Obsession is a low-budget horror that has become the latest box office smash hit, and it is guaranteed to leave you disturbed and anxious.
Obsession is a thrilling atmospheric horror that was released on May 15, and has had audiences in a complete chokehold with rave reviews.
The plot follows Baron ‘Bear’ Bailey, a nerdy but seemingly harmless music shop worker who is harbouring a huge crush on his colleague Nikki Freeman who sadly only sees him as a friend. After failing to pluck up the courage to ask her out, Bear uses a magical “One-Wish Willow” to wish that Nikki “loves him more than anyone in the world”. Unfortunately for him – and everyone else in the film – his wish takes immediate effect and a horrifying story about violence and obsession unfolds.
The story is written and directed by Curry Barker, a 26-year-old who got his start creating YouTube comedy skits before turning his hand to creating horror films, and it’s a complete smash hit for the young director. In the past two weeks the film has grossed $95.8 million worldwide against a reported budget of only $750,000- $1million.
To put this into perspective, last year’s horror film of the year Weapons was made with a budget of $38 million and made $270 million at the box office. The horror genre is notorious for being able to swing huge blockbuster hits with low budgets. This comes as Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has an estimated production budget of $250 million – which is Nolan’s most expensive film of his career.
Despite the low budget, the visual effects are employed purposefully doesn’t rely on anything particularly grand, just a gentle smattering of gore. Even the mundane becomes sinister – I don’t think I’ve ever been so terrified watching someone wet themselves before.
Watching the film only knowing the basic premise and that it’s well reviewed left me with little to no expectations, and I was completely riveted for all 109 minutes. The tension in the film completely held me hostage, as though it punched through my ribs and placed a ball of anxiety in my chest cavity that only increased bit by bit and stayed with me long after end credits.
The storytelling is fast paced, with no room for filler and every scene feels deliberate and with a specific intention. While the plot may feel familiar, and many films have tacked the premise of ‘person wishes for love, things inevitably go wrong’, Obsession still feels fresh and new. The story is simple and doesn’t need ghosts or demons to terrify audiences, instead it relies on something all the more terrifying to create an insidious plot…human nature.
A terrifying narrative arc in this story is a feminist message about the so-called ‘nice guys’ who position themselves as a victim while acting as the aggressor, making the horror all the more relevant for audiences today.
It is perhaps this pertinent message that makes this film feel entirely fresh, and has been such a huge hit with audiences and reviewers, earning an impressive 96% on the review aggregator site, Rotten Tomatoes.
The story doesn’t overly rely on jump-scares so you won’t be screaming yourself hoarse in the cinema, instead you may get some alerts on your smart watch as the insidious nature of the film will keep your heart rate worryingly high throughout. The film offers some laugh out loud humour, but this doesn’t undercut any of the horror and is masterfully handled so that it feels natural in the world that is created on screen.
My only complaint is that Nikki’s character still feels a mystery by the end of the film, perhaps this is purposeful as we are told the story from Bear’s perspective, but I would have liked to have seen more of her personality before the wish was granted, just to make her more fleshed out. My other big bug bear is that there are quite a few plot holes if you think about the film too much, and upon reflection there are aspects are a bit far-fetched, and verging on the ridiculous.
My advice is to avoid too much critical analysis about the logistics of the world that’s created on screen, and instead focus on the message of the film and the brutal character study (or assassination) that plays out. Obsession might be one of the most important horror films I’ve ever see. I could even slap it with the sticker of ‘essential viewing’.
Obsession is out in cinemas now.
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