If You Loved Obsession, Here's What to Watch Next.
- Audrey Christian
- Jun 16
- 3 min read
Curry Barker’s debut film, Obsession (2026), is without a doubt a sleeper horror hit. The box office numbers alone speak to how huge this film has become as it still remains one of the highest grossing horror films in theatres right now with over $229 million grossed so far. Horror fans and those looking for a scary good time have flocked to see this on the big screen. You loved it, so what should you watch next? That’s what I’m here to answer.
Obsession takes on the topic of coercion and the illusion of love with our main character, Bear, making a wish to have his love interest, Nikki, fall madly in love with him. Like most shortcuts in life, this takes a sideways turn as we see Nikki lose all autonomy as she becomes fully under the control of the wish. There are moments we see Nikki snap back into her body which are the most painful scenes to watch as she screams and begs for death. Bear registers these moments of Nikki’s painful clarity yet continues to attempt to play at being in a relationship with her as if nothing is wrong. Nikki's loss of autonomy and the way Bear reveled in it the majority of the time were the most horrifying and uncomfortable parts of the film for me. Sadly, this is a story all women can relate to.
To get a better understanding of what Obsession has to say regarding the loss of autonomy and forced servitude it's easier to look at it through the lens of some other films with similar ideas. It's also just fun to watch some great movies that take on the same topics but have very different ways of portraying them. So, here's what you should watch if you loved Obsession and what to explore this genre more:
The Stepford Wives (1975)
The Stepford Wives is a must-watch. It has influenced every other film on this list, including Obsession. This is a 70’s film about a woman from the city who moves to the suburbs and discovers that the other women in the town are the perfect housewives- eerily so. This film mainly covers the topic of the loss of autonomy and when imbued in 70’s feminism it sheds men and traditional gender tropes in a horrifying light. Once you see this film you will notice its influences in many other films- The Stepford Wives is really the blueprint.
Companion (2023)
Companion. Directed by Drew Hancock, New Line Cinema, 2025.
There are already a lot of posts comparing Nikki played by Inde Navarette from Obsession and Iris played by Sophie Thatcher from Companion. Iris is seemingly the perfect girlfriend until the truth comes out and Iris realizes she deserves more. Yet another story where the loss of autonomy and control over women are the main themes. Companion questions if love can still exist after the illusion of it is broken. This film is like a modern day Stepford Wives meets Ex Machina.
Get Out (2018)
Get Out is the only film on this list that doesn’t revolve solely around the coercion of women. It touches on the topics of modern day slavery and turns racial microaggressions into a horrifyingly violent visual and physical concept. Get Out introduces us to the idea of “the sunken place” which is a place the characters are sent inside themselves where they are a viewer of their own life while someone else is controlling their body. “The sunken place” is where we can imagine Nikki’s character is trapped while her wish self is in control. This gives us a terrifying perspective of what Nikki could be experiencing.
The combination of the these films sets you up with the framework for interpreting the societal implications of Bear’s wish in Obsession. These ideas take the film to the next level and give you an idea of how to understand the implications of Nikki’s situation in Obsession. While the film was not explicitly meant to take on big topics like the loss of autonomy and forced servitude, it still gives a great and scarily real portrayal of these concepts. Do you think Obsession has something big to say about coercion and control or was it simply a side effect of the story?
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