Death is a common occurrence in horror films. It’s the most recognizable form of tragedy in the genre, providing a bleak sense of resolution at the end of a nightmare.
However, ‘Obsession’ went a much more dangerous route, and that’s what has made it an impactful film for audiences.
‘Obsession’ Ending Explained: Nikki’s Survival Is The Real Horror
Recently, Director Curry Barker announced that he was initially thinking of an ending where both Bear and Nikki died. It would’ve been sad, but the real ending of the movie is even more disturbing. As the story progresses, Nikki evolves from an independent young woman to a victim of a terrible supernatural wish.
Related: Why ‘Obsession’ Director Wanted Nikki To Act Like A Jealous Girlfriend
The damage is done by the end of the film. Friends have died, lives have been lost, and Bear’s desperate efforts to rectify his wrongs are too late. But if Nikki had died with him, the story would have come to a close. Instead, Barker chooses something far crueler: survival.
“We shot both; we shot this ending that you see in the movie, and we shot the ending where she ends it all. We had shot a ton of different versions of the official ending, the one that’s in the script, the one that I was excited about, and I was like, Okay, we’ll do one ending where Nikki survives, but we’ll just do one take of it, and then we’ll move on,” he told EW.
Just as Nikki finally comes to her senses in the closing moments, there is no joy or solace. She screams in terror. She has suffered an experience that no one around her could ever comprehend, and now she has to live with it. That lingering pain makes the ending more of an emotional death than a shocking horror ending.
A Bleak Future Makes The Ending Stronger
‘Obsession‘s ending is effective because it leaves the audience wondering what will happen next. Nikki could live, but her future looks very dark. The outside world would probably perceive her as being responsible for the violence that took place.
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The events are supernatural and cannot be proven, and she is stuck in a world where no one can understand what happened to her. There’s also the crushing emotional weight of losing people she cared about. Even if she manages to escape the legal repercussions, her life will be changed forever.
That uncertainty is what makes the ending linger. Death would have provided an escape, however tragic. Survival means carrying the burden forward. It’s a big risk in terms of storytelling that makes ‘Obsession’ stand out from many modern horror movies.
The film doesn’t leave the audience with a last-minute scare, but rather with a feeling of sadness, fear, and uncertainty. The worst thing that can happen is not death, it’s living with the repercussions of everything that has happened.
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