Let’s add Curry Barker to the small list of YouTubers who can make a solid feature film. His debut Obsession is a twisted, unhinged little thriller that’s a lot funnier than I expected it to be. I worried at first that the story would be some male fantasy about a regular guy encountering a psychotic woman, but right off the bat it gives Bear enough fatal flaws to avoid the trap. The entire story hinges on Bear crushing on Nikki in one of the least healthy ways possible, somehow being dumb enough to not realize that to “wish” for a completely loyal lover will result in stalkerish codependency—the gore and over-the-top screaming ends up being his fault, but he is one of the only characters who doesn’t realize this, making for engaging dramatic irony without becoming an idiot plot. We are scared enough for this poor idiot to stay engaged, but the script is smart enough to recognize that he’s making his own mistakes. It starts off with a lighter, somewhat rom-com tone, with moments of darkness and the moody lighting and muted color of a horror film, easing us in before the first big scare—which doesn’t occur until about a half hour in. The script constantly shifts tones from unhinged horror to humor, often in the same few seconds—the tonal shifts only work because the script establishes its specific tone early on. Change the musical score and get rid of the blood, and this could very well be a comedy. The scares and gore are both effective, very well built up and genuinely disturbing when they happen—I would give cat lovers a word of caution before watching this one. Most of the cast is relatively unknown, and they’re all solid here, but the standout has to be Inde Navarrette as the possessed Nikki. She is terrific, hilarious and horrifying and tragic in the same breath, with a constant devilish grin; I hope this is the start to a fantastic career.
Obsession, while a solid debut, feels a lot like a debut feature for better or worse. If anything, it doesn’t get bizarre enough—a part of me was hoping for less conventional, more inventive filmmaking here akin to the Evil Dead films, which use their low budgets to the fullest. Some of the dialogue can also get expository, becoming most apparent when the rules to the main MacGuffin are explained away in the third act. For what a solid first feature this is, I also can’t help but be apprehensive for Curry Barker since he took the unnecessary Texas Chainsaw Massacre “reimagining”—please stick to original ideas and fight for your ability to do your own thing, Curry. Please. And why does this have a higher letterboxd score than Hereditary, I Saw The TV Glow, The Witch, The Substance, and Titane, the most exciting, distinct, subversive, surprising horror pictures we’ve had this century? I’m sure this will get more polarizing when it goes into general release—people on this site are impossible to please when it comes to modern horror—but still.
Let’s add Curry Barker to the small list of YouTubers who can make a solid feature film. His debut Obsession is a twisted, unhinged little thriller that’s a lot funnier than I expected it to be. I worried at first that the story would be some male fantasy about a regular guy encountering a psychotic woman, but right off the bat it gives Bear enough fatal flaws to avoid the trap. The entire story hinges on Bear crushing on Nikki in one of the least healthy ways possible, somehow being dumb enough to not realize that to “wish” for a completely loyal lover will result in stalkerish codependency—the gore and over-the-top screaming ends up being his fault, but he is one of the only characters who doesn’t realize this, making for engaging dramatic irony without becoming an idiot plot. We are scared enough for this poor idiot to stay engaged, but the script is smart enough to recognize that he’s making his own mistakes. It starts off with a lighter, somewhat rom-com tone, with moments of darkness and the moody lighting and muted color of a horror film, easing us in before the first big scare—which doesn’t occur until about a half hour in. The script constantly shifts tones from unhinged horror to humor, often in the same few seconds—the tonal shifts only work because the script establishes its specific tone early on. Change the musical score and get rid of the blood, and this could very well be a comedy. The scares and gore are both effective, very well built up and genuinely disturbing when they happen—I would give cat lovers a word of caution before watching this one. Most of the cast is relatively unknown, and they’re all solid here, but the standout has to be Inde Navarrette as the possessed Nikki. She is terrific, hilarious and horrifying and tragic in the same breath, with a constant devilish grin; I hope this is the start to a fantastic career.
Obsession, while a solid debut, feels a lot like a debut feature for better or worse. If anything, it doesn’t get bizarre enough—a part of me was hoping for less conventional, more inventive filmmaking here akin to the Evil Dead films, which use their low budgets to the fullest. Some of the dialogue can also get expository, becoming most apparent when the rules to the main MacGuffin are explained away in the third act. For what a solid first feature this is, I also can’t help but be apprehensive for Curry Barker since he took the unnecessary Texas Chainsaw Massacre “reimagining”—please stick to original ideas and fight for your ability to do your own thing, Curry. Please. And why does this have a higher letterboxd score than Hereditary, I Saw The TV Glow, The Witch, The Substance, and Titane, the most exciting, distinct, subversive, surprising horror pictures we’ve had this century? I’m sure this will get more polarizing when it goes into general release—people on this site are impossible to please when it comes to modern horror—but still.
