3 Oscar categories Obsession could actually snag in 2027

This year, Obsession has barged its way into the film conversation in a rather spectacular fashion. The film, which came out of nowhere on a tiny budget, has smashed the box office with $286 million worldwide (yes, you read that right), and critics have been loving it nearly as much as punters. Focus Features are now preparing to push Obsession with a proper awards season campaign – an interesting choice given horror's dodgy track record with the Oscars. But after the run this film's had, who can blame them? Let's have a look at which Oscar nominations Obsession might snag in 2027 – and why it's not as far-fetched as it sounds.

Where Obsession Might Land on Oscar Night

• Best Original Screenplay
  If you were going to put money down on Obsession getting an Academy nod, writing is the safest bet. Historically, the Oscars aren't overly kind to horror, but they've recently shown a bit of flexibility when it comes to original scripts. Think M. Night Shyamalan with The Sixth Sense in 2000, or Jordan Peele grabbing the win for Get Out in 2018. In fact, the last two years have seen horror scripts sneaking into the Original Screenplay shortlist: Coralie Fargeat was nominated for The Substance in 2025, and Ryan Coogler just won for Sinners in 2026. So Curry Barker (the bloke behind Obsession’s script) genuinely could find himself in that category as well – the precedent’s right there.
• Best Actress
  If you’ve seen Obsession, then you know that Inde Navarrette completely owns her role as Nikki Freeman – a young woman falling headlong for the mysterious Bear, courtesy of a rather ill-advised wish. She’s been getting rave reviews everywhere, and Focus are putting the full weight of their campaign behind her for Lead Actress. Now, horror performances do get attention, but hardly ever win (unless you’re talking absolute icons like Kathy Bates in Misery or Jodie Foster in The Silence of the Lambs – both walked away with Oscars). Natalie Portman won for Black Swan, a psychological horror if there ever was one, and Demi Moore just notched a nomination for The Substance. Inde Navarrette isn’t a household name just yet, which could work against her, but honestly, the acting chops are there.
• Best Picture
  Here’s the big one – and honestly, this is the most unlikely, but stranger things have happened. Every studio wants Best Picture, and Focus Features will be desperate for it now that Obsession’s proved itself at the box office. The kicker? The whole film was made for less than $1 million – genuine microbudget stuff. Blumhouse, who produced this one, helped nudge Get Out into the Best Picture race in 2018, so they've pulled off this trick once already. Recently, we’ve had the likes of The Substance, Frankenstein, and Sinners all landing Best Picture nominations, and the Academy is slowly (and rather begrudgingly) opening the doors to horror. With nine months still to go before ballots close, Obsession is at least in the conversation.

What Are the Odds?

Despite horror’s reputation as Oscar kryptonite, Obsession has the receipts and, frankly, the timing. If Curry Barker can ride the recent horror-script momentum in the Original Screenplay race, and Inde Navarrette’s performance keeps critics talking, Focus could actually crack through in at least one category—and yes, I realise how rare that is. For a film made on pocket change, that’s hardly business as usual.

One exec at Focus Features summed up the optimism quite bluntly:

'Obsession’s cut through, and we're not backing off – not after the run it’s on.'