Obsession is one of the best and most popular horror movies of 2026, and while it tells an original story, it actually borrows a lot from a classic tale from 124 years ago. All art builds off of previous art, as it is impossible for an artist to remove themselves from the influences they’ve taken in previously. However, it’s always fun when a new story is intentionally a riff on an old one, and many Obsession fans don’t realize that this is the case here.

Director and writer Curry Barker has created a phenomenon with Obsession, as his low-budget horror feature has become incredibly popular since being released in May 2026. With a budget of less than $1 million, the film has already brought in $75.5 million at the box office, although this doesn’t account for distribution costs. The film has already had a major cultural impact, with many fans wondering what went into the making of the film.

Obsession Was Inspired By Monkey’s Paw Stories

Curry Barker has been vocal about his inspiration for Obsession, and it comes from a weird place: The Simpsons. According to Barker, he had some friends over to watch an episode of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia that he had acted in, but before the episode aired, The Simpsons was on. The episode was season 3, episode 7, “Treehouse of Horror II,” specifically the episode’s first segment (via Variety). In it, Homer buys a cursed monkey’s paw that grants wishes, but for a terrible price. Maggie, Homer, and Bart all make wishes, but things quickly go haywire when the wishes have horrible consequences.

While Barker was inspired by this The Simpsons story, the segment itself was inspired by a different story. The monkey’s paw trope originates from a 1902 short story written by W. W. Jacobs titled “The Monkey’s Paw.” The story sees a couple get a cursed wish-granting monkey’s paw from a friend from the British Army. They first wish for $200, which they are given by their son’s company as a bereavement payment after his death. In mourning, they wish for their son to come back. They hear a knocking at the door, and, afraid of the state that their son is in, the husband makes his third wish, and the knocking stops.

According to Barker, this episode led him to think, “…we’ve seen ‘Be careful what you wish for’ tons of times. But we’ve never seen my version of it.” Thus, Obsession was born. The film uses its One Wish Willows as a substitute for the Monkey’s Paw, with both MacGuffins being plot devices used to explore this theme. Like the Monkey’s Paw, the One Wish Willow takes Bear’s wish and grants it in a horrifying way. Most of Obsession centers around Bear’s attempts to undo his wish, as he wasn’t careful what he wished for.

While this is a common theme for fantasy and horror stories, Barker was right in the sense that his version is what makes the film unique. Obsession‘s deep themes and darkly comedic moments are what make the film horrifying and a ton of fun. Obsession is about more than just “be careful what you wish for,” although that is part of it. The film also explores bodily autonomy, with Bear’s selfish wish violating the will of Nikki.

Obsession’s One Wish Willow Isn’t An Exact Monkey’s Paw Substitute

Obsession may have been inspired by Monkey’s Paw stories, but the film’s One Wish Willow is differentiated from Monkey’s Paws in a major way. In most Monkey’s Paw stories, the wishes made are automatically twisted into a horrifying reality. In the original story, a wish for $200 leads to the death of the protagonist’s son, even though the wish isn’t that selfish.

Juxtaposed to this, Obsession‘s One Wish Willow doesn’t inherently make all of its wishes a negative thing. Ian’s wish for a billion dollars causes the money to immediately fall out of the sky, whereas a true Monkey’s Paw story would probably have the money have a tragic origin. While it could be posited that Ian’s death is the horrifying twist on the wish, this seems more like a tragic coincidence rather than part of supernatural rules.

On top of that, Bear meets a clerk at the shop he bought the One Wish Willow from, and the clerk explains that he has already made his wish. The clerk seems to be perfectly fine, meaning that he may have had his wish fulfilled without a problem. Bear’s wish may have only been twisted because it was incredibly selfish, as it forces his desire for Nikki onto Nikki. The wish violates Nikki’s will, leading to horrifying consequences that may not occur with less evil wishes. So, it seems that One Wish Willows may be able to be gamed in a way that Monkey’s Paws cannot.

What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!