People had been recommending Obsession to me for a long time, but since it had no major stars in it – I have to admit that starpower motivates me to see films – I figured I could wait until I got to see it online. Now, after viewing the movie, I'm glad I didn't see it in a theater. I imagine the audience's reaction would have been a lot like the audience I watched the original Halloween (1978) with years ago – a true screamfest!
The unjarring aspect of the film is that all the characters are relatable – and the fact that none of them are famous actors somehow adds to their credibility. Rock Burwell's score enhances the creepiness factor. It is like a stove burner on low heat for most of the film, but rises to scorch you when it matters most. The whole time I watched the film I felt unnerved, not sure what would happen next but enjoying every minute of it, even though the story takes a deep dive into some dark stuff.
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| The music store crew |
The story revolves around Baron "Bear" Bailey (Michael Johnston), a clerk in a music store. He works with Nikki Freeman (an amazing Indie Navarrette), long time friend Ian (Cooper Tomlinson), and Sarah (Megan Lawless). Her father (Andy Richter) owns the store, and everyone seems to get along well. They all went to high school together, but Bear has always had a thing for Nikki. He is shy and cannot bring himself to ask her out, even with Ian trying to help him go through with it.
An Unexpected Death
When Bear comes home from work, he finds his cat Sandy dead on the floor. She apparently got ahold of one of his pills, and it killed her. Sandy's death breaks Bear as it was the only loving relationship in his life. He sullenly puts the cat into a garbage bag and cleans up the space where it died.
When Nikki loses a crystal necklace at work, Bear goes to a novelty store to get her a new one. The store is something like Spencer's in the mall, but has a creepy feel about it. He discovers a toy called One Wish Willow, and he decides to get that for Nikki instead. Maybe she will make a wish that will be good for him and her.
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| A cheap plastic toy with dark power |
After a night of hanging out at bar with Ian and Sarah, Nikki wants to go home. Bear offers to drive her, and he is hoping to let her know how he feels about her along the way. Once they get to her place, she gets out of the car, and Bear cannot bring himself to tell her.
As she is walking toward her door, in frustration Bear takes out the One Wish Willow and breaks it, making a wish that Nikki will love him more than anyone else in the world. He turns to see Nikki almost immediately coming back to the car. She tells him that she is upset because her father is dying of cancer, and she cannot be alone.
A Happy Relationship Begins But
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| Seemingly happy together |
We get scenes of blissful domesticity as Nikki starts living with Bear. We see them making breakfast, doing things together, and seemingly having a wonderful time, but there are some red flags along the way.
Nikki creates a memorial for Sandy using the cat's body. Bear is shocked by this, but Nikki claims she only did this because of the remnants of the Molly (MDMA) she took.
Ian calls Bear and tells him that Sarah told him only recently that Nikki said that she thought of Bear like a little brother. He also tells him that her father is healthy, and that she doesn't even speak to him.
When Bear tries to talk to her about this, she gets very angry. She accuses him of not loving her. During the night, Bear wakes and finds Nikki staring at him as he sleeps. When he says something to her about it, she cries dramatically.
Spoiler Territory
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| Things start to unravel |
The rest of the way has too many things that will ruin the movie for you. I will say that Navarrette is totally chilling and shocking in the way her character unravels bit by bit, and Bear's weak attempts to deal with what is happening are to no avail.
The story is basically about having your cake and eating it too. In this case Bear got what he always wanted until he realized that he got it the wrong way. When he calls the toll free number of the One Wish Willow company, he is told there is no way to undo the spell except if he dies.
Highly Recommended
Curry Baker wrote and directed this horror masterpiece, and I'm impressed by his patience of letting the story come along slowly. The toy bought in a novelty story is the inciting incident, and the slow burn eventually becomes a blaze that is hard to extinguish.
There are all kinds of horror stories – Dracula to Frankenstein to Night of the Living Dead – but Obsession will scare you more than any of them. You'll probably never get caught by those cinematic monsters, but the most frightening thing about this film is the whole time you're watching it, you're thinking this could happen to you.
Fun Fact: Curry Baker plays the voice on the One Wish Willow helpline.
*Please watch the scary trailer below!
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