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Made on a budget of just $1 million (around Tk 120 million), horror film “Obsession” has emerged as one of the biggest surprise hits of the year, grossing more than $377 million worldwide—equivalent to roughly Tk 45.5 billion.
Directed by Curry Barker, a filmmaker and YouTuber known for the low-budget horror feature Milk & Serial, the film demonstrates that a compelling story and innovative filmmaking can achieve remarkable global success without a massive budget.
The story follows Beer, a shy employee at a musical instrument store who secretly loves his co-worker Nikki but never confesses his feelings. After obtaining a mysterious magical object called the “One Wish Willow,” he wishes for Nikki to love him more than anyone else in the world. What initially appears to be a dream come true gradually transforms into a terrifying nightmare as the supernatural wish spirals out of control.
Blending romance, supernatural horror, psychological suspense and dark humour, Obsession has won praise for building tension gradually rather than relying solely on jump scares.
Michael Johnston stars as Beer, while Inde Navarrette plays Nikki. Navarrette’s performance, in particular, has drawn critical acclaim, alongside the film’s atmospheric score, editing and effective use of horror.
Despite its success, the film has also faced criticism. Some reviewers argued that the psychological and physical abuse experienced by the female character deserved deeper exploration. In addition, several scenes were trimmed before the film received approval for theatrical release in the United States due to excessive violence.
Overall, Obsession has proven that originality, strong storytelling and solid performances—not a large production budget—can propel a film to worldwide commercial and critical success.
