The Pipeline from Youtube to Box Office Hit - Curry Barker and his Unstoppable Creative Flow.
For all intents and purposes 2026 has been rough. With rising political tension; the threat of AI stealing our jobs and… you get the point, not a lot has brought me as much joy as this year's current cinema line up. Specifically the arrival of ‘Obsession’ written and directed by Curry Barker. Honestly if you haven’t had the chance to see the mother of all monkey paw horror’s, then you need to get into the next closest screening. Now, as much as I would love to gush over ‘Obsession’ this article is purely spotlighting its creator, Curry Barker and how the start of a sketch comedy channel blossomed into the creation of the highest grossing film in Focus features history.
At only 26 years old Curry Barker has entered the world of Hollywood with a bang! Showing the executives up in their glass houses that horror can be so much more than what it currently is. Now don’t get it twisted, it’s not all red carpets and smashing box office records for Barker. No, Barker started his film making journey way back on YouTube with his buddy Cooper Tomlinson. After meeting at The New York Film Academy the pair decided to drop out and start creating their own projects, which eventually evolved into the hit comedy sketch channel ‘That's A Bad Idea.’ The duo’s sketches, influenced heavily by Key and Peele, revolve around elevating the mundane moments in life; tipping culture, roommate issues, even stupid concepts such as ‘trying to get out of a speeding ticket by borrowing a baby’ (yes that is a real sketch and it's hilarious). The channel was and is a huge success, amassing millions of views over both Youtube and Tiktok. If you haven’t watched any of their stuff I would highly recommend it, especially if you’re a fan of Key and Peele - honestly when are we getting a That’s A Bad Idea crossover?
Starting with comedy and transitioning over to horror is becoming more and more popular in the horror genre- take a look at directors like Jordan Peele, John Krasinski and Sam Rami. Maybe it’s because, at its core, comedy delves into taboo topics, highlighting the awkwardness and uncomfortability of everyday life, and horror… well it’s just the other end of the spectrum. Curry Barker is no different, his often wacky characters seem to bloom off the screen (small or big) and in some of his sketches you can definitely see the embers of what his work would eventually evolve into.
Although Obsession is Barker’s breakout film it is not the first time he has got his hands dirty with horror. That’s A Bad Idea (Youtube Channel) hosts a plethora of short films that are grotesque, horrifying and downright chilling. If you need directions on where to head first you gotta check out ‘The Chair,’ and no it’s not about the horrors of building flatpack furniture - although there is a film out there that… you know what I'm getting ahead of myself.
‘The Chair’ at its core bears a simple concept, some dude finds a chair on the side of the road and everything. Goes. Wrong. If you’ve seen Obsession you’ll see the seeds of an idea formulating in Barker’s head. With snappy transitions and superb use of light and dark, ‘The Chair’ almost feels like ‘Obsessions’ younger sibling. And it’s actually the short film that led producers Mark Lane and James Harris of Tea Shop productions to reach out, ultimately paving the way for ‘Obsession’ to grace the big screen.
We can’t talk about Curry Barker's career and the subsequent success of ‘Obsession’ without also mentioning ‘Milk and Serial.’ Technically Barker’s first feature ‘Milk and Serial’ is a psychological found footage horror that explores Milk (Curry Barker) and Seven (Cooper Tomlinson) two youtube pranksters who push the limit of ‘It’s just a prank bro’ to the absolute limit. After failing to find a distributor Barker decided to publish the hour-long feature on Youtube, where it ended up amassing 2 million views. Not bad at all for a film made on a tight budget of $800. Even more than the incredible response to the feature, it also brought fresh eyes on Barker’s work and eventually he was in front of producers pitching his now $428 million dollar idea - ‘Obsession.’
Obsession is not only my favourite film of 2026, I have to say hand on heart. It is one of my favourite movies of all time. It blends so many themes that I deem incredibly relevant to today's society; Informed consent, bodily autonomy and even the discussion of male entitlement and incel culture. It’s not just a horror film it’s so much more. It’s blending the horrors of fiction with the horrors of women's everyday lives, and as a woman I found Nikki to be such a well rounded/written character. For a character who completely disappears in the first ten minutes of the film she feels so real and human, the kind of girl you kinda wish you could be. (Note from Elisha: Full detailed Obsession review coming soon ;) )
Moving away from ‘Obsession,’ I’m very excited to see what Barker has brewing in that head of his and will definitely be sat for his next project ‘Anything but Ghosts’ a horror comedy starring both Barker and Tomlinson as well as well respected actors Bryce Dallas Howard and Aaron Paul. He is also set to write and direct the next ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacare’ which, if it ends up as violent as that scene in ‘Obsession,’ it is sure to break some records.
Just a few words before I go. For me as a writer and aspiring screenwriter/filmmaker, Curry Barker’s journey from Youtube to Box Office hit has impacted me in ways I can’t really explain. Gone are the days of failed pitch meetings and nepo baby shoo in’s and hello to the future of young feisty film makers who don’t care if you like what they're putting on the table, it’s gonna be on the menu no matter what!
Barker is proof that If you have an idea, a camera, social media and a heaping spoonful of passion, you don’t need anyone but you to make it. Anyone can make art and everyone should. We as creatives shouldn’t be limited by anything or anyone. So go out and make art, write the script, cast the actors and film the damn film, who knows you might end up being the next Curry Barker.