Curry Barker
American filmmaker and YouTuber (born 1999)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Curry Barker (born September 22, 1999) is an American filmmaker, actor, comedian, and YouTuber. He is known for the sketch comedy YouTube channel "that's a bad idea", which he co-created with Cooper Tomlinson. He directed and wrote the horror films Milk & Serial (2024) and Obsession (2025), the latter of which grossed over $458 million worldwide, making it one of the highest grossing independent films of all time.
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- Director
- producer
- screenwriter
- editor
- actor
- comedian
- YouTuber
Curry Barker | |
|---|---|
Barker in 2026 | |
| Born | September 22, 1999 Mobile, Alabama, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2017–present |
| YouTube information | |
| Channel | |
| Genres | |
| Subscribers | 1.58 million |
| Views | 794 million |
| Last updated: July 27, 2026 | |
Early life
Barker was born on September 22, 1999,[1][circular reporting?] and grew up in Mobile, Alabama. His mother is a graphic designer, and his father was a psychiatric nurse practitioner who later became a professional screenwriter. He has two brothers named Riley and Jeffrey, both of whom have collaborated on his films.[2]
In a 2026 interview, he stated that he had an interest in horror from a young age, noting that his viewing of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) when he was 11 years old led him to want to chase the feeling of being shocked. A self-described "straight-C and -D student", Barker participated in the marching band, had his own rock band, and ran a YouTube channel with friends. He attended Baker High School.[2][3]
Career
Aspiring to be an actor, Barker left home at 18 to study at the New York Film Academy (NYFA) campus in Los Angeles. During his first week, he met fellow student Cooper Tomlinson, and they soon began making videos together on YouTube, which they described as "our film school outside of film school", forming the sketch comedy duo "that's a bad idea".[a][1][4] Barker and Tomlinson soon dropped out, moved in together, and began publishing comedy sketches and short films on YouTube and TikTok, while Barker worked at Starbucks.[4][5][2] Barker had occasional acting roles in other productions, including guest appearances in television series Dave and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia in 2023.[4][6]
In 2023, Barker wrote and directed the horror short film The Chair and uploaded it to YouTube,[7] where it was watched more than 10 million times.[5] Film producer James Harris of Tea Shop Productions contacted Barker, suggesting he adapt it into a feature, but Barker instead pitched Obsession (2025), a horror film.[8]
Barker directed the $800 found footage horror film Milk & Serial (2024).[5][9] After spending a year trying to get distribution, Barker ultimately decided to release the full film on YouTube. The film went viral,[10][5] leading to a representation deal with United Talent Agency in early 2025.[4]
On September 3, 2025, in advance of Obsession's TIFF premiere, it was announced that Barker would direct and co-write his third feature horror film, Anything but Ghosts, and co-star in it. The project is produced by Jason Blum, Roy Lee, and Steven Schneider through their Blumhouse-Atomic Monster and Spooky Pictures banners, respectively, alongside Divide/Conquer.[11] The film is set to be released by Focus Features.[12]
On a $750,000 budget, Obsession grossed over $430 million worldwide as it became a sensation.[13] TheWrap compared Barker and Kane Parsons—whose Backrooms (2026) was simultaneously very successful—to David F. Sandberg. All three began by creating YouTube videos before directing Hollywood feature films.[14]
In April 2026, it was announced that Barker would be writing and directing a reboot of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre with A24.[14][15][16]
In June 2026, it was announced that Barker would be writing, directing, and producing an original horror film for Universal Pictures. Blum, James Wan, Lee, Schneider, Adam Hendricks and Greg Gilreath will produce through their Blumhouse-Atomic Monster, Spooky Pictures and Divide/Conquer banners, respectively.[17][18]
Filmography
Feature film
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Editor | Actor | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Milk & Serial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Feature directorial debut | |
| 2025 | Obsession | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Theatrical debut, cameo as "Man on the phone" | |
| TBA | Anything but Ghosts | Yes | Yes | Executive | Yes | Yes | Post-production, executive producer, co-written and starring with Cooper Tomlinson | [11] |
Short film
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Editor | Actor | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Real World | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | [1] | |
| 2020 | Contemplation | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | [1] | |
| 2020 | We Don't Feel Pain!! (we tried a ritual) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | [19] | |
| 2020 | Meanwhile Outside the Bank | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | [1] | |
| 2021 | Drywall | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | [1] | |
| 2022 | Heavy Eyes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | [1] | |
| 2023 | Warnings | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | [1] | |
| 2024 | That's a Bad Idea | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Music video | [20] |
| 2024 | Striking Gold | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | [1] | |
| 2025 | Fly Me to the Earth | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | [19] |
Web series
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–present | That's a Bad Idea | Various, himself | Sketch comedy YouTube channel | |
Notes
- Stylized in lower case