Obsesssion = 8.5/10
I went to see "Obsession" on 05/18/2026. I had high expectations because of the 94% on Rotten Tomatoes as well as the 8.2 rating on IMDB (which is the score as of my writing). I'd say the movie was able to meet my expectations to a fair degree.
There are some extremely creepy and disturbing moments. I won't spoil anything by listing those moments or describing them too much. But there's one special scene where the main character Bear wakes up at 3:45AM. What happens in that scene is nothing short of pulse-racing: in terms of horror, it's on the same level as the final act in the movie "Hereditary."
In addition, there are some miminalistic shots that will make you unsettled. I'm referring to, for example, the lingering shots of Inde Navarrette's character as she smiles fixatedly, or the scenes where she talks to Bear while she stands in the shadows. Overall -- even as a horror movie veteran, I found this movie scary. I give the movie a ton of credit for that achievement.
Moreover, the movie wins some points for the casting and acting too. Michael Johnston looks exactly the part -- not ugly, not handsome: just a completely average, nondescript dude. You can see how he would end up friend-zoned, leading him to wish for his crush to like him.
As for Inde Navarrette - I was skeptical at first about her. She's cute in an innocent, child-like manner; she looks like a Disney/Nickelodeon figure. I was thus wondering if she could pull off this role in this horror. And I think she does. Her screams are convincing; her alternating facial expressions and behavioral quirks are impressive.
A minor role goes to Cooper Tomlinson as Bear's bestie. I found his scenes to be a highlight. He's like a blend of Sean William Scott and Sean Astin . The movie could've done more with his character infact.
All that said -- the movie makes a few missteps. The biggest issue might be the ending. The writers went with the most obvious exit for the situation created, and I didn't find it completely satisfying ... There are a few kills in the movie; I think most viewers will be able to see both of those kills from a mile away. And truthfully, I found both of those kills to be unnecessary.
In the finale, the movie mistakenly dips into some jarring dark-comedy stuff (e.g. "billion dollars"). There's an especially dumb, poorly-written scene where the main character calls the wishing company on the phone. A few of Nikki's bizarre antics are cliches, like the stuff with the cat. One or two scenes seem to dive into the tired realm of generic demonic-possession movie.
The main character's behavior doesn't seem logical after a certain point. The girl clearly crosses the line from weird to terrifying, and he too often seems too chill about it. Why doesn't he tell others (e.g. police)? Why isn't he more scared? Why does he keep trying to talk to her as if she's a functioning person when he knows otherwise? I get it -- he had to act this way because there wouldn't be a movie if he just went to the police. But it's still a flaw.
There was room to make the main character a lot relatable and sympathetic. After all, he's just a lonely guy who likes a girl out of his league, and he had no way to know that the wish object would really work . But by midway point, his behavior removes any chance of relatability and sympathy, as he keeps trying to make his twisted arrangement work. At that point, the reaction becomes less of "poor guy" and more "what a scumbag." Thereby, the movie missed a chance to offer more emotional depth
The characters are all young. They're submitting college applications, so I figure they're in the 18-22 age range. I often wondered where their parents were. How does the main character live on his own with a retail job salary?
Still though -- a very good movie.
8.5/10.