Curry Barker follows up Obsession with a YouTube horror short

Just don’t go looking for yuks when watching Barker’s latest. Mama Bear follows Floyd (Jon Lee Richardson), a professional house cleaner whose work nap is abruptly cut short by a startling phone call from a friend warning that danger is heading his way. Indeed it does, and the film also manages to squeeze in the concept of doppelgängers before the violence suddenly, and bloodily, pops off. It’s startling, kind of ridiculous (in a fun way), and efficiently made, even if the short watches like one scene removed from a larger story we may never see. Mama Bear‘s cast includes Katie Sarife, Ericka Kreuz, and Joshua Snyder.

This release is a homecoming/victory lap for Barker after building his following on the platform. (The short has already pulled in over one million views since its Thursday launch.) His 2023 short, The Chair, caught the attention of Tea Shop Productions‘ James Harris, whose partnership with Barker, coupled with fan reception for Barker’s 2024 found-footage feature, Milk & Serial (also posted on YouTube), paved the way for Obsession‘s historic theatrical run earlier this year. Next up for the young director: Anything But Ghosts for Blumhouse-Atomic Monster and Spooky Pictures, with the director co-starring with Tomlinson, Violet McGraw, Chris Reinacher, Bryce Dallas Howard and Aaron Paul; a new feature for Universal (who’s shelling out big bucks for it); and that “reimagining” of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Barker says he’s always wanted to make. 

Mama Bear, sponsored by Windows, is now on YouTube. You can watch Barker’s latest below.