Every year, the horror genre gifts us one film that sneaks up on everyone. Last year it was Talk to Me. This year, it might be Obsession.
Curry Barker's directorial debut opened this weekend to a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes and the kind of word-of-mouth that money can't buy. The premise—a guy breaks a cursed willow tree to win his crush's heart and gets exactly what he wished for, with horrifying consequences—sounds like classic folk horror meets dark fairy tale.
What's impressive is how Barker pulls it off on a shoestring budget. Obsession cost less than $2 million and was shot in 18 days, yet it's being compared to It Follows and Get Out for its smart premise and execution. That's the sweet spot for horror: low budget, high concept, no stars required.
The cast is led by Michael Johnston and Inde Navarette, neither of whom are household names. That works in the film's favor—audiences can't predict who'll survive based on billing. Andy Richter shows up in a supporting role, which is a delightful curveball.
Early buzz suggests Obsession understands what makes modern horror work: it's less about jump scares and more about dread. The "cursed wish" setup lets Barker explore toxic relationships, obsession (obviously), and the gap between what we want and what we need. That's Monkey's Paw territory, and done well, it's timeless.
The theatrical rollout is small—Obsession opened on fewer than 1,000 screens—but that's how breakout horror films work now. Build momentum through word-of-mouth, let the reviews speak, and watch it snowball. Talk to Me started the same way and ended up making $90 million worldwide.
Whether Obsession reaches those heights remains to be seen, but the ingredients are there. Barker already has his next project lined up—Anything But Ghosts, about ghost hunter con artists who encounter a real entity—which suggests he's serious about building a career in genre filmmaking.
That's the path: make a smart, scary film for nothing, prove you can handle tone and pacing, and suddenly studios take you seriously. Jordan Peele did it. The Talk to Me team did it. Now it's Barker's turn.
In Hollywood, nobody knows anything—except when a 95% Rotten Tomatoes score shows up for a no-budget horror film. Then everyone suddenly knows exactly who to call.
