{"id":35407,"date":"2026-07-11T22:35:24","date_gmt":"2026-07-12T02:35:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/michael-johnston-discusses-obsession-and-texas-chain-saw\/"},"modified":"2026-07-11T22:35:24","modified_gmt":"2026-07-12T02:35:24","slug":"michael-johnston-discusses-obsession-and-texas-chain-saw","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/michael-johnston-discusses-obsession-and-texas-chain-saw\/","title":{"rendered":"Michael Johnston Discusses ‘Obsession’ and ‘Texas Chain Saw’"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy of Focus Features<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Still on an impressive run in theaters, becoming one of the most successful indie horror films of all time, Curry Barker<\/strong>\u2019s Obsession<\/strong><\/em> is now available digitally to become your newest obsession. Personally, it\u2019s my favorite genre movie of the year so far. Unhinged, oddly funny, and utterly terrifying, it\u2019s a total crowd-pleaser\u2013 an instant classic that we\u2019ll be talking about for years.<\/p>\n

Barker unleashed a unique vision of fear into the world. But to bring that vision to fruition and have the sort of success Obsession<\/em> has had, you need a cast capable of bringing the characters to life. The filmmaker found them in stars Michael Johnston<\/strong> (Bear) and Inde Navarrette<\/strong> (Nikki). Both deliver such screen-grabbing performances that, in a universe that accepts horror movies, they\u2019d both be up for awards come Oscar season.<\/p>\n

Navarrette has, quite understandably, gotten much of the attention thanks to a portrayal that simultaneously has audiences wanting to scream in terror and hug her all at once. But that doesn\u2019t and shouldn\u2019t take anything away from Johnston, whose own performance sucks viewers into this horrible situation without any way out. It\u2019s the ultimate be careful what you wish for situation, with Johnston expressing varying levels of loneliness, heartache, and, yes, cruelty, that make Bear one of the more fascinating horror villains of recent memory.<\/p>\n

I had the immense opportunity to sit down with Johnston for the home release of Obsession<\/em>, now available on digital via Focus Features.<\/p>\n

To kick things off, I couldn\u2019t help but ask Johnston what seeing the film\u2019s success has been like for him. \u201cI don\u2019t know. It\u2019s really surreal,\u201d said Johnston. \u201cTo think that this movie that I made with people I consider to be my friends, it just feels like we all made this little movie together. This little indie film, and it\u2019s now breaking all these records\u2026It doesn\u2019t feel real. It\u2019s the coolest thing ever. I\u2019m just so honored that I\u2019m meeting people who love the film and that we\u2019re having conversations about my art and my work and all of the work that we poured into this. We really cared, and to see it resonate with people is the best thing ever.\u201d<\/p>\n

Spielberg never could\u2019ve imagined Jaws<\/em> would be as successful as it was. Nor could John Carpenter with Halloween<\/em>. It\u2019s impossible to know exactly how a movie will resonate with an audience. But Johnston had an idea that they were onto something big. \u201cWhen we were on set filming this thing, I think everyone knew that we were making something really special. Did we know how big it was gonna get? No, I don\u2019t think so. But we certainly worked our asses off and treated it like, \u2018Okay, this is our moment. This is our time to shine.\u2019 We all had something to prove. It was a very young cast and crew. It was definitely different from most film sets that I\u2019ve been on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Watching Obsession<\/em>, that hunger is more than apparent. It\u2019s a film brimming with passion and drive to create something unique that leaves the audience talking. That sort of thing doesn\u2019t just happen, though. According to Johnston, Barker had a vision, and he took careful steps to make sure that vision came to life the way he wanted it to.<\/p>\n

Johnston remembers, \u201cHe [Barker] was quite literally editing the movie before it was shot. I remember this thing where he used this program that I think they use for video games or something, when he was location scouting. He would take pictures of all the different rooms, put them into this 3D model, and then he would put these fake puppets in and do the shots and everything. Curry would come in with his vision to the point where we would have these really dramatic scenes, and we\u2019d only read half the scene because he knew that he was gonna cut and go to a different shot. And that can feel kind of crazy. He knew exactly what he wanted.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even knowing what he wanted, there\u2019s no way even Barker could\u2019ve imagined how much Navarratte would nail the creepiness of her role. Johnston still recalls the moment his co-star first really scared him. \u201cIt was probably like the first week of shooting, I think. We were in Bear\u2019s house, and we\u2019re filming a scene where she kind of looks up at me and smiles and says, \u2018I\u2019m your freaky Nikki.\u2019 I kept asking her when we were setting up, like, \u2018I want to see the smile. Show me the smile.\u2019 And she was like, \u2018Nope, sorry, babe. Nope.\u2019 I\u2019m like, \u2018Come on, I want to see it.\u2019 And so, I did see it for the first time. And it freaked me out so much that I nervously laughed and ruined the take. I was like, \u2018Wow.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

So was I. Although, for myself, as with much of the audience I\u2019m assuming, the Nikki effect had us squirming in our seats from the moment Bear makes his wish.<\/p>\n

Part of me wonders if Bear ever would\u2019ve made that wish with the One Wish Willow had he not suffered the loss of his cat during the opening moments of the film. \u201cI think he would have done the same damn thing,\u201d muses Johnston. \u201cI will say, though, that the cat was a really great moment to show us who Bear really is. Because if you really pay attention, he doesn\u2019t even grieve the cat. He\u2019s so avoidant of his feelings. You see him go to the trivia bar and say, \u2018You know, my cat died,\u2019 but I think what he\u2019s really feeling most of all is lonely. I think that\u2019s a theme for Bear. He doesn\u2019t want to face up to all the difficult feelings, so he\u2019s just living in his head and living in a dream world and thinking, \u2018If I get this girl, then I don\u2019t have to face all my issues.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

That said, Johnston is a fan of a popular fan theory floating around out there. \u201cI am loving the fan theories. I was just talking about the one about how Nikki is actually possessed by the spirit of Bear\u2019s cat. I think that\u2019s so brilliant because she\u2019s waiting outside the door and everything. I love that one. It\u2019s a really good theory. If you think about all the crazy things she\u2019s doing in the film, it\u2019s kind of what our pets would do.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s just a theory, though. And as fun as it is, Johnston recognizes, cat or not, what happens to Nikki is all because of Bear. \u201cBear\u2019s the villain, no doubt about that. However, in his own mind, he doesn\u2019t think he\u2019s the villain. He\u2019s just really selfish, and he\u2019s just trying to get the girl of his dreams. And, you know, he doesn\u2019t want to see his friends suffer, but he just can\u2019t deal with his own trauma, his own suffering, his own depression, whatever he\u2019s going through. And he thinks that the idea of who he thinks this girl will be for him is going to save him, or at least distract him from all of his pain. I mean, the whole thing that he turns Nikki into is just a projection.\u201d<\/p>\n

Considering Bear\u2019s issues, he seems like the sort of guy who would use the One Wish Willow, whether or not Nikki was in the picture. So, what if she wasn\u2019t? \u201cOh man,\u201d says Johnston. \u201cIf Bear wasn\u2019t pining over someone, there would definitely be something else in his life that he\u2019s using to distract from all his pain and suffering and depression and avoidance of reality. So, I could imagine him being really, really addicted to video games and obsessed with being the best Fortnite player or something. I could see him making a wish of \u2018I wish I were number one on the rankings.\u2019 I could see him doing something like that, just covered in sweat with Doritos all over his shirt.\u201d<\/p>\n

I add that that might\u2019ve worked out for him a little better. Then again, we\u2019re talking about the One Wish Willow, here. You never know quite how it\u2019s going to go.<\/p>\n

While we\u2019re on hypotheticals, the conversation turns to Bear and Sarah (Megan Lawless<\/strong>). Sarah\u2019s a tragic character herself, one who longs for Bear to recognize her feelings for him. That longing is cut short by Nikki in one of the most brutal horror film moments of the year. But Johnston likes to consider what would\u2019ve happened if Bear and Sarah hadn\u2019t been caught together. \u201cSarah did not deserve that. I think that Bear and Sarah would have been a lot more right for each other. If Nikki didn\u2019t show up in that moment, I can see Bear not gaining any more popularity points and kind of going for it, like probably kissing her and just being a total player in that moment. But again, I don\u2019t even think he would look at it that way. I think he\u2019s just kind of so tunnel vision on what his own miserable little life is that he doesn\u2019t even see how he\u2019s hurting other people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Poor Sarah. She deserved so much better.<\/p>\n

Speaking of hurting people, Barker has been tapped to direct the next Texas Chain Saw Massacre<\/em>, a franchise all about causing extreme pain and terror. Last time Dread spoke with Johnston, he revealed he\u2019d love to play a villain in the new take. So, have he and Barker spoken about such a thing yet? \u201cWe\u2019ve chatted, because I love The Texas Chain Saw Massacre<\/em>. I actually play one of the characters in the video game. It was one of the first horror movies I ever saw, the original, when I was way too young. And I love it. So, I was more just trying to get like, \u2018Hey, so tell me about the story.\u2019 He [Barker] was like, \u2018I haven\u2019t even started writing it! Shut up.\u2019 So, no, we haven\u2019t really talked about it, but I\u2019m down. I\u2019m totally down.\u201d<\/p>\n

Considering Texas Chain Saw<\/em> is one of his favorite horror films, I have to know\u2026who\u2019s Johnston\u2019s favorite villain in the franchise? \u201cThe Hitchhiker\u201d, he declares without hesitation. \u201cI\u2019m really curious. I don\u2019t know anything about what he\u2019s [Barker] doing with the story. I don\u2019t know whether he\u2019s keeping all the original characters or putting his own flavor on them, which I kind of suspect, you know, Curry Barker is gonna roll up his sleeves and have some fresh, kind of modern take on it, you know? I\u2019m really looking forward to that. I\u2019m sat, as the current generation would say.\u201d<\/p>\n

Me too. Especially if Johnston got to play some version of the Hitchhiker in the film, to which he responds, \u201cI would love that. I love horror, and I love The Texas Chain Saw Massacre<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

For those who haven\u2019t realized this yet, Johnston is a massive horror fan. Before we go, I ask him what some of his favorites are that he likes to recommend to others. \u201c28 Days Later<\/em>. The tone of that movie is just, it\u2019s really special. The Silence of the Lambs<\/em>. Classic. I mean, that movie, it\u2019s like a school. You can learn so much from that film. I loved Get Out<\/em>. I love Ari Aster\u2019s work with Hereditary<\/em> and Midsommar<\/em>. I would love to do a movie like Green Room<\/em>. Although I don\u2019t know if I\u2019d be able to stomach it.\u201d<\/p>\n

I remind Johnston that if he could stomach the face smash in Obsession<\/em>, he\u2019d probably be okay.<\/p>\n

As for the rest of you who haven\u2019t seen Obsession<\/em> yet, do you think you have the stomach for it? Find out tonight with Obsession <\/em>now on digital via Focus Features.<\/p>\n

(This interview has been edited for time and clarity)<\/em><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTags: Curry Barker Inde Navarette Michael Johnston Obsession The Texas Chain Saw Massacre <\/span><\/p>\n

Categorized:Interviews Streaming \/ Home Video<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Courtesy of Focus Features Still on an impressive run in theaters, becoming one of the most successful indie horror films of all time, Curry Barker\u2019s Obsession is now available digitally to become your newest obsession. Personally, it\u2019s my favorite genre movie of the year so far. Unhinged, oddly funny, and utterly terrifying, it\u2019s a total […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":35408,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.dreadcentral.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/still_feature_obsession.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11617],"tags":[5212,18667,8683,25308,25203,2664,25309,17233,538,11773],"class_list":["post-35407","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-horror-global-news","tag-chain","tag-curry-barker","tag-discusses","tag-inde-navarette","tag-johnston","tag-michael","tag-michael-johnston","tag-obsession","tag-texas","tag-the-texas-chain-saw-massacre"],"rttpg_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/www.dreadcentral.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/still_feature_obsession.jpg",0,0,false],"landscape":["https:\/\/www.dreadcentral.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/still_feature_obsession.jpg",0,0,false],"portraits":["https:\/\/www.dreadcentral.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/still_feature_obsession.jpg",0,0,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.dreadcentral.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/still_feature_obsession.jpg",150,150,false],"medium":["https:\/\/www.dreadcentral.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/still_feature_obsession.jpg",300,300,false],"large":["https:\/\/www.dreadcentral.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/still_feature_obsession.jpg",1024,1024,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.dreadcentral.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/still_feature_obsession.jpg",1536,1536,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.dreadcentral.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/still_feature_obsession.jpg",2048,2048,false],"post-thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.dreadcentral.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/still_feature_obsession.jpg",370,265,false],"kava-thumb-s":["https:\/\/www.dreadcentral.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/still_feature_obsession.jpg",150,85,false],"kava-thumb-s-2":["https:\/\/www.dreadcentral.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/still_feature_obsession.jpg",230,230,false],"kava-thumb-m":["https:\/\/www.dreadcentral.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/still_feature_obsession.jpg",400,400,false],"kava-thumb-m-vertical":["https:\/\/www.dreadcentral.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/still_feature_obsession.jpg",370,500,false],"kava-thumb-m-2":["https:\/\/www.dreadcentral.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/still_feature_obsession.jpg",570,450,false],"kava-thumb-l":["https:\/\/www.dreadcentral.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/still_feature_obsession.jpg",1170,650,false],"kava-thumb-xl":["https:\/\/www.dreadcentral.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/still_feature_obsession.jpg",1920,1080,false],"kava-thumb-masonry":["https:\/\/www.dreadcentral.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/still_feature_obsession.jpg",600,999,false],"kava-thumb-justify":["https:\/\/www.dreadcentral.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/still_feature_obsession.jpg",640,640,false],"kava-thumb-justify-2":["https:\/\/www.dreadcentral.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/still_feature_obsession.jpg",1280,640,false]},"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"#RiseCelestialStudios","author_link":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/author\/ralph-c\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"HORROR GLOBAL NEWS<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"Courtesy of Focus Features Still on an impressive run in theaters, becoming one of the most successful indie horror films of all time, Curry Barker\u2019s Obsession is now available digitally to become your newest obsession. Personally, it\u2019s my favorite genre movie of the year so far. Unhinged, oddly funny, and utterly terrifying, it\u2019s a total…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35407","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35407"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35407\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35409,"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35407\/revisions\/35409"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35408"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35407"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35407"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35407"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}