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The Man Behind the Year’s Biggest Horror Surprise Goes Back to Where It All Started
Curry Barker didn’t wait for a studio slot to give fans their Halloween fix. His new horror short Mama Bear, his first project since Obsession turned into a box office monster, is now streaming for free on YouTube, and Variety had the exclusive, because who else were we expecting. The short was teased only days ago as a partnership with Windows.
The title alone was enough to get the internet theorizing. Plenty of viewers read it as a wink at Obsession, whose lovesick lead, Bear, was played by Michael Johnston, and a not-so-subtle reminder of the feature that made Barker a household name in horror circles.
It’s a fitting move for a filmmaker who built his following through YouTube sketches and shorts long before Obsession earned $519 million worldwide on a budget under $1 million. That success landed him an eight-figure deal with Universal and Blumhouse, and his next feature, the horror-comedy Anything But Ghosts, is already dated for May 7, 2027 through Focus Features with Blumhouse and Atomic Monster. Barker co-wrote that one with Cooper Tomlinson, and the pair also star alongside Violet McGraw, Bryce Dallas Howard and Aaron Paul.
Short Film: Mama Bear
Director: Curry Barker
Partner: Windows
Release Date: Available now on YouTube
Next Feature: Anything But Ghosts, in theaters May 7, 2027
Source: Reporting and confirmation via Variety.