#1 Asshole Ever

Obsession was excellently scary. Was it good? Debatably so, yes. However, the public reaction to it sickens me. Men laughing during the scene where Bear fucks "Nikki", people trying to justify Bear's actions, people even SIDING WITH HIM??? It's vile. Obsession appeals to me because of the primal fear in my body instilled by growing up as a girl, being socialized as a girl. It appeals to the fear of rejection I have. It appeals to my constant anxiety that I have somehow "made someone love me". But people are missing these points! It's not supposed to be scary because of Nikki. She's not the antagonist! At every point in the movie, there was a chance for Bear to reflect, to change. But he didn't. The horror of the movie isn't just the surface scares, it's the realization that you're watching a movie similar to Mouthwashing. Bear doesn't consider himself a rapist. Bear doesn't kill Nikki when she pleads with him, because he's too selfish to give up the other "Nikki". He has heard the screams of hellish torment that the real Nikki is screaming, and chooses himself. Bear is a bad person. A REALLY bad person. But you're not meant to know that until the end! He's shy and sweet and unassuming, a good friend, he even sleeps on the floor when "Nikki" acts strange. But that doesn't make him any less of a bad person. He was presented with opportunities to save everyone, and never took them. He is the majority on the bus who doesn't vote, and allows the bus to drive off the edge. Bear is a representation of how being passive can be evil!

People are going "poor Bear" BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT PEOPLE ALWAYS DO! It's "not his fault she's crazy" and "he didn't wish for Nikki to suffer" and never "He's a horrific person because he idly allows all this to happen". His hands are bloody with the death of 3 people. He didn't kill any of them but himself, and even then, he tried to take it back. Because he was a coward. He was given so many opportunities to take back his horrific choice, and he took none of them. He saw the consequences of his actions, and instead of taking accountability, he hid. He let them get bigger. He let the death toll rise. He took the future of an aspiring artist with a bright new life ahead of her, and he had the gall to try and convince himself he could fix things without killing himself. Instead of using his extensive series of "outs", he chose to make things worse by not changing them.

People who are going "wow, maybe Bear was the villain all along!" are making pencil and crayon discoveries. Homo sapiens discover plot depth. Like, seriously, get your shit together, we learned this in 4th and 5th grade English class.

Also, totally separate criticism, this one is on the actual movie, not the public reception of the movie, the whole cast of main characters except for Sarah are white. There's like, 2 POCs, and it's for less than 10% of the screentime. Also the movie feels like it was written by a gay man trying to understand the male gaze. Because it's misogynistic, but it doesn't feel like the director actually was a misogynist? I dunno, if it was a plot device it fell sorta flat. There's crude shots of cleavage, full frontal nudity, sex scenes, but they're all very focused on how disgusting it is to take pleasure in these aspects of the shot. Which is like... Kudos? But also it's a subtext buried deep enough that the intended audience misses it. I agree that it's gross to stare at "Nikki's" boobs. I agree that it's gross to stare at the naked body of a mutilated Sarah. I understand the intent of the sex shot, with the focus on "Nikki's" face, but they all seem unnecessary and drawn out, like the director or cinematographer are trying to spell it in baby talk or something. It's just... Weird. And as a purveyor and happy participant of weird shit, it's... Really fucking weird. I don't know how to explain it without contradiction, because it's a really nuanced thing, but it's also so fucking plain? Baby's first feminism? Failed anti-rape message? Poorly made fan service????

I dunno, but I highly recommend it as a movie to get under your skin. I sat in theaters with one of my best friends and we were holding onto one another for dear life at some points. The sound design was on point, and I think it really carried the film into my top favorites. I have lots of critiques on my favorite horror films (movie or otherwise), like Human Centipede 2, and Alantutorial, but that doesn't mean I dislike them. The same applies here. I'm always looking for horror movies that make me actually uncomfortable, that make my skin crawl, and this one absolutely hit that mark. To paraphrase, "Art is successful when it makes you feel something", and Obsession is most CERTAINLY an artwork. If only for the sound design, It would be easily in my top 50, but the way that the horror hits home for me puts it in my top 10.