Obsessed with ‘Obsession’: Curry Barker and Inde Navarrette on the Horror Hit Everyone’s Talking About

Decrease Font Size Increase Font Size Text Size Print This Page Send by Email

Curry Barker’s Obsession is a supernatural horror thriller that stars Michael Johnston as Bear and Inde Navarrette as Nikki, alongside Cooper Tomlinson, Megan Lawless, and Andy Richter. It has been a breakout hit for Blumhouse and got horror film fans excited.

The story follows Bear, a lonely music-store worker who uses a mysterious One Wish Willow spell to make Nikki love him, only for the wish to spiral into something disturbing, violent, and psychologically obsessive.

The film has become popular because it turns a simple premise — unrequited crushes and desperately wanting someone to love you back — into an intense horror story about love, control, and the dark side of desire.

Curry and Inde discuss their breakout horror hit and how the made it come together.

Inde Navarette on building Nikki’s character.

Nikki begins as a vibrant young woman who works in a record store called Cassell’s Music. She charms everyone that sees her. Then, the self-doubting Bear makes his wish for her to fall madly in love with him.

Inde spent considerable time discussing the character with Curry to confirm what he was looking for tonally.

“It’s Curry’s story. It’s from his brain. So he was the first person that I went to,” says Inde.

“I resonated with her in a way that I’ve never resonated with another character. I’d never had an opportunity to show range like this. I also didn’t know how many people would watch this film,” she adds. This allowed her to push the boundaries without fear.

Being an actress comes down to giving back to the acting community by trusting that you’re more capable than you realize. Inde was scared of being perceived in a certain way and didn’t want to be typecast as the “crazy girl” which can feel demeaning.

The key to establishing Nikki’s character was switching between two diametrically-opposed people and she needed to feel sweet, grounded and real at the start. Navarette was mindful that this aspect of Nikki’s character only lasted for the first fifteen minutes of Obsession. She had a lot to pack in.

“How much can I build in that time to where you understand why Bear is in love with her, you yearn for her to be saved? You also grieve the life that she’s losing,” elaborates Inde.

Photo by Eric Charbonneau/ Focus Features via Getty Images

Curry Barker on casting the perfect Nikki

“Inde really brought something unique to ‘normal Nikki,’ which wasn’t on the page. I wrote Nikki as this kind of really sweet girl next door type,’ Curry recalls.

During the chemistry read, Inde brought a sassier and sweeter tone to the script which originally consigned Bear to the “friend zone.” She’d call the bartender “babe.” Perhaps she spoke to everyone like that, or just him? Perhaps she’s delusional?

After the wish, she came out of her shell and brought a lot of crazy stuff to the set based on what Curry asked her to do. There was a lot of intimate playfulness while also making a fool of herself.

“We all wanted to rise to what you had seen on the page and its potential,” he adds.

Since it was a short 20-day shoot (there were some subsequent reshoots) the cast watched movies and were in constant conversation about their roles during pre-production to ensure everyone was on the same page.

“We had so many conversations about what Nikki was and what Nikki was not. And I think that it was more important what Nikki was not in finding how we can make her different.”

By the time the cameras started rolling, Inde knew exactly what Curry wanted, so they’d reference previous conversations to ensure that most shots were filmed efficiently in one or two takes.

Inde on film and actor references

Curry and cast watched various movies to see how an idea or performance was communicated rather than to imitate them.

When they watched Mia Goth in Pearl, they noticed a turn of vocalization to a higher pitch. They also looked at Lupita Nyong’o in Jordan Peele’s Us. “They’re both extremely intense, but they’re intense for different reasons. Lupita’s in her body. Mia’s outside,” explains Inde.

Then there was the communication in the eyes in these performances to tell the story.

Consider the date scene when Bear interrogates Nikki whether her father really has cancer. Then her series of “No” responses play on a melodic scale.

“In the first no, I wanted the audience to think is she saying no, her dad doesn’t really have cancer. Or is she saying no to something else? Then there’s a long pause… and then there’s another no. The first no confuses the audience and you realize she’s not answering Bear. She’s complaining because she was expecting them to have a nice date.”

Curry Barker also allowed Nikki to slow down the pace and make use of the time and space in long takes.

Photo by Eric Charbonneau/ Focus Features via Getty Images

Curry on reshoots

About six months following the main shoot, the director reassembled the cast and crew for some reshoots.

The key scenes were already in the can. The reshoots focussed on tightening up certain scenes and adding more “creepy” shots. The scene where Inde is hiding in the corner in the dark while Bear sleeps is a prime example. It’s shocking and absurd.

Nikki also utters the memorable line,“I don’t like my dreams.” Is she still under the effects of One Wish Willow, is she having a mental health episode, or has she relapsed on drugs? This uncertainty lingers throughout the movie.

One of the things about reshoots is that Curry had a chance to hear audience reactions to the cut so far. This allowed him to double down and focus on the story he wanted to tell.

Curry on Bear’s final fate

The One Wish Willow has its own rules. A wish can only be reversed if a counter wish is made. Or Bear resigns himseld to his demise. The former option is wasted.

This was something also handled in the reshoots to reinforce the themes of fate and destiny.

Bear takes a handful of pills as he accepts that he’s going to die to escape Inde. That’s how it was written in the script. Then Michael Johnston had a light bulb moment and begged a reshoot where he sticks his fingers in his mouth to choke up the pills.

“Bear is such a coward the entire movie. He can’t even commit to that last part,” says Barker.