There Are Now Fan Theories About the Hansel and Gretel Monologue in 'Obsession'

Spoiler warning: This article contains spoilers for the movie Obsession.

The horror movie Obsession quickly became a hit after its May 2026 release in theaters. Among everything else that happens in the movie, fans are talking about the creepy scene where the possessed Nikki recites a story, which is her twisted take on Hansel and Gretel.

The scene itself is a turning point for the movie, and the story within the movie has people coming up with theories.

In Obsession, Nikki is overcome by fake feelings of love for Bear after he uses a "One Wish Willow" to wish that she loves him more than anyone else in the world.

It's a monkey paw situation right off the bat, but things get creepier and creepier as the movie progresses, and the Hansel and Gretel story is part of that.

In the scene in Obsession where Nikki (or "Freaky Nikki," as some fans refer to her after the wish and after she is taken over) recites a scary story for Bear and the rest of their friends, it's her take on the classic Hansel and Gretel story.

Except, in this case, there is incest involved, and it's even stranger than the original tale.

She says, "The air was charged by the distant call of the night bird, his face was obscured, but I knew he was looking at my chest. Each side stretching recently matured to different sizes. 'Hansel come lay with me like the old women taught us when we were children,' I said. He closed the door and leaned against it. 'You're not my wife Gretel," he said. 'I'm more than your wife, I'm your sister.'"

Yeah, it gets even worse.

Nikki continues her story with, "I knew he would not leave this place. He would relent and choose to be inside me like he had many nights before. If not, I would flay his meaty forearm, roll it like a stick of licorice, and insert the flesh between my legs. Hansel is my soul. Love only the branch of a Willow tree could conjure. Brother, you will be inside of me tonight."

The scene makes all of the other characters rightfully uncomfortable. But the fact that the Hansel and Gretel story mentions the siblings and Nikki, before the wish, says that Bear is like a brother to her, which does speak to the story being partly from the real Nikki, too.

Then, there is the Willow tree mentioned. It's no coincidence that the wishing toy that changes Nikki is called One Wish Willow.

Someone on Reddit posted about the Hansel and Gretel story. Although the original content of the post was removed, there are still plenty of comments from other users who discussed the meaning behind the story. Someone commented that the story was pure OG Nikki and that she is able to break through in a small way just to share the story.

"It made me sick to my stomach," they commented on the post. "How hard Nikki fought to be free. She managed to break through and write how traumatizing the relationship with Bear alone was. Like, just [a] base level relationship."

Someone else wrote in the comments, "I took it to be a nod to the fact that Nikki said Bear was like a brother to her, and that she was aspiring to be a writer. It's almost like the thing possessing her was trying to mimic her by also writing and coming up with fantasy about Bear and her being together."