What to know
- Obsession is earning rave reviews for its disturbing, psychological approach and no cheap jump scares here.
- Torontonians say it’s the best horror movie of the 2020s, with a 96 per cent Tomatometer rating to prove it.
- The film’s indie roots and relatable themes struck a chord with audiences.
Obsession first played at TIFF, and since coming to the theatres, it’s been Torontonians’ latest obsession. Here’s how they felt about the movie.
Director Curry Barker’s horror movie Obsession began screenings in Toronto theatres on May 15, after premiering at TIFF in September last year.
NOW Toronto spoke with audience members after screenings of the viral psychological thriller. While not everyone agreed with its 96 per cent Rotten Tomatoes score, most agreed on one thing: the movie sticks with you.
Torontonians’ reactions
Toronto resident Anna V. definitely agrees with the rating, and said Friday was her second time watching the movie.
“I’m a horror movie fan, and this is the best horror movie of the 2020s,” she said. “It gives you a completely different feeling. It doesn’t rely on jump scares… It relies on the plot points, on the environment… It’s just eerie, and you feel gross, and that’s what I love about it.”
As a horror fan, she’s survived both times. Anna’s even gone alone for the first time.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve had a horror movie that actually sat me up in my seat,” she said.
Toronto resident Natalia M. agrees that the movie was unique for its scaring techniques.
“I haven’t seen anything recently that doesn’t use jumpscares as the only way of scaring someone with a movie,” she said.
She also likes that the movie is relatable to some girls and that the indie movie did an amazing job with the small budget they had.
“I also know that the director is a YouTuber, which is also really interesting to see someone like that stepping into the horror genre for the first time,” Natalia said.
But Toronto resident Maverick O. disagrees with Rotten Tomatoes’ rating, saying it should be “higher than 96.”
“I don’t normally get too scared at horror movies, but this one got me pretty good. I feel like it was pretty disturbing to just see. I mean, everything obviously was going on in the movie, but also just the fact that she really had no control over what she was doing. She kind of had to just watch herself, you know, causing all these problems and stuff,” Maverick told Now Toronto.
Even a week after seeing the movie, he’s still disturbed.
“Honestly, thinking about right now, it got my heart pumping already,” he said.
His brother, Hunter O., agreed that the movie was so terrifying, especially for someone who doesn’t usually like horror movies. Still, he enjoyed the movie.
“There was not a moment I wasn’t like on the edge of my seat, worried something’s coming next, which not all horror movies can keep you that engaged the whole time, and actually scared the whole time, so that was pretty unique,” he told Now Toronto.
Is the movie scarier than Toronto’s dating scene?
Anna V. believes Toronto’s dating scene is definitely scarier, but the movie is a close second.
“[The movie] gives me that same kind of vibe, can’t lie. Men get obsessive, and it’s not fun to see, but the movie is fun to see for sure,” she told Now Toronto.
Natalia M. agrees based on stories she’s heard from her friends.
But Hunter O. and Maverick O. believe the movie was scarier.
“That movie was really scary. I haven’t had as close to as bad an experience in the dating scene,” Hunter said.
“I like to think that, yeah, I got game when I go out, so I have fun. Yeah, no, I would say the movie is definitely scarier,” Maverick said.
