From Barista to Box-Office Hit: 26-Year-Old Curry Barker’s Rise with ‘Obsession’

Curry Barker left his hometown in Alabama for Hollywood, where he enrolled in film school, took acting roles, and co-founded the YouTube channel ‘That’s a Bad Idea’ with Cooper Tomlinson. To cover rent and produce short horror sketches, he worked as a barista until his 2023 short ‘Warning’ and the 2024 hit ‘The Chair’ garnered millions of views and festival recognition. The latter caught the eye of independent outfit Tea Shop Productions, enabling a $750,000 budget for his first feature, ‘Obsession’, shot in 26 days.

Released in early 2025, the movie earned more than $400 million worldwide, surpassing ‘The Exorcist’ and ranking among the top horror grosses ever. Following a $15 million acquisition by Focus Features, Barker announced work on ‘Anything But Ghosts’, a project in which he will also act, and a deal to remake ‘The Texas Chain Saw Massacre’. He remains modest, living with his roommates in the same small Los Angeles apartment despite his rapid success.