Horror Movie Love Stories: A Look at Obsession and Leviticus

Spring began a sojourn into cinema horror. Starting with the Canadian film Undertone, a movie about a paranormal podcast that heavily relied on auditory scares. As one would hope, the sound was terrific. However, the movie, as a whole, was only moderately impressive. I followed it up with Hokum, an Ireland-United Arab Emirates production. Set in Ireland, with an array of eccentric characters, the film focuses on an unlikeable American author who is in the country to scatter his parents’ ashes. The meandering plot with its uneven tone, plus the unsympathetic protagonist, left me unsure of the movie’s intent. Then came Obsession. The little movie that rocked the world of horror. After reading some of its reviews, I remained skeptical because the storyline reminded me of an episode of The Twilight Zone titled “The Chaser” (1960.) Yes, the plot is similar, with both narratives owing hat tips to the famous 1902 W.W. Jacobs’s careful-what-you-wish-for tale, “The Monkey’s Paw.” Obsession focuses on out-of-control desire, and when my next foray into the multiplex for a horror movie was Leviticus, I realized it had a theme comparable to Obsession. Each deal with love that literally defies norms and confines.

The Obsession phenomenon is easy to understand. Writer-director Curry Barker is a 26-year-old YouTuber, and TikTok savvy. He knows how to cater to the tastes of younger audiences. And there’s no denying the demographic’s importance in pop culture. Tailoring Obsession to that market, Barker’s narrative zeroes in on the complicated relationship between a quartet of co-worker friends. Bear, the protagonist (played by Michael Johnston), has unrequited love for Nikki, portrayed with astonishing intensity by Inde Navarrette. A purchase made by Bear from a New Age shop turns Nikki into something far beyond Bear’s wildest dreams. There’s gore galore but, in my opinion, the scariest sequence is Nikki’s monologue at a party; the recitation a variation on the Hansel and Gretel tale. In other instances, there are what could be interpreted as homages to The Exorcist. For example, Nikki’s odd body movements and the urinating on the carpet. Obsession has its moments, yet I wasn’t as taken with it as I wanted to be. There’s no argument, though, about Inde Navarrette doing an incredible job embodying Nikki’s distorted and destructive personality. Her shifts in keys are rendered credible, bringing a humane poignancy to the repulsive aspects.

Poignancy runs through the veins of Leviticus. Aussie writer-director Adrian Chiarella delivers an emotional gut punch in this scary and touching film. Clocking in at 88 minutes, the narrative revolves around teenagers Naim, beautifully depicted by Joe Bird, and his love interest Ryan, etched to perfection by actor Stacy Clausen. The idea of conversion therapy for gays is a frightening enough prospect but, for these two young men, it turns into a bona fide living nightmare. A so-called “Deliverance Healer” is enlisted by the profoundly religious community to perform a rite to alter the boys’ sexual orientation. It turns out to be less conversion therapy, and more of an extreme form of aversion therapy. Naim and Ryan are then attacked by entities who are supernatural doppelgangers, physically enticing the respective partners with the promise of love, then violently injuring them. A bit reminiscent of Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956 movie, or the 1978 version) in terms of the takeover of a loved one’s physical appearance, in an attempt to gain trust and further a malevolent agenda. Yet, of all the villains/monsters in the scenario the most insidious is Naim’s mother, a frightened and embittered widow who turns to regimented religion for direction. Played by accomplished actor Mia Wasikowska, there are undercurrents to the character’s motivations that are staggeringly unsettling. Leviticus, whether viewed as a horror-romance or an allegory about homosexual persecution, or both, is a fine film. It elicits responses that demand thought and feeling.

My sampling of the recent spate of horror movies with one-word titles yielded two very worthwhile screenings. A parenthetical personal note: I was compelled to skip Backrooms after reading a review which stated a caveat that the movie contains abrupt camera movement; I am extremely motion sensitive to handheld camera activity and the like. Obsession and Leviticus, with their themes of arduous ardor and passionate horror, more than satiated my genre cinematic cravings.