Following Obsession, here's what we know about Curry Barker's upcoming horror projects
- Brian Fanelli
- May 26
- 4 min read
Obsession is the hot horror movie right now, to the point it actually outpaced its opening box office gross and made more money during its second weekend. This rarely happens, so it's an impressive feat for the horror genre and for writer/director Curry Barker, especially since his movie cost roughly $1 million to make. Obsession grossed $17 million during its opening weekend, and as the time of writing this, is set to gross $22 million during its second weekend, according to Box Office Mojo. The movie also had major competition, with the Mandalorian and Grogu opening over the Memorial Day holiday weekend and films like Michael and The Devil Wears Parada 2 still doing well. So, there's reason for horror fans to celebrate Obsession's success.
Obsession garnered positive reviews following its initial festival runs, and it's really been bolstered by its word-of-mouth. It's also made Barker, who initially started out as a YouTuber, one of the most exciting young directors in the game right now. The good news is that he has some major projects lined up for the near future. Here's what we know so far.
Following Obsession, Barker's next movie is Anything but Ghosts
Barker got his start in comedy, making short videos and uploading them online. He's returning to comedy, sort of, for his next feature-length film, Anything but Ghosts. The movie is described as a supernatural horror film, directed by Barker and co-written with his longtime collaborator, Cooper Tomlinson, who also appears in Obsession as Bear's co-worker, Ian. Barker and Cooper will play the lead roles in the film, which follow two con-artist ghost hunters who stage fake hauntings. They use equipment to make lights dim and flicker and tables shake. However, their scam takes a sinister turn when they encounter an actual dangerous entity. Unlike Obsession, the film sounds like it'll also lean into comedy a little more, too.
The movie also stars Breaking Bad's Aaron Paul, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Violet McGraw. Additionally, like Obsession, Focus Features has secured the rights to the film and will distribute it. Jason Blum, Roy Lee, and Steven Schneider have all signed on as producers through Blumhouse Productions and Spooky Pictures, alongside Divide/Conquer, Image Nation Abu Dhabi, and That's a Bad Idea.
There is no word yet on a release date. However, the movie wrapped production back in April. It wouldn't be surprising if the film is released in 2027 and plays the major festivals first before a theatrical release, which would follow Obsession's blueprint.
Barker will helm a new Texas Chainsaw Massacre film
One of the biggest horror news stories of the year so far is that A24 acquired the rights to the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise after an intense bidding war. The company plans to launch a TV series and a new movie. Barker will direct the film. This project isn't even in pre-production yet, but considering the success Obsession is having, A24 will likely get the ball rolling soon.
There's not even a script yet, but during the press tour for Obsession, Barker did share some of his ideas of where the franchise could go under his direction. In an interview with Total Film from early May, he said he's especially interested in exploring Leatherface's family. "Really, I want to lean into the uncomfortability of the family. I want to lean into the rawness of what’s going on there. There’s some really messed up stuff happening at that farm. I genuinely feel there’s so much potential for that concept that has not been realized.” He also stated that while he loves the source material, he wants to do something a little more varied, while honoring Tobe Hooper's groundbreaking 1974 feature. "I absolutely love the original film, but I want to do something that’s different. I’m not gonna stray away too far from what we know, but just making it stronger," he said.
It'll be interesting to see what he does and how his direction and writing responds to Hooper's masterpiece. Here's hoping that Barker considers enlisting Inde Navarrette as part of the cast, especially after her stellar performance as Nikki in Obsession. Perhaps she can star as the final girl, or even a member of Leatherface's twisted clan, though the initial family didn't have a woman in it.
Barker has expressed an openness to an Obsession sequel or anthology
Considering Obsession's success, it's no surprise Barker has already entertained directing a sequel or anthology. Though Barker hasn't committed to anything yet, Deadline reported in May that Barker has already thought about a sequel or anthology focused on the One Wish Willow and various other wishes gone terribly wrong. “I obviously have a couple more things that I’m excited about next, but I do see Obsession 2, maybe. Or even what really is exciting to me is maybe an anthology, like a one-hour episode,” said Barker. “Each episode is a different wish that goes completely off the rails. Maybe I’ll direct the pilot with the same DP, and you could invite other filmmakers to kind of give their spin at it. That would be really cool.”
In that same Deadline article, Barker admitted that the lore regarding the One Wish Willow would have to be ironed out so the plot actually made sense, if he veers into anthology territory. Barker said that how he sees it is that whenever someone makes a wish, they enter into an alternative reality where the wish comes true. In other words, you don't experience everyone's wish at the same time. In the case of Obsession, Bear wishes for Nikki to love him more than anyone else on Earth. This has deadly consequences.
As Barker's various projects move forward, we'll continue to share updates.
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