Obsession (2025 film): Difference between revisions

Name: Obsession (2025 film)
Director: Curry Barker
Released: 2026-06-18T15:48:06Z
Duration: 1 h 49 min
Cast: Michael Johnston, Inde Navarrette, Cooper Tomlinson, Megan Lawless, Andy Richter

Obsession
Obsession
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Curry Barker
Produced by	James Harris; Haley Nicole Johnson; Christian Mercuri; Roman Viaris;
Written by	Curry Barker
Starring	Michael Johnston; Inde Navarrette; Cooper Tomlinson; Megan Lawless; Andy Richter;
Music by	Rock Burwell
Cinematography	Taylor Clemons
Edited by	Curry Barker
Production; company	Blumhouse Productions; Capstone Studios; Tea Shop Productions; Under the Shell;
Distributed by	Focus Features (United States); Universal Pictures (International);
Release date	September 5, 2025 (TIFF); May 15, 2026 (United States);
Running time	109 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$750,000
Box office	$297.4 million

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Latest revision as of 12:26, 19 June 2026

Obsession is a 2025 American supernatural psychological horror film written, directed, and edited by Curry Barker. The film follows Bear (Michael Johnston), a music store employee who buys a supernatural toy that grants his wish for his friend Nikki (Inde Navarrette) to fall in love with him, resulting in horrific consequences. Cooper Tomlinson, Megan Lawless, and Andy Richter appear in supporting roles, and Barker has a voice role.

Barker, a YouTube sketch comedian, uploaded his short horror film The Chair to his channel in 2023, which led to an offer from producer James Harris to adapt it into a feature-length film. Barker took the opportunity to pitch Obsession, a different film idea partly inspired by an episode of The Simpsons. The film was shot in Los Angeles in October 2024 for $750,000. It is Barker's second feature-length film, after Milk & Serial (2024), and his first to be released in theaters.

Obsession premiered on September 5, 2025, at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), where Focus Features acquired the distribution rights for $14–$15 million, the highest price commanded by a genre film in TIFF history, and Jason Blum came on board as an executive producer under Blumhouse Productions. Obsession was theatrically released in the United States on May 15, 2026. A critical and commercial success, it grossed $297.4 million worldwide, becoming Focus Features' highest-grossing film of all time and the eighth-highest-grossing film of 2026.

Plot[edit | edit source]

Baron "Bear" Bailey has romantic feelings for his friend Nikki Freeman, both of whom work at a music store, with their friends, Ian and Sarah. He returns home to find that his cat, Sandy, has died after accidentally consuming oxycodone. Bear shops for a gift for Nikki at a crystal shop and buys her a "One Wish Willow", a novelty toy that claims to grant one wish per person when broken. Later that night after a group hangout, Nikki directly asks Bear if he likes her, which he nervously denies. Frustrated with himself, Bear breaks the One Wish Willow, wishing for Nikki to "love him more than anyone in the world". Shortly thereafter, Nikki asks to sleep at Bear's house, confiding that her estranged father is dying of cancer. In bed, she kisses him but abruptly screams and pulls back.

The next morning, Nikki creates a memorial with Sandy's remains, disturbing Bear. She explains her erratic behavior as the result of taking MDMA, and the two start happily dating. Suspicious, Ian informs Bear that Nikki told Sarah she saw Bear as her "little brother" shortly before they began dating, and that she lied about her father's cancer. That night, Bear wakes up to see Nikki eerily watching him sleep, and she cries, accusing him of not loving her. The next day, Bear discovers that she made him a sandwich using Sandy's remains. Bear calls the One Wish Willow's customer support to alter his wish. The voice on the other end says the wish will only expire when Bear or Nikki dies, then puts a hysterically screaming Nikki on the line.

Nikki accompanies Bear to a party at Ian's house that night, despite the latter's protests. During a Jenga drinking game, Nikki recites a violent, incestuous retelling of "Hansel and Gretel". Bear draws a block daring him to kiss the person to his left, who is Sarah. Nikki ousts Sarah from her seat and kisses Bear instead. Nikki then starts screaming before stabbing her face with a broken bottle. Back home, Nikki threatens suicide if Bear does not join her in bed. In the middle of the night, Sarah texts Bear to meet her at the park. As Bear attempts to leave, a lucid Nikki speaks, claiming that her obsessive persona is asleep, and begs Bear to kill her. Bear refuses, offended that she would rather die than be with him. Sarah reveals to Bear that Ian and Nikki had been casually hooking up for two years and expresses concern that Nikki is using him to get back at Ian. After Sarah hints at her own attraction to Bear, Nikki appears and murders her by repeatedly slamming her head into a brick. She instructs a traumatized Bear to return home while she disposes of the body.

Bear buys the remaining One Wish Willows from the crystal shop and tries to reverse his wish, but is unable to break one. He explains the situation to Ian and begs him to undo his wish. Ian, in disbelief, wishes for a billion dollars instead, causing cash to rain from the ceiling. Bear returns home with the last One Wish Willow to get Nikki to reverse his wish. He discovers Sarah's mutilated corpse and finds Nikki wearing Sarah's dress and scalp; she then threatens Bear and herself at gunpoint. Ian arrives and is immediately shot dead by Nikki. Bear locks himself in the bathroom and consumes the last of the oxycodone, but changes his mind and tries to induce vomiting just as Nikki breaks the last One Wish Willow. Under the wish's influence, Bear emerges from the bathroom and kisses Nikki before dying from the overdose. Heartbroken, Nikki prepares to shoot herself, but Bear's death causes the real Nikki to regain control before she can. Horrified by the carnage surrounding her, Nikki wails hysterically.

Cast[edit | edit source]

Left to right: Director Curry Barker with actors Inde Navarrette and Michael Johnston at a Q&A for the film in 2026.

Michael Johnston as Baron "Bear" Bailey, music store employee
Inde Navarrette as Nikki Freeman, Bear's co-worker, friend, and crush
Cooper Tomlinson as Ian, Bear and Nikki's friend
Megan Lawless as Sarah Harper, Bear and Nikki's friend and Carter's daughter
Andy Richter as Carter Harper, the music store boss and Sarah's father
Haley Fitzgerald as Viola, the crystal shop employee who sells Bear the One Wish Willow
Darin Toonder as Harry, another crystal shop employee
Curry Barker as the voice of the One Wish Willow customer service representative

Production[edit | edit source]

Development[edit | edit source]

Curry Barker, one half of the sketch comedy duo that's a bad idea with Cooper Tomlinson, uploaded his short horror film The Chair to his YouTube channel in 2023.^[5] After film producer James Harris of Tea Shop Productions reached out to Barker to adapt it into a feature-length film, Barker pitched Obsession instead.^[6] Barker initially wrote Obsession as a film about an obsessive relationship. While preparing to watch an episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia in which he appeared, he caught a rerun of a 1991 episode of The Simpsons where Homer interacts with a monkey's paw, which inspired him to incorporate the wish element.^[7]^[8]^[9] The concept led to his signing with William Morris Endeavor and receiving an offer to direct the film with a $1 million budget.^[5] Around this time, he declined a $2 million offer to rewrite the script to make Bear a hero.^[10] Barker took eight months to complete the screenplay while working with the film's production companies, which, in addition to Tea Shop Productions, included Capstone Studios and Under the Shell.^[11]^[12] Barker developed the design of the One Wish Willow with his mother Amy Evans-Vega, a graphic art designer.^[6]

Casting[edit | edit source]

Casting was underway by August 2024.^[11] Barker wrote the Nikki character as both a threat and a victim, as the story shows her gradually losing control of herself after Bear's wish.^[13] According to Barker, the role required an actress capable of portraying a normal young woman and a frightening supernatural presence.^[14] Amid a long casting process, Inde Navarrette was cast as Nikki after Barker felt she "nailed" a balance between crazy and scary and brought a natural and relaxed personality to the role that helped make Nikki believable before the horror elements emerged.^[6]^[14] After a chemistry read with Navarrette, Michael Johnston was cast as Bear.^[6]

Obsession marked Navarrette's second film after Wander Darkly (2020) and television roles on 13 Reasons Why (2020) and Superman & Lois (2021–2024).^[15] Much of Nikki's physical behavior was developed through collaboration between Barker and Navarrette. Nikki's screams, facial expressions, and vocal changes were performed without CGI or artificial intelligence;^[16] scenes of Nikki lurking in the dark incorporated practical makeup effects, partly influenced by an uncanny valley makeup trend popularized by TikTok in 2023.^[17] Before filming began, Barker had the cast watch Hereditary (2018) and had Navarrette watch Midsommar (2019) and Pearl (2022).^[18] Navarrette credited Betty Gabriel in Get Out (2017), Toni Collette in Hereditary, and Mia Goth in Pearl as inspirations for her performance as Nikki.^[19]^[20]^[21]

Filming[edit | edit source]

Principal photography began in late October 2024.^[11] It was filmed in 26 days, including reshoots after an initial 20-day shoot, in the Los Angeles area, covering five to six script pages daily.^[16]^[22]^[23] Barker worked with cinematographer Taylor Clemons to shoot the film "center-composed" with "extra head space" to create shots that felt "uncomfortable".^[7] Scenes set in Bear's home, a house in Burbank remodeled by production designer Vivian Gray, were shot first in a week and a half.^[7]^[24] Other locations included the Cassells Music store in San Fernando, which shut down a year after they wrapped, and the Green Man crystal shop, Roguelike Tavern, and Little Toni's pizzeria in Burbank.^[23] Certain scenes, particularly those involving conversations in cars, were shot on a soundstage using LED screen technology.^[25]

Obsession underwent reshoots for a new opening scene and, according to Barker, to "do a better job of showing why [Bear] doesn't want to fix it right away", adding the scene where Bear confronts Nikki for cutting his hair to emphasize "that he wants to make it work".^[8] The production had to forgo reshoots of the party scene after the house where they filmed it burned down in the 2025 Los Angeles fires.^[26] For the ending, they filmed one take of Bear trying to make himself throw up after ingesting the pills at Johnston's suggestion that it would fit Bear's cowardly nature.^[16]^[27] Barker initially wrote and filmed an ending inspired by Romeo and Juliet where Nikki kills herself after breaking free from Bear's wish. On the advice of his playwright father, who contributed the "Hansel and Gretel" monologue, and others, Barker shot one take of a different ending where Nikki survives, which he chose for the theatrical cut.^[16]^[28]^[29] According to Barker, the film's budget was at most $750,000.^[2]

Post-production[edit | edit source]

By March 2025, Obsession was in post-production with Barker as editor.^[6]^[30] Barker recorded his dialogue as the One Wish Willow customer service representative on his phone while editing the film from his bedroom, changing lines to fit the edit.^[29] After the film's festival premiere in September, the scene depicting a character getting their head smashed was cut down by "six or seven smashes" to avoid an NC-17 rating from the MPA.^[31] Jason Blum joined the film as an executive producer under his Blumhouse Productions banner after the premiere;^[32] his involvement was revealed in December 2025 when the first teaser was released.^[33] Rock Burwell composed the score in his debut as a feature film composer.^[34] The 18-track album was released on May 15, 2026, the same date as the film's release.^[35]

Release[edit | edit source]

Obsession premiered during the Midnight Madness block at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on September 5, 2025.^[7] Two days later, Focus Features entered talks to acquire distribution rights to the film for the world (excluding France, New Zealand, and Russia) for $14–$15 million, the highest price commanded by a genre film in TIFF history, with Universal Pictures International handling distribution outside the United States;^[36]^[2]^[37] the deal officially closed in October 2025, with a screening at the inaugural FocusFest on October 18 at the Universal Studios Lot.^[38] The film was theatrically released in the U.S. on May 15, 2026.^[39]

In June 2026, art director Sally Choi made a social media post calling for industry reform, noting that she made $300 a day on the non-union production while also serving as production assistant, set dresser, graphic designer, and background actor, and that some crew members were volunteers paid in gas and mileage.^[40]^[41]

Reception[edit | edit source]

Box office[edit | edit source]

As of June 17, 2026^[update], Obsession has grossed $198.7 million in the United States and Canada, and $98.8 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $297.4 million.^[3]^[4]

In the United States and Canada, Obsession was initially projected to gross $8–10 million from 2,615 theaters in its opening weekend.^[42] After making $7 million on its first day,^[43] estimates were raised to $14 million.^[42] It went on to debut to $17.2 million, finishing third at the box office behind holdovers Michael and The Devil Wears Prada 2.^[44] The film then made $32 million over the subsequent four-day Memorial Day frame, including $24 million over the second weekend (a 39% increase from its opening).^[45]^[46] Unprecedented for a wide release, especially in the horror genre, it marked the biggest second-weekend increase for a film playing in more than 2,500 theaters outside of the Christmas season. Word-of-mouth and turnout from the 18–34 demographic, making up 75% of audience members, led to its success.^[47]^[48]

In its third weekend, the film made $27.4 million, becoming the first wide release outside of the Christmas season since E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) to increase its earnings for three consecutive weekends; with a total $105.7 million at the time, it also became Focus Features' highest-grossing film domestically, surpassing Downton Abbey (2019; $97 million).^[49]^[50] On the following Monday, Focus Features postponed its expected digital release of June 2.^[51] In its fourth weekend, the film became Focus Features' highest-grossing film of all time worldwide, surpassing Downton Abbey ($194.6 million).^[52] In its fifth weekend, it outgrossed The Blair Witch Project (1999; $248.6 million) to become the top-grossing festival acquisition title of all time.^[53]

Critical response[edit | edit source]

Inde Navarrette received critical acclaim for her performance as Nikki.^[54]^[55]

Template:Rotten Tomatoes prose Template:Metacritic film prose Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale, while 70% of those polled by PostTrak said they would "definitely recommend" it.^[42]

Christian Zilko of IndieWire said it was "proof that the Cregger-ification of 2020s horror is in full effect, as its combination of sadistic violence, ironic needle drops, and comedy mined from people responding to tragedy in pathetically self-serving ways will merit plenty of comparisons to Barbarian and Weapons".^[56] IGN's Matt Donato noted "familiar romance and monkey's paw tropes" but said "Barker's execution takes things to the next level".^[57] Lou Thomas of Empire called it "so fresh and exhilarating, one can forgive its familiar origins".^[58] In Compact, Matthew Schmitz said it defined the genre of "heteropessimist horror".^[59] Author Rob K. Henderson described it as a "morality tale" that encouraged young men to confess their romantic feelings instead of concealing them.^[60]

Navarrette received critical acclaim for her performance.^[61]^[54] Louis Peitzman of Vulture called it a stand-out performance for Navarrette, especially as her first major role in the horror genre.^[62] Katie Rife of RogerEbert.com said her emotional scenes revealed the humanity behind Nikki's violent behavior and made the character more tragic.^[63] Guy Lodge of Variety praised Navarrette for "acing one of the more physically and emotionally taxing horror leads to come down the pike in a while".^[64] Bill Bria of SlashFilm compared Nikki's impact to performances in classic horror films such as The Exorcist (1973) and Carrie (1976).^[14]

Benjamin Lee of The Guardian praised the "disturbing sound design" for intensifying the horror elements,^[65] while Marshall Shaffer of Slant Magazine complimented the film's audiovisual presentation.^[61] Comparisons were raised to Kane Parsons's Backrooms, a fellow commercially successful, low-budget 2026 release directed by a YouTuber; Aaron Couch of The Hollywood Reporter said he anticipated a "generational shift" away from high-budget movie franchises in favor of smaller films.^[66]

Accolades[edit | edit source]

Award / Festival	Date of ceremony	Category	Recipient(s)	Result	Ref.
Toronto International Film Festival	September 14, 2025	People's Choice Award: Midnight Madness	Obsession	Template:Draw	^[67]
Sitges Film Festival	October 18, 2025	Best Feature Film		Nominated	^[68]
		Special Jury Prize		Won	^[69]
		SOFC Audience Award		Won
		Carnet Jove (Youth Card) Award for Best Film		Won
South by Southwest	March 19, 2026	Festival Favorite Audience Award		Nominated	^[70]^[71]
Miami Film Festival	April 19, 2026	Jordan Ressler First Feature Award		Nominated	^[72]
Seattle International Film Festival	May 17, 2026	Best Performance	Inde Navarrette	Won	^[73]

Future[edit | edit source]

In 2025, Barker said the characters of Obsession are unlikely to appear in another film.^[7] In 2026, Barker said he was considering an anthology television series where each episode explores a new character making a wish,^[74] or a sequel, for which he has an idea.^[10] His next film, Anything but Ghosts, is set in the same shared universe, including a reference to the events of Obsession in the form of a news report.^[75]

Notes[edit | edit source]

↑ excluding France (Le Pacte), New Zealand (Rialto Distribution), and Russia (Exponenta Film)

References[edit | edit source]

↑ "Obsession (2026)". Irish Film Classification Office. March 25, 2026. Archived from the original on April 20, 2026. Retrieved March 25, 2026.
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 Barasch, Alex (May 11, 2026). "The Twenty-Six-Year-Old Behind Obsession, a Terrifying Tale of a Crush Gone Awry". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on May 15, 2026. Retrieved May 16, 2026. He made Obsession for 'seven hundred and fifty thousand, max,' and earlier projects for far, far less.
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 Template:Cite Box Office Mojo
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 Template:Cite The Numbers
↑ ^5.0 ^5.1 Couch, Aaron (October 28, 2024). "Want to Be a Horror Director? Upload Your Movie to YouTube". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 8, 2026. Retrieved September 7, 2025.
↑ ^6.0 ^6.1 ^6.2 ^6.3 ^6.4 Saito, Stephen (September 6, 2025). "TIFF 2025 Interview: Curry Barker on Crushing It in "Obsession"". The Moveable Fest. Archived from the original on October 11, 2025. Retrieved September 7, 2025.
↑ ^7.0 ^7.1 ^7.2 ^7.3 ^7.4 Earl, William (September 5, 2025). "After His Microbudget Debut Haunted 2 Million People on YouTube, Curry Barker Brings 'Crazy Horror' to TIFF With Twisted Love Story 'Obsession'". Variety. Archived from the original on September 5, 2025. Retrieved September 7, 2025.
↑ ^8.0 ^8.1 Jones, Tamera; Nemiroff, Perri (May 15, 2026). "'Obsession's Terrifying Twist Isn't Possession — It's Something Much Darker". Collider. Retrieved May 16, 2026.
↑ Holaday, Carsen (May 26, 2026). "Obsession director reveals unlikely inspiration from The Simpsons episode". The Independent. Retrieved June 18, 2026.
↑ ^10.0 ^10.1 Hibberd, James (June 15, 2026). "Curry Barker Got His Wish: Inside the Obsession Director's Wild Month (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
↑ ^11.0 ^11.1 ^11.2 Earl, William (August 26, 2024). "How 'Milk & Serial,' a Clever Slasher Made for $800 and Released for Free on YouTube, Became a Must-Watch for Horror Fans". Variety. Archived from the original on August 26, 2024. Retrieved September 7, 2025.
↑ Parlevliet, Mirko (December 2, 2025). "Focus Partners with Blumhouse on Curry Barker's Obsession". Vital Thrills. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
↑ Carter, Andrea (May 20, 2026). "The Real Villain of Obsession is Not Nikki". Couch Soup. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
↑ ^14.0 ^14.1 ^14.2 Bria, Bill (May 15, 2026). "How Obsession Found The Perfect Actress For Nikki [Exclusive]". SlashFilm. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
↑ Lammers, Tim (May 22, 2026). "Obsession Star Inde Navarrette Discusses Her Spellbinding Performance In Hit Horror Thriller". Forbes. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
↑ ^16.0 ^16.1 ^16.2 ^16.3 Carson, Lexi (May 16, 2026). "Inside 'Obsession's' Ending: Inde Navarrette on Nikki's Fate and Becoming Horror's Newest Scream Queen". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 17, 2026.
↑ H. C., Luiz (May 22, 2026). "Freaky Nikki's Terrifying Look in 'Obsession' Was a Practical Effect Inspired By a TikTok Trend". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
↑ Thorn, Lana (May 12, 2026). "'YouTube Taught Me That a Modern Horror Audience is Actually Very Smart': Curry Barker on His Indie Horror Phenomenon Obsession". Phantasmag. Retrieved June 19, 2026.
↑ Korngut, Josh (May 15, 2026). "'Obsession' Star Inde Navarrette on How Toni Collette's Hereditary Performance 'Inspired' Her 'A Lot' [Exclusive]". Dread Central. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
↑ Svetz, Josh (June 5, 2026). "How 'Obsession' Star Inde Navarrette Went From Twitch Streamer to Scream Queen". GQ. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
↑ Alter, Ethan (June 12, 2026). "Inde Navarrette shares 'Obsession' Oscar dreams, freaky on-set stories, and what happens to Nikki after the credits roll [Exclusive]". Gold Derby. Retrieved June 18, 2026.
↑ Template:Cite Instagram
↑ ^23.0 ^23.1 Thompson, Simon (May 18, 2026). "Curry Barker's Obsession or The Indie Horror That Turned L.A. Into a Nightmare Playground". Motion Picture Association. Retrieved June 5, 2026.
↑ Template:Cite Instagram
↑ Elias, Debbie (September 2, 2025). "Curry Barker Gets Practical with Horror in Obsession – Exclusive Interview". Behind the Lens Online. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
↑ "'I Was Genuinely Freaked Out' Curry Barker, Inde Navarrette & Michael Johnston on Obsession". Fandango. May 15, 2026. Archived from the original on May 16, 2026. Retrieved May 16, 2026 – via YouTube.
↑ Carson, Lexi (May 18, 2026). "Obsession Star Michael Johnston Knows You Think Bear Is the Real Villain — But He Disagrees". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 28, 2026.
↑ Miller, Mike (May 16, 2026). "Obsession director Curry Barker reveals film's original ending — and why his dad told him to change it". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 17, 2026.
↑ ^29.0 ^29.1 Kleinman, Jake (May 16, 2026). "Obsession director Curry Barker used makeup, duct tape, and his father to make the scariest movie of 2026". Polygon. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
↑ Couch, Aaron (March 10, 2025). "'Milk & Serial' Filmmaker Curry Barker Signs with UTA (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 10, 2025. Retrieved September 7, 2025.
↑ Goldsmith, Jill (March 15, 2026). "'Obsession' Director Curry Barker At SXSW". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 15, 2026. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
↑ Loving, Casey (May 15, 2026). "How Obsession Filmmaker Curry Barker Became Hollywood's Next Horror Sweetheart". TheWrap. Retrieved May 16, 2026.
↑ Grobar, Matt (December 2, 2025). "Blumhouse Boards Curry Barker's Romance-Themed Focus Horror Flick 'Obsession' — Watch The Trailer". Archived from the original on December 2, 2025. Retrieved December 2, 2025.
↑ "Obsession". Waxwork Records. Archived from the original on May 16, 2026. Retrieved May 16, 2026.
↑ "'Obsession' Soundtrack Album Details". Film Music Reporter. Archived from the original on May 14, 2026. Retrieved May 16, 2026.
↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (September 7, 2025). "Focus Features Closing First Big TIFF Deal: Curry Barker Horror Film 'Obsession' Selling For $15M+ – The Dish". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 7, 2025. Retrieved September 7, 2025.
↑ Rubin, Rebecca (May 17, 2026). "Box Office: 'Michael' Returns to No. 1 in Fourth Weekend, 'Obsession' Starts Strong With $16 Million". Variety. Archived from the original on May 17, 2026. Retrieved May 17, 2026.
↑ Grobar, Matt (October 14, 2025). "Focus Features Seals Deal For Curry Barker's 'Obsession,' Sets FocusFest Screening". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 16, 2025. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (November 5, 2025). "Focus Features Sets Early Summer 2026 Date For Curry Barker's Horror Pic 'Obsession'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 5, 2025. Retrieved November 5, 2025.
↑ Gonzalez, Umberto (June 5, 2026). "Obsession Art Director Calls for Industry Reform After Getting Paid Less Than $7,000 as Film Nears $175 Million". TheWrap. Retrieved June 10, 2026.
↑ Phillipson, Daisy (June 9, 2026). "Obsession art director doubles down after slamming low pay and working conditions". Film Shrine. Retrieved June 10, 2026.
↑ ^42.0 ^42.1 ^42.2 D'Alessandro, Anthony (May 17, 2026). "'Michael' King Of Box Office With $26M U.S., $83M WW; 'Obsession' Romances $16M+ & 'A-' CinemaScore – Sunday AM Box Office Update". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 15, 2026. Retrieved May 16, 2026.
↑ "Domestic Box Office For May 15, 2026". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on May 17, 2026. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
↑ "Domestic 2026 Weekend 20". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
↑ "Domestic 2026 Weekend 21". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (May 26, 2026). "Star Wars: Mandalorian & Grogu Eases Force To 4-Day $98M U.S. But Higher WW $167M; Obsession Amorous $32M+ In Near $222M Memorial Day Weekend – Update". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
↑ Rubin, Rebecca (May 24, 2026). "How Obsession Became an Unprecedented Box Office Horror Hit — and One of the Year's Most Profitable Movies". Variety. Retrieved May 25, 2026.
↑ McClintock, Camp; Carson, Lexi (May 27, 2026). "Box Office Stunner: Obsession Makes History With Biggest Second-Weekend Spike in Modern Times Outside of Christmas". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
↑ "Domestic 2026 Weekend 22". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (May 31, 2026). "Backrooms Mushrooms To $81M+ U.S., $118M WW A24 Record Opening; Obsession $104M+ Best Ever For Focus Features – Sunday Update". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
↑ Lammers, Tim (June 2, 2026). "When Is Obsession Coming To Streaming?". Forbes. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (June 7, 2026). "Obsessed Around The Globe: Curry Barker's Obsession Is Focus Features' Highest Grossing Movie Ever With $224M+ WW". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 7, 2026.
↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (June 14, 2026). "Obsession: World's Love Affair With Curry Barker Pic Nears $300M; Scares Away Blair Witch Project As Top Grossing Fest Acquisition Of All-Time – Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
↑ ^54.0 ^54.1 Clarke, Grace. "Who is Inde Navarrette? Meet Hollywood's Newest Scream Queen". L'Officiel USA. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
↑ Earl, William (May 18, 2026). "Obsession Star Inde Navarrette Delivers a Scary and Tragic Performance That Demands Awards Attention". Variety. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
↑ Zilko, Christian (September 6, 2025). "'Obsession' Review: YouTuber Curry Barker Directs One of the Best Horror Films of 2025". IndieWire. Archived from the original on September 6, 2025. Retrieved September 7, 2025.
↑ Donato, Matt (September 28, 2025). "Obsession Review". IGN. Archived from the original on September 28, 2025. Retrieved March 29, 2026.
↑ Thomas, Lou (May 15, 2026). "Obsession Review". Empire. Retrieved May 17, 2026.
↑ Schmitz, Matthew (June 1, 2026). "Heteropessimist Horror". Compact. Retrieved June 4, 2026.
↑ Henderson, Rob (June 2, 2026). "Why every young man should fear Obsession's message". The Times. Retrieved June 7, 2026.
↑ ^61.0 ^61.1 Shaffer, Marshall (May 11, 2026). "'Obsession' Review: A Chilling Portrait of a Crush Gone Awry". Slant Magazine. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
↑ Peitzman, Louis (May 18, 2026). "Inde Navarrette Isn't Just a 'Crazy Girlfriend' in Obsession". Vulture. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
↑ "Obsession: The heart wants what it wants in Blumhouse chiller". Roger Ebert. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
↑ Lodge, Guy (May 14, 2026). "'Obsession' Review: Clever, Creepy Indie Horror Applies an Old-School Monkey's Paw Device to Modern Relationships". Variety. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
↑ Lee, Benjamin (September 6, 2025). "Obsession review – nasty horror sees a wish for true love go horribly wrong". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on September 6, 2025. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
↑ Taher, Sarah (June 4, 2026). "YouTube already had a place in Hollywood. The success of Backrooms and Obsession proves it's undeniable". CBC News. Retrieved June 4, 2026.
↑ Hammond, Pete (September 14, 2025). "'Hamnet' Wins Oscar-Predictive Toronto Film Festival People's Choice Award". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 14, 2025. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
↑ "We Complete the 2025 line-up: Guillermo del Toro, Yorgos Lanthimos, Park Chan-wook, Carmen Maura, and Other Big Names in Contemporary Fantastic Genre". Sitges Film Festival. September 10, 2025. Archived from the original on September 14, 2025. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
↑ "'The Ugly Stepsister', by Emilie Blichfeldt, Best Feature Film Award at Sitges 2025". Sitges Film Festival. October 18, 2025. Archived from the original on October 23, 2025. Retrieved June 5, 2026.
↑ "SXSW Film & TV Festival Awards". SXSW. Retrieved April 29, 2026.
↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 14, 2026). "SXSW Sets World Premieres 'Ready or Not 2', 'They Will Kill You', Apple Series 'Margo's Got Money Troubles' & Pics with Paul Rudd, Nick Jonas & the Kevin Bacon Family". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 14, 2026. Retrieved January 22, 2026.
↑ Carey, Matthew (March 14, 2026). "Miami Film Festival Announces 2026 Lineup, Awards for Adam Scott, Bob Odenkirk, Danielle Brooks, Lili Reinhart & More". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 15, 2026. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
↑ "SIFF 2026 Award Winners". SIFF. May 17, 2026. Archived from the original on June 1, 2026. Retrieved May 18, 2026.
↑ Garner, Glenn (May 16, 2026). "Curry Barker Considers Obsession Sequel Or Anthology Series, Despite 'Plot Hole' In Film: 'It's Broken'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 29, 2026.
↑ Garner, Glenn (May 28, 2026). "Curry Barker Says 'Anything But Ghosts' Is In 'Obsession' Universe". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 7, 2026.

External links[edit | edit source]

Template:Curry Barker

[1] xcluding France (Le Pacte), New Zealand (Rialto Distribution), and Russia (Exponenta Film)

[2] "Obsession (2026)". Irish Film Classification Office. March 25, 2026. Archived from the original on April 20, 2026. Retrieved March 25, 2026.

[NewYorker-3] 2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 Barasch, Alex (May 11, 2026). "The Twenty-Six-Year-Old Behind Obsession, a Terrifying Tale of a Crush Gone Awry". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on May 15, 2026. Retrieved May 16, 2026. He made Obsession for 'seven hundred and fifty thousand, max,' and earlier projects for far, far less.

[BOM-4] 3.0 ^3.1 Template:Cite Box Office Mojo

[NUM-5] 4.0 ^4.1 Template:Cite The Numbers

[THRYouTube-6] 5.0 ^5.1 Couch, Aaron (October 28, 2024). "Want to Be a Horror Director? Upload Your Movie to YouTube". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 8, 2026. Retrieved September 7, 2025.

[Moveable-7] 6.0 ^6.1 ^6.2 ^6.3 ^6.4 Saito, Stephen (September 6, 2025). "TIFF 2025 Interview: Curry Barker on Crushing It in "Obsession"". The Moveable Fest. Archived from the original on October 11, 2025. Retrieved September 7, 2025.

[Microbudget-8] 7.0 ^7.1 ^7.2 ^7.3 ^7.4 Earl, William (September 5, 2025). "After His Microbudget Debut Haunted 2 Million People on YouTube, Curry Barker Brings 'Crazy Horror' to TIFF With Twisted Love Story 'Obsession'". Variety. Archived from the original on September 5, 2025. Retrieved September 7, 2025.

[Collider-0515-9] 8.0 ^8.1 Jones, Tamera; Nemiroff, Perri (May 15, 2026). "'Obsession's Terrifying Twist Isn't Possession — It's Something Much Darker". Collider. Retrieved May 16, 2026.

[10] Holaday, Carsen (May 26, 2026). "Obsession director reveals unlikely inspiration from The Simpsons episode". The Independent. Retrieved June 18, 2026.

[THR-0615-11] 10.0 ^10.1 Hibberd, James (June 15, 2026). "Curry Barker Got His Wish: Inside the Obsession Director's Wild Month (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 15, 2026.

[VarietyMilkSerial-12] 11.0 ^11.1 ^11.2 Earl, William (August 26, 2024). "How 'Milk & Serial,' a Clever Slasher Made for $800 and Released for Free on YouTube, Became a Must-Watch for Horror Fans". Variety. Archived from the original on August 26, 2024. Retrieved September 7, 2025.

[13] Parlevliet, Mirko (December 2, 2025). "Focus Partners with Blumhouse on Curry Barker's Obsession". Vital Thrills. Retrieved May 8, 2026.

[CouchSoup1-14] Carter, Andrea (May 20, 2026). "The Real Villain of Obsession is Not Nikki". Couch Soup. Retrieved May 26, 2026.

[SlashFilm12-15] 14.0 ^14.1 ^14.2 Bria, Bill (May 15, 2026). "How Obsession Found The Perfect Actress For Nikki [Exclusive]". SlashFilm. Retrieved May 26, 2026.

[16] Lammers, Tim (May 22, 2026). "Obsession Star Inde Navarrette Discusses Her Spellbinding Performance In Hit Horror Thriller". Forbes. Retrieved June 6, 2026.

[Navarrette-THR-17] 16.0 ^16.1 ^16.2 ^16.3 Carson, Lexi (May 16, 2026). "Inside 'Obsession's' Ending: Inde Navarrette on Nikki's Fate and Becoming Horror's Newest Scream Queen". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 17, 2026.

[18] H. C., Luiz (May 22, 2026). "Freaky Nikki's Terrifying Look in 'Obsession' Was a Practical Effect Inspired By a TikTok Trend". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved June 6, 2026.

[19] Thorn, Lana (May 12, 2026). "'YouTube Taught Me That a Modern Horror Audience is Actually Very Smart': Curry Barker on His Indie Horror Phenomenon Obsession". Phantasmag. Retrieved June 19, 2026.

[20] Korngut, Josh (May 15, 2026). "'Obsession' Star Inde Navarrette on How Toni Collette's Hereditary Performance 'Inspired' Her 'A Lot' [Exclusive]". Dread Central. Retrieved June 6, 2026.

[21] Svetz, Josh (June 5, 2026). "How 'Obsession' Star Inde Navarrette Went From Twitch Streamer to Scream Queen". GQ. Retrieved June 6, 2026.

[22] Alter, Ethan (June 12, 2026). "Inde Navarrette shares 'Obsession' Oscar dreams, freaky on-set stories, and what happens to Nikki after the credits roll [Exclusive]". Gold Derby. Retrieved June 18, 2026.

[23] Template:Cite Instagram

[MPA-BarkerInterview-24] 23.0 ^23.1 Thompson, Simon (May 18, 2026). "Curry Barker's Obsession or The Indie Horror That Turned L.A. Into a Nightmare Playground". Motion Picture Association. Retrieved June 5, 2026.

[25] Template:Cite Instagram

[26] Elias, Debbie (September 2, 2025). "Curry Barker Gets Practical with Horror in Obsession – Exclusive Interview". Behind the Lens Online. Retrieved June 6, 2026.

[27] "'I Was Genuinely Freaked Out' Curry Barker, Inde Navarrette & Michael Johnston on Obsession". Fandango. May 15, 2026. Archived from the original on May 16, 2026. Retrieved May 16, 2026 – via YouTube.

[28] Carson, Lexi (May 18, 2026). "Obsession Star Michael Johnston Knows You Think Bear Is the Real Villain — But He Disagrees". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 28, 2026.

[29] Miller, Mike (May 16, 2026). "Obsession director Curry Barker reveals film's original ending — and why his dad told him to change it". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 17, 2026.

[Polygon-0516-30] 29.0 ^29.1 Kleinman, Jake (May 16, 2026). "Obsession director Curry Barker used makeup, duct tape, and his father to make the scariest movie of 2026". Polygon. Retrieved May 21, 2026.

[31] Couch, Aaron (March 10, 2025). "'Milk & Serial' Filmmaker Curry Barker Signs with UTA (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 10, 2025. Retrieved September 7, 2025.

[32] Goldsmith, Jill (March 15, 2026). "'Obsession' Director Curry Barker At SXSW". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 15, 2026. Retrieved March 15, 2026.

[33] Loving, Casey (May 15, 2026). "How Obsession Filmmaker Curry Barker Became Hollywood's Next Horror Sweetheart". TheWrap. Retrieved May 16, 2026.

[34] Grobar, Matt (December 2, 2025). "Blumhouse Boards Curry Barker's Romance-Themed Focus Horror Flick 'Obsession' — Watch The Trailer". Archived from the original on December 2, 2025. Retrieved December 2, 2025.

[35] "Obsession". Waxwork Records. Archived from the original on May 16, 2026. Retrieved May 16, 2026.

[36] "'Obsession' Soundtrack Album Details". Film Music Reporter. Archived from the original on May 14, 2026. Retrieved May 16, 2026.

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[38] Rubin, Rebecca (May 17, 2026). "Box Office: 'Michael' Returns to No. 1 in Fourth Weekend, 'Obsession' Starts Strong With $16 Million". Variety. Archived from the original on May 17, 2026. Retrieved May 17, 2026.

[39] Grobar, Matt (October 14, 2025). "Focus Features Seals Deal For Curry Barker's 'Obsession,' Sets FocusFest Screening". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 16, 2025. Retrieved October 14, 2025.

[40] D'Alessandro, Anthony (November 5, 2025). "Focus Features Sets Early Summer 2026 Date For Curry Barker's Horror Pic 'Obsession'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 5, 2025. Retrieved November 5, 2025.

[41] Gonzalez, Umberto (June 5, 2026). "Obsession Art Director Calls for Industry Reform After Getting Paid Less Than $7,000 as Film Nears $175 Million". TheWrap. Retrieved June 10, 2026.

[42] Phillipson, Daisy (June 9, 2026). "Obsession art director doubles down after slamming low pay and working conditions". Film Shrine. Retrieved June 10, 2026.

[opening-43] 42.0 ^42.1 ^42.2 D'Alessandro, Anthony (May 17, 2026). "'Michael' King Of Box Office With $26M U.S., $83M WW; 'Obsession' Romances $16M+ & 'A-' CinemaScore – Sunday AM Box Office Update". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 15, 2026. Retrieved May 16, 2026.

[44] "Domestic Box Office For May 15, 2026". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on May 17, 2026. Retrieved May 19, 2026.

[45] "Domestic 2026 Weekend 20". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved May 24, 2026.

[46] "Domestic 2026 Weekend 21". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved May 27, 2026.

[47] D'Alessandro, Anthony (May 26, 2026). "Star Wars: Mandalorian & Grogu Eases Force To 4-Day $98M U.S. But Higher WW $167M; Obsession Amorous $32M+ In Near $222M Memorial Day Weekend – Update". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 27, 2026.

[48] Rubin, Rebecca (May 24, 2026). "How Obsession Became an Unprecedented Box Office Horror Hit — and One of the Year's Most Profitable Movies". Variety. Retrieved May 25, 2026.

[49] McClintock, Camp; Carson, Lexi (May 27, 2026). "Box Office Stunner: Obsession Makes History With Biggest Second-Weekend Spike in Modern Times Outside of Christmas". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 27, 2026.

[50] "Domestic 2026 Weekend 22". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved June 1, 2026.

[51] D'Alessandro, Anthony (May 31, 2026). "Backrooms Mushrooms To $81M+ U.S., $118M WW A24 Record Opening; Obsession $104M+ Best Ever For Focus Features – Sunday Update". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 31, 2026.

[52] Lammers, Tim (June 2, 2026). "When Is Obsession Coming To Streaming?". Forbes. Retrieved June 6, 2026.

[53] D'Alessandro, Anthony (June 7, 2026). "Obsessed Around The Globe: Curry Barker's Obsession Is Focus Features' Highest Grossing Movie Ever With $224M+ WW". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 7, 2026.

[54] D'Alessandro, Anthony (June 14, 2026). "Obsession: World's Love Affair With Curry Barker Pic Nears $300M; Scares Away Blair Witch Project As Top Grossing Fest Acquisition Of All-Time – Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 15, 2026.

[L'Officiel-55] 54.0 ^54.1 Clarke, Grace. "Who is Inde Navarrette? Meet Hollywood's Newest Scream Queen". L'Officiel USA. Retrieved May 27, 2026.

[56] Earl, William (May 18, 2026). "Obsession Star Inde Navarrette Delivers a Scary and Tragic Performance That Demands Awards Attention". Variety. Retrieved June 6, 2026.

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[61] Henderson, Rob (June 2, 2026). "Why every young man should fear Obsession's message". The Times. Retrieved June 7, 2026.

[Slant-Review-62] 61.0 ^61.1 Shaffer, Marshall (May 11, 2026). "'Obsession' Review: A Chilling Portrait of a Crush Gone Awry". Slant Magazine. Retrieved May 26, 2026.

[63] Peitzman, Louis (May 18, 2026). "Inde Navarrette Isn't Just a 'Crazy Girlfriend' in Obsession". Vulture. Retrieved May 26, 2026.

[64] "Obsession: The heart wants what it wants in Blumhouse chiller". Roger Ebert. Retrieved May 26, 2026.

[Variety1-65] Lodge, Guy (May 14, 2026). "'Obsession' Review: Clever, Creepy Indie Horror Applies an Old-School Monkey's Paw Device to Modern Relationships". Variety. Retrieved May 26, 2026.

[66] Lee, Benjamin (September 6, 2025). "Obsession review – nasty horror sees a wish for true love go horribly wrong". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on September 6, 2025. Retrieved May 15, 2026.

[67] Taher, Sarah (June 4, 2026). "YouTube already had a place in Hollywood. The success of Backrooms and Obsession proves it's undeniable". CBC News. Retrieved June 4, 2026.

[68] Hammond, Pete (September 14, 2025). "'Hamnet' Wins Oscar-Predictive Toronto Film Festival People's Choice Award". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 14, 2025. Retrieved September 14, 2025.

[69] "We Complete the 2025 line-up: Guillermo del Toro, Yorgos Lanthimos, Park Chan-wook, Carmen Maura, and Other Big Names in Contemporary Fantastic Genre". Sitges Film Festival. September 10, 2025. Archived from the original on September 14, 2025. Retrieved September 14, 2025.

[70] "'The Ugly Stepsister', by Emilie Blichfeldt, Best Feature Film Award at Sitges 2025". Sitges Film Festival. October 18, 2025. Archived from the original on October 23, 2025. Retrieved June 5, 2026.

[71] "SXSW Film & TV Festival Awards". SXSW. Retrieved April 29, 2026.

[72] D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 14, 2026). "SXSW Sets World Premieres 'Ready or Not 2', 'They Will Kill You', Apple Series 'Margo's Got Money Troubles' & Pics with Paul Rudd, Nick Jonas & the Kevin Bacon Family". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 14, 2026. Retrieved January 22, 2026.

[73] Carey, Matthew (March 14, 2026). "Miami Film Festival Announces 2026 Lineup, Awards for Adam Scott, Bob Odenkirk, Danielle Brooks, Lili Reinhart & More". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 15, 2026. Retrieved June 13, 2026.

[74] "SIFF 2026 Award Winners". SIFF. May 17, 2026. Archived from the original on June 1, 2026. Retrieved May 18, 2026.

[75] Garner, Glenn (May 16, 2026). "Curry Barker Considers Obsession Sequel Or Anthology Series, Despite 'Plot Hole' In Film: 'It's Broken'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 29, 2026.

[76] Garner, Glenn (May 28, 2026). "Curry Barker Says 'Anything But Ghosts' Is In 'Obsession' Universe". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 7, 2026.

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