"Obsession"

 "Obsession" is a retelling of "The Monkey's Paw." In that famous story, a man wishes for great wealth. But the wealth turns out to be blood money--it's a corporation paying cash to cover up the death of the man's son. At the end of the story, the man wishes to have his son back. Fair. But the tapping on the door--is that a human being or a zombie?

With "Obsession," young Baron wants the love of his old friend Nikki. He goes to a spooky voodoo shop and "gets" his wish. But Nikki's love seems problematic. Nikki begins screaming at random intervals. She tells lies about cancer. We reach a "crisis point" when Nikki cooks and eats a portion of Baron's dead cat.

This movie has a little bit more on its mind. Baron's friend Ian has secrets--we're not sure we can trust Ian. Additionally, there is a colorful cameo at the voodoo store; the clerk is maybe not the helpful neighbor we imagine him to be.

Beneath the layers of horror, this is really a movie about social awkwardness. We've all been at a party in which someone tells an endless, unintentionally disturbing story--we all exert ourselves to pretend "all is well" in this situation. We've all dealt with a customer service professional who is simultaneously delivering a monologue to an iPhone--we've all worked hard to do a pantomime of not being annoyed.

I admired the sense of humor at work in this story. I did want more from the central character--Baron--but I blame the writing more than the performance.

Worthwhile movie.