Critic Reviews

Shot in perennial murk, relentless in its cruel focus, Obsession is, at its heart, a deathly serious film with a troubling message to convey. Well worth enduring (if that’s the word).

By the end, Obsession proves itself far smarter, crueler, and more emotionally devastating than its straightforward title initially suggests.

Through the increasingly ghastly parade of grotesqueries, Barker sharply comments on poisonous relationships.

Through clever cinematography, editing tricks, and a cast that’s fully committed to the director’s unnerving vision, Barker reimagines a classic horror idea for a new generation.

This isn’t a movie of easy cynicism or a snide middle finger to horror-movie tradition – it is a finely calibrated shock to a system that Barker obviously grew up worshipping.

What makes Obsession so fun, and so disturbing, is how it takes typical aspects of dysfunctional romantic relationships to initially comic and then horrific extremes.

Curry Barker’s astute horror takes the simple, familiar premise of a love-sick man attempting to win the object of his affections and shapes it into an incisive, entertainingly schlocky study of romantic co-dependency, patriarchal entitlement and the all-too-easy subversion of good intentions.

The film has a disarmingly analog tone, from the almost 4:3 aspect ratio and deeply textured visual style, to the often dizzying retro-inspired synthy score. Obsession feels handmade in the best sense.

A deliriously pointed cautionary tale about the perils of getting what you want, and an instant contender for classic midnight-movie status.

Have I got a movie for you—a next gen Fatal Attraction that turns dating into a bloody horror show, makes a star out of Inde Navarrette, and announces newbie filmmaker Curry Barker as the most perversely fierce and funny voice in erotic thrillers since Brian De Palma .