Obsession (2026)
Official Synopsis
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.
William’s Review
Obsession is one of those horror movies that reminds me why I fell in love with this genre in the first place. It’s tense, unsettling, unpredictable, and so confidently directed that I found myself locked into every scene. From the opening moments, I felt like the movie established exactly what kind of experience it wanted to be, and it never let its foot off the gas.
What impressed me most was how consistently uncomfortable the film made me feel without relying solely on jump scares. Yes, there are loud moments and shocking sequences, but what really got under my skin was the constant uncertainty. I never knew what was going to happen next, and that unpredictability kept the tension elevated throughout the entire runtime. Even quiet scenes felt dangerous because the film conditioned me to expect that something terrible could happen at any moment.
The performances deserve enormous credit. The two leads completely sell the emotional core of the story. The male lead is awkward, sympathetic, and believable, while the female lead delivers one of the most unsettling performances I’ve seen in recent horror. She manages to be simultaneously vulnerable, terrifying, heartbreaking, and deeply unsettling, often changing emotional states in an instant. It’s the kind of performance that sticks with you long after the movie ends.
I was also incredibly impressed by the direction. Knowing how young the filmmaker is makes the confidence behind the camera even more remarkable. The use of lighting, shadows, sound design, and framing constantly creates anxiety without needing elaborate effects or excessive exposition. The movie trusts its audience, and that confidence pays off.
What surprised me most is that despite all the disturbing imagery, I never felt the movie was being shocking simply for the sake of being shocking. Every uncomfortable moment served the growing sense of dread. The horror wasn’t random, instead, carefully constructed to keep the audience emotionally invested in the nightmare unfolding on screen.
This isn’t horror that’s interested in giving the audience relief or moments to breathe. It’s emotionally exhausting, relentlessly tense, and intentionally bleak. But as someone who loves horror that genuinely scares me, I found that commitment refreshing. It succeeded at exactly what it set out to accomplish, and that’s why it earns a Full Price recommendation from me.
What impressed me most was how consistently uncomfortable the film made me feel without relying solely on jump scares. Yes, there are loud moments and shocking sequences, but what really got under my skin was the constant uncertainty. I never knew what was going to happen next, and that unpredictability kept the tension elevated throughout the entire runtime. Even quiet scenes felt dangerous because the film conditioned me to expect that something terrible could happen at any moment.
The performances deserve enormous credit. The two leads completely sell the emotional core of the story. The male lead is awkward, sympathetic, and believable, while the female lead delivers one of the most unsettling performances I’ve seen in recent horror. She manages to be simultaneously vulnerable, terrifying, heartbreaking, and deeply unsettling, often changing emotional states in an instant. It’s the kind of performance that sticks with you long after the movie ends.
I was also incredibly impressed by the direction. Knowing how young the filmmaker is makes the confidence behind the camera even more remarkable. The use of lighting, shadows, sound design, and framing constantly creates anxiety without needing elaborate effects or excessive exposition. The movie trusts its audience, and that confidence pays off.
What surprised me most is that despite all the disturbing imagery, I never felt the movie was being shocking simply for the sake of being shocking. Every uncomfortable moment served the growing sense of dread. The horror wasn’t random, instead, carefully constructed to keep the audience emotionally invested in the nightmare unfolding on screen.
This isn’t horror that’s interested in giving the audience relief or moments to breathe. It’s emotionally exhausting, relentlessly tense, and intentionally bleak. But as someone who loves horror that genuinely scares me, I found that commitment refreshing. It succeeded at exactly what it set out to accomplish, and that’s why it earns a Full Price recommendation from me.
Amy’s Review
Obsession is one of the best-made movies that I never want to watch again. That’s probably the strangest review I’ve ever given because I genuinely think the filmmakers did exactly what they wanted to do. The problem is that what they created was an experience I found emotionally exhausting, deeply disturbing, and completely joyless from beginning to end.
Almost immediately, the movie establishes an incredibly bleak tone, and it never lets up. Every scene seems designed to make you uncomfortable. The tension never breaks, the atmosphere never lightens, and there isn’t a single moment where I felt like I could take a breath. For horror fans who love that feeling, I completely understand why this movie is getting so much praise. I’m just not one of those viewers.
The performances are excellent. Both leads completely committed to their roles, and I believed everything they were experiencing. That’s actually part of what made the movie so difficult for me. Nothing felt exaggerated or silly. Everything felt painfully real, which made the emotional weight much heavier than I wanted from a night at the movies.
I believe a movie can be so effective at making you miserable that I simply can’t recommend it to someone like me. I don’t leave horror movies wanting to feel hopeless. I don’t enjoy walking out emotionally drained or replaying disturbing images in my head afterward. This movie absolutely accomplished that. I also found myself wishing there was something, ANYTHING, to balance out all of the darkness. A little humor, a hopeful relationship, or simply a brief emotional release. Instead, the film stays relentlessly focused on despair and anxiety from beginning to end. By the time it was over, I wasn’t impressed as much as I was relieved.
If you’re a hardcore horror fan who wants a movie that will genuinely make you uncomfortable, this may be exactly what you’re looking for. If you’re anything like me and prefer horror that still gives you moments to breathe or characters you can emotionally recover alongside, this is probably one to skip. I respect the movie, but for me it’s still a Don’t Bother because I would have been perfectly happy never having experienced it.
Almost immediately, the movie establishes an incredibly bleak tone, and it never lets up. Every scene seems designed to make you uncomfortable. The tension never breaks, the atmosphere never lightens, and there isn’t a single moment where I felt like I could take a breath. For horror fans who love that feeling, I completely understand why this movie is getting so much praise. I’m just not one of those viewers.
The performances are excellent. Both leads completely committed to their roles, and I believed everything they were experiencing. That’s actually part of what made the movie so difficult for me. Nothing felt exaggerated or silly. Everything felt painfully real, which made the emotional weight much heavier than I wanted from a night at the movies.
I believe a movie can be so effective at making you miserable that I simply can’t recommend it to someone like me. I don’t leave horror movies wanting to feel hopeless. I don’t enjoy walking out emotionally drained or replaying disturbing images in my head afterward. This movie absolutely accomplished that. I also found myself wishing there was something, ANYTHING, to balance out all of the darkness. A little humor, a hopeful relationship, or simply a brief emotional release. Instead, the film stays relentlessly focused on despair and anxiety from beginning to end. By the time it was over, I wasn’t impressed as much as I was relieved.
If you’re a hardcore horror fan who wants a movie that will genuinely make you uncomfortable, this may be exactly what you’re looking for. If you’re anything like me and prefer horror that still gives you moments to breathe or characters you can emotionally recover alongside, this is probably one to skip. I respect the movie, but for me it’s still a Don’t Bother because I would have been perfectly happy never having experienced it.