Curry Barker Reveals Original ‘Obsession’ Ending — and the Shocking Advice That Changed It

Curry Barker’s horror film Obsession almost ended very differently, but the director says he changed the final cut after getting feedback from his father and others during production.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Barker explained that he originally planned a much darker ending for the film. Obsession follows Bear, played by Michael Johnston, a lonely young man who uses a magical object called the “One Wish Willow” to make his crush Nikki, played by Inde Navarrette, fall in love with him. The wish works, but it also turns deadly and destructive.

Barker said he initially wrote and filmed a “Romeo and Juliet” style ending where both main characters die. He said, “I was really obsessed with this Romeo and Juliet ending, actually,” referring to his first version of the conclusion. That version was fully shot but never used in the final release.

The director confirmed that he actually filmed two different endings during production. One version followed his original idea, while another showed a different outcome for Nikki. The team only got one take for one of the versions because the shot was highly technical and done in a continuous, complicated camera move.

After reviewing the footage, Barker said he started getting strong reactions from people around him, including his father. He said his dad and others felt that the alternative version, where Nikki survives, was actually more disturbing and emotionally powerful.

He explained that this feedback made him rethink his decision. The version where Nikki survives and wakes up after everything turns out to be the final ending in the movie. In that version, she regains consciousness after being under the control of the wish and is forced to face the consequences of what happened while she was not in control of her actions.

Barker said the experience inside the spell leaves her deeply shaken. According to him, she remembers everything that happened while she was controlled, which adds another layer of trauma to the ending.

In the final cut of Obsession, Nikki wakes up in a destroyed room and finds that Bear is dead, along with another character, Ian, who she killed while still under the wish’s influence. The ending is designed to leave her alive but emotionally damaged.

Barker said this outcome connects more strongly to the film’s themes. He explained that the story is not just about horror or supernatural wishes, but also about control and consent. He said the idea behind the film is to show what happens when someone tries to force love instead of letting it happen naturally.

He also noted that the concept is inspired by familiar cautionary tales, including The Monkey’s Paw and even segments from The Simpsons “Treehouse of Horror” episodes. But he said his version focuses more on emotional and psychological consequences.

Barker added that he may still release the original ending in the future as part of a director’s cut, giving audiences a chance to see the version that was left out of theaters.

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