‘Obsession’ director Curry Barker releases disturbing new short film ‘Mama Bear’

The filmmaker’s latest project delivers a sinister twist in under five minutes

Curry Barker, the filmmaker behind horror hit Obsession, has returned to YouTube with a disturbing new short film titled Mama Bear, bringing viewers a chilling doppelganger story in under five minutes.

Barker previously gained attention online through independent projects including The Chair and Milk & Serial, which attracted millions of views before his latest feature made waves in cinemas. With Mama Bear, he revisits the platform that helped establish his reputation as a horror filmmaker.

The short centres on Floyd, played by Jon Lee Richardson, who receives a frantic phone call from a friend claiming that someone who looks exactly like him has been spotted. Floyd initially dismisses the warning as a joke.

Things take a sinister turn when he receives a voicemail from his girlfriend, Lacey, portrayed by Katie Sarfie. Her furious message suggests that Floyd, or someone resembling him, has done something deeply upsetting. The film never fully explains what happened, leaving viewers to piece together the disturbing mystery.

The story builds towards a shocking conclusion, with Barker using the familiar concept of a doppelganger to create suspense and unease. The short demonstrates his ability to take established horror ideas and give them an unpredictable edge.

That approach also featured in Obsession, which follows Bear, played by Michael Johnston, as he makes a wish for his crush Nikki, portrayed by Inde Navarrette, to love him unconditionally. The wish leads to increasingly disturbing consequences.

Barker has several projects in development. His horror comedy Anything But Ghosts, starring Aaron Paul alongside Barker and longtime collaborator Cooper Tomlinson, is expected to arrive in May 2027.

He has also been tapped to direct a new The Texas Chainsaw Massacre film following A24’s acquisition of the franchise rights. The project remains in its early stages, with plot details yet to be announced.