Obsession

I haven't seen a lot of horror, but I wonder why every one I've seen is so uniformly plastic in character and dialogue? Do I just happen to watch satirical horror? Is it elemental to the genre that character and dialogue are shallow, as a convoluted way of juxtaposing or justifying the depth of the terror? Are horror writers just garbage at those other screenwriting tenets?

Obsession wasn't the worst version of this problem, but it was off-putting in this way. My bar is set at realistic human interaction, even if the situations to which the humans respond are not realistic. I want to see people respond as people would respond. In fact, I seem to prefer movies with unrealistic situations; but the human response has to feel real. There's no way the Obsession characters would interact like they did in this movie, even if the supernatural element were natural. And I don't think it's just an analytical matter for me, I think it also feels fake. It's cringey and frustrating.

Obsession was a nice middle-ground between all-out horror and bright, relatable movie. I don't think horror is generally a good genre for me, but this one didn't go too deep. It wasn't too disturbing. And it had some thoughtful elements to balance out the fear.

It was a fun watch, but not a very impressive movie. I'm not sure why it was so successful; I guess because it hit that middle ground I mentioned.

I really disliked the main character, in every way. His physical presence made me uncomfortable, and his actions were continuously questionable. That he hung around for so long, without seeking a solution or fleeing, can't be excused. I'm sure this lack of likability serves a narrative purpose, though I think it also just made me enjoy the movie less.