Horror film Obsession, dangerous desires with Michael Johnston and Inde Navarrette - plot

Obsession, the plot of the movie

Obsession is the horror movie coming out soon. The plot centers on Bear (Michael Johnston), an employee at a music store who buys a supernatural toy, the "One Wish Willow," because he wishes that his childhood friend Nikki (Inde Navarrette) would fall in love with him. After the ritual, he gets what he asked for but soon discovers he must pay a too high and dangerous price.

He says: “I wish Nikki Freeman loved me more than anyone else in the world,” and breaks the stick. Nikki not only falls in love with Bear, but becomes dangerously obsessed. Best friends and colleagues Ian (Cooper Tomlinson) and Sara (Megan Lawless) are skeptical seeing their two platonic friends become a couple overnight, especially since Nikki seems to be in some kind of trance. Her devotion appears to grow increasingly intense and dangerous for anyone who tries to interfere in their relationship.

Obsession, interviews with the actors and the director

The movie opens with Bear, a young man shaken by the sudden death of his cat – says director Curry Barker – desperately searching for something to hold on to, deciding that that night he will finally confess his feelings to Nikki, the girl he has loved for a long time. But when the courage to speak abandons him and he pulls back, everything changes: Nikki starts behaving strangely and suddenly it is she who shows a strong attraction for him. What begins as a moment of wish fulfillment quickly turns into something darker and unsettling. The goal was a story of desire set in the real world, "completely flipping it to create something totally new. I love putting ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances, but what matters just as much is that every character reacts naturally and credibly."

“I was fascinated by Bear’s voluntary blindness. He starts as an innocent boy, but as the stakes rise, his choices become more and more questionable,” says Johnston. “I was excited to face the challenge of subverting the ‘nice guy’ stereotype while keeping the character believable. Bear knows there is a monster under the bed, but he refuses to look because he desperately wants his fantasy to come true. The tragedy is that he does not wish for Nikki’s happiness. He wishes for her devotion.”

“He is the first character I fully understood,” comments Navarrette. “It was an exhilarating feeling to be so sure of who my character was.” About working with the director she says: “He is incredibly collaborative. He was the first director to really let me choose freely.”

Obsession, the movie trailer

"I called to see if it’s possible to modify a wish," Bear asks on the phone in the released trailer. "Do you want to cancel it?" replies the interlocutor; "No, just modify it a little."

Then he shows the box: “Is her love real?” he worries; “Just because you chose this for her doesn’t mean it’s any less real.”

Obsession, the cast of the movie

Michael Johnston has worked in **Deadly Hunt** and the TV series **Teen Wolf**, playing Corey Bryant. Inde Navarrette has appeared in episodes of **Superman & Lois** as Sarah Cushing, and in **Thirteen**.

The cast also includes Megan Lawless, seen in The Death That Awaits and the series The Girl from Plainville. The direction is by Curry Barker, who previously directed Milk and Serial. The production is by Blumhouse Productions and Capstone Studios.

Obsession, critical reviews and release date of the movie

The movie was presented at the Toronto Film Festival 2025, where it received positive reviews. For IndieWire, "Obsession should keep everyone awake long after watching it and returning home."

For The Guardian, “it is a clever test, [Barker] knows exactly what to do when switching to a different platform, and while his debut might have been a movie conceived around a very modern form of horror, this time he looks back, and his setting uses elements of a classic fairy tale and the kind of cheesy elements seen in 80s video rental stores.”

For Next Best Pictures, “overall, Obsession turns up the volume on passionate love stories, with committed performances from stars Johnston and Navarrette, and the wild scenarios they face. It is a movie that deserves to be seen by an audience that knows how to experience strong emotions, thrills, and suspense.”

The movie is released in the United States on May 15, 2026.