Twentysomething Bear (Michael Johnston) has a serious crush on his friend and co-worker, Nikki (Inde Navarrette), but is too awkward and shy to broach the subject of any possible romance with her.
In trying to do something nice for Nikki - replace a crystal necklace she lost - Bear wanders into a new age shop, but instead of buying a replacement necklace, he picks himself up a One Wish Willow.
The idea of this novelty item is you make a wish, then break the short willow wand, and your wish will come true.
Bear wishes that Nikki would love him more than anyone else.
That's when things start to go wrong, even though Bear gets what he wished for.
Nikki is immediately affectionate towards Bear, but as their romance develops she becomes jealous, paranoid, and possessive.
She cranks the toxic relationship dial up way past 11, then snaps the dial off.
The chaos and carnage snowballs in increasingly weird, disturbing, and ultimately unpleasant ways as this runaway freight train heads towards its only conceivable conclusion.
Straight out the gate, you have to acknowledge that Obsession, writer/director Curry Barker's first major studio movie, isn't exactly an original idea - even he admits inspiration from a Treehouse of Terror episode of The Simpsons - but it is so incredibly well executed that you just won't care.
In large part this is due to the phenomenal performances at the heart of the piece, Nikki's escalating insanity and Bear's oscillations between trying to be a caring boyfriend and making dreadful life decisions.
I sincerely hope both Michael Johnson - who brings an air of a young Bruce Campbell from the original Evil Dead and Nicholas Brendon's Xander from Buffy The Vampire Slayer to the role of Bear - and the charismatic Inde Navarrette (previously best known as Sarah Cushing in Superman & Lois) have long careers ahead of them in horror movies, because they are both born stars of the genre.
The movie's first act (right up until Bear snaps that willow) plays out like a slow-burning, angst-ridden, slice-of-life romance, but once magic seeps into the equation things very quickly get out of hand.
Throughout, though, there is an underlying truth in the film's treatment of nascent romantic relationships (especially those circling the "friendzone") that will possibly strike a few unsettling chords - maybe even a bit too close to home - for many of its target audience.
Much of the horror in Obsession comes from the oppressive atmosphere brought into the everyday lives of Bear and his friends by Nikki's progressively unnerving behaviour.
Yet, even during some of these, there are tragic and painful moments when the "real" Nikki surfaces, suppressing the magically-controlled side of her personality.
A powerful and shocking horror movie that plays magnificently with the "be careful what you wish for" cliché, Obsession reminded me of last year's The Monkey - without being so slapstick - in its innovative take on a simple idea.
Obsession also boasts one of the great jump scares in recent years (usually a tactic I dismiss as a cheap gimmick). It's the only one in the film but it caught me totally off guard and really worked at that particular moment in the story, signalling the epic charge into the final act.
Clever direction, a tight script, and stellar performances make Obsession a must-see for horror fans and one of my top new movies of the year.
And if nothing else, this marks the arrival of a talented new auteur, 27-year-old Curry Barker, on the horror scene as well as serving as a launch pad for breakout stars Michael Johnston and Inde Navarrette.
And if nothing else, this marks the arrival of a talented new auteur, 27-year-old Curry Barker, on the horror scene as well as serving as a launch pad for breakout stars Michael Johnston and Inde Navarrette.
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