Obsession marks one of the most striking supernatural horror films of its release year, a low‑budget, high ingenuity feature that transforms a deceptively simple premise into a psychologically charged descent into desire, consequence, and the monstrous distortions of love.
Written, directed, and edited by Curry Barker, the film represents a rare instance in contemporary horror where a single creative voice shapes the narrative, visual language, and tonal architecture with complete authorship, resulting in a work that feels both intimate and unsettlingly precise.
The impressive newcomer, writer/director Curry Barker, brings a fresh take on a modern “be careful
for what you wish for” story with Obsession.
Director’s Statement
With Obsession, I wanted to tell a story about how far someone’s fixation on another person can go. At
what point does something we call love stop being love? And beyond that, what does the word “love” even mean?
The film opens with Bear, a young man reeling from the sudden death of his cat. Grasping for something
to hold onto, he decides that tonight he’ll finally confess his feelings to his longtime crush, Nikki. But
when his courage fails and he chickens out, everything shifts – because Nikki begins acting strangely, and it’s suddenly her who is showing a drastic attraction toward him. What begins as a moment of wish fulfillment quickly unravels into something darker and far more unsettling.
I wanted to take a story we’ve all seen before – a wish story – and ground it in the real world, flipping it on its head to make something completely new.
Credit: Manny Liotta / © 2026 FOCUS FEATURES LLC
I love putting ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances, but what matters just as much is that every character reacts in natural, believable ways.
With Bear, I set out to create a protagonist who isn’t simply a good guy. He’s flawed, gray, capable of both vulnerability and cruelty. I didn’t want to dictate how the audience should feel or point to what’s right or wrong. Instead, my goal was to present the story honestly and let the audience wrestle with it themselves.
I want people leaving the theater still talking – arguing over how they felt, what they would have done
differently, and whether what they saw was love or obsession. -Curry Barker
Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features / © 2026 FOCUS FEATURES LLC
CURRY BARKER: FROM YOUTUBE TO BIG SCREEN
Curry Barker first stepped into the spotlight in a comedy duo with one of his Obsession stars, Cooper
Tomlinson. As ‘That’s a Bad Idea,’ the pair amassed a loyal following via sketches released on YouTube.
Things started to take a different turn a few years ago courtesy of the one-two punch of The Chair and
Milk & Serial. First, the Barker-directed short film, The Chair, accumulated over nine million views on
YouTube. Then came Milk & Serial, the horror feature directed by and starring Barker, starring Tomlinson,
that went on to become a viral sensation. The film made a big impression on Hollywood, which in turn
helped Barker get his first theatrical feature off the ground – Obsession.
Obsession producer James Harris first stepped into the picture via The Chair. Harris, a prolific genre
producer with titles like 47 Meters Down, The Strangers: Prey at Night and several V/H/S instalments
on his filmography, was on the hunt for new voices. “I watched The Chair and was blown away by how
cinematic it was.” Harris reached out to Barker and could immediately tell that he was a “hungry and
mega talented” artist. “Curry is a really smart guy who gets genre. He really understood scares but also
the depth that it takes in a project.”
Initially, Harris was hooked on the idea of developing a feature version of The Chair with Barker. But, when Barker suggested Obsession, Harris knew that was the one. “When I read the Obsession idea, it was just great. So smart and fits modern horror, so it was just a no brainer.”
Producer Christian Mercuri was instantly hooked as well. Not only did Mercuri find it to be a “wonderful
and compelling script,” but he was also taken by the tone of the movie. “It had this unique feel of a real
horror film, but with levity. And if you watched some of Curry’s early work, you sensed he could deliver it.”
Barker had hoped this day would come since he was just a kid. While he made a name for himself via
sketch comedy, he always knew he wanted to make movies. “At about 10 years old, I was already making
and editing films because I wanted to be an actor, and the only way to act was to make things myself.
Filmmaking started as a means to an end, but that’s how I discovered my love for it.”
That evolving love paved the way to Milk & Serial, Barker’s first feature, a piece about a surprise birthday
prank that takes a number of wildly twisted and increasingly dark turns. Not only was the film widely
embraced, but Barker also gained a considerable amount of filmmaking experience on the production
that would come in handy while making Obsession. But, one especially significant takeaway? “I learned that you should just go ahead and make something, because most of the time, people are willing to help you if you’re trying to make something cool.”
OBSESSION’S ORIGIN STORY
Even with a background in comedy, Barker has always been drawn to the storytelling possibilities specific
to the horror genre. “Horror lets you explore extreme ideas and emotions in a way that feels honest and
visceral.”
In the case of Obsession, Barker wanted to use the genre as a way to explore something that impacts
everyone in a variety of ways, shapes, and forms — obsession. “Whether it’s obsession with a person or
anything else, that idea of being completely consumed by something has always fascinated me, and
horror felt like the right genre to explore that.”
That idea further came into focus thanks to an episode of The Simpsons that inspired Barker in which
Bart buys a Monkey’s Paw with the power to grant wishes and wreaks havoc around town. “That
combination of obsession and a wish-based device sparked the idea for the story.”
As his first theatrical feature, leading the Obsession set was a major leap for Barker. “It’s really scary
when you first get on a bigger set.” Looking back on the day before principal photography kicked off,
Barker recalled, “I’m going into the house that we picked out. I’m seeing people painting the walls, people
downstairs working on camera equipment, people putting wallpaper up, all these things that I was like,
holy cow. They’re doing all of this for the movie.”
After embracing the awe of seeing so many artists come together to bring his vision to screen, Barker
knew he was ready to go. “After I called action on the first day, did a couple takes and called cut, I very
quickly realized that although this is a bigger scale, this is exactly the same thing I’ve been doing since I
was 12 years old with my brothers.”
All of that experience prepared Barker for the film’s 20-day shoot and budget parameters. “I actually think
working with a smaller budget can sometimes really push your creativity more.” While one might think
unlimited resources is a dreamlike scenario, Barker insists, “being able to do anything that you want can
actually be a little overwhelming.” He added, “Being able to only do certain things, and only afford to do
certain things, actually has helped me a lot in the creative process.”
Over the years, Barker’s figured out how he likes to use the camera to amplify his narrative. “I don’t like to
cut unless I have to, and I don’t like to have inserts. The only reason I would have an insert is if a
character is looking at something. This whole movie is from the perspective of Bear.”
Curry Barker is a writer, director, and actor whose work has quickly made him one of the most exciting
new filmmakers to emerge in recent years. His most recent feature, OBSESSION, premiered at TIFF’s
Midnight Madness, where it became one of the festival’s breakout films and was acquired by Focus
Features. Before OBSESSION, Curry built an audience through his original shorts online, which collectively garnered millions of views. He went on to make MILK & SERIAL, which he released on YouTube, an $800 found footage film he wrote, directed, and starred in that became a cult hit and drew widespread attention. Curry also co-created the sketch comedy brand That’s a Bad Idea with Cooper Tomlinson, which has amassed millions of followers. As an actor, he has appeared in DAVE, IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA, and B-SIDE FOR TAYLOR. Up next, Curry will write, direct, and star in ANYTHING BUT GHOSTS, produced by Jason Blum, Roy Lee, and Steven Schneider.
