‘I refuse to watch this scene’: ‘Obsession’ actress Inde Navarrette on the film’s scariest moment

Obsession actress Inde Navarrette has opened up about the scariest scene in Curry Barker’s horror film, revealing that the sequence was so frightening that even she found it difficult to watch.

An uncut version of the horror drama is set to premiere on JioHotstar on October 30. The film will be available to stream in both English and Hindi.

Ahead of its digital premiere, Inde opens up about the scene she finds the scariest in the film and the unsettling visual concept behind it.

Inde revealed she cannot watch the scene that is set up in the bedroom. In the scene, Inde’s Nikki was seen hiding in the corner of the room while Bear was asleep. The scene not only scared audiences but Inde too. “This is the scariest part of the film. I refuse to watch this scene. I was looking at the corner. I was like, I know what we’re talking about, but yeah, this is the uncanny valley makeup,” Inde said.

Explaining the idea behind the unsettling look, Inde credits Barker with drawing inspiration from the concept of the uncanny valley, a psychological phenomenon in which something looks almost human but has subtle features that make it look unnatural.

“Curry had the idea of kind of playing with that part of your brain when something looks human, but there's a part of your brain that recognises that it's not, and that is called the uncanny valley,” she noted.

The look was brought to life by makeup artist Kate Oja, whose work involved exaggerating specific facial features to create an inhuman appearance. Drawing inspiration from the aesthetic associated with Joker, the team emphasised the outline of Inde’s lips, darkened the area around her pupils, and highlighted the fine lines on her face to intensify the effect.

Praising the transformation, Inde says, “And Kate Oja, who is the makeup artist for this, really did a good job because it’s terrifying. We, in a Joker-esque way, emphasised the lining of my lips and just kind of exaggerated certain features to give it this inhuman aspect. So we put black around my pupils to emphasise the eyes and just kind of all of the little lines in my face. ”

Released in India on May 29, Obsession follows Bear (Michael Johnston), a music store employee who acquires a supernatural object that grants him his wish for his childhood friend Nikki (Inde Navarrette) to fall in love with him.

The wish soon takes a terrifying turn, leading to horrifying consequences. Cooper Tomlinson, Megan Lawless and Andy Richter also feature in supporting roles in the film.

Reportedly made on a budget of USD 750,000, the horror film has earned over USD 100 million worldwide since its release in the US two weeks ago.