Curry Barker on Consent Themes in Horror Film 'Obsession'
Get the Culture newsletter
Daily culture — film, music, books, the trends and ideas worth your attention. Free.
- Curry Barker directed and wrote 'Obsession,' now playing in theaters, calling its core narrative "a pretty tragic story about a man and a woman" once the film's magical premise is accepted
- Inde Naverrette plays Nikki as both a villain possessed by a sinister spirit and a victim, with the real Nikki breaking free sporadically to react in horror as her best friend exploits the situation
- Michael Johnston co-stars as Bear, whose wish that Nikki would love him "more than anything in the world" sets the film's possession-and-consent horror in motion
- Barker told DiscussingFilm that grounding the magical realism was essential so the audience would confront a realistic story about manipulation and consent beneath the horror
- 'Obsession' is Barker's breakout feature following his 2024 directorial debut 'Milk & Serial,' with a cast rounded out by Cooper Tomlinson, Megan Lawless, and Andy Richter
- Barker's upcoming slate includes Blumhouse's 'Anything but Ghosts' and A24's 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre,' positioning him across two major horror production labels
Why it matters: Barker's framing reframes a possession horror premise as a grounded story about consent and exploitation, giving 'Obsession' a thematic weight rare in the subgenre and amplifying the profile of a filmmaker who has already landed projects at both Blumhouse and A24.
