Obsession poster
Movie2026Horror1h 49m

Obsession

25
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A brutal horror film about a wish that forces a young woman to love her friend, with graphic violence, sexual assault, suicide and pervasive swearing. A dark warning about possessive love, but extremely strong content throughout.

Watch guide

What's in it?

LanguagePervasive strong language

Crude swearing runs throughout, including dozens of f-words.

BlasphemyLikely some misuse

In a film this heavy with swearing, some misuse of God's name is expected, though its level is not known in detail.

Sex and nudityNon-consensual sex, nudity

A young man has sex with a woman whose will is controlled by his wish, more than once, so she cannot consent. A murdered woman's naked body is briefly shown in full, posed on a chair.

RelationshipsCoercion and control

The central relationship is built on a magically forced love. She becomes possessive and controlling, and he exploits her and refuses to free her when she begs.

ViolenceGraphic, brutal killing

A woman's head is repeatedly smashed against a brick, leaving her face pulped, and there is a shooting. A character cuts her own face with a broken bottle, and a dead cat is shown and fed to someone.

Frightening scenesSustained psychological horror

A woman screams, jerks and moves unnaturally, watches her partner sleep and waits motionless for hours. Dread builds steadily as the man learns he cannot undo what he has done.

Drugs and alcoholDrinking, pill overdose

A party drinking game leads to drunkenness, a pet dies after eating spilled painkillers, and a character swallows a bottle of pills in an overdose. Drug use is mentioned as an excuse for odd behaviour.

AttitudesSelfishness, cover-up

Lies, a cover-up of a killing rather than going to the police, and cruel self-interest drive the story. The horror shows the cost, but the lead's selfishness goes largely unchallenged for much of the film.

OccultMagic wish object

A wish charm bought from a New Age shop truly works and drives the plot. The magic is shown as dangerous and destructive rather than appealing.

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  1. Early

    Animal death, drugs

    Bear finds his pet cat dead after it swallowed spilled painkillers, and the body is shown.

  2. Early

    Occult object

    Bear buys a wish charm from a New Age shop and breaks it, wishing that Nikki will love him above all others.

  3. Early

    Non-consensual sex

    Nikki becomes erratic. She screams, watches Bear sleep, tells lies, and he has sex with her while she is under the wish's control and cannot truly consent.

  4. Mid

    Disturbing imagery

    Nikki serves Bear a sandwich made from the dead cat, and the body is shown again. A help line tells him the wish cannot be undone.

  5. Mid

    Self-harm, drinking

    At a party drinking game, Nikki tells a violent, incestuous twist on a fairy tale, then drives a broken bottle into her own face.

  6. Mid

    Graphic violenceSkip if under 18

    Nikki repeatedly smashes Sarah's head against a brick in a bloody, graphic killing. Bear then helps hide the body.

  7. Late

    Nudity, gun violence

    Sarah's naked corpse is shown briefly, posed on a chair, and a character is shot.

  8. Late

    Suicide attempt, bleak ending

    Bear holds a gun to his own mouth, then swallows a bottle of pills and tries to make himself sick. The film closes with great distress and a very bleak mood.

Faith & story

What does it say?

What's it about?The plot, without the ending

Bear, a shy young man who works in a music shop, is in love with his friend Nikki but cannot admit it. After a bad night, he buys a novelty wish charm from a New Age shop and, in a moment of frustration, uses it to wish that she would love him more than anyone. Nikki's devotion soon turns strange and frightening, and Bear begins to see that he cannot take back what he has done. As her behaviour grows more obsessive and dangerous, the people around them are drawn in, and Bear searches for a way out.

Through a faith lensHow it connects to the Bible

At its heart this is a story about taking what cannot be forced. Bear cannot bear the risk of being honest about his feelings, so he reaches for a shortcut that overrides another person's will. Scripture describes love as patient and kind and not self-seeking, which is the opposite of possession. The Bible also traces how unchecked desire grows into harm: David took what was not his, covered it up, and saw violence follow. Bear's cover-up and his refusal to free someone who begs him to has a similar shape, as one concealed wrong leads to another. James describes how desire, once it conceives, gives birth to sin, and sin to death. The film shows wrongdoing carrying heavy consequences, yet it offers little sign of repentance or hope, and its cruelty is shown in graphic detail. The wish itself is magic presented as a real power that cannot be undone, which sits poorly with the Bible's call to trust God rather than charms. Christians may also reflect that people are made in God's image and are never ours to control.

Fruit of the SpiritWhich fruit does it show?

0 out of 9 fruits ripe in this film

Ripe grapes are shown in the film, buds are missing

  • Joy
  • Peace
  • Patience
  • Kindness
  • Goodness
  • Faithfulness
  • Gentleness
Works of the flesh shown

The film is dominated by works of the flesh. Bear's wish leads to sexual immorality, as he has sex with a woman who cannot consent. His obsession with being loved edges into idolatry, making another person the answer to his need. The wish is a form of sorcery, a magical object used to bend someone's will. Nikki's possessiveness shows jealousy and fits of anger, and she turns violent towards Sarah, a killing driven by hatred and strife. Envy and rivalry colour the friendships, and a party drinking game shows drunkenness. Self-control is the most telling absence, as a moment of frustration brings devastating results.

The charactersExamples to follow or avoid
  • Michael Johnston
    Bear
    Michael Johnston

    A timid, lonely music shop worker whose selfish wish sets the story in motion. He is slow to take responsibility, and his choices grow darker under pressure.

  • Inde Navarrette
    Nikki
    Inde Navarrette

    Bear's friend and colleague, whose behaviour becomes possessive, erratic and violent under the effect of the wish. At moments her real self surfaces and pleads for help.

  • Cooper Tomlinson
    Ian
    Cooper Tomlinson

    Bear's friend and workmate, who has a complicated history with Nikki. He is sceptical and sarcastic when Bear tries to explain the wish.

  • Megan Lawless
    Sarah
    Megan Lawless

    A friend and colleague who becomes concerned about Nikki's motives and tries to warn Bear.

How Christians are portrayed

No Christians, churches or expressions of faith appear in the film. Its only spiritual element is the New Age shop and its magical wish object, which the story treats as dangerous.

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Details

Film details

In theatres
May 15, 2026
On streaming
Jun 30, 2026
Cast
Michael Johnston, Inde Navarrette, Cooper Tomlinson, Megan Lawless
Director
Curry Barker
Studios
Tea Shop Productions, Under the Shell, Capstone Pictures
Genre
Horror, Thriller
Run time
1h 49m
Age rating
US R · UK 18

How we analysed this

We gathered the plot and reception, and facts that independent sources agree on, then rated each content area against our rubric and worldview scale, using AI models calibrated on reference titles. Not yet reviewed by our team. Confidence: medium.

Score = 100 − 16 × content concern (4.67) + 8 × worldview (0) = 25

Updated 2026-10-15

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