Consider this your warning. The first full trailer for ‘Obsession’ has arrived, and it is not for the faint-hearted — or, frankly, anyone currently having a perfectly decent day.
Written and directed by Curry Barker, the film follows Bear (Michael Johnston), a guy quietly pining for his close friend Nikki (Inde Navarrette). Rather than coming clean about his feelings, he makes an offhand wish on a novelty item called a “One Wish Willow” — that Nikki would love him more than anything in the world. What follows is, by all accounts, a slow-burn descent into full-on horror. The tagline says it best: “Be careful who you wish for.”
‘Obsession’ made its rounds on the festival circuit last year before getting picked up by Focus Features, who wasted little time locking in a summer release date. Early reactions out of the festival run have been strong, with the film drawing praise for finding genuine, skin-crawling horror in a premise that could easily have gone campy. The trailer only scratches the surface, apparently.
The film hits theaters May 15.