The traditional route of being a black-shirt wearing, video store clerk, with encyclopedic knowledge of 80s slashers is over folks. We’ve entered sketch comedian supremacy. From Zach Cregger (Weapons, Whitest Kids You Know), to Josh Ruben (Scare Me, Heart Eyes, Collegehumer/Dropout), it’s timing and subversion of expectations that is proving pivotal in this new era of genre films.
Enter Curry Barker. One half of the sketch comedy duo, That’s a Bad Idea, and director of the direct-to-YouTube found footage surprise Milk & Serial. The story of a birthday prank gone very, very, wrong. Following its viral success, Curry was scouted , and is stepping up in a significant way. Obsession follows Bear (Michael Johnston), a music store employee and certified romantic dead-end who stumbles into a woo-woo crystal shop and walks out with a novelty toy called the “One Wish Willow.” Break it, make a wish, done deal. Bear wishes for his childhood friend and coworker Nikki (Inde Navarrette) to fall in love with him. Wikipedia She does. Enthusiastically. Permanently. Problem.
The premise is monkey’s paw territory, on paper…well-worn ground. Curry himself admits the inspiration came from a Simpsons episode (the Simpsons have done everything), but his pitch was essentially…we’ve seen “be careful what you wish for” tons of times, however, not his version of it. Variety Critics who caught it at TIFF and Fantastic Fest seem to agree he pulled it off. The film premiered in the Midnight Madness section, went on to sold-out screenings at Fantastic Fest, and won Sitges’ People’s Choice Award.
Focus Features picked it up for north of $15 million, with Blumhouse executive producing. For a film that cost under a million dollars to make, that’s some real Paranormal Activity trajectory worth noting. Low budget, buzzy stuff.
Obsession will find theaters May 15, 2026.