Every year there are horror movie releases that are well received by the public and are deemed horror movie of the year. This time around, it’s YouTuber-turned-filmmaker Curry Barker’s “Obsession”, and will most likely go down as one of the best movies of the year, if not the definitive best.

The movie pulls off everything that it went for and exceeds expectations for a critical and financial success of a film. With a million dollar budget, the movie is a testament of how the genre of horror is ever-growing. The premise was simple but played out in a clever and original way courtesy Barker’s direction and storytelling. 

The cautionary tale finds main character Bear, played by Michael Johnston in a tough, yet relatable position in which he struggles to confess his love to Nikki played by Inde Navarrette. Taking the easy way out, Bear makes an unwilling wish come true on a One Wish Willow toy which leads to the classic premise of being careful what you wish for. What follows is a tense exploration of love, obsession and unintended consequences.

Part of what made the movie play out as well as it did was its authenticity and themes. It played into real modern fears, one of them being the fear of being cringe and the confession of love. It tread the line of being comedic and being extremely unnerving by playing into these fears tactically. 

It’s unapologetically weird at times, and that’s what makes the film unpredictable. The unpredictability creates a tension that most horror movies fail to come up with. The movie leaves the viewer thinking if the movie will play into the comedy or the horror scene after scene. 

The movie wouldn’t have been as successful without Navarrette in what could be the performance of the year. Navarrette goes full scream queen as Nikki, the possessed love interest in the film, being able to switch from freaky to absolutely terrifying. The performance finds a way to match the movie’s seamless combination of campiness and jaw dropping scares. 

Johnston also holds his own with Navarette as Bear, a character that’s in an awkward yet relatable position to some. Both of them manage to sell every scene they are in with chemistry any director could wish for.

Barker is one of many YouTubers taking a swing at big screen horror films, following in the steps of Michael and Danny Philippou’s “Talk to Me”, and Kane Parsons upcoming “Backrooms”.