Ethan Carter
Curry Barker’s film Obsession escalates into a gripping horror experience as the story unfolds. In the latter half, Bear struggles to conceal his desire for Nikki to transform into someone entirely different, whether for himself or within their social circle. Just as he attempts to catch his breath, he is forcefully drawn back into the unsettling reality he has created with…
The tragic demise of Bear and Nikki’s friend Sarah. Just as Sarah is about to reveal her feelings for Bear, Wish Nikki abruptly intervenes, brutally slamming Sarah’s head into a brick wall until her face is unrecognizable. To compound the horror, Wish Nikki informs Bear that Sarah’s fate rests on his shoulders.
The Hollywood Reporter recently spoke with Megan Lawless, the actress portraying Sarah, about her character’s harrowing scene in the film. She expressed excitement over having an “iconic” exit and referred to it as her favorite day on set. Lawless described how Nikki’s actress, Inde Navarette, used a helmeted wig to shatter glass, while Lawless had to simulate hitting her own head against the brick, with Navarette mimicking the repeated impact. At a certain point, the production team replaced Lawless with a doll for the remainder of the scene, including the close-up of Sarah’s mangled face.
“We had two attempts to get the scene right,” Lawless shared regarding her character’s death. “The entire sequence is quite humorous. We had to approach it with full commitment, even though it felt a bit silly. […] I feel privileged to have such a memorable death scene in a film that will stick in people’s minds.” Despite her initial surprise at the audience’s reaction during the TIFF screening, where her death was met with cheers, she embraced it, attributing the enthusiasm to the passionate nature of horror fans, which she admires.
A significant portion of the online conversation surrounding Obsession focuses on Sarah’s fate and her complex relationship with Bear and Nikki. Similar to Bear’s actor Michael Johnston, Lawless believes that under different circumstances, their characters might have had a chance at romance. she does not perceive Sarah or Nikki as villains (though Bear’s character might be more ambiguous), nor does she believe Sarah would have pursued anything while Bear and Nikki were involved. Lawless also feels that the notion of them acting on the kiss interrupted by Wish Nikki at the party contradicts Sarah’s values.
For further insights, you can read the complete interview with Megan Lawless in THR, where she shares her thoughts on the party scene leading up to her character’s death and her transformation into a literal prop at the movie’s conclusion.
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Daniel Mercer
David Bridges
