Obsession arrived with the budget of a sensible dinner party and the confidence of a Hollywood spectacle. Curry Barker's $750,000 horror film marched straight past studio expectations, collected an astonishing worldwide box office haul, and made itself impossible to ignore. Every corner of film discourse now seems determined to argue over its themes, filmmaking, and storytelling, proving that success is often the loudest special effect.

That excitement has now turned into wishful thinking, with fans convinced a director's cut of Obsession is coming, although the reality is rather more complicated.

Despite the internet already treating it like a foregone conclusion, Obsession does not officially have a director's cut on the release calendar. The rumors have raced well ahead of reality. What does exist is something far more intriguing: Curry Barker has confirmed that a longer, unrated version exists and that conversations with Focus Features about releasing it are ongoing.

The theatrical version was deliberately toned down to avoid an NC-17 rating, leaving plenty behind on the cutting room floor. Barker has revealed that the unseen material includes six or seven additional brutal head smashes, an alternate ending, and a longer car monologue. Unsurprisingly, horror fans have become increasingly vocal about wanting to see every discarded nightmare.

"Yes, let us do it," was what Curry Barker said in response to a director's cut of Obsession.  During an interview with Popternative, the filmmaker admitted he would love to assemble a proper director's cut. Barker explained that there are "so many things" missing from the theatrical release, although revisiting the footage would require significant time and, ultimately, approval from Focus Features before the project could move ahead.

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The director's cut may still be trapped in limbo, but Obsession's sequel has already escaped the rumor mill.

Curry Barker has already mapped out the next nightmare, although audiences should not expect it anytime soon. After Obsession turned a $750,000 budget into more than $290 million worldwide, Barker confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that Obsession's sequel is in development. The filmmaker also insisted that he refuses to rush a sequel simply because the first film became an unexpected box office sensation.

Instead of revisiting Nikki's devastating story, Barker plans to introduce an entirely new protagonist whose encounter with the supernatural 'One Wish Willow' spirals into fresh chaos. Barker has also floated an eight-episode anthology television series, inviting different filmmakers to explore twisted wish-gone-wrong tales. So, while the director's cut remains uncertain, the future of Obsession itself is already taking shape.

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Would you wish on a wishing willow for a director's cut of Obsession? Let us know in the comments!