Obsession Director Curry Barker Sets Horror-Comedy Anything But Ghosts for May 2027 Release

Curry Barker has locked in a theatrical release date for his sophomore feature, Anything But Ghosts, marking the next chapter in the Obsession universe. The horror-comedy hits theaters on May 7, 2027, distributed by Focus Features domestically and Universal Pictures International overseas. Barker returns to the production partnership that backed his debut — Focus Features and Blumhouse-Atomic Monster — after Obsession became one of the world's most profitable films compared to its budget in history. For genre fans who watched Barker turn a micro-budget nightmare into a critical darling, the step up to a star-studded studio comedy-horror hybrid signals a filmmaker refusing to play it safe.

The premise centers on two fraudulent paranormal investigators who suddenly confront genuine supernatural forces, sending their con operation spiraling into legitimate terror. Cooper Tomlinson, who played Ian in Obsession, co-stars alongside Barker as the phony ghost-hunting duo. Bryce Dallas Howard, Aaron Paul, and Violet McGraw round out a cast that blends blockbuster credentials with the scrappy energy of Barker's inner circle. The film occupies the same universe as Obsession but follows an entirely new set of characters, expanding the mythology without leaning on direct sequel mechanics. That approach lets Barker explore fresh tonal territory while rewarding viewers who caught the first film's specific brand of dread.

Here's a thinking process:

Anything But Ghosts represents a deliberate genre pivot for Barker, blending buddy comedy dynamics with the visceral horror that defined Obsession. Tomlinson described the film on Raiders of the Lost Podcast as "if Key and Peele walked into Hereditary," a comparison that captures the tonal tightrope the project walks. The story follows two con artists who pose as ghost hunters for paying families, only to stumble into a haunting that demands genuine heroism. That setup — fake experts forced to become real ones — gives the comedy stakes and the horror a human entry point. Focus Features holds worldwide rights, with Universal Pictures International handling international distribution, marking the second collaboration between Focus and Blumhouse-Atomic Monster on a Barker project.

Both Barker and Tomlinson are producing and co-writing the film, maintaining the creative partnership that fueled their YouTube sketches and the first film. Focus Features and Blumhouse-Atomic Monster are producing the film. This marks the second collaboration between Focus and Blumhouse-Atomic Monster on a Barker project.

Here's a thinking process:

Bryce Dallas Howard and Aaron Paul bring mainstream recognition to the cast. Violet McGraw adds genre credibility. Chris Reinache and Inde Navarrette are also part of the ensemble, with Navarrette's breakout as Nikki in Obsession having already launched her into the role of Rogue in Marvel's X-Men reboot. That trajectory — micro-budget horror to Marvel mutant — illustrates the talent pipeline Barker's universe has become.

Barker and Tomlinson's real-life friendship anchors the film's central dynamic. Their YouTube videos showcase an effortless rapport that translates to the "buddy comedy" core Tomlinson described. The challenge lies in scaling that intimacy to a feature with A-list co-stars without diluting the specificity that made their dynamic work in short-form. Tomlinson's podcast quote — "It's a buddy comedy, you know, about these two guys, and it turns really scary. You know, it's about these con artist ghost hunters who encounter real ghosts, and then they have to step up and be the thing that they promised this family" — reveals the emotional arc beneath the genre blending. The comedy isn't just flavor; it's the setup for a payoff where performance becomes survival.

Here's a thinking process:

The "Key and Peele meets Hereditary" comparison sets a high bar — Key and Peele's sketch comedy thrived on precise social observation and escalating absurdity, while Hereditary's horror came from unflinching familial trauma and supernatural inevitability. Merging those sensibilities requires a director who understands both comedy timing and horror pacing as complementary tools rather than competing tones. Barker's Obsession demonstrated he can sustain dread on limited resources; Anything But Ghosts tests whether he can modulate that skill across a broader tonal spectrum with significantly more moving parts. The May 2027 slot positions it as a counter-programming alternative to summer blockbusters, a strategy that served original horror well in recent years.

For viewers, the film represents a rare mainstream horror-comedy not based on existing IP, not a legacy sequel, and not a streaming afterthought. The theatrical commitment from Focus and Universal suggests confidence in the communal experience — horror-comedies particularly benefit from audience energy, where laughter and screams feed each other in real time. Whether Barker's specific voice survives the scale-up remains the open question. Obsession worked because it felt personal, specific, and uncompromised. Anything But Ghosts has the budget, the stars, and the machinery to reach further. The risk is that reach dilutes the very thing that made the first film resonate.

All eyes lock onto the first trailer as the May 2027 release nears and the film trails into festivals. Barker’s jump from YouTube sketches to a micro‑budget hit and then to a studio‑backed hybrid feels like many modern horror auteurs who keep their voice while scaling up. The next twelve months will tell if Anything But Ghosts will grow the Obsession universe into a steady franchise or stay a one‑off oddity. Either outcome, a horror‑comedy where fake ghost hunters face