01What happened
The story, straight
Durex Pakistan removed an Instagram ad after widespread online backlash. The ad used a still from Curry Barker's horror sleeper hit Obsession showing actor Michael Johnston's character Bear, paired with the tagline "Make her obsessed with you." The Indian Express reported the condom brand grossly misinterpreted the film's premise, turning a horror plot point into a product pitch. Durex Pakistan took down the post from its official Instagram handle after the internet pushed back.
durex pakistan thought it'd be clever to grab a still from curry barker's horror movie obsession — you know, the one about a guy who becomes dangerously fixated on someone — and slap the tagline 'make her obsessed with you' on it for a condom ad. the internet did not find it clever. the brand pulled the post from its official instagram after backlash hit critical mass.
02Spread timeline
Where it actually started
03Source receipts
Every claim, linked
04What's solid, what isn't
What's solid and what isn't
- Durex Pakistan posted an ad on its official Instagram using a still from Curry Barker's horror film Obsession.
- The ad featured the tagline "Make her obsessed with you."
- Durex Pakistan removed the ad after online backlash.
- The exact date the ad was posted and removed.
- The specific volume or nature of the backlash beyond 'widespread.'
05Why it matters
The editorial take
The incident highlights how brands continue to misread the source material when co-opting film imagery for marketing, particularly when the original work deals with themes like obsession and coercion. Durex Pakistan's failure to recognize the horror genre's framing turned an edgy gamble into a PR liability, and the swift takedown suggests the brand recognized it almost immediately.
brands raiding pop culture for vibes without actually watching the thing they're referencing — a tale as old as time. turning a horror movie about dangerous fixation into a condom ad is a speedrun to a takedown notice.