Obsession

Woe is Bear (Michael Johnston), who has long carried a torch for his childhood friend Nikki (Inde Navarrette). When another attempted profession of love fizzles, Bear wistfully wishes for romantic reciprocation, unfortunately doing so while in possession of a trinket with supernatural properties of The Monkey’s Paw variety.

Suddenly, Nikki is all over Bear, and he is quick to indulge in this long-desired turnabout while ignoring the ramifications of her intensifying fixation. Before long, Bear’s fantasy turns to nightmare as Nikki’s personality begins to twitch with a disturbing dysphoria that sinisterly suggests her autonomy has been usurped by a malignant entity that wants them both, body and soul.

“Be careful what you wish for” may be a staple in the horror genre, but writer-director Curry Barker enlivens this well-worn premise by lacing its inherent irony with a wickedly wry tone and an anxious tension that’ll plummet the stomach of even hardened Midnighters. Having honed high-concept absurdism and creeping dread from his online productions, Barker deftly demonstrates a savvy command of tone and terror reminiscent of fellow sketch comedian Zach Cregger’s Barbarian.

As with that auspicious debut, Barker’s first feature preserves an uncomfortable relatability in its hyperbolic scenario. Though literally featuring a customer service call from (and possibly to) Hell, Obsession cuts to the quick as it lays bare the innate violence in romantic objectification with an unforgiving candidness. That's made all the more disarming, thanks to exceptionally nuanced performances, particularly from Navarrette whose “Freaky Nikki” oscillates between doe-eyed desire and devastating torment that will chill you to the bone.

PETER KUPLOWSKY