‘Obsession’ submitted for Golden Globes musical or comedy categories despite its horror roots

Focus Features had previously planned an extensive awards campaign for Inde Navarrette and Curry Barker

Curry Barker's Obsession is entering the Golden Globes awards race in the musical or comedy categories, marking a notable campaign decision for Focus Features as the horror film heads into awards season.

The Hollywood Reporter reported on September 30 that Focus Features and its fellow stakeholders have submitted Obsession for consideration as a musical or comedy rather than as a drama. The decision follows months of speculation over where the genre crossing film would be positioned at the Golden Globes.

Starring Inde Navarrette and Michael Johnston, Obsession centres on Bear, a young man who uses a mysterious wish object in an attempt to make his crush, Nikki, fall in love with him. His wish produces increasingly disturbing consequences, giving the film its combination of horror, psychological tension and dark humour.

The musical or comedy submission places Obsession alongside a number of films that have previously crossed conventional genre boundaries at the Golden Globes. Industry insiders cited films including Get Out, The Banshees of Inisherin, Triangle of Sadness, Poor Things, The Substance and Bugonia as precedents for genre-blurring films competing in the category.

The campaign could also affect Navarrette's awards-season positioning. Variety reported earlier in September that Focus Features planned to campaign for Navarrette in the best actress category at the Academy Awards, alongside a broad Oscar campaign for the film.

The Golden Globes submission comes after Obsession became a major commercial success. The film was made on a reported $750,000 production budget and has earned more than $500m worldwide, according to industry reports.

Focus Features will now await the Golden Globes' consideration process, while the film continues its broader awards campaign. The submission does not guarantee a nomination, as category entries remain subject to the Golden Globes' eligibility and voting process.

For Navarrette and Barker, the decision adds another chapter to an unusually strong awards campaign for a horror release that has attracted both commercial attention and recognition for its performances and filmmaking.