Curry Barker's Obsession Is the Horror Hit That'll Make You Skip Lunch

The film that’s got everyone talking isn’t just another jump-scare machine—it’s a deeply unsettling exploration of what happens when loneliness meets obsession. Curry Barker’s Obsession, which became the highest-selling genre movie in Toronto International Film Festival history before Focus Features snatched it up last year for $14 million, has officially arrived as the summer’s most buzzed-about horror picture. And if you’re the type who gets squeamish easily, you need to know what you’re walking into.

The setup sounds almost whimsical: a timid young man named Bear (Michael Johnston) finds a mystic novelty toy called“One Wish Willow”and uses it to win over his crush, Nikki (Inde Navarrette). What emerges is something far darker—a story about male loneliness, incel culture, and a woman trapped in increasingly invasive circumstances that become impossible to ignore. It’s the kind of premise that had internet movie discourse firing on all cylinders before the film even hit wide release.

At just 26 years old, Barker represents another chapter in what’s becoming a proven pipeline: YouTube creator to horror auteur. He built his reputation making unsettling sketch comedy and horror shorts on the platform, and like directors the Philippou Brothers and Zach Cregger before him, he’s shown a gift for making audiences uncomfortable in ways that go beyond cheap thrills. In interviews, Barker has been clear about his priorities—he wants to unsettle you more than he wants to startle you. On that front, he absolutely delivers.

Here’s where it gets real: Obsession hits you with three layers of scares. The suspense lands at a 7 out of 10—roughly equivalent to Jaws in terms of dread. Sound design is the weapon of choice here, with quiet moments punctuated by sudden audio jolts and erratic physical movements from Navarrette that stick with you long after they happen. The gore, though, is where things get serious. It starts slowly, almost deceptively so, but by the finale the film swings hard into explicit territory. We’re talking head-bashing scenes that don’t cut away, self-harm sequences, and one particular moment involving bodily fluids under pressure that had at least one critic swearing off sandwiches for a week. The spookiness factor sits at 6 out of 10—meaningful but not permanently haunting.

What makes Obsession genuinely chilling, though, isn’t just the violence. It’s how the film handles Nikki’s situation. Her screams for help aren’t subtext—they’re text. As a woman watching a film about entrapment and nonconsent play out in vivid, unflinching detail, there’s something deeply unsettling about how grounded the horror becomes. Navarrette, who’s officially cemented herself as a new Hollywood scream queen with this performance, carries those emotions with incredible vocal range and physical mastery.

This isn’t the scariest movie ever made, and it’s not narratively airtight either. The film’s looseness around its central ideas—what exactly is it saying about incel culture?—has made it prime material for debate online. But that’s precisely why people keep talking about it. Obsession lands at a 7 out of 10 overall, comparable to Alien. It won’t haunt your nightmares forever, but it will leave you rattled, uncomfortable, and possibly reconsidering your lunch plans. That’s not nothing.