Interviews
‘Obsession’ Director Curry Barker’s Next Horror Film Will Lean Much Further Into Comedy [Interview]
After scaring audiences silly this weekend with the release of Obsession, writer/director Curry Barker will shift gears slightly with horror comedy Anything But Ghosts.
Barker stars alongside his creative partner, Cooper Tomlinson (Obsession), with whom he co-wrote the script and previously co-starred in his feature debut Milk & Serial.
Production recently wrapped in Vancouver, British Columbia, on Anything But Ghosts, though details on the upcoming feature remain scarce at this time. With an even higher profile project on the horizon for Barker, a new Texas Chainsaw Massacre, where does Anything But Ghosts fit in Barker’s current wave of intense horror?
Speaking with Bloody Disgusting ahead of Obsession‘s release, the rising horror filmmaker revealed his next film will lean more into comedy than his previous two efforts, giving a little more insight into the plot as well.
“It’s all going to feel like the same brand,” Barker tells Bloody Disgusting. “It’s slightly different. It’s so different than Obsession, because the idea itself just lends itself better to comedy, because it’s literally about two ghost hunter con artists.”
The two con artists will be played by Barker himself and his long-term creative partner. “It’s Cooper and me doing our thing, so it lends itself better to comedy, but it’s still set in this super grounded world. It’s ghosts being real in a world where ghosts are not real. Just like [Obsession] is a wish going wrong in a movie where magic doesn’t exist or in a world where magic doesn’t exist, right? That’s kind of what I try to do.“
Aaron Paul (“Breaking Bad”), Bryce Dallas Howard (Jurassic World), and Violet McGraw (M3GAN, “The Haunting of Hill House“) also star in Anything But Ghosts.
Focus Features is reteaming with Barker for Anything But Ghosts’ release. Stay tuned for more on the horror-comedy as it arrives, but get ready for chills in the meantime with Obsession arriving in theaters on May 15.
Director Curry Barker on the set of his film OBSESSION, a Focus Features release.
Credit: Manny Liotta / © 2026 FOCUS FEATURES LLC
As the inaugural season of Apple TV+’s stellar new series “Widow’s Bay” barrels toward its finale in two weeks, the latest episode gives Kate O’Flynn the spotlight as her character revisits her trauma with the Boogeyman.
“Your Baggage“, directed by Andrew DeYoung (Friendship), sees O’Flynn’s scene-stealing Patricia once again renew her fight with the Michael Myers-like stalker that slaughtered her peers during her adolescence. Thrillingly, it makes for one extended chase sequence that sees Patricia trying to warn others, while evading the undead killer.
In short, this episode’s incredible riff on Halloween and the slasher subgenre transformed Patricia into a fierce Final Girl.
“Well, that felt like a bucket list that I didn’t know was on my bucket list until I did it, but when I did it, I just lapped up every minute,” O’Flynn tells Bloody Disgusting of her triumphant turn this episode. “It felt fantastic for her to get that moment where she is becoming a badass. That was amazing.”
The actress turned to a few notable references for her performance. “Horror-wise, I go back to my youth, which was referenced in some of the episodes: Wicker Man, Carrie, and Rosemary’s Baby, that sort of thing is my kind of vibe.”
O’Flynn also notes how the series’ unique tone allows for so much creative freedom to make bold swings. “There’s something very freeing about it. Every moment is up for grabs, so it’s like we don’t have to totally land in one direction or another. It keeps it alive.“
Patricia is the eccentric assistant to Matthew Rhys‘ Mayor Tom Loftis, who’s at the forefront of trying to solve the island’s pesky curse predicament. Rhys felt the same about “Widow’s Bay” and its rare ability to make you laugh and scream in equal measure, stemming from series creator Katie Dippold.
“The mandate was, ‘It’s a real world with real people. You play for real.’ There’s no playing for comedy or horror,” Rhys echoes O’Flynn’s sentiments on how freeing the series’ tone has been.
New episodes will release every Wednesday through June 17 only on Apple TV+.
Kate O’Flynn in “Widow’s Bay,” now streaming on Apple TV.
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