As first features from online creators continue to reshape the horror landscape, few debuts have generated early excitement quite like Obsession. The newly released teaser marks the arrival of writer-director Curry Barker – a filmmaker whose online presence has already made him a name to watch. Barker first rose to prominence as one half of That’s a Bad Idea, the sketch-comedy duo he formed with Cooper Tomlinson. Their blend of sharp humour and off-kilter genre instincts culminated in the 2024 viral sensation Milk & Serial, a runaway hit that led to the pair signing with United Talent Agency in early 2025. Now, Barker steps into feature territory, and early praise is already tipping Obsession as a potential Barbarian-level breakout.
Starring Michael Johnston, Inde Navarrette, Cooper Tomlinson, and Megan Lawless, the film centres on a hopeless romantic who breaks the mysterious “One Wish Willow” in an attempt to win his crush’s heart. His wish comes true – but at a cost far darker and far stranger than he could ever have imagined. What begins as a fantasy fulfilled quickly unravels, revealing the sinister consequences that come with bending fate to one’s desires.
Obsession takes the classic wish-gone-wrong tale and sharpens it into one of the year’s most singular horror debuts—bold, assured, and unmistakably its own. If the early buzz is anything to go by, Barker’s feature could well be the next viral-to-big-screen success story, and a landmark moment in the rise of horror’s digital-native auteurs.
Universal Pictures will release Obsession in UK cinemas in May 2026. Until then, you can catch the first teaser trailer below:
