OBSESSION (2025)

Starring Michael Johnston, Inde Navarrette, Cooper Tomlinson, Megan Lawless, Andy Richter, Haley Fitzgerald, Darin Toonder, Anthony Pavone, Justice, Anthony Casabianca, Chloe Breen, Malcolm Kelner, Charles Santa Cruz, Alex Maystrik, Mariana Silva, Kyle Blumenthal, Jorge Luquín, Jose Herrera, Emilio Flores, Manny Liotta, Mai Chi Nguyen and Tim Robinson.

Screenplay by Curry Barker.

Directed by Curry Barker.

Distributed by Focus Features. 109 minutes. Rated R.

“I wish Nikki Freeman loved me more than anyone in the entire world.”

Every guy has thought or said something like that about someone he has had a crush on at one point or another in his life.

So, it does not seem so odd when Bear (Michael Johnston) says it about Nikki (Inde Navarette), a woman he works with that he is fixated on, but who seems to have completely friend zoned him. And while, even as a fellow past victim of unrequited love, I can get where he’s coming from, even as I watched him say it, I thought the “in the entire world” proviso was going to come back to bite him in the ass.

Which, of course, is the whole point. Obsession is a horror movie about what happens when you finally get what you wanted and it turns out to be much more extreme than you originally imagined it could possibly be. At what point do you cut your losses – if ever?

Because wishes made on a mysterious and seemingly diabolical supernatural totem called a “One Wish Willow” can tend to go awry in ways you never would expect. It’s the definition of a Faustian bargain – the long-term losses usually outweigh the short-term gains. And once you have made your wish, there is no way to go back.

Because, in just the most basic terms – if you use magic to overwhelm the natural personality and choices of the object of your affections, is that person still the same person? Does she still have the qualities for which you originally fell in love? Or does she become a shell of herself in which her natural reactions get hijacked by another entity, a weirdly schizophrenic way to go through life. (Unless you were only interested in the looks, which do not really change, although even those take a figurative or literal beating as the story moves forward.)

It’s a hard dichotomy to reach – not just for a person, obviously, but also for an actress who has to stuff so many contrasting layers into a performance. Particularly connecting with the dark aspects of the character – in fact, several of her scenes are played out almost completely in shadows.

Inde Navarette shows herself not only able to pull off the role but surprisingly good at pulling all the little nuances and pain from it. Navarette is previously best known as Lana Lang’s daughter and the unrequited crush of the Kents’ sons in the CW series Superman and Lois. If this role doesn’t make her a star, there is something wrong in the world.

In the male lead, Johnston’s role is more reactive, and despite the fact that he is just fine at dealing with Bear’s moral quandary, his role is somewhat overshadowed by his co-star’s flashier actions. Cooper Tomlinson and Megan Lawless have some fun scenes as Bear’s best buddy and another girl from work who obviously truly is interested in Bear.

They all stand out in this mostly little-known cast. The closest thing to a name performer is former Conan O’Brien sidekick Andy Richter as the owner of the music store where the action originates, and according to IMDB, comedian Tim Robinson star of Friendship and The Chair Company had a very small background here, but I honestly don’t remember seeing him.

However, the lack of stars works for Obsession, giving it a gritty, sleazy, horrific edge with no big faces to pull us out of the fantasy. Obsession takes its intriguing concept and runs with it, essentially pushing it to its limits. And while maybe… probably even… the movie sometimes took things way too far, well that sort of works in this world too. If you are going to make a movie like this, you can’t be timid.

Obsession is certainly not timid.

What it is, it turns out, is one of the best surprise horror jolts of the year, perhaps the best one. Don’t be surprised if horror fans – and even more basic moviegoers – become a little obsessed with Obsession.

Jay S. Jacobs

Copyright ©2026 PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved. Posted: May 15, 2026.