Manic Pixie Nightmare Girl

Typically, I do not review horror movies on here because 99.9% of my readership is friends and family, and not a single one of them is a horror fan (if you are, let yourself be known; we have so much to talk about). Every so often, there is a horror movie that I need to talk about for some reason or another. It is usually the case that something transcends the typical horror movie: the story, a scene, or a performance. With “Obsession,” it is the birth of a new “scream queen” in Inde Navarette.

“Bear” (Michael Johnston) is incapable of admitting his feelings to Nikki (Navarette). In a fit of desperation, he breaks a One Wish Willow in order to make her love him more than anyone else. He gets what he wants, but soon discovers that it is not all it seems.

Before we get to Navarette’s incredible performance, there are some other things to praise about this movie. The idea of a wish gone wrong is a tried-and-true horror plot. Someone wants something so badly, makes a wish, and when it comes true, it gets twisted in some way. Even the most harmless wish can turn into something horrible. In “Bear’s” case, Nikki’s obsession with him quickly turns dark, in some cases literally. When he makes his wish, he is dropping Nikki off at home after a night out. He wants to tell her that he has feelings for her, but he chickens out and then makes his wish. Nikki stops and is seen only in silhouette. This is done a few times in the movie, which adds to its unnaturalness. The movie oozes uncomfortable vibes in every scene, even the ones that are not supposed to be suspenseful.

Now, let’s get to what makes this movie work: Navarette’s performance. The Manic Pixie Dream Girl is a very common trope in fiction: a quirky female character that the male lead falls in love with. Think Annie Hall or Summer from “500 Days of Summer. ” Before the wish, Nikki could be considered a manic pixie dream girl. She is funny and outgoing and wears cool clothes. Once the wish is made, this goes away. She becomes completely devoted to “Bear” and everything that made her Nikki goes away. Navarette’s performance takes this movie from a typical horror movie to a great one. There are multiple scenes where she shifts emotions on a dime. In a dinner scene, “Bear” brings up a lie she told him, and she stands up and starts screaming at him. He apologizes, and she sits back down as if nothing happened. Navarette is just unbelievably good in this role. The stark contrast between post-wish and pre-wish Nikki comes down to her performance.

This is pretty tame by horror movie standards. There is only one person killed (pretty gruesomely, but still), and there are no real jump scares. The horror comes down to Navarette’s performance and how Nikki acts post-wish. It is more akin to a “Silence of the Lambs” than a “Saw” or “Halloween.” It is more of a psychological horror than anything else. I know that horror movies can be a hard sell for the general public, but “Obsession” is one of those worth seeing. It is one of those movies that makes me glad I got over my fear of scary movies, because it proves that horror can be incredible.

9/10

Rated R for strong bloody violence, grisly images, sexual content, pervasive language, and brief graphic nudity.

1h 48m