The best movies like Obsession are The Monkey, Wish Upon, Pet Sematary, Talk to Me, Smile, It Follows, Misery, Pearl, Barbarian, Weapons, Hereditary, and Get Out. Each one has the cursed wish, the obsession, or the slow-building dread that made Obsession one of 2026's biggest horror hits.
Obsession is Curry Barker's horror movie about Bear, who uses a toy that grants one wish to make his friend Nikki fall for him. The wish can't be undone, and it goes very wrong. Barker made it for $750,000, and it's been one of the biggest horror hits of 2026. If you want more, the list is grouped by what scared you most.
Wishes and objects you shouldn't touch
The Monkey (2025)
Twin brothers find their father's old wind-up toy monkey, and every time it plays its drum, someone dies. Osgood Perkins directed it from a Stephen King short story, and Theo James plays both brothers. It's darkly funny, and it's the closest match to Obsession's cursed toy.
Wish Upon (2017)
A teenager gets an old music box from her dad, and it grants her wishes. Each one comes with a deadly price for someone close to her. Joey King stars. It's the most direct take on Obsession's premise, aimed at a younger crowd.
Pet Sematary (1989)
A family moves to rural Maine, and a burial ground behind their house brings back whatever is buried there. It doesn't bring it back right. Stephen King wrote the screenplay from his own novel, and Mary Lambert directed. It's about wanting something so badly you ignore every warning.
Talk to Me (2023)
A group of teenagers in Australia find an embalmed hand that lets them be possessed for 90 seconds, and they turn it into a party game. Danny and Michael Philippou directed it, and Sophie Wilde stars. Like Obsession, it's a small movie that became a big hit.
Curses that follow you
Smile (2022)
A psychiatrist, played by Sosie Bacon, watches a patient die with a terrifying smile on her face. Then she starts seeing that smile everywhere. Parker Finn directed it, expanding his own short film. It's a relentless curse movie with a big payoff.
It Follows (2014)
After sleeping with a guy she's dating, a young woman, played by Maika Monroe, learns she's being followed by something only she can see. It walks slowly and never stops. David Robert Mitchell wrote and directed it. The dread builds the same way Obsession's does.
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Obsession and control
Misery (1990)
A novelist, played by James Caan, wakes up after a car crash in the home of his biggest fan. She isn't letting him leave. Kathy Bates won the Oscar for Best Actress, and Rob Reiner directed it from Stephen King's novel. It's the classic movie about obsession.
Pearl (2022)
In 1918, a young woman on a Texas farm dreams of becoming a star, and she won't let anyone stand in her way. Mia Goth co-wrote it with director Ti West and stars as Pearl. It's a prequel to X, and her final monologue is unforgettable.
Horror breakouts with a twist
Barbarian (2022)
A woman, played by Georgina Campbell, arrives at a rental house at night and finds it's been double-booked by a stranger, played by Bill Skarsgård. That's only the start. Zach Cregger wrote and directed it. The less you know, the better it is.
Weapons (2025)
At 2:17 one morning, all but one kid in a third-grade class get out of bed and run into the dark. Zach Cregger wrote and directed it, with Julia Garner and Josh Brolin. It tells the mystery from different points of view, and each one adds a new piece.
Hereditary (2018)
After her mother dies, an artist, played by Toni Collette, watches her family come apart as dark secrets surface. Ari Aster wrote and directed it. It's one of the most unsettling horror movies of its decade.
Get Out (2017)
A young Black man, played by Daniel Kaluuya, visits his white girlfriend's family for the weekend, and something is very wrong. Jordan Peele wrote and directed it, and he won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. It's horror with something to say.
Where to start
If it's the cursed wish you loved, start with The Monkey. If it's the obsession, go with Misery. For a recent breakout you can go into blind, pick Barbarian. For the most dread, watch Hereditary.
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Frequently asked questions
The Monkey, Wish Upon, and Pet Sematary have the same kind of wish or object that should have stayed buried. Misery and Pearl are about obsession. Smile and It Follows are curse movies, and Talk to Me, Barbarian, and Weapons are recent breakouts with the same dread.
Curry Barker wrote and directed Obsession. It stars Michael Johnston as Bear and Inde Navarrette as Nikki, with Cooper Tomlinson, Megan Lawless, and Andy Richter. It was made for $750,000.
Obsession started streaming on Peacock on July 17, 2026. Availability can change, so check Limelight for where it's streaming in your country right now.
Pet Sematary and Misery come from Stephen King novels, and The Monkey comes from a Stephen King short story.
Each title links to a page showing where it's streaming right now. Availability changes by country and by month. Limelight shows what's streaming in your country right now.
