Only a few films will make the highlight reel for 2026, but Obsession is definitely one of them. Curry Barker’s psychological-horror indie got made for less than $800,000, and earned over $500 million at the box office. It also made the film’s star, actress Inde Navarrette, an instant horror icon, whose image and quotables have become some of the most widely-shared memes of the year (“No, no, no, no!”). Now Navarrette is making the most of her new stardom, including landing the role of Rogue in Marvel Studios’ X-Men reboot film.
But what about the film that gave her her biggest break? Is Inde Navarrette done with Obsession? The film ended on a very open-ended note for her character, Nikki, and a lot of fans have hoped that the story will continue and utilize that potential.
THR has done an in-depth feature about Inde Navarrette and the path of her career. One of the later topics of discussion was the possibility of an Obsession sequel. “I would totally be open to doing a sequel. Are you kidding me? Who am I to say no?” Naverrette said. “And what is she doing afterwards? I think the non-pretty answer… is she’s starting a grief process. When things happen that are completely out of our control, like losing a loved one, losing a parent, losing autonomy, having an experience that wasn’t your fault, it’s very difficult to understand anything. She’s just starting the grief process.”
SPOILERS! The ending of Obsession saw Nikki freed from the magical hold of the “One Wish Willow” that her guy friend Bear (Michael Johnston) enchanted her with. Nikki only got free because Bear died of a pill overdose, unable to save himself because he, too, became enchanted by a second One Wish Willow branch that Nikki used to magically coerce his love. When Bear was dying, the love-stricken Nikki nearly blew her own brains out; the spell was lifted just in time, and the poor girl was instead left with no memory of her possession, facing the massive trauma of finding Bear, her girlfriend Sarah (Megan Lawless), and her friend/sneaky-link, Ian (Cooper Tomlinson), all dead.
That’s indeed a lot of good potential for a sequel. Just seeing events pick up in real-time after the first ending would be wild: Nikki having no clear knowledge of what happened, facing immense legal backlash (jail, mental institution), and having to piece together the supernatural lore of the One Wish Willow, and how Bear took sick advantage of her.
There are also many fun story lanes Barker could go down in a sequel. One is having Nikki eventually learn about the wishing willows and start using them herself. Maybe initially to get herself out of her legal jam, but afterward, Barker can put a fun new spin on the title, “Obsession,” if Nikki gets addicted to using the wishes and their horrible effects as both trauma therapy and a means of “improving” her own life (and love life), no matter the cost to others. Or maybe go the route of a series like Smile and have Nikki be a supporting character while a new protagonist takes the lead and investigates the first film.
There are a lot of possibilities for Obsession 2, and a red-hot star actress willing to work with them. Even with a bigger price tag, the sequel could still be produced on an indie budget. There’s a lot of incentive to do it.
Obsession is now streaming on Peacock. Do you want a sequel? Let us know in the comments!
