Film Review: Obsession and 9 novels with similar themes

I swore off horror films after watching The Exorcist as a teenager at a cousin’s place more than four decades ago. It scared the pants off me. What made it worse was returning home alone on a dark and rainy night. That resolution didn’t last very long. Over the years, I have watched horror films now and then, more out of morbid curiosity than any real liking for the genre. In my defence, however, I haven’t read too many horror novels either, though William Peter Blatty's The Exorcist, on which the film was based, remains one of the best-known books in the genre.

Which brings me to Obsession, one of the most talked-about psychological horror films of 2026.

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There is already a beehive-like buzz around Obsession, with people on social media discussing its unsettling premise, shocking moments, uncomfortable portrayal of relationships, and especially the questions it raises about love, loneliness and obsession.

In the film, Bear, a young music store employee (Michael Johnston), desperately wants the woman he loves, Nikki (Inde Navarrette), to return his feelings. He has had a crush on her since they were kids. As fate would have it, though not in a nice way, a mysterious object—a supernatural toy called the One Wish Willow—gives him a chance to make that happen. But things soon descend into a troubling chain of events. What seems like a sweet love story at first turns into something strange and disturbing, and it happens so gradually that you hardly notice it.

What makes Obsession scary is that, at its heart, the film is about loneliness, the desire to control others, and how something as innocent and beautiful as love can sometimes become an obsession. The performances by the two lead actors are excellent: they make the story feel believable and unsettling at the same time.

From that perspective, Obsession is less a horror film about a supernatural toy and more a horror film about what happens when love becomes obsessive. While the film has become something of a phenomenon, here are a few novels with themes similar to those in the movie.

You by Caroline Kepnes

You, one of the closest literary equivalents to Obsession, explores the dark side of attraction and the way obsession can masquerade as love. The novel follows Joe Goldberg, a bookstore employee in New York City, who becomes dangerously infatuated with a woman he has just met. Joe is convinced that his stalking and manipulative behaviour are acts of love. Like Obsession, it examines loneliness, possessiveness and self-deception, showing how easily affection can turn into something deeply disturbing.

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

Rebecca, often classified as a Gothic novel rather than a horror story, is steeped in obsession and psychological unease. The lingering presence of the title character continues to affect those around her long after her death. Readers drawn to the atmosphere and emotional tension of Obsession may appreciate the novel's themes of jealousy, insecurity, and preoccupation with the dead.

Enduring Love by Ian McEwan

Enduring Love looks at obsession in a realistic and deeply unsettling way. After witnessing a hot air balloon accident, Joe Rose finds himself the target of a stranger, Jed Parry, who becomes dangerously obsessed with him. Jed is convinced that Joe loves him and is simply hiding it. The novel is a frightening study of how difficult it can be to convince others that you are being stalked when your stalker appears, on the surface, perfectly calm and reasonable.

Misery by Stephen King

At its heart, Misery is a story about devotion pushed to its extremes. A famous writer, Paul Sheldon, is rescued from a car crash by Annie Wilkes—his self-proclaimed "number one fan"—and becomes trapped in a relationship with her. Her admiration for him, however, slowly turns into something darker and more dangerous. The novel explores how love, admiration and possession can blur into one another.

The Collector by John Fowles

Often cited as a classic novel of obsession, The Collector tells the story of Frederick Clegg, who becomes fixated on a young art student and is convinced that his actions are justified. Reading his thought process is often more disturbing than the events that follow. He kidnaps her, convinced that if she spends enough time with him, she will come to love him as he loves her.

The Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highsmith

While not a horror novel in the traditional sense, The Talented Mr Ripley explores obsession, envy and identity with psychological depth. Tom Ripley's fascination with another man's life gradually draws him into self-deception and moral collapse. Readers drawn to the darker aspects of human desire will find strong parallels with Obsession.

Luster by Raven Leilani

Luster follows Edie, a young Black woman drifting through her twenties, whose affair with a married man pulls her into emotionally uncharted territory. Luster explores obsession from a different angle, focusing less on horror and more on complicated relationships and family dynamics. It shows how intense and unreasonable longing for someone can distort the way you see yourself and everyone around you.

Starve Acre by Andrew Michael Hurley

Starve Acre is a folk-horror novel that combines grief and obsession. Set in the English countryside, it follows a couple grieving the death of their young son, Ewan, as strange events begin to unfold around them. The husband becomes consumed by an archaeological obsession with a cursed tree at their remote Yorkshire farmhouse. As in Obsession, the story examines how powerful desires can shape human behaviour in unexpected and troubling ways.

Notes on a Scandal by Zoë Heller 

Shortlisted for the 2003 Man Booker Prize, Zoë Heller's Notes on a Scandal is a darkly compelling novel about obsession, loneliness and betrayal. It centres on the relationship between Barbara Covett, a lonely veteran teacher, and Sheba Hart, a younger colleague whose affair with one of her students sets off a chain of events with consequences. What makes the novel so unsettling is its exploration of jealousy, desire and the urge to control other people’s lives.