there's so much to talk about with obsession (HECK of a movie) but I'm surprised I haven't seen many people talking about it as like. an AI horror story (to copy from my letterboxd review: the search for the perfect prompts which will give the perfect responses. giggling over a generated cartoon of them as a couple in the montage. Bear using exclusively AI search engines. the increasing demands for attention. the helpline calls which go nowhere. etc etc etc.)
I've seen some people suspect that Nikki was possessed by a demon, but that makes no sense. She was "possessed" but not by a demon. Even though this movie has some references to the Exorcist and such, what possessed Nikki was the spell that makes wishes come true. That spell can make anything happen, but it can't replicate a human soul and human behaviour, so Nikki was acting so crazy because to real humans this behaviour is disturbing, while the spell is just trying to recreate how a real human would behave when in love, but what it really does is replace a real person's soul while the real Nikki is trapped underneath. It was the spell controlling the body, not a demon.
Companion (2025) and Obsession (2026) would be an awesome double feature.
I find it intriguing how once again the horror genre is reflecting on societal fears, particularly when we've been seeing this increase in blatant, unapologetic misogyny and young men seemingly refusing to accept women are actual autonomous human beings who by and large are increasingly unwilling to put up with the BS women are just kind of expected to accept will be the unavoidable reality of dating men.
Both the male leads in Companion and Obsession would never think they're a "bad person". They believe they deserve their perfect dream girls and it boils down to entitlement and not wanting to put in the effort and care to make a relationship work. Their idea of a "true love" is in the form of a beautiful young woman who can't object, won't argue, or ask anything of them. They don't have expectations to be met, standards to measure up to, or challenges to rise to. Boundaries? Respect? Partnership? Chemistry? Pfft, why would she need those things? He's a really nice guy! That should be enough, right?
Anyway, go watch Obsession. It's disturbing and funny in the best way and it's criminal that Inde Navarrette probably won't get the recognition she deserves for this phenomenal performance.
the thing about obsession re: the cat sandwich, is that the common interpretation I've been seeing is that its an instance of real Nikki's anger manifesting through the entity, but honestly I saw it more as an instance of the entity not understanding human conventions, and having a "cannibalism/consumption as a metaphor for love" moment. Like I genuinely could imagine the entity's thought process as:
Bear loves the cat -> consumption is one of the ultimate acts of love. by eating the cat, its essence lives inside him. -> he will love me for this wonderful gift I've given him :)
it sort of reminds me of Where the Wild Things Are, when the monsters beg the protagonist to stay with them. Please don't go. I'll eat you whole. I love you so.
one of the things i admire most about obsession is the deliberate denial of any kind of optimistic ending, as well as the method by which that is executed. i’m thinking, specifically, of how the musical cues are utilized to pull multiple bait-and-switches on the audience: the way the music swells when bear is explaining the wish to ian and asking for his help; when bear puts the gun in his mouth; and when he takes the oxycodone.
obviously, if ian wishes away bear’s initial wish, that’s a happy ending! if bear dies in the bathroom and we cut to black, the audience can hold onto the hope that the wish breaking allows nikki to go back to her life before!
but those endings, especially the latter, would be dishonest. i appreciate that the film makes us sit in nikki’s anguish instead, bc i appreciate that it understands that she was equally affected by this, if not more so! an ending that bleak is honest to the concept and to the consequences inherent to the concept and i think it shows a great deal of respect for nikki. it’s an acknowledgement that nikki experienced something deeply violating and now has to somehow learn how to cope with it.
i dislike the whole “horror is so back” narrative people are throwing around recently with obsession and backrooms. both are great movies, but horror was also so back with the long walk. and sinners. and the substance. and nosferatu. and literally anything directed by jordan peele. horror as a genre will always have its flops. but there will always be those few that revive the hype.
I need to see it again to pinpoint the details but I really like how the opening scene of obsession (2026) is Bear practicing his confession with a diner waitress... like already you have a woman (who is not Nikki) fulfilling the role for her, saying the response she thinks Bear would like to hear, but the moment this woman gives her own opinion, offering genuine advice to Bear (something along the lines of buying Nikki something she likes, like her favorite candy, flowers, etc)... Bear disregards it... but then ends up using Ian's recommendation from this same conversation (calling Nikki "Freaky Nikki")... like god its all already right there
I genuinely appreciate how obsession doesn't try to frame bear as morally grey but just fully leans into how deplorable he is. a lesser movie would have tried to give him redeeming moments along the way but no, at every single crossroads bear makes the wrong choice. when the customer service rep asks him if he wants to cancel his wish, he says no, and asks to alter it. when nikki, the real one, begs him to kill her, he asks her "if it would be so bad to love him", and right at the end, backs out of killing himself and tries to throw the pills up. he is the villain, not another victim, not a confused, cowardly boy, the villain.
"Preparing [for the role of Nikki] was really fun. We got to watch a lot of fun movies, and kind of pick and choose, like a puzzle, what we wanted in the film. Moments that we took inspiration from, and made them our own." — Inde Navarrette for Fandango
"We watched Get Out, and focused on a lot of the moments where characters are showing an emotion underneath but saying something completely different [on the surface], and how horrific that is. There's a scene where [Nikki] is saying, "no", and there is a [similar] scene in Get Out [which we took inspiration from]." — Inde Navarrette for A Shot Magazine
Obsession (2026) Dir. Curry Barker
Get Out (2017) Dir. Jordan Peele
Your thighs shake, clamping around Steve's thigh every other heartbeat. But he doesn't let you rub against it. A heavy hand pins your hips down.
The other holds your wrists bound over your head.
Steve's face is buried in your chest. His mouth feasting on your breasts like it's the only zone worthy of his attention.
He's sucked your nipples to points so stiff it almost hurt. Each time he closed his lips around a hardened peak your clit screamed in despair.
He trails open-mouthed, wet kisses over the swell of your breasts. Sucks on soft skin, hard enough to leave hickeys. Then there's the scrape of his teeth. Not painful, but a graze that pours oil on the already blazing sensation.
You're so wet not only the fabric of your underwear sticks to your folds, but you're quite sure there's a stain seeping into the denim of Steve's jeans.
"Please!" You beg once again - one of dozen pleas you muttered since he pinned you down.
Steve's blue eyes flick up to you as he closes his mouth around one of your throbbing nipples. He sucks hard. Your cunt floods.
He releases with a wet pop, then licks his lips before saying:
"You either come from this, or you don't get to come at all tonight."
summary: The new rector of your parish is charismatic, but the mass you take a part of is unlike any other you ever participated in.
warnings: Corruption kink. Public sex. Exhibitionism. Blasphemy. Trance. Sex dreams (mentioned). Virginity kink. Very light degradation.
word count: 1k
Author's Note: I will be honest, when I first made the list for things to write for the kinky event, a different story was supposed to be here. But as I mentioned about two weeks ago, I had to adapt to life (because I forgot about some busy aspects, lol). I'm still happy with what I'm giving you today, though☺️
this is day 31 of the Kinky Monster Cocktober
Something is wrong.
The thought softly pulsed behind your temples as you walked down the aisle toward your pew.
Your senses don’t notice anything out of the ordinary. The same people you know are sitting in their usual spots, dressed as nicely as they do for the Sunday sermon. The church looks the same, as well. Including the renewed altar.
It was the new rector’s idea and the community happily donated to it. Especially, since it was a modest design, nothing ornate or too flashy.
There shouldn’t be anything wrong with the situation. You’ve been attending Sunday masses regularly.
Though you wouldn’t usually be wearing a short, white dress.
No, a nightie.
Softly gauzy, light on your skin. Innocent and inappropriate at the same time.
Your trembling fingers brushed along the short hem as you continued down the middle of the church, toward the altar. Barefoot.
Parishioners sat unmoved, their faces directed at the altar, awaiting the mass. All of the adults, not a single wiggling child in sight. It was eerie, how quiet and stiff they were. Usually there was some very quiet chatter, comments on the new flower arrangements, or the young women exchanging remarks on how handsome the new rector was.
Father Nicholas Fowler was quite young, compared to the previous rector, and definitely easy on the eye (even if it was a sinful thought that scorched your insides with embarrassment whenever you noticed it).
Each day you started with a cooling splash of water onto your face and a round of rosary, because you’ve been having these sinful dreams of him.
In those dreams he spoke about holy worship and sacrificing yourself to the higher power, fully in trust in obedience. As your dream self nodded in agreement, Father Nick’s hands and mouth explored your body.
He exposed each part of you, rousing it with inappropriate touch and speaking of ways it would be useful to your Lord.
You woke up wet and sticky between your thighs after dreaming of his mouth on your pussy, licking and sucking into a string of orgasms. He claimed he needed to prepare it to take the Lord’s light.
Your walls clenched at the memory of the debauched dream, your body missing the pleasure that your soul should repel.
As you neared the altar, Father Nick appeared on the other side of it. As if he stepped right from the shadows. He was stark naked. Only a trace of shadow seemed to weave around him in ribbons of smoke that didn’t cover anything, but rubbed against his skin in caress.
This was all wrong! So very wrong!
Yet you stepped up and placed your hand in Nick’s when he offered.
“Is it another dream?” You whispered.
“No. Not this time, little virgin.” His voice was so softly soothing, beautiful to listen to even as he spoke filth and blasphemy. “Not for you, anyway. For them?” He motioned at the gathering of parishioners- “It’s a trance they will think as figments of a wild dream. But they’re all too scared and hypocritical to ever mention it to anyone, even in confession.”
“W-why?” Your voice shook and your body shivered as Nick slid his hand down your body.
“The ritual requires human witnesses for the taking of the bride.” He explained calmly, slowly rolling up the fabric of your nightie.
“Am I your bride, Father?” One of your hands moved to cover the spot between your thighs, but Nick tutted and gently pulled your hand away.
“No need to call me that anymore. Though, I admit, it adds a very wicked twist to it all.” Nick grinned. For the first time it wasn’t a charming smile, but a curve of something sinister and shameless.
“Call me your Lord, or simply Nick. Or, if you wish to hold on to the fatherly titles, Daddy.”
You shook your head. With all the debauchery he already made you succumb to, this was something you don’t think you’d ever be into. Then again, you shouldn’t be into anything he did to you.
Nick’s hands gripped your hips, his fingers digging into your flesh with the same possessiveness he held you down as he ate you out. In a swift move, he lifted you up and placed you on the cold altar.
“Get on your knees, little pearl. Spread them wide, so the congregation can see your pretty virgin pussy and how quickly she weeps for me.”
He knelt behind you. Then arranged your body to rest against his, your back leaning on his chest as he stroked between your legs. His other hand played with your breasts, cupping and squeezing until your nipples hardened.
You should be crying, screaming your protest. Fighting him. But your body gave in so easily. So eagerly, too.
Small whimpers and moans increased with each swipe of Nick’s fingers between your folds. Your hips rocked against his hand, begging for more torment and pleasure. You forced your gaze upwards, toward the cathedral arches, but temptation lured it downwards. To see the people watching your ruin.
“That’s it, little pearl.” Nick kissed down your throat. “Show them what a needy, obedient slut hides in this sweetly virginal shell. Always such a good girl, so devoted and dutiful. You followed the church’s rules, but you secretly wanted to be a sinful whore for the devil to use, didn’t you?”
“Yes, I do.” You couldn’t disagree with it, not when your whole body ignited at the first stretch of a single, thick finger pushing into your unused pussy.
“Does it turn you on that you’re spread naked on the altar of your church? That I’m going to ram my cock into your tight cunt and take your virginity on the holy ground?” Nick pumped his finger faster; with his other pinching your nipple.
Your pussy squeezed around him as your back arched.
“Yes!”
“Come for me, little pearl. Scream my name, so the angelic choirs hear to whom you’re giving yourself.” His thumb swiped over your throbbing clit, drawing fast, tight circles. “Then I’ll split you on my cock. Spill your virginal blood, and fill you with my cum. Your new Lord’s light flooding your sacred garden.”
