Director Curry Barker on Crafting the Horror of Obsession

About this episode

Curry Barker discusses his journey in filmmaking and the creation of his horror movie, Obsession.

Curry Barker didn’t wait for a greenlight to start making movies. The 26-year-old filmmaker built a following on social media alongside his comedy partner Cooper Tomlinson, while also gaining traction for DIY horror shorts and YouTube released no-budget feature, Milk & Serial. Now working with Focus Features and Blumhouse, Curry has made his first studio feature with horror movie, Obsession. In this episode, Curry joins Jacqueline Coley to unpack the origins of Obsession and discuss his approach to grounding a supernatural story in the complexities of real relationships. Curry shares early inspirations and his admiration for filmmakers like Jordan Peele and Leigh Whannell - and examines why he believes so many comedians successfully transition into horror. From making independent movies with friends to becoming one of horror’s most buzzed-about new voices, Curry reflects on how his indie and comedy roots continue to shape his filmmaking—and looks ahead to what’s next, including upcoming features, Anything But Ghosts and A24’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre, cementing a delightfully demented cinematic voice we can continue to be obsessed with. To watch the movies discussed in this…

People in this episode

Host: Jacqueline Coley

Guest: Curry Barker

Topics covered

• horror filmmaking
• independent cinema
• supernatural stories
• comedy in horror
• filmmaking inspirations

Keywords

• Curry Barker
• horror
• filmmaking
• independent movies
• comedy
• Obsession
• Jordan Peele
• Leigh Whannell

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Focus Features, Blumhouse

Books & works: Obsession, Milk & Serial, Anything But Ghosts, Texas Chainsaw Massacre

More episodes of Seen on the Screen with Jacqueline Coley

• Colman Domingo on Spielberg’s Hope for Humanity in Disclosure Day · June 3, 2026 · 27 min
• Marsai Martin on Her Dream Project to Bring to the Screen · May 6, 2026 · 31 min
• Director Kat Coiro on the Joy and Chaos of You, Me & Tuscany · April 15, 2026 · 37 min
• Halle Bailey and Regé-Jean Page Take Us to Italy in You, Me & Tuscany · April 1, 2026 · 38 min
• Brie Larson on Becoming Rosalina in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie · March 25, 2026 · 28 min
• Tyriq Withers on Romance and Redemption in Reminders of Him · March 11, 2026 · 34 min