phancy.com - horror reviews - MOH 2026

Obsession



IMDb Info

Release Year: 2025
Runtime: 1h 49m
Country: USA
Language: English
Genre Tags: Horror, Thriller
Plot 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.

Poster - Title Card


phancy.com rating:

phancy.com notes: Incel: The Movie! A true tale of horror told from the point of view of the villain. Sure, he had no reason to believe his glib wish would come true, but every action (or lack of) that follows is an act of malice and cowardice. He destroys the woman he ostensibly loves and everyone else who cares about him. He's so high on his needy supply that he ignores everyone who offers help and instead pulls them down into his pit of despair. Apologists of this character do not understand that they are also the villains in their own lives, and that's scarier than wishing someone to "love" you against their will.


Outside Reviews:

Katie Rife
3 out of 4 stars - rogerebert.com

Throughout "Obsession," Barker shows little interest in setting up and executing traditional haunted-house scares, instead cutting the film to an off-kilter rhythm that's properly destabilizing all on its own. This is a byproduct of his background as a YouTuber—like "Backrooms" director Kane Parsons, Barker cuts his own movies—and as a sketch comedian. What it lacks in jump scares, it makes up for with punchlines that grow meaner and more cosmic as the story darkens.


Monica Castillo
Grade: A- - Bad romance turns into Obsession in this blistering horror

Barker's formidable theatrical debut is more than just a cautionary tale about wishes. It's a twisted look at toxic relationships, both those that manipulate partners out of a learned helplessness and those that smother their partners with a poisonous fixation. Thanks to an unassuming collector's item from the '80s, one person's inability to talk about his feelings turns his dreamgirl into a nightmare. Through clever cinematography, editing tricks, and a cast that's fully committed to the director's unnerving vision, Barker reimagines a classic horror idea for a new generation.