‘Obsession’ review: A very scary horror film that really revamps the formula

Getting what you wish for is often not good in real life. But it is never He looks good in horror movies, as Carrie Parker’s new film clearly demonstrates. Trafficking in a hackneyed theme – the classic short story “The Monkey’s Paw”, a poster child for the concept, dates from 1902 – mania It keeps it fresh and original with its wonderfully orchestrated mix of dread, jump scares and black comedy. The film represents an immediate breakthrough for its director and screenwriter, who first gained attention for his YouTube comedy sketches created in collaboration with Cooper Tomlinson (one of this film’s supporting actors) and his extremely low-budget horror film. Milk and serial. It’s another example of how the horror genre has become a springboard for aspiring filmmakers.

The central characters are Bear (Michael Johnston, MTV’s Teen Wolf), a dweebish employee at the instrumental music scene, and his co-worker Nikki (Indy Navarrete, House of dust), who has a helpless admiration. By “helpless,” we are talking about despair, completely relatable to the vast majority of the population. His romantic travails are anxiously watched by mutual friends Ian (Tomlinson) and Sarah (Megan Lawless), who secretly pines for Bear herself.

Bear is hopelessly trapped in the friend zone, so when he looks to buy Nikki a gift after she accidentally loses a necklace and finds a unique item in a new store, he is instantly fascinated. It’s the “One Wish Willow” (the film opens with an amusing fake commercial for the product), which promises its users that it will grant one wish when split in half. And for just $6.99, it’s a steal. Except instead of giving it to her, Bear impulsively uses it himself.

It’s not a spoiler to reveal that the product works as advertised, as Nikki undergoes an instant personality transformation once Bear desires to love him more than anyone else in the world. For a while, he enjoys her emotional affection and sexual voraciousness. But it soon becomes clear that this relationship, like many new relationships, has a dark side. A very dark side, with Nicky showing the kind of extreme possessiveness that can happen Fatal attractionAlex for shame. (And talking about it, mania This movie will likely do for cats what this movie did for pet rabbits.)

What makes mania It’s amusing, and deeply disturbing, how it takes the typical aspects of dysfunctional romantic relationships to initially comedic and then horrific extremes. The film provides further complexity by not making Bear a sympathetic victim but rather an accomplice by initially enjoying Nikki’s feelings despite their artificial source. Until they get out of control, of course. Johnston shows a wonderful willingness to make his character seem pathetic at times rather than trying too hard to make him likable.

However, it’s Navarrete who really gives the film its charm. The young actress gives a masterful performance as the charming Nikki who will give nightmares to anyone who has ever wondered What the hell is going on exactly? With their romantic partner. It’s truly frightening in its intensity, and it’s also heartwarming when her character briefly returns to her unhaunted state in a state of helpless confusion. It’s a big shift that will guarantee her a lot of work in the coming years.

mania It has more than its share of shocking moments, with a sudden and brutally violent attack coming out of nowhere that will leave you reeling. But Parker also has the confidence to slowly draw out suspense (sometimes so slowly, that the film may lose part of its 110-minute running time) and let the tension build. It was recently announced that the director will be helming the upcoming reboot of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. What seemed like something scary now actually inspires hope.