A new horror classic has been born, and once again, we have a story of relative unknowns striking it rich, making a fantastic film on a tiny budget that is paying off handsomely. The movie is Obsession, and it’s already one of the biggest success stories of the year.
Obsession, written and directed by former YouTuber Curry Barker, starring relative unknowns Inde Navarrette and Michael Johnston, was reportedly made for a budget of just $750,000 to $1 million, almost unheard of in today’s Hollywood landscape. Word of mouth began to spread amid exceptionally positive reviews (double 94% Rotten Tomatoes scores from critics and audiences), and it just opened with $21 million globally, $16 million in the US for its first weekend.
The movie follows in the footsteps of other YouTubers-turned-horror directors like Markiplier, bringing in $50 million from his film Iron Lung on a $3-4 million budget. Danny and Michael Philippou’s Talk to Me took in $92 million on its $4.5 million budget. Though neither of those are $750,000-$1 million, and neither created actual awards buzz for their stars, which is the case when Inde Navarrette, who has given possibly one of the best horror performances…ever. Most viewers would agree that is not an exaggeration.
Navarrette plays Nikki, a girl Johnston’s Bear has a crush on. But when he’s convinced the feelings aren’t mutual, he uses a mysterious “One Wish Willow” toy to wish that she "loved him more than anyone in the world.” You might imagine how such wording might produce…problematic results, and Navarrette goes on to play everything from an overbearing romantic to an utter psychopath over the course of the film, often switching between those on the spot.
Posted by ThrowawayGreenWitch
38 Comments
imma see this, i don’t want spoilers
This beats Hereditary over creepiest and scariest movie I’ve seen recently! Definitely worth watching in the theaters 10/10
It was a fabulous movie. Inde is terrifying.
It was disturbing as fuuuuuuuck. So good. I think I experienced every emotion in the movie’s entire span lol
Amazing film. I was so worried about my expectations being too high because of the hype around it, but I was not disappointed.
One of the best modern horror films of recent years, and I love this trend of creators with comedy backgrounds (Peele, Cregger, and now Barker) creating masterful horror films.
Loved Obsession! But thought Hokum was a tad bit scarier.
The sheer hype I’ve seen over this movie makes me scared. I love these kinds of stories but idk. I’m going in with a blank slate.. just hype
Just saw it yesterday. Very entertaining and extremely polished given its budget. Would recommend seeing in theaters. The story is a bit meh but the acting and ending is done very well.
I’m waiting to be able to see this in the comfort of my own home under a blanket 😂
ETA because I’m a scaredy cat, not because I don’t want to support the theater!
Curry Barker you did it!!! Deserves ALL the flowers!!!
it was only in theaters near me for two weeks!? literally gone by this weekend
I will say that Inde Navarette is amazing in this
It’s so fucking good. I don’t ever watch horror movies because they aren’t my thing. But I was absolutely all in for the entire movie.
Straight up the scariest movie I’ve ever seen in theatres I cannot recommend it.
Gonna go see it tonight I’m def excited for it everyone is raving on it so hopefully it won’t disappoint
Here’s my question. Does the dude get his comeuppance? If he doesn’t I don’t want to watch it.
Not a big horror fan per se but I love Curry Barker. He’s got such a good mind for horror but also makes some really funny YouTube videos as well. Definitely worth checking out his other stuff
where can i watch it
The thing I really like about it is that it’s a great script. It adds so much nuance to this idea that I got blown away by how far they went with this concept and eager to learn more or see more of this world.
This is also genuinely one of the most courageous lead performances in a horror movie in a long time. I hate referencing Isabelle A. from Possession because it’s so played out to references that but I really can’t think of anything else on this same level
Me and my sister are wanting to see this, what is it like, is it worth the hype or not?
Also i’m not massively into Horror as i’m quite sensitive so how graphic is it? (I haven’t read about it because of spoilers)
I’ve been watching the guys they made this for years. Happy for them
I just heard that it cost 15m to buy the rights, and a solid couple mil for marketing likely – so it’s not insane but it’s still extremely impressive, and I’ll be seeing it tomorrow!
Honestly the creepiest movie for me since When Evil Lurks. Both leaves you with just absolute dread and heaviness. And I appreciate the creator keeping yelling out that Bear is the villian.
Also, seeing Corey from Teen Wolf becoming such a dynamic actor is crazy lol…but if Amy Madigan can get awards love then Miss Inde deserves it tenfold.
So happy for Inde getting the recognition she deserves. She was awesome in Superman & Lois.
The trailer was pretty misleading as to the actual tone of the film. It was actually very upsetting, loved it.
If X’s song aint in this then why watch it😴
I didn’t know too much about this one before seeing it and I was genuinely blown away. The acting, the timing, sound editing, everything was so well done. It was the perfect balance of chilling scenes and comedic relief. I’m really looking forward to seeing Curry Barker’s future projects.
between Obsession, Iron Lung, and Backrooms horror fans seem to be eating good this year I’m so happy. and very excited to see all 3
Im going go see this movie asap
dang, was thinking of maybe going to go see this as a fun treat to myself this week. all these rave reviews are making me think i really gotta!
I went in about 75% blind with only having read a brief synopsis and saw one teaser trailer that revealed basically nothing. I asked my boyfriend if he wanted to see it but told him nothing about it other than it was a horror movie and he didn’t see any trailer so he went in 100% blind.
We were SO glad we didnt read or watch anything else about it. It was SOOO good and we loved it.
I highly highly recommend seeing it and if you haven’t read anything else about it or seen any trailer don’t do it! Just go see it!
Just heard about it tonight and I’m excited to check it out!
For *actual* horror fans and not the “I don’t usually like horror” crowd, is this worth watching? I usually hate horror movies that non-horror fans like so I need to know.
Small indie horror flicks like that (when done well) can be amazing.
Rec (2007), a Spanish horror movie, had a $2M budget and grossed $32M.
I hadn’t heard anything about Obsession until this post but now I’m very intrigued
Good
It was super fun, I genuinely screamed at the car part xD;
I was lucky enough to see Obsession at it’s world premiere at TIFF last Fall before it had been picked up by a distributor… The audience reaction was genuinely crazy. I think we all knew leaving the theatre that night that we had witnessed the next modern Horror classic. It’s been really amazing watching the world fall in love with it as well and *so* satisfying to finally be able to discuss it with friends who I have been hyping it to for months.
Anybody reading this: does this movie like women?