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Warning: Full spoilers for the film follow.

Like many other people, I was quite simply blown away by Obsession, Curry Barker’s horror film that’s taken the world and the box office by storm. It’s one of those films that held me rapt from the very beginning and, as its plot unfolded and as the horrors piled up on each other, I kept wondering just what was going to happen next and how much further things were going to go off the rails. Like the best horror, it’s a rather simple story–Michael Johnston’s Bear pines for his friend Nikki (Inde Navarrette) and makes a wish on a novelty toy for her to love him more than anyone else, with predictably disastrous consequences–and it’s in its simplicity that its power rests. It speaks to so many of the issues plaguing us today, particularly surrounding young men, and it’s the kind of film I’ll be thinking about and wrestling with for months.

The moment Bear breaks that little toy stick and invokes his wish, Nikki seems to become a totally different person. She’s no longer the fierce, independent spirit he fell in love with. Instead, her entire existence revolves around him and her desperate (and increasingly terrifying) need to impress him. As Bear soon learns, obsessive love–of precisely the kind he’s harbored for Nikki all these years–can be a very unpleasant thing when it’s inflicted by some sort of supernatural entity. When you wish for someone to love you more than anyone else in the world, you have to contend with the fact that obsession destroys.

This is the kind of horror film that truly gets under your skin and into the back of your mind, lodging there and refusing to leave. In part, this is because Barker has a keen sense of suspense and framing, with the narrative and the camera working in tandem to keep us, like Bear, uncertain about what’s going to happen next. I was particularly struck by the way that Nikki’s appearance changes the moment that stick breaks. She’s repeatedly backlit–whether by the lights of her own porch or the stoop to Bear’s house–which means we see her the same way Nick does: as a sort of menacing dark presence, only her eyes gleaming in the light. Bear, of course, is too oblivious–and too blinded by his overwhelming “love” for Nikki–to sense that something might be amiss, at least not until it’s too late.

I lost count of the number of times in this film where I gripped the edges of my seat, absolutely dreading what was going to happen next, and it must be said that a great deal of the film’s terror comes from Inde Navarrette’s truly electrifying and captivating performance. She gives us just enough in the first few moments before Nikki’s possession for us to get a sense of who she is as a person before the horrors unfold. As her alternative self becomes ever more unhinged in her devotion to Bear–watching him while he sleeps at night, screaming at him to love her, staying in one place all day so as not to risk his anger (and covering herself with urine and vomit in the process)–we find ourselves missing who she once was and wondering how much of her original self is left.

There’s also something insidiously brilliant about the way the film toys with our affiliation as viewers. On the one hand, Johnston’’s performance as Bear makes him ever-so-slightly sympathetic, at least up until a point (though young men fruitlessly pining after women who don’t want them always involves a certain level of creepiness). Things change, though, when he calls the help number on the toy and hears the real Nikki screaming in torment while her alternative self continues her absolute devotion to Bear. It’s at this point that our sympathies with him–assuming they ever existed at all–start to curdle into hostility. When, a short time later, the real Nikki surfaces briefly to beg him to kill her so she can be freed from her horrible existence, the only thing Bear can think to do is to ask why she couldn’t have loved him, before leaving her behind. It was at this point that I leaned over to my viewing partner and whispered, “he has to die.” I said this not just because the narrative required it but also because, in the film’s own logic, Bear has earned his eventual fate. It takes quite a brave film to turn its hero into a villain, and I give Barker a lot of credit for making this choice.

When it comes to the film’s message, however, I’m a little torn. Now, we all know that horror, perhaps more than any other genre, is a genre predicated on saying something, whether explicitly or implicitly. Horror films work on us because they tap into the things we collectively fear or are anxious about, whether it’s immigration, bodily autonomy, or race relations in the US. On the surface, at least, Obsession seems to be arguing that young men’s obsession with viewing women as nothing more than emotional appendages to their desires, and to a certain degree it succeeds, at least if one starts to see Bear as the villain of the piece. However, the film also falls into a double-bind of its own creation, because at the end of the day this is still Bear’s film: we’re sutured into his POV, we see Nikki as a source of horror and terror through his eyes, and he ultimately gets to escape the mess of his own creation through dying.

It’s also more than a little revealing that the film’s most gruesome acts of violence are acted out on the very bodies of the women with whom we are, according to the film’s narrative and political logic, supposed to be identifying. Bear’s friend Sarah (Megan Lawless) suffers especially egregiously in this regard, when an enraged Nikki bludgeons her to death, the camera leaving nothing to the imagination as, once again, a woman’s mutilated body is offered up as spectacle. It’s also worth noting that Nikki’s body also bears the wounds of her possession, whether it’s standing in one place all day or, in a gut-wrenching moment, when the real Nikki stabs herself in an effort to free herself from her imprisonment and torment. As so often in the movies, women’s bodies bear the punishment for men’s cruelty and desires.

What, then, are we to make of the ending? Yes, Bear has died (somewhat inadvertently) by his own hand, a fitting punishment, perhaps, for the suffering his selfishness has caused. But what of Nikki? She might finally be liberated from the possession Bear’s thoughtless wish inflicted upon her, but she’s the one left to pick up the pieces of both her shattered life and the bodies strewn around her. I highly doubt the legal system is going to be very understanding of her plight, since last I checked “an evil toy made me do it” isn’t a valid legal defense. At best, she can look forward to a life in either an institution or prison, forced to live with the trauma of her imprisonment in her own body, her murder of two of her friends (she also shoots Ian, the fourth member of the friend group, during the climax), and the fact that one of her best friends took control of her body and kept doing it even when he knew what he was doing.

So, I must admit that I’m a bit more mixed about Obsession than I thought I would be. While I think it’s remarkably effective and terrifying and horrifying as a piece of horror cinema, the ends to which it puts those sensations leaves me feeling rather cold. But then, perhaps I’m being unfair. The double bind of patriarchy–and the ubiquity of patriarchal methods of meaning-making within cinema–means that it’s almost impossible to show the toll that it takes on women without indulging in the very system itself. If nothing else, then, Obsession reminds us that horror films still have much to say and, if they manage to make us think and force us to grapple with the deep issues of our time, then all the better.

I love a spoof movie. Some of my favorite comedies or all time are spoofs. Mel Brooks is my favorite comedy filmmaker. The Naked Gun is perfect cinema. Hell, the first Scary Movie is really funny. I say all of this just to establish that I’m very much the target audience for this film. Well, in actuality, no one is the target for this new Scary Movie, though your wallets are. A shameless cash grab, there are a few funny moments, but they’re sandwiched between one of the worst things I’ll see all year.

While I’ll concede that Scary Movie has a few pretty funny bits and some other moments that made me chuckle, overall it’s a pretty dreadful flick. The targets are so scattershot, even when something lands, there’s a dud or two immediately following. Plus, while the plot is never what to focus on in something like this, it’s skewering an incredibly dated type of horror, so it already feels tired immediately upon release.

Paramount Pictures

I’m certainly not going to run down the plot for this film, but in broad strokes, it follows the plot of the fifth Scream, which combined new characters with legacy ones. Here, after a decent opening with a surprise cameo, Ghostface attacks Tuesday (Savannah Lee Nassif), the youngest daughter of the new shut in Cindy (Anna Faris). The attempted murder brings estranged big sister/older daughter Sara (Olivia Rose Keegan) and her boyfriend Jack (Cameron Scott Roberts) into town. There, they meet up with Brenda (Regina Hall) and her children, son Brad (Gregg Wayans) and daughter DEI (Sydney Park), as well as Brad’s girlfriend Elle (Ruby Snowber). Of course, other new characters are here, as are Shorty (Marlon Wayans) and Ray (Shawn Wayans). One of them is the killer, right?

As the Scream plot is generally followed, time is spent spoofing everything from recent horror like Sinners and Weapons, to older targets like Longlegs, The Substance, and Terrifier, via an Art the Clown appearance. Obviously, none of it matters and it’s all for laughs, but even with low standards, too many of these jokes just end up mean-spirited, instead of funny.

Paramount Pictures

Anna Faris and Regina Hall fare the best here, but the acting is pretty poor across the board. Faris and Hall at least lean into the funniest bits of their characters, especially since they’ve played them so many times at this point. Marlon Wayans and Shawn Wayans generate most of the rest of the laughter, but it’s diminishing returns there. The newcomers? All terrible. Other supporting players, both new and old, include Jon Abrahams, Chris Elliott, Lochlyn Munro, Cheri Oteri, Dave Sheridan, Benny Zielke, and more.

Director Michael Tiddes can only do so much with this awful screenplay, but it has to be said, Tiddes still did very little with it. The script, credited to a rogues gallery of Rick Alvarez, Craig Wayans, Keenen Ivory Wayans, Marlon Wayans, and Shawn Wayans, is arguably the worst in the franchise yet. It’s so devoid of any ideas and lazy, you can’t ignore its shortcomings, even when they stumble into a funny joke.

Scary Movie is terrible. I won’t lie that there are funny moments, but anything good is surrounded by so much that’s bad. It’s a shame, too, as the most recent version of The Naked Gun gave me hope for the spoof comedy. Now? We’re probably back to square one, even if this is going to prove to be wildly profitable.

SCORE: ★1/2

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“I’m Teyana Taylor, and even my abs have abs”. Scary Movie, the 2026 edition, couldn’t have started in a better way. Seeing the real One Battle After Another actress embracing an even more badass and hilarious version of herself as she takes on Ghostface is such a fun, brilliant piece of filmmaking. This opening sequence shows exactly what this franchise does best. Using recent happenings, such as Taylor’s Oscar loss this February, as inspiration for scary stories that feel authentic, ingenious, and timely. Along the way, several standout guest appearances pop up and twists that genuinely catch you off guard. However, those inspiring and amusing moments are quite scarce in this latest instalment.

It certainly isn’t for lack of trying, though. From Sinners to Smile and from Wednesday (or in this case, Tuesday) to Weapons, there are plenty of horror nods. Mix in a few headline-grabbing controversies, ongoing social debates, and a dash of COVID-era absurdity, and you’ve got all the ingredients for a comedic horror film. Yet those aspects follow one another at a rapid pace rather than forming a coherent story. A story that brings back the Scary Movie OG’s, Anna Faris (Smiley Face), Regina King (Honk For Jesus. Save Your Soul.), Marlon Wayans (The Curse Of Bridge Hollow), and Shawn Wayans (White Chicks), to protect their families, friends and loved ones from Ghostface, who’s on the loose again. 

Along the way, they not only get help from friends but also face even more struggles; their past seems to haunt them in more than one way. Reclusive survivalist Cindy (Faris) is trying to restore her relationship with her estranged daughters, Sara (Olivia Rose Keegan) and Tuesday (Savannah Lee Nassif), while Brenda (Hall) tries to stay young by being a house mother. Meanwhile, Shorty (Marlon Wayans) is emerging as an internet podcaster who lightly engages with the manosphere while earning significant income from lowbrow but enjoyable video content. When Ghostface crashes one of his recordings, it doesn’t only end in a murder (but whose?), but also in one of the few hilarious moments in this feature. 

It’s during the scenes between Shorty and the masked villain that Scary Movie finds its groove. This is largely because of the drugs smoked in the scenes, but also Shorty’s well-known, contagious laugh. It’s great to see Wayans back in his element, grabbing the chance to lean into his weed-loving, eccentric persona and running with it. His co-leads, Faris and King, once reunite again as Cindy and Brenda, who, despite the former being a republican with racial views (according to the packed script), fight evil side by side again.

However, neither Faris nor King is given much to work with in this film, largely due to the abundance of supporting characters and newcomers, leaving them feeling like an afterthought. Because director Michael Tiddes (A Haunted House) clearly tries to pack in as many references and characters as possible — like M3GAN, Final Destination, and even Michael — the story quickly becomes too superficial and moves too fast.

While a horror pastiche like this can certainly be lighthearted and goofy, it also has to have some substance (no pun intended, as Coralie Fargeat’s 2024 work makes an appearance, too). Sadly, that’s not the case. On top of that, the crude jokes, gross-out humour, and self-referential Easter eggs that make up much of the feature barely land. What initially works as satire eventually wears thin through repetition, becoming progressively less amusing and increasingly awkward. Ultimately, the movie feels empty and largely lifeless.

Beyond its horror parodies, the film attempts to use shock value as social commentary. Pronouns (mainly they/them) and gender transitions are pushed to the forefront, alongside ICE-, DEI-, and Epstein-related jokes in an already overcrowded narrative. But rather than provoking a reaction or the intended applause, the shock factor is effectively zero.

Fortunately, the third act finally delivers what we’ve been waiting for, giving Faris her long-overdue moment to shine. In a Ballerina-inspired sequence, she enters the house of murder and horror to take on Ghostface herself. Along the way, she battles other murderous villains while avoiding harm to innocent people, which leads to some hilarious moments. It’s such a shame that she doesn’t get the chance to show those amazing fighting skills and comedy talent in the rest of the movie. 

It’s been 13 years since Scary Movie V nearly brought this franchise — originally starting as foolish yet lucrative — to its end. Yes, despite that painfully unfunny feature, the Wayans creative team certainly think that there’s still some life in this film series. However, if this Scary Movie doesn’t convince them that it’s time to box up this saga once and for all, we don’t know what will. 

Scary Movie is out now in cinemas courtesy of Paramount