A few times a year, I decide to watch a movie well outside of my comfort zone. Typically this means I watched a scary movie, and that’s the case with Obsession.
Obsession fascinated me during its incredibly successful run in theaters. It was directed by someone from YouTube (Curry Barker), it was made for less than $1 million, and it starred talented but almost completely unknown actors (plus, very briefly, Andy Richter).
Yet something about it really hooked people. Week after week it was in the top 10 at the box office, consistently outperforming other highly anticipated movies like the Mandalorian and Grogu. What was the secret sauce for this underdog?
Having now seen it, I think the key is the combination of two factors: One, a timeless theme combined with a simple-to-understand twist (person A likes person B, makes a wish that goes wrong). Two, great execution (a combination of great direction and acting–the camera rarely cuts away, adding to the tension of every scene).
Is it scary? Absolutely. A few different types of creepiness are on display, and a few scenes are gross/gorey. It’s unsettling. Very few cheap jump scares, though, which I appreciated.
I enjoyed and admired Obsession, and I can see how it clicked with so many people. If the warnings above don’t bother you, I recommend the movie, and I’m curious to hear what you think.
Just watched it last night. Tt takes a lot for a movie to unsettle me, especially American horror movies, but Obsession did. This thing was unsettling. Some horror elements even though it’s more of a psychological thriller, firs 30 minutes were outright boring but it ramped up really nicely. That scene when he calls the support number and the guys says, “do you want to hear Nikki?” Chills! I wouldn’t even say the best horror movie I saw in a while because the story just ok. But like I said…. unsettling
“Psychological thriller” is a good way to frame it.