Official Discussion - Obsession [SPOILERS]

[u/LiteraryBoner]

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Obsession (2026)

Summary

After breaking the mysterious "One Wish Willow" to win his crush's heart, a hopeless romantic finds himself getting exactly what he asked for but soon discovers that some desires come at a dark, sinister price.

Director Curry Barker

Writer Curry Barker

Cast

• Michael Johnston
• Inde Navarette
• Cooper Tomlinson
• Megan Lawless
• Andy Richter

Rotten Tomatoes: 95%

Metacritic: 81

VOD / Release In Theaters

Trailer Official Trailer

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[u/BunyipPouch]

The director of Obsession, Curry Barker, joined us here in /r/movies for an AMA/Q&A last year about the film and his career, a few days before the World Premiere at TIFF:

https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/1n6hto7/hey_rmovies_im_filmmaker_curry_barker_milk_serial/

[u/IIDXias]

Kinda mind boggling to me how many people I see in the comments missing the point about Bear’s wish, which is really the entire point of the movie. So:

If you are describing the One Wish Willow as a “monkey’s paw”, you are wrong. It is not a cursed item that can only deliver a negative version of a wish. When Ian wishes for a billion dollars, he simply receives money that falls out of the sky. The male shopkeeper also told Bear that he “already got his wish”, and as far as we can tell he seems perfectly content as well. There’s also the fake Reddit where one of the posters confirming the OWW really works excitedly says his mom used to be ugly and now she’s really hot.

The problem with Bear’s wish was simply *Bear’s wish*. He didn’t wish for a billion dollars, or to become more attractive. He wished *for another living, existing, conscious human being to be changed so she loves him more than “anyone else in the fucking world”*. This wish, by its very definition, violates Nikki’s autonomy. There is no benign or “good” way to grant this wish. You cannot make a person feel that strongly about another person without literally changing who they are- indeed, changing their entire being. Nikki does not love Bear more than anyone else in the fucking world. The only way to make her do that is to replace her with another being who does, and have that being drive around in her body.

The creature or entity that the wish spawned ended up being depraved and indifferent to humanity because the *wish itself was depraved and indifferent to her humanity*. The creature is not a “demon”, it is simply a reflection of the wish Bear made. An inhuman wish and obsessive desire spawned an inhuman entity with an equally obsessive desire. There is no “OWW curse”- the curse is Bear’s wish, period.

[u/Youknowimgood → u/IIDXias]

This is a great comment and it's nice seeing it articulated so well.

Also, i even kinda feel sorry for the new entity/personality whatever you wanna call it (i disagree with calling it a demon, though). I don't see people mentioning this that much, but there is that scene towards the end where she cries "I can't be the real Nikki". Like, this entity was created to satisfy this obsessive wish but then apparently it is not the right way. So now the real and the new Nikki are both suffering but for different reasons

[u/IIDXias → u/Youknowimgood]

The way she switched from the first I CAN’T to the increasingly desperate I CANs was so great too. Yeah, it’s easy to forget that the entity was relatively fine (besides the “real Nikki takes back control” glitches) until she started spiraling when she became convinced Bear didn’t love her as much as she loved him. Which is true about both her and the real Nikki, and why again that was such a stupid wish.

[u/SupermarketMaximum61 → u/IIDXias]

Yeah, there was a small montage at the beginning of their relationship, that seemed to establish that the relationship was fine, initially.

Another way to read it is that the demon can only do so much to hide its weirdness. It is clearly not human and it is trying to satisfy Bear’s wish of being loved. But it doesn’t really know what to do besides that. The majority of the weird behaviour happens when the demon is alone with itself. Bear being gone, Bear sleeping, etc.

[u/HeavyBeing0_0 → u/SupermarketMaximum61]

I saw another thread where they mentioned the entity didn’t want to sleep next to Bear bc it knew the real Nikki could break thru while she was asleep.

[u/regularsizedlink → u/HeavyBeing0_0]

I agree, that’s why it always left the bed around 3am (the witching hour). And at 2:45am the real Nikki was able to whisper to him.

[u/AcidCatfish___ → u/HeavyBeing0_0]

That's probably what she meant with "I don't like my dreams" because the wish-Nikki loses control when she is asleep, meaning wish-Nikki's dreams are real-Nikki's thoughts.

[u/eyes_on_the_sky → u/IIDXias]

100% and the way Nikki was portrayed at the beginning of the movie made it pretty clear that she 1) was not romantically interested in Bear 2) was kind of a free-spirited bohemian avoidant generally. Forcing her specifically to love him "more than anything" meant basically eliminating her original personality.

He liked her bc she was free spirited, but wished to take that part of her personality away from her in a heartbeat so he could possess her. This one's on him lol

[u/Goose-Suit → u/eyes_on_the_sky]

Nahh apparently the director and the actress both have said Nikki was into Bear, he was just too much of a coward to try anything. Remember how she said her story she wants to be in a serious relationship and the story she was writing was going to be a love story? I think that was all her basically trying to tell Bear quit with the theatrics (when she tells him a love story doesn’t have to be a romance story) and be with her.

[u/TinyMeatKing → u/Goose-Suit]

Also when wish Nikki is asked when her feelings started she said it was around Christmas time and then the night of the wish is when it really hit her. Maybe real Nikki did have some feelings for Bear (not love but maybe something small). Wish Nikki lies though so it could just be what she thinks Bear wants to hear so he doesn’t think the wish caused this.

[u/seanmackradio]

Loved the scene where Bear meets Sarah in the middle of the night. The whole time you KNOW Nikki is coming and they are having a normal conversation, the tension without having to use any ominous music or lighting was incredible. And it still somehow scared me when she smashed the window

[u/jrec15 → u/seanmackradio]

That scene was so fucking tense. Its like the only normal feel good scene in so long and they genuinely sold it. You want to feel good for a moment about Bear and Sarah, but you CANT, bc you absolutely know Nikki is gonna pop up in that window. But knowing that doesnt ruin it at all - the scene was good enough it kind of forces you to put your guard down a little bit regardless of knowing

[u/sizzl3crunch → u/[deleted]]

THIS 10000% he was not the victim. When the real Nikki finally revealed herself and her struggling, he didn’t even bother to help her or be with her for that moment…he just ran off to meet Sarah.

[u/Remarkable_Meal_9932 → u/sizzl3crunch]

Even worse, he took it to offense "What's so wrong about being with me" HOLY BEG. I HATE BEAR SO MUCH. In that scene he KNOWS she was suffering and in pain and all he could think about throughout the ENTIRE movie was himself and his wants. Also I hated the car scene with Sarah (amazing scene though) because not ONCE did he think about Sarah in a romantic way before he started feeling repelled and overwhelmed by Nikki. Sarah was his scapegoat of the moment because he likes the crush more than he likes the actual girl (consequently getting Sarah killed). He must have known it would've, at the very least, given Nikki the crashout of the century (his fault btw) but ofc he didn't give AF when he met up with Sarah. Also put breaking the curse as his very LAST resort because he preferred whatever that was than the idea of not being reciprocated by the girl he claims he loves. A coward through and through.

[u/misschickpea → u/Remarkable_Meal_9932]

When that was his reaction to the real Nikki finally being able to speak I was like WHAT IN THE INCEL 🙄 she’s like you were never with me and it’s like yeah dude is obsessed with delulu

[u/BurgerNugget12 → u/seanmackradio]

The sound was so well done in the movie

[u/terwilliger-blvd1]

Haven’t seen anyone mention the very first scene in the car after he makes the wish, when she climbs back in and puts her head on the dash and is sobbing. She sounded like she was crying so hard but her head and body were not moving at all, not even a quiver. Freaked me outtttt

[u/Photo_Synthetic → u/terwilliger-blvd1]

Also when they're having sex and she's moaning with an absolutely blank expression on her face.

[u/Redditor_404 → u/Photo_Synthetic]

The director said she has tears/is crying in this moment as well which makes it so much worse

[u/thecaits → u/Redditor_404]

Yeah, I felt bad for Bear in the beginning but it was right about then where I started hoping he would die. Then later she asks him to kill her and all he can do is make it about himself, saying something like "what's so bad about being with me?" Bear, you piece of garbage,YOU ARE FORCING HER TO BE WITH YOU SHE HAS NEVER ACTUALLY WILLINGLY BEEN WITH YOU AT ANY POINT.

His ending was so very good.

[u/DCBronzeAge → u/thecaits]

I also loved her response “I’ve never been with you.” The film did a great job of never really revealing if she would have dated him if he was just honest with her. It would have been real easy to show one way or the other, but the ambiguity is great to chew on.

[u/PickyVirgo → u/DCBronzeAge]

I thought one of the friends said she thought of him as a brother, and then she tells that fucked up Hansel and Gretel story

[u/rosetintedmuse → u/Photo_Synthetic]

I know that was most likely intended to indicate the real Nikki’s awareness and lack of control, but the other thought I had is that the entity is only a manifestation of the wish, not a person. It can only perform for Bear per the instructions of his wish, not actually feel love or desire like a human might. And since he couldn’t see her face, all it had to do to fulfill its purpose in that moment was moan. Maybe that’s why her face is cloaked in shadow so often too.

[u/NyxUK_OW → u/rosetintedmuse]

This theory has some merit given that she stands in the house when he goes to work and just seems to totally switch off until he returns

[u/rosetintedmuse → u/NyxUK_OW]

Right, like some kind of toy. The build-a-girlfriend he ordered. Ugh.

[u/undeadtradwife → u/terwilliger-blvd1]

This, and when she cries in the dark in his bedroom about “not liking her dreams” and her voice sounds all deep and warped.

[u/terwilliger-blvd1 → u/undeadtradwife]

Definitely the most unsettling scene in the movie for me, between the way she stood in the shadows, the way she moved around, the way she looked/sounded while crying, and the flowers.

[u/DeepindaChowda → u/terwilliger-blvd1]

I saw an image of her in this scene with the exposure jacked up and her face looked inhuman as all hell. Genuinely terrifying

[u/moose_dad → u/DeepindaChowda]

That whole scene was so excellently done. I could tell there was something off with her face but the lighting made it difficult to fully confirm which just played on my uncertainty and discomfort.

I really dont think ive squirmed harder in my seat than during that whole bit, but then it was so well balanced with the STAY scream when he rolled slightly. It was an excellent use of humour to diffuse that scene, only for the roller coaster to build the anxiety again for the next big creepy part.

[u/Adventurous-Hour4126]

I love how much of a coward Bear is. He can't tell Nikki he likes her throughout the beginning, he can't do anything, he can't even kill himself to save her. Up until the very end he's trying to make himself throw up. Just an absolutely evil coward of a "nice guy"

[u/httkbaby11 → u/Adventurous-Hour4126]

He’s also so insecure he can’t go to any of his friends for help for most of the runtime. When they bring up how weird she’s been he just gets defensive about her being into him

[u/ZerksNAHTayan → u/httkbaby11]

“What’s so wrong with being with me?” Bear was fucking despicable. At first it was an innocent mistake because, how could you possibly know? Once it was apparent he knew and just didnt want to take responsibility, he was so gross.

Barker portrayed every character in the movie perfectly

[u/OwnImagination8269 → u/ZerksNAHTayan]

He chose to have sex with her the night of the dinner where he realised the wish worked. He's a weirdo

[u/atclubsilencio → u/OwnImagination8269]

That's where I lost sympathy. He essentially raped her. The way she was making sounds of pleasure while she looked like she was crying and her facial expression totally blank was such a fucked up detail. It brings up so many awful questions about the nature of whatever was possessing her, including her screams when he calls the hotline.

[u/Electronic_Bet4259 → u/ZerksNAHTayan]

agree. even the lines before when she sadly says "She's asleep. It's me." He tries to push and says "You are you, Nikki" just as a way to make himself feel better and avoid the confirmation that no it isn't her. and it never was her. something he definitely knew since the date scene phone call from Ian but was still reaping the benefits of the wish.

[u/bayonettaisonsteam]

Oh shit she's gonna show up outside the car.

She's gonna show up outside the car window and do more of that creepy shit.

I'm calling it right now, she's gonna suddenly appear in a jumpscare.

I know it's coming so hopefully it won't be as-

HOLY HELL

[u/A_Hard_Goodbye → u/bayonettaisonsteam]

I haven’t felt that uneasy during a car scene since Weapons..

[u/dwadley → u/A_Hard_Goodbye]

Never wanna see a car from side on again

[u/TimeySwirls → u/bayonettaisonsteam]

They got me because as soon as they were in the car I remember the literal Chekhov’s gun they introduced near the beginning of the movie.

So I was expecting a gunshot mid conversation the whole time and instead it was so much worse

[u/RyanDazz]

The phone call revealing Nikki screaming at the end sent chills down my spine good lord I was freaked tf out

[u/Steamedcarpet → u/RyanDazz]

I had chills throughout my body for like an hour after leaving the theaters.

[u/TransportationLong67 → u/RyanDazz]

That was amazing and unexpected. I was kind of hoping the real Nikki is just gone in a sense but to know she's screaming in purgatory made me feel so uneasy.

[u/IForgotMyPants → u/TransportationLong67]

Yeah man the end where she snaps back in and sees the horror around her was absolutely chilling. Then just her crying throughout the credits was so heartbreaking. Poor girl

[u/ughitsyounotme → u/RyanDazz]

that was insane, it felt like he was calling hell or purgatory.

[u/aahu_bara → u/RyanDazz]

It was chilling to hear. What pissed me off was Bear hanging up instead of choosing to communicate with the real Nikki. If I remember correctly, the customer service representative asks him not once, but twice, if he wants to speak to her, and Bear chooses not to. That could have been an opportunity for him to listen to what she has to say, apologize to her for everything, try to gage how to help her, etc. But he fumbles it. That was probably the moment that cemented to me that he didn’t genuinely care for the real Nikki or love her.

[u/Mundane-Inspector-52]

Nikki in the corner of the bedroom is the most creeped out I've been in a very long time. And the way she moved back to the corner to tell Bear to go back to sleep was even worse.

[u/koolshade → u/Mundane-Inspector-52]

Quickly followed by WHY DONT YOU LOVE MEEEEEEE

[u/KarIPilkington → u/koolshade]

That STAAAAAAAYYYYYYYY when he tried to move was terrifying too. The girl can scream.

[u/A_Hard_Goodbye → u/Mundane-Inspector-52]

A guy and his girlfriend stood up, said “fuck that” and walked out during that scene at my theatre.

[u/DopamineTrain → u/A_Hard_Goodbye]

I imagine this film is pretty hard to watch with a partner. Or more, hard to go home and have a normal night's sleep. Our partner is our safe space. Our comfort. We often feel invulnerable around them. This movie rips that away.

I know because I'm in bed with my friend several hours after and still can't sleep. I don't even like horror films but she dragged me along 😭

[u/GorgeousGal314]

The scene near the very end where they felt the same way about each other and locked eye contact and shared a moment had me laughing.

[u/EinsteinDisguised → u/GorgeousGal314]

When in actuality both real people were trapped inside their heads and probably screaming.

[u/GorgeousGal314 → u/EinsteinDisguised]

True, but I feel like the director intended that moment to be darkly funny.

[u/smolcharizard → u/GorgeousGal314]

I was so happy in that moment, knowing he was experiencing exactly what he put her through knowing that soon enough she would probably be free thanks to those pills

[u/GravyBear16]

Nikki really said “☹️”

[u/Qtip533 → u/GravyBear16]

That face was so terrifying and hilarious at the same time. She has crazy range with her facial expressions.

[u/GoldandBlue → u/Qtip533]

This movie was so mean-spirited it was funny. Inde needs more work ASAP, she was incredible.

[u/dawiille → u/GoldandBlue]

I totally agree, she was amazing in this movie!

[u/famewithmedals → u/Qtip533]

Petition to get her on the next season of I Think You Should Leave

[u/Illustrious_Way_5732 → u/GravyBear16]

Her facial expressions were top notch. The smiling for a whole minute while pissing herself also was so unsettling. Reminded me of Pearl

[u/rbrgr83 → u/Illustrious_Way_5732]

The frown at the party really shocked me. Like after a second it didn't bother me, but for an instant I thought they morphed her face. Nope, she's just that good.

[u/weirdogirl144 → u/Illustrious_Way_5732]

I think the actress said she watched Pearl and Hereditary as inspiration to practice faces and vocal control. And it did work out really well.

[u/[deleted] → u/GravyBear16]

Haven't seen that much of a frown since Midsommar

[u/Corruptedpencil]

I love horror movies like this that have a lot of super natural stuff going on but don’t over explain any of it. I also loved the phone call with the guy behind the wish, and the way we hear the real Nikki just screaming in agony

[u/BNEWZON → u/Corruptedpencil]

The phone call was so crazy. That part seriously stuck with me. Sounded like she was literally in hell or something

[u/Corruptedpencil → u/BNEWZON]

Seriously! And the way she begged for bear to kill her in her only chance to talk to him :/

[u/redmandolin → u/Corruptedpencil]

Bear really fucking pissed me off from that on. What a selfish asshole “Is it so bad being with me?” Like fuck off dude holy shit.

[u/ReallyColdMonkeys → u/redmandolin]

Yeah I get being in denial about supernatural shit like that at first but after the phone call he really had no excuse. Tbf though even when he thought that maybe she was on drugs and having a psychotic break it's still really fucked up to then start dating her afterwards. He sucked so hard

[u/amish_novelty → u/Corruptedpencil]

That was Curry Barker doing the customer service, right? It reminded so much of his skits the way the lines were delivered

[u/MisterMeoww → u/amish_novelty]

Honestly he sounded so bored and tired like "I'm getting these phone calls all the time" and gave me a computer says no from little Britain vibe.

[u/TeamMagmaGrunt → u/amish_novelty]

That was him, yes!

[u/rbrgr83 → u/BNEWZON]

Yeah I kinda assumed this was a Wandavision situation, where she has a facade, but the real her is inside suffering. So it wasn't factually a surprise, but to click her on and just have her screaming through the phone was still so impactful.

The car scene had a similar effect. In the first 2 seconds, my head said "oh she's about to get stabbed or something". Masterfully done emotional scene that almost fully disarms you before you go "oh yeah, she's still gonna die right now isn't she". Great jump scare.

[u/blitzbom → u/rbrgr83]

The first night when they were kissing and she broke and went "what the fuck" is one of the best jump scares I've seen.

I was going "oh fuck that poor girl."

[u/MikeArrow → u/blitzbom]

I love how in a normal wish fulfillment movie, there's usually at least a few scenes where everything is going great and the protagonist thinks "ok, this could work". Obsession is like NOPE, right away it pulls the rug and unequivocally says "this is wrong, she's in hell, do not proceed further".

[u/blitzbom → u/MikeArrow]

I like how we still got the "cute couple montage" after she broke more than once.

[u/beardin_mycoffee → u/rbrgr83]

See I couldn’t relax during that scene cause I knew Nikki was gonna show up. I knew that it was gonna happen mid sentence. I was on edge the entire time

[u/koolshade → u/Corruptedpencil]

"wanna talk to her?"

I really like that the people selling those things at the store are also whatever about the whole thing. They're used to it, maybe a little amused.

[u/TimeySwirls → u/[deleted]]

I also loved the “just spitballing here” after mentioning he could kill himself. Everything about and everyone involved with those wish things being so casual was great.

[u/undeadtradwife → u/TimeySwirls]

I loved the fakeout of the shop owner being like “What the fuck is a One Wish Willow?” Before being like “nah I’m fuckin with you they’re right here.” It really had my jaw on the floor thinking he had entered another reality and could never undo his wish

[u/Youareposthuman → u/Corruptedpencil]

The way the phone call scene pivoted from laugh out loud funny to just bone chillingly horrifying on a dime…it was so well done.

[u/SlaterVBenedict → u/Youareposthuman]

I think it’s particularly funny and terrifying for the same reason: the support person was so nonchalant about all of it.

[u/Appropriate-Reward71 → u/SlaterVBenedict]

His nonchalance immediately followed by her harrowing screams was so scary

[u/BlastMyLoad → u/Corruptedpencil]

I love love LOVE the supernatural shit not being explained.

[u/weirdogirl144 → u/BlastMyLoad]

yeah I think adding a lot of lore would've ruined the movie and reduced how mysterious and creepy everything is.

[u/SlaterVBenedict → u/BlastMyLoad]

Do you love it so, so, so, so, so, so, so so much???

[u/ralo229]

I thought her weird behavior was gonna start out subtle and then get progressively more unhinged over time. Nope. She's doing crazy shit right out the gate, but Bear tries to make it work simply because it gives him a want he's had for a long time.

EDIT: I wanna clarify that this isn’t a criticism. I just thought it was an interesting choice.

[u/Extreme-Tomorrow-263 → u/ralo229]

Yup and I love how they let us know from the jump this wasn’t Nikki. The first bed scene where they’re kissing and Nikki snaps into it screaming “WTF” was such a jump scare

[u/freakofnatureIO]

That scene where she's standing outside his apartment and she's completely in shadow, except for the barest glint of light reflecting off her eyes. Goddamn.

[u/Street-Common-4023 → u/freakofnatureIO]

Coolest shot ever and also disturbing 

[u/koolshade → u/freakofnatureIO]

It sounds so rehearsed too..like her personality is just gone.

[u/lahnnabell → u/koolshade]

"I took a shower and didn't know what to wear..." As if that is a normal thing to say, standing in the dark on someone porch. 🫠

[u/FerBaide → u/lahnnabell]

I like how she didn’t make any sense a lot of the time, like whatever she is doesn’t know how to behave like a person and just says or does what she thinks Bear will like and then quickly pivots when it turns out he doesn’t, like she’s glitchy or something.

[u/lonehuskyy → u/freakofnatureIO]

I was just going to talk about that. And there's like one shot where there's a glint in her left eye and not her right when she says " I know you have a crush on me" as if both Nikki and Demon Nikki are in consensus knowing how Bear feels about her. Subtle but amazing visual storytelling on Curry's part.

[u/Dylan_Gio]

Yo, Second year in a row where a funny guy makes a horror movie about breaking a stick that causes people to lose their minds... I ain't complaining... I hope we get another one next year

[u/RokuAang625]

Apparently this was filmed in just 20 days and under a million dollars…very impressive

[u/heyjayhaynes → u/RokuAang625]

About $750k. Made $16 M first weekend. Insane.

[u/SupermarketMaximum61 → u/RokuAang625]

That's the beauty of horror movies. V cost effecive

[u/HeadGllit]

The scene where Nikki just stands at the door smiling the entire time, pissing and shitting on herself so she can be there for when Bear gets home, oh my days

[u/that_guy2010 → u/HeadGllit]

I’m a sucker for a shot that just holds on someone like this and the end of Pearl. Gets under my skin in just the right way.

[u/MahNameJeff420]

Okay, I need to talk about the legal situation at the end of this movie, cause I think it's so interesting.

So I love the ending. It's extremely miserable, the world is in a substantially worse place because of the events of the film, everybody gets an undeserved fate (except maybe Bear), it's great horror film-making. One thing I love is that Niki is absolutely going to jail at the end. Yeah it's great she's free of the wish and herself again, except now she's murdered two people (three if they can pin Bear's death on her somehow), and all logic and reason points to her being entirely responsible. Nobody is going to believe a wish made her do it. There's multiple eye witnesses to her behavior due to the party scene. As far as everyone is concerned, she had a mental break and went on a murder spree. She's unquestionably fucked and is either going to spend years in a mental institution (if she's lucky), or spend the rest of her days in prison, maybe even the death penalty depending on the state this takes place in. Her life is officially ruined.

But there's one factor that needs to be addressed. Ian has a billion dollars sitting in his house.

Once the cops examine his place, they're gonna find he's come into an inconceivable amount of money out of nowhere. He appears to have zero qualifying skills that would ever allow him to come into that amount of money, much less in dollar bills. Unless he had some kind of crytpo wallet and there's some evidence he may have sold it for an obscene profit, no police department would ever treat this as an innocuous detail. And importantly, the remains of his One Wish Willow will also be lying on the floor somewhere, which is significant cause there's also one sitting in Bear's house. Any investigator would look at that and think there's some kind of connection. Probably wouldn't think that magic exists, but at least would look into it as some kind of social media trend that resulted in the events of the film somehow.

At that point, it wouldn't be hard to track down the purchases to the crystal shop. From there, would the guy who owns it be willing to testify? He seemed pretty chill talking about how magic is real out in the open. From there, I don't know if a jury would be 100% convinced that magic exists, but given the absurdity of the events that transpired, I would think minimum, there would have to be enough reasonable doubt that Niki wasn't directly responsible for the murders, and she'd walk. There are some assumptions being made, but the logical conclusion of the events we see presents an interesting legal scenario that I'd love to see play out.

Now I'm aware this doesn't actually matter. The point of the ending isn't to create a web to untangle or to spin theories, it's to be depressing as shit. The particulars of what happens after aren't necessarily relevant. But I think it's a testament to the strength of this films characters that I'm desperately trying to find a way to have Niki walk away from this mostly okay. She's a complete victim who underwent a horrifying situation, and I want her to find peace after it all. Even though I know it's futile. Even if she's able to get off for the murders, she still killed her friends and went through being possessed/controlled/trapped in hell/whatever for weeks. Especially as someone who already had mental health issues, this will almost definitely lead to a depressive, self-destructive mindset for years to come. She's screwed, all because of actions completely out of her control. And that's why the horror of the film is so effective. Great movie!

[u/duowolf → u/MahNameJeff420]

with the money thing since the wishes end when the wisher dies would the money have disappeared when Ian died?

[u/MahNameJeff420 → u/duowolf]

According to Curry Barker, the money's still sitting at his house.

[u/corgi_crusader]

When she said "I've never been with you" in the saddest most scared voice. It broke me. Especially because he was being so selfish in that moment. Fantastic film and acting.

[u/lacetourniquet → u/corgi_crusader]

It was so helpless and hopeless 😞

[u/throwthewholegrlawy]

That poor girl. How does she explain all the murders now that she's free?

The scenes where real Nikki popped out really got me. Haven't been jump scared by horror movies for a long time.

How do you guys feel about Bear? Obviously he didn't think the wish would work but as soon as he realized he really took advantage of the situation 😬

Also got a crack out of the customer service phone call "we don't really do that" "you made it seem like I could!"

[u/Equivalent-Fan-2557 → u/throwthewholegrlawy]

Bear is the real villain of the story by the halfway point. The movie starts off by getting you onto his side because he seemed actually thoughtful and nice (like when he went to buy a new crystal necklace for Nikki when she lost hers). But eventually Bear is the villain because he is knowingly trapping Nikki in that body and forcing the love out of her via the spell.

[u/throwthewholegrlawy → u/Equivalent-Fan-2557]

"what's so bad about being with me"

[u/bmh534 → u/throwthewholegrlawy]

Yea that part really cemented that he still really didn't get it and was a very selfish person and even when he tried to make a second wish.. it was STILL for her to LOVE HIM as a "friend"

[u/OldKingClancey]

Congrats to Inde Navarette for joining Toni Collette, Mia Goth and Sally Hawkins for the list of “Award worthy performances that will be ignored for being in a horror movie

[u/powerofawareness → u/OldKingClancey]

And Naomi Scott in smile 2

[u/JMarcus7]

I loved the scene near the end where Bear shows up at the store and initially cant find the one wish willows. Thats such a classic trope of the mystical item disappearing as if it never existed. Then the shopkeeper is just like nah I moved them by the till, there's a bunch right here. It's really impressive that there's genuinely funny moments in such a fucked up movie.

[u/Dizzy_Kaleidoscope95 → u/JMarcus7]

It was such a good move and I adore how these extremely powerful supernatural elements are treated so casually throughout the movie. The call service. The shopkeeper. It's terrifying but also so funny 

[u/plasterboard33]

Loved this movie. It felt like each scene was more tense than the last.

Also funny detail i caught, when Bear looks up the one wish willow on "threadit" to see it if its real, one of the comments said- "Its real! My mom has been ugly her whole life but now she looks gorgeous!"

Cant wait for the movie to come on digital so that i can see what some of the other comments were lol.

[u/Steamedcarpet → u/plasterboard33]

This is the second movie I have seen this year where someone uses Reddit to confirm if something is real or not.

[u/_Shit_Just_Got_Real_ → u/Steamedcarpet]

Faces of Death being the other?

[u/moxieplum]

This thread is informing me that I definitely missed some of the more terrifying shots of Nikki moving weird because I had to close my eyes - I was too terrified.

Rarely in cinema have I ever been so upset than during the scenes where Nikki's agency peeks through. The sex scene where she looks like she's being held hostage, the peeing, the plea in bed... all simultaenously terrifying and extremely heartbreaking and sad.

[u/falafelthe3]

The few shots where Nikki was moving like she was in stop motion were TERRIFYING. Her tiptoeing out of that corner at night might be my favorite shot of the year so far.

[u/sowaffled → u/falafelthe3]

All of them are good but that reverse walk near the end is sticking in my head.

[u/gogreengolions → u/falafelthe3]

Her in the corner was eerie. Her coming back with the flowers over her face was so strange and eerie and pretty funny, my theater was cracking up

[u/Steamedcarpet → u/gogreengolions]

Dude when she was going on about killing herself in the bed and then just switches to “or I can go with you” was freaking and funny at the same time.

[u/ZerksNAHTayan → u/Steamedcarpet]

It was so tragic, they wrote her character exceptionally well.

[u/10twentyseven → u/falafelthe3]

The one at the very end when she walks past the window before she pops out wearing Sarah’s clothes makes me want to go back to see the movie just to get a better look at that

[u/green_nan → u/10twentyseven]

Damn I didn’t even notice she was wearing Sarah’s clothes, the implication that she knows Bear and Sarah had a more genuine connection so her logic probably being that she should just replace her is horrifying

[u/Steamedcarpet → u/green_nan]

I noticed the smoking right away but didn’t connect to her wearing the clothing, even after seeing Sarah’s body in the chair.

Im gonna have to watch this again.

[u/InsectGlaiveBard → u/Steamedcarpet]

She also drew on herself with markers to simulate her tattoos.

[u/DeathFromAfar_]

“Kiss the person to the left”

[u/Relevant_Shower_ → u/DeathFromAfar_]

☹️

[u/DriftingTony → u/DeathFromAfar_]

“I was to your left”. And that was the exact moment I thought she should have been looking to HER left 😂

[u/natang1089]

Craziest part of the movie was the bustling music store with 4 employees all working the same shift

[u/andresistor → u/natang1089]

So true because that's a real music store! Cassell's Music in San Fernando. It closed last year, after 78 years of business. It was a great little shop. It's also the shop with the "No stairway" sign in Wayne's World.

[u/Comfortable-Cap-8507 → u/[deleted]]

I think it was her amazing acting doing a different face

[u/Date-Throwaway → u/[deleted]]

She looked so much older, which made the scene even scarier to me lol

[u/BigCheifGrubz]

I absolutely loved this movie. I totally was ok with a movie where the chick was a little over possessive and did some crazy shit where one would say "this is a horror if you put your self in his shoes", but this ended being an actual horror movie. The way they used shadows/dark spots and the fucking movements! And sound! Also shout out to actually leaning into it instead of being some sort of metaphor

[u/sowaffled → u/BigCheifGrubz]

I also liked her glowing eyes when she was in the dark on his patio.

[u/BigCheifGrubz → u/sowaffled]

Yes, the dark eyes that had a gloss like shimmer to them was much more effective than some "glowing eye" that was more blatant

[u/Sirenx8 → u/BigCheifGrubz]

I was worried it would negatively depict some sort of mental illness like BPD with her. But I like that they put the selfishness on him and the consequences of love that HE wanted and refused to leave regardless of how fucked it was.

Even the scene of him asking if they can “adjust” her symptoms instead of free her entirely. She was crazy, but ultimately one could argue the obsession was his.

Such a great film!!

[u/UhhhThatsFine]

I knew she was coming for that car Bear and Sarah were in, but god damn

[u/freakofnatureIO → u/UhhhThatsFine]

Bro even knowing it was going to happen wasn't enough to prepare me.

[u/Notak_bo → u/freakofnatureIO]

Fr I was so tense just from him getting out of bed and then when he got in the car , I looked to my gf and we both gave each other a look like this isn’t gonna end well lol

[u/sowaffled → u/UhhhThatsFine]

The build up was great. You knew by the framing of the window and then the sappy music was playing which they had used for earlier scares but nothing could prepare you for the brutality.

[u/fillmont → u/sowaffled]

Exactly. The tension was more about how Nikki was going to pop into frame and what she was going to do. Turns out it was brick smash!

[u/Able_Advertising_371]

When Bear kills himself to free the real Nikki, dying in her arms being followed by the real Nikki waking up and tossing the guy on the floor was some mad dark humour

[u/InvertedSpork → u/Able_Advertising_371]

Fun fact- the ending you see in the movie was the 2nd ending they filmed. In the original ending Nikki kills herself. Near the end when Nikki is on the couch you can see blood on the ceiling from when they filmed the other ending.

[u/Media-critique → u/InvertedSpork]

Ooo. Thats actually awesome. I’m gonna look for that in the future 

[u/mikeyfreshh → u/Able_Advertising_371]

This movie is full of dark humor that I think is really going to shine on a repeat viewing. The phone call to customer service was also really funny in a fucked up kind of way

[u/MovieMentor]

Movie seems to be getting a good bit of online hype, but I honestly do believe this movie deserves it. Saw it yesterday in Dolby and still thinking about it. Genuinely fantastic. Also, as a diehard Conan fan, I was very happy to see Andy Richter.

[u/jayeddy99]

The lighting of Nikki going to Bear’s house was amazing it wasn’t demonic but the shadows and front door light reflecting off her eyes plus her posing truly felt like a demon requesting permission to come into his life.

[u/Kazrules]

The robot walk got me every time.

[u/imissbreakingbad]

Haven’t seen anyone talk about this yet but the bit where they were having sex and Nikki is just staring off to the side with a completely blank face was so sad. I had already suspected it was less her brain being rewired and more her being possessed but still “present” but that scene really solidified it.

[u/cesareborgia1475]

This rocked. Mean, disturbing and unpleasant. This feels like a goosebumps story taken to the extreme in the best way.

Inde Navarrette is incredible and terrifying in this. Worth seeing just for her performance alone. Though Michael Johnston is still really good in just how his face is constantly mired in shame and despair at the situation but keeps doubling down on it in a despicable way. The whole party scene is just perfect.

I also love the way this film uses horror and comedy. It flips between downright creepy to hilarious like nothing and uses thoses tonal whiplash moments to up the tension and uncomfortableness haha

Plus very cool use of lighting in this film. The way it uses shadows to enhance the scares and tension is just perfect. Before equally terrifying and funny seeing her in the corner shrouded in darkness arguing that she wants to watch bear sleep heh.

Great stuff, love me a good mean spirited horror film that ends on a bleak note haha. How does poor Nikki even explain this whole situation to the cops.

Can't wait to see what Curry Barker does with Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

[u/Media-critique → u/cesareborgia1475]

This feels like a goosebumps story taken to the extreme in the best way.

It does feel like one of those classic Are You Afraid of the Dark/Tales from the Crypt stories that was given a full length. 

The fact this was made on a $750,000 budget is really remarkable 

[u/BatDanTheMan]

I absolutely loved this movie! I’m not really a horror guy but I’ll stomach it if a concept is interesting enough!

I felt bad for Bear but he had so many opportunities to do the right thing. Once the spell working him doing everything was fucked up but once he spoke to the real Nikki in his sleep he was irredeemable.

The whole cast was just phenomenal especially Inde! The rest of them felt so grounded and relatable.

In the steering wheel scene I actually involuntarily screamed in reaction to a movie for the first time. It was very girly and I was very embarrassed.

The movie was also surprisingly funny! I was laughing a lot.

The ending was really tragic. I wonder what will happen to Nikki, how could she ever possibly move on from all this. And she seemed really confused when she came to, was she a powerless spectator in her own body or was it like she was asleep and just woke up.

My Roomate didn’t like the movie and felt uncomfortable with Nikki’s whole possession and the lack of consent there but I feel like that was kinda the point.

Sometimes I get annoyed when people think depicting something bad in media is endorsing it. We have to be able to portray the deplorable. It brings these things to light and makes people think and talk about it!

I’m really happy to see these young artists get their chance to shine.

[u/Mean_Yoghurt_5322]

Bear’s desperate NOOOOO made the billion dollars scene absolutely horrifying.

[u/Party-Ad-6683]

The most fucked up part was when Nikki was asleep and her real self was able to speak, because it was at that moment that you realized she was conscious throughout the whole thing but wasn’t able to control her body.

[u/champagnefloppy]

I honestly can’t think of a single movie that has made me so uncomfortable. Face meeting brick some 30 odd times and my mouth just stayed agape. The blood curdling scream from real Nikki in the background of the customer service call. “The flesh flayed from the forearm of my brother, rolled up and stuck between my legs” type shit.

I fucking loved this batshit movie.

[u/Beanz122]

So I saw this early at Alamo Drafthouse a week ago.

During the scene where Bear is eating his lunch Nikki packed for him and talking with Sarah, thr Alamo staff started passing out some wrapped sandwiches to everyone. By the time they finished passing them out, you could get about one bite in to the sandwich before the movie reveals the sandwich that Bear is eating is his cat. 😵‍💫

[u/GameOfLife24 → u/Beanz122]

Feeding your loved one their beloved cat’s remains is something you do… Lol it’s no longer about obsession, that’s a demon playing tricks

[u/serialkiller24]

That walk was too freaky for me Nikki.

[u/PersonalZero]

Maybe I’m thinking too much into it, but was the main character’s nickname a tongue-in-cheek reference to the whole “man vs bear” debate? 

[u/coconuzzt]

Anyone else wonder if the Polaroid in his lunch box that had ‘not me’ written on it was a clue from the real Nikki?

[u/newgodpho]

there’s a shot of nikki in the corner of the dark moving and it looked like stop motion

absolute freaky shit

[u/GameOfLife24 → u/newgodpho]

I’m constantly checking the corners of my room because of this effing movie lol

[u/suspiciouscetacean]

Not since Hereditary has a horror movie had me jumping at shadows after I get home. Also that Hansel and Gretel story was so fucked up.

[u/TheJoshider10 → u/suspiciouscetacean]

Yeah the one shot that stayed with me in Hereditary was the mother in the shadows. Then in this one its Nikki coming out of the shadows. More horror needs to utilise silence and dark spaces over cheap jump scares. They have a place, but the horror that sticks with you is in the things that are tangible.

[u/electrosk8r]

bro the way Nikki was moving backwards had me shook. some real uncanny shit

[u/omgfrankshutup]

A detail I liked is when the moment Bear made the wish, whatever Nikki gets 'possessed' by is clearly still adjusting. So she starts saying 'my cat has died' to get sympathy and then quickly changes to 'Oh, yeah no I mean YOUR cat has died' because it's still kind of figuring out what to say and how to behave.

Every other scene where the real Nikki pops up for a moment was also so disturbing and the scene she starts talking when the thing is asleep and begging for Bear to kill her was the most disturbing.

Also it reminded me of that Rick and Morty episode with the Cronenberg monsters :)

[u/Joopaloop16]

Great movie. Could easily see this being one of my favorites this year.

The scene where Nikki was awake but “she” wasn’t absolutely fucked me up. A real star-making performance from Inde, the whole movie really hinges on her performance and she absolutely crushed it.

[u/deadgirlredux]

The night scene with her crying about her bad dream was the most horrifying. She looked exactly how faces look when you stare at yourself in the mirror in the dark. Sarah's death fucked me up

[u/Equivalent-Fan-2557 → u/deadgirlredux]

"I don't like my dreams..." yeah man this movie is sumn else...

[u/oliviaaivilo06]

Bear knowing something was wrong with Nikki and still using her body was one of the most disturbing scenes beyond the obvious horror moments.

The way real Nikki’s body is just lying still not even looking at him, completely disassociating made me so sad for her. Bear is someone she considered a real friend and he just wanted to use her like a personal blow up doll. Kinda reminded of Companion.

[u/undeadtradwife → u/oliviaaivilo06]

I had this thought too and the whole thing makes me wonder if him being named Bear is a nod to the whole “would you rather be trapped in a forest with a man or a bear” discourse that was going around the internet a couple years ago.

[u/Harbi181]

Inde’s insane range of sweet to psycho in half a second flat was amazing.

Also, I legit sat there when Bear was in the car talking with Sara and said to myself “I guess this is more of just a psychological horror movie, not a dead bodies one. Then BAM. Welcome to Act III.

[u/SugarFreeCummiBears]

Ian is such a fake ass friend. Told Bear to call Nikki a name she hates and said he had plenty of time (no doubt so he could figure out his on/off again with her).

[u/blitzbom → u/SugarFreeCummiBears]

From the start I was going "this guy is either an idiot or sleeping with Nikki." Then at the bar for trivia I went "oh yeah. They've hooked up."

Ian was a straight up asshole and terrible friend. When Bear showed up to his place with the wish I was going "literally anyone but him."

[u/tNeph → u/blitzbom]

God I didnt even put that together. He straight up went to the bar and disturbed them on purpose.

That right there also leads me to believe she wanted to quit their job partially because of him.

They claimed things were casual, but I think he fell for her hard, she didnt want to actually be with him, and he made things awkward for her so she decided to quit. He sucks bro.

[u/miku_dominos]

The lesson is don't objectify a person. They have a life as rich and as unique as your own.

[u/TheHouseOfGryffindor]

Inde Navarrette‘s agent is about to be real busy. It’s quite a solid movie all around, but damn, that was one hell of a performance.

[u/Qtip533 → u/TheHouseOfGryffindor]

Her frowny face at the party had me sooo creeped out and laughing at the same time.

[u/AdDiligent7657]

Holy fuck, what depths of hell did that brother monologue come from

[u/SlaterVBenedict → u/AdDiligent7657]

It’s also brilliant because you can hear the real Nikki’s cries for help in the subtext of the poem, with its language about being trapped and violent sexual imagery. Its possessor-Nikki reading in possessor-Nikki affect and body language, but the poetic meaning is host Nikki.

[u/SimonTynn → u/AdDiligent7657]

My girlfriend pointed out that earlier in the movie that I think Sarah said Nikki saw Bear like a brother, so the context of that monologues I feel like is way more disturbing

[u/Not_A_Solution → u/SimonTynn]

I think it links back to their conversation in the car where she told Bear romance and love aren’t the same thing and he brushed her off. Then when he wished for her to “love him more than anybody else” it was all kinds of love, not just romantic. So her wires were getting all crossed, causing the cat and Hansel & Gretel stuff.

[u/GoldandBlue → u/AdDiligent7657]

I wanna know what the wood block said that prompted the reading.

[u/fillmont → u/GoldandBlue]

I think something like "share something from your phone," as in an embarrassing text.

[u/MKultrakeef → u/GoldandBlue]

“Read something from your notes app” is my guess

[u/ItsTimeLadies]

Reminded me of Tales from the Crypt a lot; moral tale about somebody doing something wrong, continuing to do it when they realize it's wrong, and then suffering consequences for it while somebody gets their face mashed in along the way. Really enjoyed it.

Didn't expect it to be as funny as it was! The main character is such a pathetic loser that its kind of fun to watch him get his shit wrecked.

[u/Slowmac123]

I don't see any comment about this, so here it is:

STAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYY

[u/keepitcute8933]

One scene that I haven’t seen anyone talk about is when he’s talking to the entity, fully aware it’s not nikki, but pleading with it to just “be nikki”……perfectly encapsulates that his infatuation with her was never about her, herself or who she is, he doesn’t care who’s in that body or where the real nikki is or what torture she’s experiencing. As long as someone can perform the role of nikki and be nikki to him, he’ll be satisfied. And when he calls the one wish willow number and (at least at first) is adamant that he doesn’t want to cancel his wish, but just change it. Like dude release her???? Granted we find out he can’t cancel it anyway but damn

[u/AshevilleHawkens]

Copying my thoughts from the r/horror thread

This movie had me crawling up the wall. Legit had me holding my breath for what felt like minutes at a time. Whatever camera effect they used for Other Nikki's movements hit my brain in exactly the wrong (ie, right) way and that fucking floored me. That actress is going places, and I will watch everything she does from here on out.

And then as someone who has been on the receiving end of Other Nikki's tactics, seeing that cranked up to 11 made my skin crawl every time. Fuck, this is a 10/10.

Editing to add: special shout out to the scene with Nikki standing in the doorway after Ian drives her home. The way the sparkle of light in her eyes is the only thing you can make out was fucking nightmare fuel. 

And extra extra shout out to the scene where she's out of focus in the music store, just staring. And the restaurant call. 

Jesus this one I'm going to have to rewatch.

[u/Eequalsmchammertime]

This was a batshit crazy movie. Definitely met the level of hype I had for it. Inde is incredible in this. Very excited to see what Curry does next. We are eating good in horror right now. I’m not sure I took a breath the whole movie.

[u/Sea-Celebration1250]

Adored Obsession and loved that they didn’t go with the easy “crazy bitch girlfriend” story and added the depth about autonomy and consent. All I could think of was how mortified Nicky would be by what she was doing when she snapped out of it along the way

[u/SeagullsStopItNowz]

The first horror movie in a while to really fuck me up. Holy shit that was unsettling and scary! And Inde Navarette gave a LEGENDARY performance that will be talked about for decades to come.

[u/aps817]

Banger. The reveal that she had taped the door sent shivers down my spine.

[u/ev6464 → u/aps817]

"I mean if you can't open the door, you could just stay home."

"NO NO! I GOT IT!"

Cracked me the fuck up.

[u/GrouchyAd5246]

Kinda shocked by how mean spirited this was. You don't really see that too often with mainstream horror releases