“YouTube Taught Me That a Modern Horror Audience is Very Smart” | Curry Barker Obsession Interview

Writer-director Curry Barker sat down with Phantasmag to break down his indie horror phenomenon ‘Obsession’, which has grossed nearly $150 million at the global box office as of June 1st, on a budget of only $750,000. The harrowing new take on the ‘Monkey’s Paw’ narrative follows a young man (Michael Johnston) who uses a novelty toy called a One Wish Willow to make his crush (Inde Navarrette) fall in love with him. His wish magically comes true — but brings with it disastrous consequences. With each domestic weekend outperforming the one before, ‘Obsession’ has become a record-breaking hit boosted by overwhelmingly positive word-of-mouth. Reflecting on the film, Barker discusses his horror watchlist during production, how he hopes to channel the 2003 Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake ahead of his A24 reboot, and why horror movies shouldn’t undermine the intelligence of their audience. 00:00 Obsession Breakdown with Curry Barker 00:13 How The Simpsons Inspired Obsession 00:47 Creating the One Wish Willow 1:39 Developing Nikki with Inde Navarrette 2:32 Why You Shouldn't Underestimate Modern Horror Audiences 3:04 A Potential Obsession Sequel or TV Show 3:44 Directing A24's Texas Chainsaw Massacre Reboot 4:28 Jordan Peele and the Overlap of Horror and Comedy #Horror #HorrorFilm #HorrorMovie #Movie #Phantasmag #CurryBarker #Obsession