Curry Barker‘s Obsession has become a phenomenon. Not only has it managed to do something that almost no other film has done before (getting bigger and bigger the longer it stays in movie theaters), but it’s also opened the door for studios to take risks on other smaller indie horror films. The good news is that fans of Obsession could be in for more films or series set within the world. Speaking with the Reel Appreciation podcast, star Megan Lawless, who plays Sarah Harper, suggested that the story might not stop at one twisted wish, and we could be getting more Obsession spin-offs.
“Well, recently writer and director Karyn Kusama mentioned the possibility of more Obsession, potentially on the way,” Lawless said, likely referring to comments Obsession writer-director Curry Barker has made in outlets like Deadline and Total Film since May. “Like doing a series or an anthology where maybe each episode would be a different wish that goes completely off the rails.”
Although Lawless almost definitely won’t be part of future films, she can see the potential for more films based around the “be careful what you wish for” premise. “You could use this simple premise and apply it to literally everything,” she said. “You could apply it to greed. You could apply it to jealousy… You could have it explore so many different regions of the world, or classes, different personalities, age ranges. I mean, the world is literally your oyster.”
She also didn’t hide her wish for more, either: “I would love to watch more iterations of Obsession. So — yes.”
Playing the “vessel” for a confused audience
Lawless described the character she plays in Obsession, Sarah, as an audience stand-in, reacting in real time to Nikki’s escalating behavior. “I felt like I was a vessel almost to express what the audience is maybe thinking,” she said. “Anything we’re confused about, or the thoughts we’re having — like Sarah tends to express. And yeah, I liked being that.”
That confusion was there from the first read. Recalling the scene where Nikki breaks the One Wish Willow, Lawless said: “I remember reading that scene in the car… and I was just thinking, ‘Oh my god, this is mental — and who is going to play Nikki?’ Because wow, like, crying at the drop of a hat, sobbing and then flipping so much.”
She also realized right away how dark the film actually was. “You realize the real Nikki is stuck in there somewhere. That’s also when you’re like, ‘This is even more sinister than I initially thought.'”
Indy Navarrette saved “Freaky Nikki” for the cameras
Lawless credited co-star Inde Navarrette’s performance with keeping the cast’s reactions genuine. According to the actress, Navarrette reportedly didn’t reveal her character fully until filming began. “She wouldn’t do Freaky Nikki when we were doing the table read or rehearsing,” Lawless said. “She was saving all of it for the day. And that helped all of us to react to it genuinely.”
Even still, Lawless said she didn’t fully grasp what Navarrette was building until she saw the footage cut together. “I only have one scene where I witness Freaky Nikki… I didn’t see a lot of the scenes until I saw the first cut of it. And when I saw that, I was like, ‘Damn, this girl can act. Wow, she’s a star.'”
A life-cast double sat on set — and Lawless wanted no part of it
Because of the gruesome car scene, Lawless had a “live cast” made of herself for production use. “I got my live cast done, and it was my first time doing that,” she said. “They had this doll version of me that looked just like me, and would sit in the corner and just hang out. That was kind of creepy but cool.”
When the shoot wrapped, the filmmakers offered for her to keep the lifelike double. Her answer was a strong no. “They were like, ‘Do you want to keep it?’ And I was like, ‘Hell no.'”
What would Sarah wish for?
Asked to play along with the film’s own premise, Lawless gave Sarah a wish that had nothing to do with Bear. “I think she’d wish to get into art school and have a fulfilling art career,” she said. “I think she likes Bear, but for her career, I think she would put that above Bear or love.”
Obsession is still in theaters and now on digital. Let’s hope Megan Lawless is right, and we get a lot more creepy stories set in the Obsession world.
