‘Obsess’ (2026) Netflix Series Review - When Grief Turns Into a Haunting

If you are looking to watch something spooky and new, Obsess is just the right watch. I haven’t really ever seen a horror plot from an Arab nation, so this one was a total surprise. The plot revolves around Talala, played by Yagoub Alfarhan, who returns to Kuwait after the death of his father in the hope of getting a period of quiet mornings. Instead, his homecoming reopens old wounds. Visions and memories of Hessa, played by Haya Abdulsalama, the former love he never fully left behind, begin to intrude on his life. Meanwhile, his wife Mona (Laila Abdallah) watches the man she married drift further away, with his attention pulled towards someone who may or may not even be for real. As the fine line between grief, memory, and haunting continues to become blurred, the household has now turned into a pressure cooker of suspicion and dread.

One of the best things about Obsess is the mixing of horror and grief. In a way, we can say that grief is a character in itself. The death of Talal’s father is not a mere arc of the plot. Rather, it is the crack through which everything else flows. Grief lowers his defences, and the makers suggest that mourning one loss can also lead to a reawakening of an unresolved one. It also makes us question if Hesaa, a supernatural presence, is a projection of guilt or a mind that is coming apart. And to find the answer, you need to watch the show. To a great extent, the answer isn’t that easy to find out. That is the depth of the show lies in this itself.

The title of the show also holds a lot of weight. Talal’s longing for Hessa is not portrayed in a very romantic way. Instead, it is shown as a hollow in his life. The domestic scenes, especially the ones in which Mona is present, are the ones where we see Talal from a different point of view. There are quiet moments that showcase her pain and confusion. And these scenes are very much needed because her perspective shows us what Talal is going through.

The characters of Obsess are very nuanced and well written. Talal isn’t shown as a villain. Instead, he is shown as a man who is struggling to make sense of all that is happening around him. That part of the character is necessary because sometimes he does appear to be on the wrong side of things. Mona is as confused as Talal and is also trying to understand why Talal is so intrigued by something that has a high chance of not being real. These characters carry the entire show on their shoulders. Even Hessa, who we don’t know is real not has a lot of role to play in the marriage of Talal and Mona. By not being present directly, her presence is felt a lot in the dynamics that Talal and Mona share.

Coming to the performances, Yagoub Alfarhan is mature and convincing as a confused Talal. He is the main lead and carries the show well. Laila Abdulla as Mona, whose point of view is very necessary, acts as the eyes of the show and gives a powerful performance. The rest of the cast also does a great job. There is no doubt that Obsess is a mature plot when it comes to the world of horror. If you are expecting jump scares, then no, that isn’t what the makers are offering. But yes, if you are expecting some sort of mature ghost storytelling, then this is just the show you should watch.

Final Score- [7/10]
Reviewed by - Neerja Ch
Follow @NeerjaCH on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times