The Internet’s Obsession

Tuesday night, I saw the viral horror Obsession in theater with four dear friends. After seeing all of the hype online, I had high expectations and went in as my toughest critic. That being said, the writing, plot, direction, and acting exceeded my expectations.

For a movie called Obsession, it’s pretty obvious that the obsession of love will be central to the theme. Nikki (Inde Navarrette) did a phenomenal job performing both as a normal twenty-something year old but also as a possessed, obsessed freak. I was floored by her performance, every time she was on the screen I could not anticipate what she would do next. She was terrifyingly dependent on “Nice Guy” Bear (Michael Johnston), who had an amazing performance as well, and whose character used a “One Wish Willow” purchased at a crystal store to magically force Nikki to love him more than anyone else in the world. 

Good art generates conversation, which is what Obsession succeeded in doing. Across TikTok, Instagram, and Reddit, users argue who the “real” villain is. Is it the man who desperately wants to be loved? Or is it the woman who is forced to love against her will? I’ll let you, the reader and viewer, make those decisions for yourself. Whichever way you decide, I believe this conversation is reflective of deeper, gendered issues. 

This genre of horror, of being stuck in a trance-like state, has become increasingly popular over past years. We’ve seen it in similar films such as Don’t Worry Darling, Get Out, and Companion. Even more so, we’ve seen this new branch of “Incel Horror,” where young women are faced with the horror of men who obtain the power to physically, mentally, or emotionally control them.

These horror movie tropes are not a coincidence. All horror movies are reflections of what the current pop culture finds taboo. In a time where accessibility to people is so easy, where young men are pushed further and further into “red-pill” content, or the learned hatred of women by other men on the internet, “looksmaxing” trends encouraging teens to break their bones to appear more attractive, romance and attraction have turned into something ugly and, at times, frightening. 

I was a little nervous that the whole obsessed girlfriend thing would quickly grow tiresome and redundant. However, the pacing was brilliant and kept me engaged the entire time. Director Curry Barker rode the knife’s edge of horror and a tantalizing glimpse of the affection Bear had been dreaming of. The audience watches Bear grapple with the justification of his wish as Nikki descends deeper and deeper into madness. 

Possession is believable as Nikki stalks Bear, standing in the corner of his room, her face contorted by Barker’s editing. I was terrified watching, as she uncannily smiled and moved about the room in an other-worldly fashion. The dark lighting and camera pans from Bear’s perspective were eerie and made me nervous that I was seeing her face in the corner of my room that night. That’s a sign of effective scaring!

Quickly, the dynamic becomes violent and dangerous. We see the gradual increase until the final climax, which was equal parts shocking and riveting. I was so appalled but I could not look away. Allie Shehorn, head of special effects makeup, created convincing and disturbing wounds that had me cringing in my seat as the camera forced the audience to view them in close up shots.

Cinematographer Taylor Clemons had impressive camerawork which complimented Barker’s directorial eye, with memorable shots including filming inside the car and several creepy wide shots of Nikki in the corner of Bear’s room watching him sleep (totally normal!).

One thing I will say about Nikki and her behaviors is that I found a lot of them surprisingly humorous. Maybe it was that I was sitting in a packed theater surrounded by my friends and other young people, but when “Freaky Nikki” started to come forward, it was so outlandish at first it really did make me laugh. According to some of my other friends who had seen the movie without me, they did not share this humor at all. To each their own! 

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and would recommend it to any horror enjoyer. That being said, if horror is not your typical genre, it’s not so frightening that you’ll have to watch Obsession through squinted eyes. If you have a cat, some scenes might be particularly gruesome. 

It was so lovely to see the theater packed on a Tuesday night, and I hope that films like Obsession continue to be made to bring quality back to the theater. Disagree or want to give your opinion? Email it to me at gillian@rocklandcountytimes.com to be featured in the Viewpoints section next week!