Everything you need to know about ‘Obsession’
For all Hollywood’s hand-wringing over dwindling cinema audiences and the supposed death of original storytelling, it must sting to see a horror film made for just $750,000 waltz past $520 million at the worldwide box office. That’s Obsession for you! No star-studded cast, no famous franchise to fall back on, yet it’s managed to make some of Hollywood’s most expensive productions look like terrible investments.
The man responsible for this 2026 horror hit is Curry Barker, a 26-year-old filmmaker whose journey from serving coffee at Starbucks to becoming Hollywood’s latest horror darling sounds like a dramatic story that can be a film in itself. After cutting his teeth on YouTube, Barker took Obsession to the Toronto International Film Festival, where Focus Features acquired it for $14 million. The film went on to become the distributor’s highest-grossing release in history.
And the premise behind all this lunacy… Oh, it’s just so simple: A young man wishes for his crush to fall in love with him, only to find out that getting what you want can be an absolute nightmare. Sure, it starts as a harmless wish, but it soon turns into something diabolical, and you can’t help but wish that the man had been a bit more careful about what he wished for.
And after making an absolute killing at the box office, Obsession is finally heading to Netflix US now, so if you missed all the fuss in cinemas, here’s what you’re getting into.
What is Obsession about?
Being madly in love with someone when you haven’t even worked up the nerve to tell them is one of the worst feelings in the world, but most people take the heartbreak on the chin and move on with their lives. Not our Bear Bailey (Michael Johnston), though! The poor guy works at a music store and has spent ages pining after his friend Nikki until a strange little contraption called the “One Wish Willow” gives him the chance to make her fall in love with him. And being the lovesick fool he is, Bear decides to give it a go rather than face the terrifying prospect of telling her how he feels.
Well, one broken wishing stick later, Nikki is head over heels for him, but this is not the romance our poor Bear was expecting! Her affection, just like the title, turns into a disturbing obsession, and Bear soon discovers that being someone’s whole world isn’t quite the romantic dream he thought it would be.
Who stars in Obsession?
Michael Johnston, whom viewers might recognise from Teen Wolf, takes the lead as Bear, while Superman & Lois actress Inde Navarrette takes on the role of Nikki, whose obsession with Bear turns their supposed love story into a nightmare.
Joining them are Cooper Tomlinson as Bear’s best friend Ian, Megan Lawless as Sarah and comedian Andy Richter as Bear’s boss, Carter Harper. No massive Hollywood names here, which makes the film’s box-office triumph all the sweeter.
When is Obsession coming to Netflix?
Mark November 17th on your calendar, because that’s when Obsession makes its Netflix US debut. The film first arrived in American cinemas on May 15th, and its forthcoming Netflix release will give another wave of viewers the opportunity to discover Barker’s horror phenomenon.