Obsession
Focus Features | Release Date: May 15, 2026 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
81
METASCORE
Universal acclaim based on 23 Critic Reviews
Positive:
22
Mixed:
1
Negative:
0

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
Chicago TribuneKatie WalshMay 14, 2026
The story isn’t complicated, and it’s one we know well, rendered with spooky, atmospheric aesthetics and intensely gnarly violence that provide cover for the thin premise, nagging plot holes and flimsy characterization in the script, which traffics in poorly explained archetypes. It’s sufficient enough, but the strength of the filmmaking is not in the writing, but in Barker’s command of style, pace and performance. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeOdie HendersonMay 14, 2026
The screenplay tries to say something about female autonomy and male selfishness, yet the film plays like an overlong, 108-minute riff on the old reliable stand-up routine subject “girlfriends be crazy” that never subverts the trope. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleRichard WhittakerMay 14, 2026
Like any great funfair ride designer, it’s Barker’s grasp of pacing, of when to lull and when to launch, that makes Obsession such a terrifying blast. Read full review
80
VarietyGuy LodgeMay 14, 2026
Like the novelty gift that causes all the trouble, Obsession initially seems simplistic, and even a bit silly, in its rehash of the age-old monkey’s paw trope. Like the consequences of that ill-considered wish, however, it proves eerily hard to shake. Read full review
60
The New York TimesErik PiepenburgMay 14, 2026
Barker shows real promise as a horror storyteller; his instincts about when to hold back and when to plunge the knife are scalpel sharp. If only the sexual politics at play in Obsession didn’t feel so callow. Read full review
100
The Irish TimesDonald ClarkeMay 13, 2026
Shot in perennial murk, relentless in its cruel focus, Obsession is, at its heart, a deathly serious film with a troubling message to convey. Well worth enduring (if that’s the word). Read full review
90
Screen DailyNikki BaughanMay 13, 2026
Curry Barker’s astute horror takes the simple, familiar premise of a love-sick man attempting to win the object of his affections and shapes it into an incisive, entertainingly schlocky study of romantic co-dependency, patriarchal entitlement and the all-too-easy subversion of good intentions. Read full review
75
TheWrapWilliam BibbianiMay 13, 2026
Curry Barker’s supernatural nightmare Obsession is a better version of Wonder Woman 1984. Read full review
80
Little White LiesEmma KielyMay 13, 2026
While the subtextual gleanings may not be particularly illuminating or fresh, Obsession delivers everything you could want from a story that is as terrifying, maddening, and tragic all at once. Read full review
83
The Film StageDevan SuberMay 13, 2026
Familiar as it may be, Obsession provides a firm introduction to multiple budding talents while providing all the sick thrills and nasty twists on morality one could ask for. Read full review
91
The A.V. ClubMonica CastilloMay 13, 2026
Through clever cinematography, editing tricks, and a cast that’s fully committed to the director’s unnerving vision, Barker reimagines a classic horror idea for a new generation. Read full review
90
The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckMay 12, 2026
What makes Obsession so fun, and so disturbing, is how it takes typical aspects of dysfunctional romantic relationships to initially comic and then horrific extremes. Read full review
91
The PlaylistCarlos AguilarMay 12, 2026
Through the increasingly ghastly parade of grotesqueries, Barker sharply comments on poisonous relationships. Read full review
90
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Barry HertzMay 11, 2026
This isn’t a movie of easy cynicism or a snide middle finger to horror-movie tradition – it is a finely calibrated shock to a system that Barker obviously grew up worshipping. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineMarshall ShafferMay 11, 2026
Obsession’s big set-piece sequences are as chilling in their effect as they are confident in their execution. Read full review
80
Time OutDan JolinMay 11, 2026
Perhaps it isn’t such a terrible thing to remind us that this is, essentially, just a dark exercise in genre: a romcom gone horribly, upsettingly wrong. In this sense – and we suspect Barker would take this as a huge compliment – Obsession is the worst date movie imaginable. Read full review
88
The Daily BeastNick SchagerMay 11, 2026
A deliriously pointed cautionary tale about the perils of getting what you want, and an instant contender for classic midnight-movie status. Read full review
85
SlashfilmBJ ColangeloApr 17, 2026
Obsession has a nasty sense of humor at the heart of the story, but the reality of what's going on is extremely dark. Read full review
70
Next Best PictureEma SasicSep 30, 2025
Overall, Obsession turns the volume up on impassioned romances with some incredibly committed performances from stars Johnston and Navarrette, and the wild scenarios they have to navigate. This is a film that demands to be seen with an audience to experience some high-energy creeps, chills, and thrills. Read full review
70
Screen RantMae AbdulbakiSep 30, 2025
With good pacing, writing, and a stellar cast, Barker has crafted a directorial horror debut that is deliciously dark, absurd, and eerie. Read full review
83
IndieWireChristian ZilkoSep 30, 2025
Obsession should keep everyone awake long after they get home from seeing it. Read full review
80
The GuardianBenjamin LeeSep 30, 2025
Obsession is satisfyingly slick proof that [Barker] knows just what to do when levelling up to a different platform, and while his debut might have been a film designed around a very modern form of horror, this time he’s looking back, his set-up using elements of a classic fable and the kind of grabby schlock you’d see in a video store back in the 1980s. Read full review
80
IGNMatt DonatoSep 30, 2025
Obsession should and will put Barker on the map as a horror filmmaker you need to watch. Thanks to fantastic turns by Michael Johnston and Inde Navarrette, you'll be addicted to this sour Valentine's Day counterprogramming. Read full review
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