Obsession's Scariest Scene Recalls One Of The Best Horror Movies Ever

After generating buzz on the festival circuit, Curry Barker's "Obsession" is here, and guess what? It lives up to the hype. There can be a tendency to apply hyperbole to new horror films, but "Obsession" is the real deal — featuring a smart script, stylish filmmaking, fantastic performances, and the perfect blend of humor and horror. Indeed, I confess that I wasn't expecting "Obsession" to be as scary as it ended up being. I'm a lifelong horror fan, which means I've grown desensitized to the genre. But there were multiple moments in "Obsession" that made my blood run cold.

And one of the scariest scenes in the movie immediately reminded me of a scene from one of the best horror movies ever made: Kiyoshi Kurosawa's 2001 techno-nightmare "Pulse," which made our list of the 15 Most Disturbing Horror Movies. Kurosawa's movie is much different than "Obsession," but without having any confirmation, I'm almost positive that Barker was paying tribute to one of that film's most terrifying scenes.

In "Obsession," Bear (Michael Johnston) makes a wish that his lifelong crush Nikki (Inde Navarrette, in a star-making performance) will love him more than anyone else in the world. The wish actually comes true, with terrifying consequences: Nikki's behavior grows more unhinged and scary as she fawns over Bear. The first scene that truly gave me the creeps arrives when Bear wakes up in the middle of the night and finds Nikki, shrouded in shadowy darkness, standing in the corner of the room watching him. It's here where the "Pulse" comparison begins.

In "Pulse," ghosts begin to leak out into the world of the living via the internet. I know that sounds kind of silly, but "Pulse" is genuinely chilling, featuring several dread-inducing moments that will keep you up at night. One of those moments involves a character coming face to face with a ghostly woman who moves towards him out of the darkness. Rather than relying on a jump-scare, this scene forces us to watch the ghost slowly move closer and closer towards the camera. At one point, it looks like she's about to stumble and fall — only to regain her balance in an unnerving, unnatural way (this isn't a special effect, either; Kurosawa hired a dancer to play the ghost and perform the movements).

In "Obsession," Nikki isn't a ghost, but she is possessed by some sort of demonic force. When Bear wakes up, he doesn't even notice Nikki lurking in the corner — until she starts speaking. Understandably creeped out, Bear wants to know what Nikki is doing. She whines that she can't sleep ... and then she begins to move. Like the ghost in "Pulse," Nikki remains shrouded in darkness so we never get a good look at her. And like the "Pulse" ghost, her movements are uncanny and jarring — and they scare the crap out of Bear.

I was already impressed with "Obsession" as I was watching it, but this is the moment that solidified the film as one of the best horror movies of the year for me. Curry Barker is the real deal: He knows how to make a movie that's truly scary, and that's no small feat.