Curry Barker Returns with Uncanny Short Horror Film Mama Bear
The project is marks his first horror short since the worldwide success of Obsession
by Alex Kaan 29 October 2026
That’s a Bad Idea
Curry Barker has released his first post-Obsession film project.
Mama Bear, a horror short made in partnership with Windows, features Barker’s signature uncanny brand of horror. The film follows a house cleaner (Jon Lee Richardson) who receives a frantic, menacing phone call.
With Mama Bear, which premiered on the That’s a Bad Idea YouTube channel, Barker has returned to his short horror film roots. “YouTube taught me through the comments that a modern horror audience is actually very smart,” he said to Phantasmag about how the platform has influenced his filmmaking.
After an awards season campaign this winter for Obsession, which grossed over $500 million at the global box office and became a cultural phenomenon, Barker will return next year with Anything But Ghosts, a horror comedy about two con artist paranormal investigators who stumble upon a real supernatural threat. The film also stars Bryce Dallas Howard (Jurassic World), Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad), Violet McGraw (M3gan), and Chris Reinacher (Pretzel).
He is also tapped to helm a Texas Chainsaw Massacre reboot for A24, and has another untitled horror project with Universal on the way. The latter film sparked a heated bidding war, with Universal coming out on top with a rich eight-figure deal.