Obsession Almost Went Straight To Netflix

Curry Barker says Netflix nearly took Obsession straight to streaming instead of theaters. Barker discussed the near-miss on the podcast Q With Tom Power.

Barker said multiple studios competed for the film once it started generating buzz. “Everybody’s putting in a bid for this thing,” he said. Netflix was among them, and made a concrete offer. “They put in an offer to just put it straight on Netflix,” Barker said.

He weighed the offer carefully, worried about losing creative control. “Are they going to want to change my movie? Are they going to want to take out certain parts that I like?” he said. Barker ultimately chose theatrical distribution instead.

That decision paid off. Obsession became one of the biggest horror sleeper hits of the decade, with star Inde Navarrette hosting Saturday Night Live and the film getting its own Halloween Horror Nights maze at Universal. We love to see it!