Film of the Week: 'Obsession' - Don't always trust the bear

EuroNews · 🇫🇷 public France · May 29, 2026 · 834 words · By Amber Louise Bryce

film criticism Internet Culture and Gender Dynamics

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What to know about film criticism

Infatuation leads to devastation in Curry Barker's violent contemporary take on a Monkey's Paw tale.

Claims checked 5

Techniques found 2

Topics 2

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center83%

Right17%

6 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Infatuation leads to devastation in Curry Barker's violent contemporary take on a Monkey's Paw tale.

Why it matters

Some of the loneliest (and most dangerous) corners of the internet are filled with young men whose only wish is for a woman to adore and obey them.

Common ground

But as the saying goes - and horror movies continue to remind us - be careful what you wish for… Obsession is the feature film debut from 26-year-old YouTuber Curry Barker, who first caught horror fans' attention in 2024 with his micro-budget online movie,…

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Hasty Generalization: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this film criticism story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Bear (Michael Johnston) is your typical “nice boy”?
How does this story connect film criticism with Internet Culture and Gender Dynamics over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.euronews.com/culture/2026/05/29/euronews-cultures-film-of-the-week-o…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Hasty Generalization 70% confidence

Drawing broad conclusions from a small or unrepresentative sample.

Why it matters: Recognizing hasty generalization helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 5 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

verified Verified By Reference 3

check_circle Corroborated 2

verified

Claim 1: “Bear (Michael Johnston) is your typical “nice boy””

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia and multiple web sources (The Independent, Focus Features screening report) confirm that actor Michael Johnston plays the character Bear in the film 'Obsession'.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Michael Johnston (born February 22, 1996) is an American actor. He appeared as Corey Bryant in the MTV series Teen Wolf, and had starring roles in the indie film Slash and the horror film Obsession. H…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Johnston_(actor)

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Michael H. McDonald (born February 12, 1952) is an American singer, keyboardist, and songwriter. Known for his distinctive, soulful voice, he was a backing vocalist for Steely Dan from 1973 to 1980 an…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_McDonald_(musician)

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Obsession is a 2025 American supernatural psychological horror film written, directed, and edited by Curry Barker. The film follows Bear (Michael Johnston), a music store employee who buys a supernatu…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obsession_(2025_film)

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 2: “Curry Barker... first caught horror fans' attention in 2024 with his micro-budget online movie, Milk & Serial.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia and IMDb both explicitly confirm that Curry Barker directed and wrote the horror film 'Milk & Serial' in 2024, describing it as a found footage/micro-budget project.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Curry Barker (born September 22, 1999) is an American filmmaker, comedian, actor, screenwriter, and YouTuber. He is known for the sketch comedy YouTube channel "that's a bad idea", which he co-created…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curry_Barker

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Milk & Serial is a 2024 American horror film written and directed by Curry Barker, in his directorial debut. The found footage film stars Barker and Cooper Tomlinson, the comedy duo best known for the…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milk_&_Serial

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 3: “Obsession is the feature film debut from 26-year-old YouTuber Curry Barker”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources confirm Curry Barker is a 26-year-old YouTuber and that 'Obsession' is his feature film. The New Yorker and a web search result specifically mention his age (26) and YouTuber background, while Wikipedia confirms his birth date (Sept 22, 1999) and role as director of 'Obsession'.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Kane A. Parsons (born June 18, 2005), also known as Kane Pixels, is an American YouTuber, composer, and filmmaker. In January 2022, Parsons began publishing the viral web series Backrooms, based on th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kane_Parsons

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 4: “Obsession is out in cinemas now.”

CORROBORATED

Web search results describe 'Obsession' as one of '2026’s biggest box office success stories' and mention its release following a bidding war at TIFF 2025, indicating it is currently in cinemas.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The latest movie and television news, reviews, film trailers, exclusive interviews, and opinions - since 2005.
https://www.slashfilm.com/

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — A film, movie, or motion picture[a] is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images …
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film

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web search NEUTRAL — Apr 24, 2026 · The Movie Database (TMDB) is a popular, user editable database for movies and TV shows.
https://www.themoviedb.org/

verified

Claim 5: “He’s also hopelessly infatuated with his friend and colleague, Nikki (Inde Navarrette)”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia confirms that actress Inde Navarrette played the role of Nikki (Nikki Freeman) in the 2025 horror film 'Obsession'.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Danielle Fabiola "Inde" Navarrette ( IN-dee NAV-ə-RET-ee; born March 3, 2001) is an American actress. After Navarrette played in Trap House (2025), she rose to prominence following her breakout perfor…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inde_Navarrette

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A scream queen (a wordplay on screen queen) is an actress who is prominent and influential in horror films, either through a notable appearance or recurring roles. The title is a buzzword used by crit…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scream_queen

+ 3 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.