Curry Barker is happy with the edit of Obsession that reached theaters, and he’d still like audiences to see about 20 minutes more. He calls the released film his director’s cut, so his interest in a longer version comes with his approval of the one already out.
Some of the cuts involved securing an R rating. In a May 15 interview, Barker described his reluctance to shorten the head-smashing scene by taking out some blows: a festival crowd had already enjoyed the longer version. Watching the theatrical edit again, he found the scene still delivered the gruesome impact he wanted and came to appreciate its quicker pacing.
Other material went because of timing, including an entire car monologue in which Nikki discussed how love differs from romance. Barker wanted to keep what it revealed about her character, but ultimately cut it to keep the film moving.
Before the film’s release, Barker described an editing routine built around checking his own instinct to linger. He lets scenes run long, sleeps on the edit, then returns to it. Showing friends a cut gives him another test: he watches for the moments when their attention drifts.
His approach to horror also depends on viewers caring about what’s happening. In his view, adding gore can weaken its effect when the audience lacks that emotional connection.
