy allows him to make a wish. So he begs this magic stick to make his friend fall in love with him. The ultimate romantic fantasy.

Dangerous connections

Except that good horror stories often begin where fairy tales leave off.

Very quickly, something is wrong. This often fantasized relationship resembles a version of love that would have been generated by artificial intelligence. Everything looks perfect, without a hitch. Too perfect. Until the discomfort takes precedence over the cute. And this is precisely where the greatest strength ofObsession.

Fans of horror films that make you scream or jump every 30 seconds may be disappointed. No, the pulses do not go up to 150 beats per minute. On the other hand, this film causes a feeling of permanent discomfort. A sort of diffuse anxiety which gradually sets in and refuses to leave.

For a good part of the film, we are not afraid in the classic sense of the term. We’re just bad. Like when you witness a couple arguing in a restaurant without being able to look away. Like when you sense that a situation is getting out of hand but no one in the room seems to want to admit it. We helplessly witness an anxious collapse. Kind of a slow motion accident.

There, for example, we can guess that things are going to go wrong, right?Image: dr

However, the warning signals are indeed there, they accumulate one after the other, piling up with rare evidence. And it is precisely because the characters continue to move forward despite everything, to run straight into the wall, that the anxiety grows.

So 2026

This approach works well, in particular because it is based on a very current theme. Under its fantastic film appearance, Obsession actually talks about something that many people know. The difficulty of finding your place in a relationship. The need to be loved. Fear of rejection. The fantasies that we sometimes project onto others. This very human and dangerous idea according to which happiness would only be guaranteed if the desired person finally gave us a chance.

In an age of social networks, dating applications, impossible-to-define “situationships” and debates on toxic relationships, the film touches on something very contemporary. It takes a universal love fantasy, and pushes it to its breaking point.

Inde Navarrette, the main actress, plays an essential role in this mechanism. Her character gradually evolves from an ideal lover to an increasingly oppressive and dehumanized presence. Some scenes are frankly uncomfortable to watch, oscillating between sincere tenderness and latent threat.

Inde Navarrette knows how to scare the shit out of him.Image: dr

At times, his acting seems almost excessive. Then we understand that this excess is part of the project. The more the wish escapes the control of its author, the more this artificial relationship becomes distorted until it becomes monstrous.

As for the male protagonist, the situation is a little more nuanced. The character, played by Michael Johnston, is certainly touching in his solitude and awkwardness, and we understand why he made this wish. But as the situation escalates, some of his decisions sometimes become frustrating. Several times, we want to shout at him “but run away!”.

A frustration which, paradoxically, reinforces the impression of witnessing a predicted catastrophe, an ending which will be tragic, in one way or another.

An aesthetic that supports the point

Another element that deserves to be highlighted is the production of the film. The photography, the colors, the framing and even certain camera movements contribute to fueling this feeling of permanent unease.

Even the bloodiest scenes participate in this logic. Those who aren’t fans of gore may find comfort in the way these scenes are handled. The violence is pushed to an almost absurd level. The blood spurts with such generosity that certain sequences flirt with the grotesque, making those who hate the usually bloody scenes “pass the pill”.

These moments also bring a form of relaxation in an otherwise very tense story. They allow the viewer to laugh nervously, before plunging back into discomfort. A mechanism reminiscent of other films where the exaggeration of violence ends up becoming a form of black humor.

So, shall we head to the cinema to see it?

Obsession succeeds in offering a horror film whose most terrifying scenes are not necessarily the bloodiest. What remains once the lights come back on is neither blood nor screams. It’s this discomfort. That strange feeling of watching a love story slowly turn into a nightmare. And that’s perhaps what’s scariest.

Let us also note that behind this little horror film there is also a phenomenon that intrigues Hollywood. Directed by YouTuber Curry Barker and produced on a tiny budget by American standards, Obsession is bringing in dozens of times its original box office investment.

Proof that in 2026, a good idea can perfectly compete with blockbusters costing several hundred million dollars. And, when we come home from the cinema, it prevents us from sleeping in the same way as yet another blockbuster.

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source: sda/chris pizzello