Have you discovered your new Obsession yet? Did you fall down the rabbit hole of Curry Barker (Milk & Serial) if you didn’t already know his YouTube works before watching one of the most chilling horror movies of the year? If you’ve answered “yes” to any of these questions then you’ve seen Obsession and you know exactly what you’re in for. If you haven’t seen Obsession yet, you’re in for one terrifying journey into a fixation that makes one man the ultimate villain on this 4K release at home. Be sure to grab the physical 4K (aside from the obvious, ownership is better than holding a temporary license agreement) as there are extra features included on the physical release (like a commentary track) that are not included on the digital home release. So, duct tape your door shut, stand in the corner, watch everyone sleep, and prepare for Obsession.
L-R: Inde Navarrette as Nikki and Michael Johnston as Bear in OBSESSION, a Focus Features release. Photo courtesy of Focus Features. © 2026 FOCUS FEATURES LLC.
For a spoiler-free exploration of Obsession, head over to EoM Contributor Justin Waldman’s initial Toronto International Film Festival 2025 review. Moving forward, specific details will be covered. This review covers the digital 4K release only, not the physical 4K release.
Since first seeing the movie at TIFF 2025, it truly has not left my brain. It did something to me chemically, leaving an everlasting impact because of how simply brilliant and divine it is. To summarize the movie, in short, Obsession focuses on Bear (Michael Johnston) as he is completely infatuated with his friend and co-worker Nikki (Inde Navarette) but is too self-conscious to actually ask her out on a date despite talking to his friend Ian (Cooper Tomlinson) in trying to navigate how to ask her out. Bear ends up in a gift shop, sees a “One Wish Willow” sitting on a shelf, buys it despite the warnings on the box and from the shop owner, and wishes that Nikki Freedman will love him more than anyone else in the world. A dangerous wish; one that he thinks will never come true, until she becomes obsessed with him.
The first thing I want to address is something that I noticed trending on social media about the lighting and color grading of Obsession at home. Scenes that were incredibly dark and intentionally dark have been brightened up and my curiosity peaked to know if people truly didn’t have their televisions calibrated at all, were simply drooling over Inde Navarrette (Trap House), or if there was a drastic change in the home release compared to the theatrical release. I am more than happy to announce that this is just people either having horrifically bad television settings or people just messing with the lighting and posting for content as the film is as dark and sinister as Barker intended it to be. Moments of “Wish” Nikki and Bear being intimate or simply “Wish” Nikki being utterly terrifying are still intact and are not, in fact, brightened up and thusly ruined. One example is a moment when we just see Bear as he wakes up at 3ish in the morning, then we look around the room from his POV as he calls Nikki’s name out. “Wish” Nikki is nowhere to be found. We see Bear as the camera pans back to him, then, as we’re back to Bear’s POV, we finally realize she’s hiding in the corner simply watching him sleep, creepily emerging from the shadows while stating she’s just watching him sleep, that he’s so cute when he sleeps, and refusing to come back and starts to cry that he doesn’t love her as much as she loves him. The terror in Bear’s face exemplifies that the audience is also disoriented and cannot see well due to the fact that its 3-something in the morning and Bear just woke up in the dark. A scene like this is only effective because it’s dimly lit and the darkness consumes the audience, allowing us to be taken in by the situation Bear finds himself in with Nikki due to his own wish. This digital release is filled with great instances of the aforementioned scene, allowing Barker’s vision to truly come to life and terrify audiences. With an excellent 4K render at home, there is no better way to experience, or re-experience your new obsession.
Regarding special features, on the digital copy, as previously mentioned, there is only one and it runs 19 minutes. It’s a behind-the-scenes look titled “Obsession Unleashed.” Along with some tidbits and trivia, there’s an exploration of how methodical Navarette was in crafting this role and how it resulted in Johnston accidentally ruining a take. It also covers how Barker was approached with a small budget to adapt his short, The Chair, but pitched making a feature of something new he was working on, which was Obsession. It also includes a chemistry test between Navarette and Johnston as well as Navarette’s personal story of her reaction to the looks of sheer horror on the faces of the extras on set, whom she had never met before, during her scene telling the story of Hansel and Gretel. “Obsession Unleashed” is a truly great feature, and if it’s any indication of how great the commentary can be, I cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy and dive into that feature as well.
Obsession beams into 4K digitally and on disk, and if you’re a horror fan and have yet to see the film, what are you waiting for? And if you have seen the film, it most likely is already sitting on your shelf. Enjoy your newest obsession from the mind of Curry Barker. And, if you log Obsession more than once on Letterboxd, watch out for a special video from Michael Johnston; it appears Inde Navarette has a message for you on Peacock, as well.
Obsession Special Features:
- Obsession Unleashed
- Feature commentary with writer/director/editor Curry Barker (physical edition-only)
Available on VOD and digital June 30th, 2026.
Available on Peacock July 17th, 2026.
Available on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD July 14th, 2026.
For more information, head to the official Focus Features Obsession webpage.
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Categories: Films To Watch, Home Release, Home Video, Recommendation, Reviews
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