Curry Barker
American filmmaker and YouTuber (born 1999)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Curry Barker (born September 22, 1999) is an American filmmaker, comedian, actor, screenwriter, and YouTuber.[a] He is known for the sketch comedy YouTube channel "that's a bad idea",[b] which he co-created with Cooper Tomlinson. He directed and wrote the horror films Milk & Serial (2024) and Obsession (2025).
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- Film director
- screenwriter
- editor
- actor
- comedian
- YouTuber
Curry Barker | |
|---|---|
Barker in 2026 | |
| Born | September 22, 1999 Mobile, Alabama, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2017–present |
| Known for | Obsession |
| YouTube information | |
| Channel | |
| Genres | |
| Subscribers | 1.2 million |
| Views | 605 million |
| Last updated: June 8, 2026 | |
Early life
Barker was born on September 22, 1999,[2] and grew up in Mobile, Alabama. 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 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.[3] He attended Baker High School.[4]
Career
Aspiring to be an actor, Barker left home at eighteen to study at the New York Film Academy 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".[b][2][5] They began publishing comedy sketches and short films on YouTube and TikTok.[5][6] Barker had occasional acting roles in other productions, including guest appearances in Dave and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia in 2023.[5][7]
In 2023, Barker wrote and directed the horror short film The Chair and uploaded it to YouTube,[8] where it was watched more than 10 million times.[6] Film producer James Harris of Tea Shop Productions reached out to Barker to adapt it into a feature, but Barker instead pitched his horror film Obsession (2025).[9]
Barker directed the $800 found footage horror film Milk & Serial (2024).[6][10] Despite spending a year trying to get distribution, Barker ultimately decided to release the full film on YouTube. The film went viral,[11][6] leading to a representation deal with United Talent Agency in early 2025.[5]
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 Productions and Spooky Pictures banners, respectively, alongside Divide/Conquer.[12] The film is set to be released by Focus Features.[13]
On a $750,000 budget, Obsession grossed $166.6 million worldwide as it went viral.[14] TheWrap compared Barker and Kane Parsons—whose Backrooms was simultaneously very successful—to David F. Sandberg. All three began by creating YouTube videos before directing Hollywood feature films.[15]
In April 2026, it was announced that Barker would be writing and directing a reboot of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre with A24 Films.[15][16] [17]
Filmography
Feature film
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Editor | Actor | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Life in Long Beach | No | No | No | No | Yes | [18] | |
| 2023 | B-Side: For Taylor | No | No | No | No | Yes | [5] | |
| 2024 | Milk & Serial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Feature directorial debut | |
| 2025 | Obsession | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Theatrical debut | |
| TBA | Anything but Ghosts | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Post-production; executive producer; co-written and starring with Cooper Tomlinson | [12] |
Short films
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Editor | Actor | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Real World | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | [2] | |
| 2020 | Contemplation | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | [2] | |
| We Don't Feel Pain!! (we tried a ritual) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | [19] | ||
| Meanwhile Outside the Bank | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | [2] | ||
| 2021 | Drywall | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | [2] | |
| 2022 | Heavy Eyes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | [2] | |
| 2023 | The Chair | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | [20] | |
| Enigma | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | [21] | ||
| Warnings | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | [2] | ||
| 2024 | That's a Bad Idea | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Music video | [22] |
| Striking Gold | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | [2] | ||
| 2025 | Fly Me to the Earth | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | [19] |
Web series
Television series
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Dave | Seymore | Episode: "Rebirthday"; uncredited | [5][25] |
| It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia | Joey | Episode: "Risk E. Rat's Pizza and Amusement Center" | [5][26] |