BECOME OBSESSED WITH OBSESSION.

 In Obsession, Bear (Michael Johnston) has a crush on one of his close friends, Nikki (Inde Navarratte). While at an occult store, he picks up a One Wish Willlow, a novelty toy from the 80s that supposedly grants the user one wish. Later, without thinking, Bear uses the Willlow to make a wish: For Nikki to love him more than anyone in the entire world. So the Monkey’s Paw curls. Bear gets exactly what he wished for, but in horrifying ways he never could have predicted. Be careful what you wish for.

Obsession is the first feature length film from YouTube wunderkind Curry Barker, who was just recently handed the reigns to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. After seeing this, it’s easy to see why. He’s clearly the right guy for the job. Barker directed, edited, and penned the screenplay for Obsession. He excels at each role, bringing his own intoxicating blend of horror and dark humor to the proceedings. Obsession is never slow or boring, moving at a good pace throughout (I honestly could have watched another full hour of this film). 

Rock Burwell crafts the score and hits a home run. It sounds like a decaying music box a good deal of the time, and definitely adds to the fear and tension throughout. Taylor Clemens handles the cinematography and does a great job as well. He knows how to work with dark spaces on the periphery, how to utilize characters in the background of scenes, and enjoys playing with shadows. Clemens’ work adds to the terror lurking within this flick.

Michael Johnston plays Bear and nails the role. Bear is an awkward, insecure, sensitive, and somewhat selfish young man who works at a music store with his friends. When he makes the wish, he does so without any seriousness, unaware just how real a One Wish Willow’s effects are. When things get real and Bear sees how the Willow is affecting Nikki, Bear is left with a choice: Find a way to undo his wish or continue to live in his dream-turned-nightmare.

You’d think the choice would be an easy one, but not so for Bear. So what if Nikki has been turned into an unhinged, unstable psychopath… he’s still finally got her “love”. Yeah, Bear is kind of a weak person when all is said and done (for example: You see him sobbing uncontrollably early on at the thought of Nikki not loving him). Johnston takes a character that could easily become unlikable and finds ways to keep him relatable, empathetic, and human throughout. He’s also an ace when it comes to portraying genuine terror. Most people are going to fawn over Inde Navarrette’s performance, but Michael Johnston deserves much praise too. 

Inde Navarrette is a genuine, rare find as Nikki. Curry Barker is so lucky to have found her, and hopefully her performance here will open many more doors for the young actress. She’s got real talent, and easily commands the screen whenever she is on. Navarrette excels at playing “Normal Nikki” and “Freaky Nikki”. We only get to see Normal Nikki for the first twenty to twenty-five minutes of the movie. Once Bear breaks the One Wish Willow, Normal Nikki only appears sporadically and for just literal seconds at a time.

That said, Normal Nikki is an endearing and sweet character. Despite spending little time with her, you like her. Navarrette’s performance as “Freaky Nikki”, however, is what’s going to garner acclaim and maybe even win awards. She goes for broke and swings for the fences. It’s a bold strategy as it could easily come across as mugging for the camera (think Jim Carrey), but in Inde’s hands this is never the case. 

“Freaky Nikki” is easily the scariest character we’ve gotten in a horror film in some time. She’s legitimately terrifying and unsettling. Barker uses some editing tricks to even make the way Nikki moves scary. Navarrette is phenomenal when it comes to her facial acting, and much of the fear comes from the ways she uses her face. She’s also excellent at rapidly switching between intensity levels. The girl can go from zero to a hundred at the drop of a dime, and this gives the audience the effect of walking on eggshells. You’re never ever fully comfortable or at ease when Inde is on screen (and even at times when she’s off-screen).

As for the supporting cast, Cooper Tomlinson (from Barker’s YouTube short film, Milk and Serial) is likable as Ian, the “frat bro” best friend to Bear. He shows genuine concern when Nikki goes freaky, and brings up some valid points to Bear. Megan Lawless plays Sarah, a friend of Bear’s who has a crush on him. She doesn’t get as much of a chance to shine as others, but is still likable and does well in her role. 

Obsession is an honest-to-God diamond-in-the-rough. It’s terrifying but heartfelt. It almost feels like a super dark version of that episode of The Fairly Oddparents where Timmy wishes for Trixie to be his girlfriend. You will scream, and you will laugh. It’s rare when you find yourself laughing not out of humor, but out of unease and horror. With Obssession, Curry Barker has crafted one hell of a calling card. It’s genuinely one of the best and scariest horror films of this decade. Obsession is a masterpiece. I'm obsessed.

5 STARS

RETRO REVIEW: THE ELEPHANT MAN

 “YOU’RE THE MONSTER! YOU’RE THE FREAK!!!”

“You’re not an elephant man. You’re Romeo.”

“I AM NOT AN ELEPHANT!!!! I AM NOT AN ANIMAL!!!! I AM A HUMAN BEING!!!”

Based on a true story: 21 year old John Merrick has lived a life of cruelty and hardship as a traveling sideshow freak due to an unfortunate and incurable deformity. Dr. Frederick Treves, a surgeon, stumbles upon him and chooses to befriend the poor soul. Treves rescues him, giving Merrick a home at his hospital and showing him the first bits of human kindness and empathy John has ever known. This institutes an inner transformation for Merrick, who begins to see himself as a man for the first time ever. However, as more of high society line up to meet him, uncomfortable questions arise: Has John traded one circus for another?  Is Treves just a kinder version of John’s initial, abusive owner?

A beautiful, magnificent, deeply moving and deeply affecting film of pure empathy. John Hurt and Anthony Hopkins deliver stellar, heartfelt, and human performances as our leads. Freddie Jones as Bytes and Michael Elphick as Jim Rashad are monstrous and easy to hate as our antagonists. Anne Bancroft as Madge Kendal, a notorious stage actress, and Hannah Gordon as Ann Treves, wife of Frederick are kind, soft, and tender as women that grow to care about John.

The screenplay by Christopher De Vore, Eric Bergen, and David Lynch fill the proceedings with a great deal of humanity, tragedy, and warmth. The Elephant Man might be the most straight-forward film David Lynch has made. For my money, it’s also his best. Lynch gets it. Bring plenty of tissues.

5 STARS

PSYCHO KILLER SLASHES IT'S WAY TO FAILURE

 In Psycho Killer, Kansas Highway Patrol agent Jane Archer (Georgina Campbell) hunts down a satanic serial killer (James Preston Rogers) after she witnesses him murder her husband, a fellow Highway Patrol agent. Desperate to prevent more senseless deaths, Jane tracks the killer and in the process realizes that he has much bigger plans than random acts of violence. As each murder brings him closer to his ultimate goal, Jane finds herself continually one step behind the talented psycho. Will Jane be able to stop him before he can enact his grand finale?

So much wasted potential. The threadbare screenplay feels more like an outline and desperately needed a few more passes or re-writes to beef up the characters and lore. Seven scribe Andrew Kevin Walker penned the screenplay. He also penned Sleepy Hollow, 8MM, and The Killer and co-wrote Windfall and The Wolfman. The first draft of the screenplay was finished in 2007 and his second draft was completed in 2008.

It’s admittedly a different take to make a “detective procedural” from the pov of the killer. Unfirtunately, our psycho killer (dubbed the Satanic Slasher, played by James Preston Rogers) is a deeply silly character. He wears silly sunglasses, has a silly little mask, and speaks with a silly ultra-deep voice that sounds like he’s speaking through a voice changer. I’d bet all of his lines are dubbed. He gets no motivation, and the explanation of who he is is barely explained.

We never get a good look into the Satanic Slasher’s  psyche or what makes him tick besides the movie explicitly stating that he is an insane Satanist. There are tiny breadcrumbs in the film that hint at who the Satanic Slasher is and how he got here, but the audience has to put the pieces together for themselves after the film has ended. The quick news report in the 13th hour that briefly exposes his identity plays like serious whiplash. Georgina Campbell is great and compelling, despite being given essentially nothing to work with. The cinematography by Magnus Nordenhof Jønck is pretty, even if the locations and sets are bare bones.

This is director Gavin Polone’s first feature film (He was attached to direct since 2010), and it shows. His work as director here feels absolutely absent. He’s got no presence. Psycho Killer wants to be taken seriously. It wants to be dark and cool, but is woefully unaware of just how silly it really is. If the screenplay had been worked on a significant amount more, this could have been interesting. There was definite potential here. Unfortunately, as is, Psycho Killer is an under-developed nothing-burger.

2 STARS

HOKUM BRINGS THE SPOOKY

 In Hokum, we follow Ohm Bowman (Adam Scott), a depressed, alcoholic writer with an attitude issue. He travels from America to Ireland to spread his parent’s ashes, staying at their honeymoon spot while there. Ohm eventually becomes personally invested in a local mystery, deciding to investigate on his own. He winds up trapped in the hotel’s honeymoon suite where he will have to survive a litany of terrors if he’s going to make it out alive. 

Adam Scott is compelling and interesting as our leading man, Ohm. Scott deftly mixes humor and pathos to an effective degree. Ohm makes for an engaging lead despite his overall sour personality, and it’s fun to follow him on his personal quest. Ohm isn’t just an audience stand-in as he is a fully developed character with layers.

The stand-outs of the supporting cast are David Wilmot as Jerry, Will O’Connell as Alby the bellhop and Jack the Jackass, and Florence Ordesh as Fiona. Fiona is a kind, friendly bartender whom Ohm warms up to and befriends. She ends up coming in for the clutch a few times when Ohm needs help. Jerry is a strange hermit who enjoys ‘Shrooms and winds up investigating the mystery alongside Ohm. Jerry is low-key the GOAT. Alby is a dejected bellhop who seeks approval from Ohm, and Jack the Jackass is the scary host of a kids tv show. The cast cobbled together for Hokum is strong and likable, each character adding something different to the proceedings. 

Damien McCarthy writes and directs. He previously wrote and directed Caveat and Oddity. While Oddity is more consistently creepy and scary than Hokum, the atmosphere crafted here is still rich, tense, and freaky. McCarthy took clear inspiration from 1408 and The Shining, sprinkling a little bit of Irish folklore on top and adding his own personal flavor to the mix. While there are a good deal of jump scares throughout (most of which fall flat), there is one genuinely terrifying sequence in the third act. 

The strongest aspects of Hokum aren’t the scares, but its rich and satisfying story, and the consistently tense and creepy atmosphere. This is another winner for McCarthy. Check in to the Bilberry Hotel, ask for the Honeymoon Suite. A scary, sad, and surprisingly heartwarming time awaits.

4 STARS

MICHAEL ATTEMPTS TO MOONWALK

Undeniably entertaining but you can definitely tell there is a better film screaming to claw its way out. The original cut likely was going to focus a lot more on MJ’s inability to grow up and how that affected the man he would become and the crimes against children he would go on to commit. Unfortunately, once the Jackson estate got involved all that went out the window. Instead, we have a film that “plays the hits” and doesn’t offer up any new insights or information about the God of pop (the film doesn’t even really delve into how MJ came up with the ideas for some of his songs). 

If you are a long-time fan of MJ’s, you’ve seen all this before. This version zeroes in on MJ’s attempts to free himself from under the oppressive thumb of his controlling and abusive father and culminates/ends with Jackson releasing Bad. Joseph Jackson is played as a one-note sneering villain by the normally talented Colman Domingo. Joseph might as well come with his own “BOO!” sign.

Jaafar Jackson (Son of Jermaine Jackson. MJ was his paternal uncle) steps into the moonwalking shoes of Jackson with ease and finesse. Jaafar channels the spirit of his late uncle. He nails MJ’s voice and dance moves to perfection. He even looks like him once he loses the afro for a perm. After a bit, you forget you aren’t watching the real MJ.

Juliano Valdi shines as well as young MJ. Much like Jaafar, he nails young MJ’s look, voice, and dance moves. Miles Teller is a welcome and likable presence as John Branca, a record exec who assists MJ throughout. Mike Meyers makes a surprise appearance as Walter Yetnikoff, president of CBS records, and is entertaining in his one scene.

Antoine Fuqua directs and does a solid job. Dione Beebe is in charge of cinematography. Conrad Buff IV, Tom Cross, John Ottman, and Harry Yoon handle editing duties. Michael looks sleek, sharp, and shiny with some concert, music video/short film, and on-stage moments impressing mightily. This film looks good!

Michael works best as a concert film, which it eventually turns into during the second and third acts. It’s hard not to have fun watching Jaafar as MJ sing and strut his way across the screen (and it’s very cool to watch part of Thriller on the big screen. They even seem to have used the actual iconic filming location from the music video/short film). MJ was a multi-layered and complex person, so it’s disappointing that this film opts for a mostly surface level representation of the God of Pop. 

Scenes from the original cut manage to sneak their way in, but only serve to remind audiences of the much-better film we could have gotten. As is, the scenes with MJ fixating on childhood items and films exist as an afterthought. The next movie (if it’s released) might delve deeper than Michael chooses to, but with the Jackson Estate in control, it’s hard to have much hope. Michael is a highly entertaining reminder of the immense, once-in-a-lifetime talent MJ was. It certainly could have been great, but as it stands it’s your typical biopic of a musician. See it for the concert and music video/short film scenes (of which there are many).

3 STARS

2025 CATCH-UP : FLIGHT RISK

What a baffling movie. A fun concept and a good cast is grounded by a terrible screenplay (Jared Rosenberg) and atrocious direction (The once talented Mel Gibson). Michele Dockery and Mark Whalberg attempt to carry the proceedings, but fail. Dockery’s Madelyn Harris is given a tiny bit of backstory and pathos in an attempt to add gravitas to her character and stakes to her mission. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work as we are given very little reason to care about her (or any other) character. 

Mark Whalberg (with a very unfortunate balding hair line) tries to keep things fun, but also fails mostly due to him being a generally terrible and non-threatening hitman. He spends the majority of the runtime handcuffed or subdued by our leads. His abundance of terrible sexual threats/jokes grow stale and tiresome fast. 

Topher Grace struggles as Winston, a mafia accountant turned informant who acts as the unfunny and annoying comedic relief wet noodle. He is mostly useless except in one brief pivotal moment. There are attempts at humor that completely fall flat due to terrible comedic timing or misreadings of lines. 

There are also parts that are painfully cringe, like another pilot who is called to assist and almost immediately asks Madelyn out on a date, she happily accepts, then he playfully flirts with her for the rest of his scenes. I never would have guessed Mel Gibson was the man in the pilot’s seat. This could have been a fun B movie, but Mel Gibson steers course towards psychological thriller and winds up crashing his plane as a result. There’s hard to feel any tension when the big bad is handcuffed in the back for the majority of the film while our protagonists mostly ignore or disregard him and talk to each other/to FBI headquarters (there’s an uninteresting sub-plot involving a mole in the agency)/to the other pilot. They don’t appear to think of him as much of a threat, so why should we? 

Unfortunately, Flight Risk is a fairly dull and boring trip where very little of interest or import occurs during our time in the skies. Oh, how the mighty have fallen. This does not bode well for Passion of the Christ 2 or any future Mel Gibson helmed films. Gibson, you’ve been permanently grounded and your pilot’s license revoked.

1 STAR

IT'S TIME TO MEET YOUR MUMMY - THE MUMMY (2026)

 This ain’t your mommy’s Mummy!  In The Mummy, Charlie (Jack Reynor), a tv news reporter, is on assignment in Egypt. He brings his wife Larissa (Laia Costa), young son Sebastian, and nine year old daughter Katie (Emily Mitchell) along for the trip. While there, Katie is kidnapped, leaving her family bereft. Eight years later, Katie still hasn’t been found. Charlie is now a tv news producer, and is back at his home in New Mexico. His family and him have picked up the pieces as best they can, but things still aren’t the same. 

When a plane crashes in Egypt, a sarcophagus is discovered with Katie (Natalia Grace) inside. When notified, Charlie and Larissa bring Katie back home, but find she is a shade of her former self. As the days trek on, Katie begins to display disturbing behavior as it slowly becomes clear something is not right. Charlie investigates with the help of Egyptian detective Dalia Zaki  (May Calamawy), and discovers that his entire family is in grave danger.

The Mummy is the latest from director Lee Cronin, who penns the screenplay as well. He previously directed Evil Dead Rise and it would his appear his time working on that film inspired him to make The Mummy. Evil Dead’s fingerprints are all over this movie. Luckily, this isn’t exactly Evil Dead as there is a strong, engaging, and very cool mystery at the heart of this flick. While this is definitely a horror film, most of the runtime is devoted to unraveling the mystery of what happened to Katie. It’s a nice, different turn from what most are likely expecting. The occasional comedic parts are unexpected and always funny as well. 

Those coming to see Katie wreck shit might be disappointed. She absolutely gets down to some nefarious deeds on occasion, but for most of the movie she is in a semi-catatonic state. Natalia Grace does a fine job as Katie, but isn’t as impressive as previous Mummys. She’s freaky and scary, but doesn’t fully command the screen until the third act. 

May Calamawy is likable and engaging as Detective Dalia Zaki, who becomes invested in the mystery and digs deep while in Egypt to see what answers she can find. The stand-out is Jack Reynor as Charlie. He is superb as the grieving husband/father-turned-sleuth. Charlie is one of the first to notice that something is very wrong with Katie, and It’s a lot of fun to follow him on his quest for answers. Reynor is a likable yet flawed protagonist and he manages to show a great depth of emotion throughout, competently and confidentially leading the proceedings. This is easily one of his best roles to date.

The remainder of the cast do solid work. Shylo Molina as teenager Sebastian is entertaining. He gets a decent amount of screen time but shines most during the third-act climax. Veronica Falcon as Carmen, the religious grandmother, adds a bit of flavor to the film. Billie Roy as daughter Maude is lovable, funny, and appropriately freaky when she needs to be. She is the stand-out of the child actors. Laia Costa as Larissa is fairly frustrating for most of the first act as she hurls accusations at Charlie and is blinded by her love for the mummified Katie, so much so that she is unable to see the truth of the situation and the dangers right in front of her. Luckily, she gets better in the second act. Laia remains relatable and sympathetic throughout.

The cinematography by David Garnett is superb and inventive. It does lean heavily on split-diopter shots, which help to give this film its own unique visual identity. It’s nice to see old-school camera tricks utilized to such a degree here. The entire movie is beautiful to look at and is easily the best shot film of 2026 thus far. The score by Stephen McKeon is superb and striking. It adds to the terror and tension found within the film and is very impressive. It’s definitely worth a listen to on its own.

There is a lot of talk going around about how mean and brutal The Mummy is. While this talk is exaggerated to an extent, I am pleased to report that this is indeed a very mean, very gory, very gross, and incredibly disturbing film. It’s about on the same level of Evil Dead Rise when it comes to that kind of thing. Gore hounds and fans of the icky should leave satisfied.

4.5 STARS

The Mummy plays like Evil Dead Rise mixed with The Mummy franchise with a heavy emphasis on mystery throughout. This is unlike any Mummy movie you’ve seen before. Some will undoubtedly be upset by the Evil Dead vibes this flick is saturated with, but that doesnt’t change the fact that this is a very strong and solid film. At the end of the day, this is a movie about a father’s undying love for his daughter. The Mummy successfully raises The Mummy franchise from the dead, revitalizing and reinvigorating it in the process. It’s the best horror film of 2026 (so far).