Curry Barker's Obsession has taken the horror world by storm, but the film's gut-punch of an ending almost went in a completely different—and arguably less devastating—direction. The YouTube filmmaker, who first caught genre fans' attention with Milk & Serial, delivers a feature debut that's as heartbreaking as it is horrifying. The story follows Bear (Michael Johnston), a shy young man who uses a One Wish Willow to make his crush Nikki (Inde Navarrette) love him obsessively. What follows is a nightmare of control, possession, and tragedy. But Barker's original plan would have ended with Nikki dead—and that change reshaped the entire movie.
What Is Obsession About?
Inspired by a Treehouse of Horror episode of The Simpsons, Barker's film twists the monkey's paw concept into something deeply unsettling. Bear starts as the archetypal nice guy, but his wish transforms Nikki into a hollow, obsessed shell. The real Nikki is trapped inside her own body, only surfacing for brief, agonizing moments. She begs Bear to kill her, but he's too cowardly to let go. The film makes Bear the true villain, while Nikki becomes a tragic victim—more worthy of tears than screams.
Nikki Was Originally Going to Die
In the released ending, Bear tries to kill himself to undo the wish but chickens out, swallowing pills instead. The entity breaks a second willow, Bear dies, and Nikki returns to her body—screaming in terror. But Barker originally shot a darker finale where both characters die. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, he revealed: "We shot both; we shot this ending that you see in the movie, and we shot the ending where she ends it all." The Romeo and Juliet-style conclusion would have given Nikki no chance to survive.
Why Nikki Had to Live
Barker's father, screenwriter Jeff Barker, convinced him to switch. "I just remember my dad and multiple people around me being like, 'Dude, I think it's way more disturbing if she just survives this thing.'" Navarrette echoed this in a Collider interview, saying Barker wanted to "sit with her" in the aftermath. Killing Nikki would have been a clean exit, but leaving her alive—traumatized, friendless, and facing a life of imprisonment or institutionalization—is far more haunting. The final shot of her wide-eyed terror suggests a fate worse than death.
For fans of mind-bending horror, Obsession joins the ranks of films that refuse to offer easy closure. It's a movie that lingers, much like the most mind-bending surreal horror movies ever made. And while some films are ruined by their endings, Obsession proves that a truly disturbing finale can elevate a story—even if it means leaving your protagonist in hell.
