Full Breakdown
Curry Barker's “Obsession”: A Horror Debut and Its Future
5/17/2026, 2:10:08 AM
Plot and Themes
Obsession follows Bear (Michael Johnston), who cracks a One Wish Willow to wish that his friend Nikki (Inde Navarrette) will love him deeply. The wish materializes, turning Nikki into a violent, obsessive force that murders friends and splits between her true self and a possessed persona. Barker frames it as a cautionary study of consent and communication.
Creator Insights
Curry Barker, creator of “That’s A Bad Idea” and *Milk & Serial*, debuted with Obsession and cites a “Treehouse of Horror” episode of *The Simpsons* as inspiration for the Willow. Barker calls premise “a plot hole” because “it totally doesn’t make sense that there’s a world of people just making wishes.” He hints at “Obsession 2, maybe,” and an anthology.
Box Office and Reception
Obsession opened May 15, 2026 in 2,542 U.S. theaters, earning $2.6 million in Thursday previews and $2.6 million in early access. Forecasts projected $14.5 million for the total, behind *The Devil Wears Prada 2* and *Michael*. With a $1 million budget, it has already exceeded its $2.5 million break-even point. It holds 94 % on Rotten Tomatoes, 95 % on Popcornmeter, an A-grade CinemaScore and 8.1/10 on IMDb.
Critical Reception and Gaps
Reviews praise Navarrette’s “scream queen” performance but note uneven gore, with one character receiving extensive blood while another’s death feels “a lazy afterthought.” Andy Richter’s cameo is called “a waste of a comedic legend.” Figures differ—a $14.5 million opening projection versus $2.6 million preview earnings—and scores vary (94 % vs 95 %). The film never explains why a second wish cannot be made.
Verbatim Quotes
- “I mean, it’s kind of a plot hole. It’s something I don’t like to think about too much, because it totally doesn’t make sense that there’s a world of people just making wishes,” — Curry Barker, writer/director
- “Watch on Deadline Barker continued, “If the One Wish Willow actually works, which it does in this lore, and people are just making wishes left and right, there would be some crazy—like, dragons would exist.” — Curry Barker, writer/director
- “Well, we wanted it to feel grounded, and we wanted to really lean into, ‘OK, magic is real in this world, fine. Let’s accept that, let’s move on,'” — Curry Barker, writer/director
- “I think so. I think definitely. But I definitely think that this is a beautiful moment that I think everybody goes through, where you go through something that you don't think that you'll ever have to go through, but you do, and every single day you carry it with you. But also, at the same time, everybody has that, so this is hers.” — Inde Navarrette, actress
What’s Next
Barker will direct the next *Texas Chainsaw Massacre* installment for A24 and stars in the Blumhouse follow-up *Anything But Ghosts*. He also plans to develop the anthology concept, expanding the One Wish Willow mythos into hour-long episodes.
