Obsession (2026)

The review praises Barker's direction of a simple 'be careful what you wish for' premise that exceeds expectations by making viewers more afraid to be the perpetrator than the victim. It positions the film as one of 2026's best horror movies.

Barker turns the 'be careful what you wish for' trope into a blistering horror with escalating tension, carnage, and unease from the start. It praises Navarrette's wild, committed performance (channeling Possession) and the effective cinematography and editing.

The critic praises the film for freshening up the well-worn 'Monkey's Paw' horror formula with a skillful mix of dread, jump scares, and dark comedy, marking an instant breakout for director-writer Curry Barker. The lead performances are highlighted, especially Inde Navarrette's intense and frightening turn as the possessed love interest.

The critic finds Barker's horror a fresh and exhilarating twist on the 'be careful what you wish for' trope, praising its blackly funny and gory take on unhealthy infatuations. Navarrette's performance as the increasingly unhinged Nikki is singled out as sensational, with her outlandish actions providing many of the film's finest moments.

The critic finds it a truly effective psychological horror that marks the theatrical debut of a singular horror vision. She singles out the lead performances, especially Inde Navarrette as Nikki, along with the director’s moody colour grading, grip on scare timings and sparing but effective use of gore.

The film is praised as a clever, low-budget horror that intelligently explores consent themes with innovative direction and a standout gory scare. It is sincere, fresh and darkly funny, raising questions about Barker's potential with bigger resources.

Barker's horror is an astute and entertainingly schlocky study of romantic co-dependency and patriarchal entitlement that subverts familiar wish-fulfillment tropes. Johnston and Navarrette impress in the central romance-gone-wrong dynamic.

The critic praises this debut feature from YouTuber-turned-filmmaker Curry Barker as a slick, effective upgrade from his viral shorts, delivering a cannily handled monkey's-paw premise about a wish for love gone wrong. They single out the lead performance by Inde Navarrette for its chilling transformation and the film's visceral, gory shocks and sound design.

The critic finds the film an entertainingly nasty twist on romcom conventions that descends into disturbing psycho-horror. Navarrette's bold performance as the possessed love interest stands out amid some visual clichés.

The critic finds the film a clever and creepy take on the monkey's paw trope applied to modern relationships, praising its unnerving execution and standout performance by Inde Navarrette. They highlight the director's skillful blend of horror and commentary on codependency.

The critic praises Barker's skill at lingering in awkward, ambiguous conversations to build tension and discomfort, along with the confident execution of chilling set pieces and gory sequences. The film is positioned as a cautionary tale about the perils of wishing for one-sided love rather than genuine connection.

The critic finds the film an effective horror take on obsessive love, praising Navarrette's instantly classic performance as the terrifying Nikki and Barker's command of style and pace. The premise is familiar but executed with dread and violence that elevates it.

The film channels 2020s cultural anxieties into a cruel, unsettling horror morality tale with grotesque imagery and destabilizing rhythm. Navarrette's powerhouse performance is highlighted, though the lack of a female perspective limits its thematic depth.

The film blends genres effectively, mixing bloody violence with awkward humour and visceral horror through strong performances, especially Inde Navarrette's dual-natured Nikki. It holds a troubling mirror to male fears and desires but has some flaws in subtlety, pacing and one cartoonish murder scene.

The film has a clever premise about obsessive love as a curse but reduces intriguing ideas to genre clichés and does little with deeper notions of desire. It praises Navarrette's performance for making the character's unpredictability believable and the claustrophobic focus on the central relationship.

The critic calls it one of the year's best films overall and a standout horror, highlighting its unpredictable twisted turns, strong lead performances especially Inde Navarrette's star-making turn, and effective direction that balances discomfort, scares, and dark humor.

The critic calls it a well-crafted efficient horror thriller, an incredible version of an old story, indicator of talent and an absolute treat. Praises performances, especially Navarrette, and production design.

The critic calls it the freshest and most terrifying horror film of the year so far. They single out Inde Navarrette’s fearless, unsettling performance as Nikki (transformed into an obsessive, nightmarish figure) for particular praise, alongside Barker’s sharp dialogue, sparse lighting, and innovative sound design that creates effective jump-scares.

The critic describes the film as a confident crowd-pleaser that smartly avoids sympathy for its entitled protagonist. They single out Inde Navarrette's astonishing, star-making performance as the monstrous femme for particular praise.

The critic praises the film as an innovative, secular take on possession horror that avoids typical Exorcist ripoffs by framing it as a monkey's-paw wish story. They single out Inde Navarrette's bravura performance as the possessed character for creating a mix of fear and pity.

The critic highlights the exploration of emotional entitlement and 'nice guy' dangers, excellent performances especially Navarrette's, strong direction, sound design, and pacing. It's emotionally devastating psychological horror.

The critic praises Curry Barker's sophomore feature as a chilling horror breakout that establishes his style, while highlighting Inde Navarrette's performance as solidifying her status as a scream queen in the making. Navarrette's chilling, unpredictable portrayal of the possessed Nikki—with its demonic mood swings and creepy mannerisms—is singled out for praise as terrifying and exhilarating.

The critic praises the fresh take on the premise, focusing on desire and possession, with standout performances by Navarrette and Johnston, and emotional specificity in the horror. Minor issues with pacing in the second act.

The critic calls it a gruesome, darkly funny two-hander about obsession, control, and the horror of getting exactly what you asked for. They single out the lead performances for turning toxic love into a grotesque nightmare and for sharp commentary on poisonous relationships.