Horror Updates Again

I swear this isn't going to be an ongoing thing (or maybe it will). Saying that, let's get into, shall we?

Robert Eggers proved back in 2024 that audiences don't mind a bit of Christmas horror, considering that his version of Nosferatu turned out to be such a massive hit. Hoping to repeat that succees again, he's got the upcoming Werwulf, which will be released on Christmas Day for the US and January 1st 2027 for everywhere else. The film was co-written with Sjón (who also co-wrote 2022's The Northman). The film will reunite Eggers with Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Lily Rose Depp, Willem Dafoe and Ralph Ineson. A first look trailer is imminent.

Remember a while back there was discussion of Michael Myers going to the land of television? As it's been apparent for a good while, nothing has materialised with that. As a result, there's rumours spreading that a TV show has been scrapped in a favour of a new movie. Assuming this is true, the new movie would undoubtedly be aimed for 2028, marking the 50th anniversary of Michael Myers terrorising the residents of Haddonfield in Halloween (1978). Again, there's no official source for this and personally, it seems more like an educated guess on the matter. I imagine we'll get an actual update before the year's out.

Now let's talk about the two biggest movies of the summer that aren't blockbusters? Yup, at this point unless you've been purposely avoiding them, there's no way you don't have thoughts on both Obsession and Backrooms. As of now the former has clocked in $337.1 million and the latter $301.8 million respectively. This is good news for directors Curry Barker and Kane Parsons as well as some of the cast members. There has been some recent talk of award nominations for the former, including Inde Navarrette but we'll see how it goes as the year goes on.

Now as it's still Pride Month for the next few days, I should shout out Australian gay horror Leviticus, which is currently in cinemas. I do plan to see it soon. It also got me thinking about other upcoming LGBT themed horror films. You can expect Teenage Sex And Death At Camp Miasma. The film stars Gillian Anderson and Hannah Einbinder and directed by Jane Schoenbrun (I Saw The TV Glow). It'll be in theatres from August 7th. There's a horror short called Four Itchy Boys starring Nico Greetham and Booboo Stewart, directed by Andrew Herbert. There's also the upcoming LGBT Giallo inspired Until You're Alone, which recently revealed it's first trailer on YouTube.

You know what? This might be a monthly thing. I'll think about it.

My Review of Obsession (2026)

 

Written And Directed by Curry Barker 

Nikki (to Bear): "You wished for this."

Well, I got around to watching the most hyped horror film this year with a character that's now generated her own official Wikipedia page. Nikki Freeman (Inde Navarrette) your impact has emerged here.

Let's be honest, Nikki has been the character that has been very front and centre and given so many deep dives. Did anyone really think she was a villain? Yes, she did some truly shocking things in this movie but it's also clear from the start that she's more a victim than villain of the piece.

Nikki being a victim came down to a wish from her co-worker and friend, Baron "Bear" Bailey (Michael Johnston) wanting a romantic relationship with her and resorting to a supernatural toy in order to make it into a reality. It would be a wish that Bear wouldn't live to regret given the ending for this one.

If you ever happen to find something like the "One Wish Willow" before you snap it in half, maybe take a long think about the kind of wish you want to make. Bear thought that Nikki being in love with him would be a dream come true but it turned into a living nightmare for both.

Nikki became obsessed with Bear and despite being disturbed by her change in personality, Bear also dated her. This caused some tension with their friends Ian (Cooper Tomlinson) and Sarah (Megan Lawless), neither of whom approved of Bear and Nikki being a couple. Both would also become collateral damage as a direct result.

If this movie could have an influenced Nikki lie about her father having cancer, kill two people, use cat remains in a sandwich and self harm herself but still underline that's she's a victim, why would anyone see her as a villain? I mean she's genuinely scary at times but there's also those glimpses of the old Nikki at times to remind audiences that her agency had been taken from her.

As for Bear, there are moments of sympathy and even attempts to undo the damage his wished had caused. You can feel almost a little bad for him while being appalled with the way his behaviour darkened. In the end, he did do the right thing to free Nikki of being obsessed with him but even his exit left Nikki in a horrible position.

- Nikki's screams were all down to Inde Navarrette. It's amazing how quickly certain scenes of Nikki have become viral.

- Curry Barker has another horror movie called, Milk & Serial. After watching this movie, I'll definitely look it up before Anything But Ghosts gets released.

- Nikki putting some of Bear's cat remains into his sandwich was by far the most disgusting thing in the film. Nikki had also been sleeping with Ian and Sarah had a crush on Bear.

- Both Curry Barker and Andy Richter have small roles in the film.

- Standout music: Rock Burwell's Make Believe.

- Chronology: Present day Los Angeles. 

I'll admit, I was worried that Obsession might not have lived up to the huge hype that surrounded it but I'm pleased to say that it did. There's a Star making performance from Inde Navarrette undoubtedly but Michael Johnston also played his part brilliantly and the two of them together made for a brilliant and tragic look at one sided love.

Rating: 8 out of 10