While promoting his latest film, “Ice Cream Man,” the author gave an especially strong endorsement to “Obsession,” naming both the picture and Inde Navarrette as deserving of major Oscar recognition. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Roth went beyond simply praising the movie, arguing that it should take home Best Original Screenplay while Navarrette should win Best Actress.
Eli Roth Makes the Case for ‘Obsession’ and Inde Navarrette at the Oscars
“Obsession should win best [original] screenplay,” he said, putting Curry Barker’s horror film directly into the awards conversation. The movie, which follows a man whose supernatural wish causes his friend to become dangerously obsessed with him, was made on a budget of no more than $750,000 and went on to become a major theatrical success.
Source: IMDb
He also singled out Inde Navarrette, who plays Nikki, as the performance that deserves the biggest individual recognition. “Inde Navarrette should win best actress,” Roth added. Navarrette has already received significant recognition for the role, including a Best Performance win at the Seattle International Film Festival and Best Actress wins at the Astra Midseason Movie Awards and Critics Choice Super Awards.
Navarrette’s performance has been one of the picture’s most consistently praised elements. The role requires her to shift between Nikki’s recognizable personality and the increasingly disturbing effects of the supernatural wish, with critics highlighting the physical and emotional demands of the part. The film itself has also maintained strong critical support, earning a 94% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 77 out of 100 on Metacritic.
Roth did not stop with the movie’s two biggest awards prospects. “Everyone else should be nominated because it’s that good,” he added, extending his endorsement to the wider “Obsession” team. The comment arrives after the hit became one of 2026’s most successful original horror releases, ultimately reaching $475.3 million worldwide and becoming one of the highest-grossing horror titles ever.
