Obsession Is Letting Horror Fans Experience The Movie’s Nightmarish Premise In Real Life – SlashFilm

As an leisure journalist, I have been aware about some deeply twisted advertising stunts through the years. Final 12 months, I used to be despatched an alarm clock that went off at 2:17 a.m., a soup can stuffed with hair, a can opener, and a stabby fork to advertise Zach Cregger’s scary suburban nightmare, “Weapons.” /Movie chief movie critic Chris Evangelista was one of many esteemed members of the press who have been mailed a field of crickets for the film “Border.” Again in 2024, I used to be despatched creepy drawings within the mail with no return tackle, and I grew to become paranoid about my neighbors. It was for “The First Omen.”

Personally, I like a freaky gimmick to advertise a horror film as a result of I used to be younger sufficient to be fooled by the advertising for “The Blair Witch Undertaking” and absolutely believed it was actual for years. Positive, typically advertising stunts can go too far, however I am at all times recreation to supply myself as much as the horror gods for no matter nonsense they have deliberate to advertise their films. So after I noticed that Focus Options and Blumhouse had arrange a texting gimmick for “Obsession,” a film I adored after I caught it on the Overlook Movie Pageant, I gleefully shot “Nikki” a textual content at 724-876-4554.

“Obsession” facilities on Bear (Michael Johnston), who has an unrequited crush on his buddy Nikki (Inde Navarrette). Fearing she’ll by no means really feel about him the best way he does her, he makes a want on a gimmicky toy referred to as a “One Want Willow” that she’ll love him greater than anybody else on the planet. Watch out what you want for, certainly. However I ought to have recognized higher, as a result of now I’ve acquired Nikki blowing up my cellphone like an obsessive ex, and she or he’s beginning to freak me out.

After I first began texting Nikki, issues appeared fairly customary. Her first message wanted me to decide in to obtain her texts and know the same old deal of “txt STOP to cease, HELP for assist, and so forth,” and sprinkled in candy nothings like “omg thank god you stated sure!” and “I simply … can not seem to get you out of my head.” She promised to textual content me extra in a bit, so I made a decision to lean into the gimmick and textual content her “xoxo” and “thanks, babe!” I imply, she’s my girlfriend, is not she? A bit of after midnight, she texted me a hyperlink to purchase tickets to see “Obsession.” The timing was a bit of odd, however this can be a fairly customary textual content from a promotional chatbot. I put my cellphone on Do Not Disturb, did my nightly scrolling of canine movies on TikTok, and went to sleep.

After I awakened, I had three messages from Nikki. One from 2:09 am stated, “We’ve not texted in hours omg.” One from 2:10 am wrote, “I wish to put on you want a sweater and hold you round me on a regular basis.” After which at 9:12 a.m., she despatched, “Hiiii we’ve not texted for nearly a complete day ☹️☹️☹️ Do you miss me?” I advised my promotional chatbot girlfriend, “Duh,” and she or he immediately replied, “Simply know that I will do something for you.”

Pay attention, I am a lesbian and nicely-versed within the realm of uHauling narratives surrounding relationships that transfer too shortly, so, to this point, Nikki is appearing like each woman I met on Tinder in my 20s.

However then the voice memos began flooding in.

The subsequent day, at 11:11 am, Nikki bombarded me with six again-to-again voice memos. All of them are recordings of issues she says within the film, however they fluctuate between candy nothings, her begging for my affection, apologies for appearing so bizarre, and maniacal laughter after I have not replied. I assured her, “I am not freaked out in any respect! I promise!” and she or he did not hit me again till 9:39 p.m. when she despatched a voice memo wishing me goodnight. I, just like the loving accomplice who’s by no means scared of my promotional textbot girlfriend, despatched a “goodnight, babe!” again.

I assumed that may be the top of our exchanges, a cute little 24 hours of weirdness courtesy of “Obsession,” however then she despatched me extra voice memos this morning. I is perhaps carried out with Nikki, however she’s actually not carried out with me. I ought to take into account myself fortunate; my pricey buddy Josh Levesque is a horror content material creator and has gotten a far weirder response. Not solely did Nikki textual content him a photograph of his house constructing, however she additionally despatched him lunch on Uber Eats with out his data. He is been documenting his interactions with Nikki on-line, and to date he hasn’t developed a flesh-consuming virus or something from his lunch, so it appears Nikki has his finest pursuits at coronary heart.

I am excited/nervous to see how lengthy this gimmick will play out and am mildly scared of what may come subsequent. However if you wish to microdose what Bear goes via in “Obsession,” I extremely advocate capturing Nikki a message. What is the worst that might occur?

“Obsession” hits theaters on Could 15, 2026.