Obsession Director Curry Barker Discusses Cutting Gory Scenes to Maintain a R Rating at SXSW
Curry Barker’s much-anticipated horror film Obsession made its transition from the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) to the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival last night, featuring a notable alteration — a reduction in the number of violent scenes in what is likely the film’s bloodiest segment.
During its screening at TIFF’s Midnight section, Barker noted, “there was about six or seven more smashes. And we were getting an NC-17 rating. And so they were like, you’ve got to take out some of the smashes. And I was like, I’m not taking out a single bash. But I did.”
Focus Features acquired Obsession following its TIFF debut in a deal reported to exceed $15 million. The film, which Barker both wrote and directed, tells the story of a hopeless romantic whose attempt to win over his crush by breaking the mysterious “One Wish Willow” leads to unexpected consequences that reveal the darker side of desire.
“It still feels really f**king hardcore,” Barker remarked at a Q&A session after the screening in Austin Saturday night. Observing the audience’s reactions, he affirmed, “whatever the number is now, it’s the right number.” Attendees reacted with loud screams, indicating that the film’s revised scenes maintained plenty of intensity.
Barker gained recognition for his short film Milk & Serial, a found-footage horror project that achieved viral success on YouTube. He shared his artistic perspective: “I just like the honesty of human behavior. I just like to study human behavior and I think that that lends itself to comedy, and it does lend itself to horror. To be funny and relatable, you kind of have to look at the psychology of why people do things. And that kind of lends itself to this genre as well.”
The cast of Obsession includes Michael Johnston, Inde Navarrette, Cooper Tomlinson, Megan Lawless, and Andy Richter. The film was produced by James Harris through Teashop Productions, alongside Haley Nicole Johnson from Under the Shell, and Christian Mercuri representing Capstone Pictures, which fully financed the film and handled world rights in collaboration with CAA Media Finance.
