May 2026 is going to be a huge month for new horror in theaters, and one of the most hotly anticipated is Obsession from writer-director Curry Barker (Milk & Serial).
Focus Features horror movie Obsession has been rated “R” this week for “Strong bloody violence, grisly images, sexual content, pervasive language, and brief graphic nudity.”
In Curry Barker’s Obsession, after breaking the mysterious One Wish Willow to win his crush’s heart, a hopeless romantic finds himself getting exactly what he asked for but soon discovers that some desires come at a dark, sinister price.
Michael Johnston (“Teen Wolf”), Inde Navarrette (“Superman & Lois”), Cooper Tomlinson (Milk & Serial), Megan Lawless (“The Girl from Plainville”), and Andy Richter (“Conan”) star.
Meagan Navarro wrote in her Obsession review for Bloody Disgusting, “While Monkey’s Paw scenarios often yield predictable outcomes, and this outcome is practically telegraphed from the start, Curry Barker manages to surprise with the journey itself. And it’s one insane journey paved with blood-soaked violence and no shortage of nightmare fuel.”
The inspiration behind Obsession? Curry Barker says that the movie came to him after watching “The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror II,” specifically the “Monkey’s Paw” segment.
“Bart gets a monkey paw and causes a bunch of chaos,” Barker tells Variety. “I was thinking that I’ve never seen a straight crazy horror where … we’ve seen ‘Be careful what you wish for’ tons of times. But we’ve never seen my version of it. I instantly started thinking about what I could do with that.” That story ended up becoming Obsession, in theaters May 15.
Watch the official trailer for Obsession below.
