Blumhouse Creates An ‘Obsession’ May 15

8 Comments | blumhouse, Blumhouse Horror movies, Horror, obsession | By Peter Paltridge | March 11, 2026 | 2 minutes of reading

The story of the Wish Gone Wrong is one of the oldest ever told. It seems like when we see someone get an opportunity to have their wishes granted, it almost always turns out to be twisted in some way. Very few present a genie who isn’t malevolent or a monkey paw that isn’t cursed. And that’s the genre Blumhouse’s Obsession belongs to.

The unfortunate man who makes the wish this time is Bear (Michael Johnston), who’s suffering a painfully unrequited crush on his friend Nikki (Inde Navarrette). Here’s how wishes are granted in this world: someone sells branches of willow trees in packages, and you snap the branch in half while making your wish…and it works. Bear does this while saying, “I wish Nikki Freeman loved me more than anything in the entire world!” OH NO!

So you can guess where this goes. Nikki becomes obsessed with Bear on a level way beyond what Bear is comfortable with, and on a level beyond healthy human sanity. She’s fully aware she’s under a spell and doesn’t care. She goes from lover to stalker quickly, and she keeps getting worse (and apparently bloody). The package said Bear only gets one wish, so he can’t just use another branch to undo this.

The funniest thing about this, although perhaps unintentionally, is the fact that the willow company has a hotline you can call if you have problems, and the voice at the other end sounds like one of the jaded underpaid teenagers you’d find working these gigs. So when Bear calls the hotline begging for a way to take back his wish, the guy just gives him the familiar “whoa, sorry man, but like, I have to listen to a million of you guys” malaise. Despite the severity of the situation.

Unfortunately the hotline man implies that the only way for Nikki to snap out of it is if Bear dies. They don’t show us what his next step is there, but Nikki could very well wind up killing him anyway — with love.

Obsession, distributed by Focus Features, opens in theaters May 15.

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New Member

12 messages 0 likes

#1 Mar 12, 2026

Okay I’m sold. This is exactly the weird creative homebrew the scene needs more of. Seven different worlds, changing rules each time, ongoing story with actual character moments. The fact that it started as pandemic episodes and now it’s a full multicart collection is awesome. Peter’s background in satire and comics clearly helps make the writing pop. $60 for just the cart is tempting but I went for the $80 box because I want the manual and everything. Mess Maker sounds like bonus fun for after you finish the episodes. Demo was short but made me laugh a few times. Hope the goal gets smashed so we see season two physical too.

Well-Known Member

814 messages 35 likes

#2 Mar 12, 2026

Super excited for this one. The variety alone makes it stand out—platformer, puzzle stuff, whatever the train episode is, then the connected arc at the end. Allison as this confident six-year-old explorer is a fun lead. Humor seems sharp without being mean. Big respect for squeezing everything into the cart limits too, that’s real dedication. Collector edition with the red cart and fake ticket is such a nice touch for us physical media people. Played the browser demo on my laptop and it felt authentic NES. Pledged early bird before it ended. Can’t wait to pop this in my top-loader come July.

New Member

453 messages 2 likes

#3 Mar 12, 2026

Not convinced. Looks cute but too much random nonsense. Treasure hunter kid chasing a roll from a vending machine? Stomping everything with a shoe buddy? It’s trying to be zany but comes off forced. I’d rather play something with tight mechanics than switch styles every episode. Multicart is cool tech but most people will just emulate anyway so why pay premium for physical? Developer spent years on this but maybe focused too much on jokes instead of fun factor. I’ll pass unless reviews say the gameplay is actually good across all seven parts. Demo didn’t wow me enough.

Master of Furry Fashion

540 messages 14 likes

#4 Mar 12, 2026

Love it. The social satire part got me interested right away. NES never had ongoing stories like this so it feels fresh even in 2026. Each world having its own rules and cast is genius—doodle world, robot factory, train fare dodger, oligarch kidnapping, all different vibes. Peter clearly knows how to write funny stuff from his Platypus Comix days. $80 for seven games plus extras is good value compared to buying them separate on itch. Already told my retro group chat about it. Demo convinced me the gameplay holds up. Backed the complete box and added an extra cartridge for a friend. Let’s get this funded.

Member

104 messages 19 likes

#5 Mar 12, 2026

This is the kind of homebrew I’ve been waiting for. Not another shooter or platformer clone—actual story with characters you want to follow. Allison seems like a chaotic little gremlin and I’m here for it. The fact that episode three barely has her in it but still connects everything shows real planning. Mess Maker tool sounds dope too, like a built-in level editor using their assets. Technical details about Mapper 28 and optimization make me respect the work even more. Pledged the naked gray cart because I don’t need the box, just want to play it on my NES. Hope they fund quick so season two gets real.

Manifesting more seasons of Arcane

70 messages 0 likes

#6 Mar 12, 2026

Eh, sounds like a lot of effort for something that might not play great on real hardware. Seven episodes is ambitious but if they’re all short because of the 256kb limit then it could feel chopped up. I like the idea of different gameplay per world but the toilet paper vending machine episode just makes me think it’s trying too hard to be funny. $100 for the fancy edition is steep when most homebrew carts are cheaper. Developer’s comic site experience probably means more writing than actual game design focus. I’ll wait for reviews after people get their copies. Demo was fun for a bit but not enough to pull money out now.

RedRankRider

30 messages 0 likes

#7 Mar 12, 2026

Backed it instantly. The whole serialized adventure thing is what the NES always missed back in the day. No monthly cartridge drops or anything, just single big games. Allison hopping worlds with different mechanics each time keeps it fresh. Margarita kidnapping arc sounds like it has actual story progression which is rare in homebrew. Peter’s compression work to fit on the cart is impressive, especially since NESMaker usually spits out huge files. $11 per episode math checks out and the collector red cart with numbered ticket is calling my name. Played the demo—controls feel tight and the humor lands without being annoying. July 2026 ship date is far but worth the wait for something this original.

Member

1,961 messages 54 likes

#8 Mar 12, 2026

This looks way too quirky for me. Six-year-old blue-hair girl stomping spiky things with a living shoe? Talking toilet paper machine? Nah I’ll pass. I want straightforward action or exploration on NES, not all this satire and random humor. The multicart idea is neat technically but paying $80+ for seven short episodes feels overpriced when I could just grab classic games. Developer background in comics is obvious from the descriptions—too much joke stuff instead of solid gameplay. Demo was okay for five minutes but I got bored. Maybe younger players or people into weird indie things will like it. Not for me.

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