Obsession director Curry Barker releases creepy new short film, Mama Bear, on YouTube
Before Curry Barker released Obsession, one of this year's highest-grossing and buzziest horror movies, he made a name for himself by releasing films on YouTube, including The Chair and Milk & Serial, which gained millions of views. Now, Barker has returned his roots by releasing an unsettling new short film called Mama Bear on the platform.
Curry Barker's Mama Bear delves into a creepy doppelganger premise
Since Barker's short is just shy of five minutes, it wastes no time dropping viewers right into the action. Floyd (Jon Lee Richardson) receives a frantic phone call from one of his friends. The call is broken up and sometimes staticky, but the point of the message comes through. The friend tells Floyd that there's someone who looks just like him. Floyd thinks it's a joke, and rightfully so.
However, he then receives a voicemail from his girlfriend, Lacey (Katie Sarfie), who drops a tirade of curses. Apparently, Floyd, or most likely his doppelganger, did something to really upset Lacey, though we're never told what exactly he did or why. Based on her reaction, it must have been pretty horrible. All of this culminates in a harrowing and surprising ending that won't be spoiled here.
Mama Bear again illustrates what Barker does really well as a filmmaker. He has a knack for building tension and utilizing familiar narrative beats to surprising effect. This was true of the One Wish Willow/Monkey's Paw concept in Obsession, in which Bear (Michael Johnston) is granted a single wish, that his major crush, Nikki (Inde Navarrette), love him back unconditionally, and it's true of the familiar doppelganger idea in Mama Bear. In both cases, Barker takes familiar concepts and injects them with a level of violence, shock, and surprise.
Meanwhile, Barker has a lot of upcoming projects. First, his horror-comedy Anything But Ghosts, starring Barker, Breaking Bad's Aaron Paul, and Barker's longtime collaborator, Cooper Tomlinson, is slated for release in May 2027. Barker and Tomlinson play two con artists/paranormal investigators who run a fraudulent business but then take on a case where actual malevolent spirits may be involved.
Additionally, after A24 secured the rights to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise this year, Barker was tapped to direct a new film. This project is in the earliest stages of production, and thus far, it's unclear which direction Barker will take the franchise. We'll have to wait and see.
In the meantime, check out Curry Barker's Mama Bear for free on YouTube. Let us know what you think of Barker's new short film in the comments!
Comments