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Review: ‘Obsession’ is a Twisted Take on ‘The Monkey’s Paw’ that Proves There are Worse Things than Being Stuck in the Friend Zone
May 12, 2026Ben MK
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As anyone who's ever experienced the anguish of unrequited love can attest, seeing the person that you have feelings for being completely oblivious to your pining can be torture. And when it comes to films about such situations, Hollywood has proven that it knows a thing or two about connecting with audiences who share this very common dilemma. Whether it's rom-coms like (500) Days of Summer, dramas like Past Lives, or classics like Casablanca, moviegoers can always count on retreating to the comfort of a darkened theater for some good old cinematic therapy. But what if there was some instantaneous and magical way to convince your romantic crush that they were just as in love with you as you were with them, if not more so? Surely, nothing could possibly go wrong... right? Baron (Michael Johnston) is a 20-something who works at Cassell's Music, along with his friends, Ian (Cooper Tomlinson), Sarah (Megan Lawless) and Nikki (Inde Navarrette). But when Nikki, who Baron has had a crush on since they first met, tells him that she's turned in her two-weeks notice, he decides that time is running out to tell her that he loves her. Stopping by a shop to pick up a little something for Nikki, Baron comes across a kitschy product called a One Wish Willow, which promises to fulfill the deepest desire of anyone who purchases it. Yet, even though he buys it as a gag gift and never planned on using it himself, he ends up doing precisely that, after blowing his chance to let her know how he truly feels. Wishing that Nikki loved him more than anyone else in the world, Baron is shocked when she suddenly can't keep herself off of him. What Baron could never imagine, however, is that, thanks to the One Wish Willow, she really has changed. Unfortunately for him, Nikki's transformation is much more extreme than he ever anticipated. And while the abrupt turn of events in Baron's love life is novel at first, things quickly and horrifyingly begin to spiral out of control. From watching Baron sleep from the darkest corner of his bedroom to cooking up his dead cat, Sandy, and serving it to him as a packed lunch, Nikki's behavior grows increasingly more strange with each passing day. But just how far will she go to prove to Baron that she absolutely, positively cannot live without him? And will Baron continue to be a willing participant in this macabre — perhaps, even supernatural — puppet show, even though he knows that something is clearly amiss? Much to the chagrin of both Ian and Sarah, Baron fails to heed the many warnings that come his way, all of which hint at something much more frightening and terrible to come. Still, at some point, even he has to admit that the situation has escalated far beyond what it should have. The question is, when that time finally comes, will it be too late to reverse the psychological and emotional damage that's already been done? Or will Nikki have to take matters to the next level — inflicting monstrous violence and physical harm on anyone who stands in her way or that she even remotely considers a romantic threat? Written and directed by Curry Barker, the resulting take on The Monkey's Paw will certainly be familiar to viewers who've seen the 1902 story brought to the big screen over the years, whether it's via straightforward adaptations or variations like the Pet Sematary, Leprechaun or Wishmaster series. That said, despite the tried-and-true nature of its principal theme, Obsession still manages to deliver something distinctly disturbing and terrifyingly twisted with its subject matter, as it turns Baron's dream relationship into a traumatic and bloody nightmare that will only end when either he or Nikki dies. It's a testament to the performances from Johnston and Navarrette, both of whom are thoroughly compelling in their portrayals of a man terrorized and a woman possessed. Ultimately, though, it all comes down to the strength of Barker's script, which takes its time building suspense and doesn't hold back when showing the gruesome and gory outcome of Baron's misguided wish. Throw in a dash of dark comedy and you'd be hard-pressed to find a more eerily effective and genuinely haunting horror movie in recent memory. After all, everyone knows the old saying, "Be careful what you wish for." And even though the horror genre is full of examples of this phrase being employed to scream-worthy effect, it takes a special kind of film to really get under audiences' skin — which is exactly what Obsession does, proving that being stuck in the friend zone might not be so bad, all things considered. Obsession releases May 15th, 2026 from Focus Features. The film has an MPAA rating of R for strong bloody violence, grisly images, sexual content, pervasive language, and brief graphic nudity. Its runtime is 1 hr. 48 min. |
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