- Rating: ★★★½ stars
- Verdict: "Obsession" nails the horror elements. It's creepy, it's thrilling, it lands more than a few jump scares and even delivers some gore (but not too much). Inde Navarrette is an absolute star as Nikki, a girl suddenly obsessed with her friend, Bear
- Where to watch: See "Obsession" in theaters now
If you're obsessed with horror, you're probably eagerly anticipating "Obsession." This new Blumhouse horror flick from indie filmmaker Curry Barker is one of the hottest movies coming to theaters this weekend, with box office projections that are growing exponentially along with the positive buzz (and Rotten Tomatoes score) for the film.
I was lucky enough to see an advanced screening of this movie at the Atlanta Film Festival, along with "Late Fame" and the horror-adjacent "Over Your Dead Body." I went in with almost no expectations, but I left the theater thinking that this would be some people's pick for best horror movie of the year.
That's not to say that "Obsession" is perfect. Like with other supernatural horror films, if you poke holes in the plot, you can easily find flaws. And, as a low-budget movie, it has to use some actors who aren't as strong performers as others. But those shortcomings are more than made up for by Inde Navarrette, who puts on a truly impressive performance as Nikki, a young woman who suddenly finds herself more than a little obsessed with her friend, Bear (Michael Johnston).
Inde Navarrette is scream queen material in this horror flick
If you know nothing about this movie, here's the synopsis. Bear (Johnston) is an awkward young man, desperately in love with his friend and co-worker, Nikki (Navarrette). But rather than telling her how he feels, he uses a mystical item called a "One Wish Willow" to make the object of his desire fall in love with him.
Now, if you think that the obsessed one in this film is Bear, you'd be forgiven and not entirely wrong. Bear's toxic obsession with his friend definitely plays a role in this horror film, but once he makes his supernatural wish, it's Nikki who becomes completely obsessed.
When I say completely obsessed, I'm not exaggerating. There's one scene where she literally spends an entire day rooted in one spot, so she's guaranteed to be waiting for Bear when he gets home from work. It's unhinged behavior, and it's frankly one of the tamer scenes in the movie.
Portraying Nikki as properly obsessed while not being cartoonish is a tightrope act that Navarrette nails. She also brings a surprising physicality to the role. There's a bit of a possession element to Nikki's obsession, and Navarrette's physical movements under this spell of sorts are equally impressive and creepy, without delving into the grotesque contortions from something like "The Exorcist."
Verdict: You might just obsess over 'Obsession'
If this movie is a strong contender for best horror movie of the year, Navarrette's performance is a big reason why. The scriptwriting is also excellent; despite some qualms I have with the plot, the final act of the movie is deranged in the best way, and a lot of that has to do with Barker making some well-played choices with the direction the story goes.
So if you're a horror fan, "Obsession" might become your next ... well, obsession. I already have some colleagues who are in love with it, and my praise of the movie is frankly on the low end of the range of plaudits this film has earned. Don't wait to see this horror movie until it arrives on one of the best streaming services (likely Peacock). Go to your local cinema this weekend and have a terrifying time instead.
"Obsession" is in theaters now
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