Anything But Ghosts: Curry Barker’s Obsession Follow-Up Sets Release Date for Next Year

Curry Barker is moving fast. Fresh off the massive success of his horror breakout “Obsession,” the filmmaker’s next project, the horror-comedy “Anything But Ghosts,” has been dated by Focus Features for May 7, 2027, with a starry cast led by Aaron Paul and Bryce Dallas Howard.

The Plot

The official logline describes a group of fame-seeking, wannabe ghost hunters who find themselves in over their heads as things spiral wildly and terrifyingly out of control. Barker and Tomlinson play a pair of fraudulent paranormal investigators who are called upon by a frightened family to deal with what turns out to be very real ghosts plaguing their house.

Barker has said the film leans further into comedy than “Obsession,” describing the tone as more comedic by nature given its premise, while stressing it isn’t a full-on comedy. Tomlinson has separately described the tone as something like Key & Peele stumbling into “Hereditary.” Barker has also revealed the film exists in the same universe as “Obsession,” referencing that film’s triple homicide within the new story.

Release Snapshot

The Cast

Barker and Tomlinson lead as co-writers and co-stars, joined by Bryce Dallas Howard, known for the “Jurassic World” trilogy, “Rocketman,” “The Help,” and “Argylle,” alongside Aaron Paul, Violet McGraw, and Chris Reinacher. Howard signed on shortly after Paul was confirmed as the film’s lead, with McGraw and Reinacher rounding out the cast in the weeks that followed.

Behind the Project

Barker directs and produces through his and Tomlinson’s company, That’s a Bad Idea — a name inherited from the YouTube sketch comedy channel where the pair first began working together. The film is produced by Jason Blum via Blumhouse-Atomic Monster, alongside Roy Lee and Steven Schneider via Spooky Pictures, and Adam Hendricks and Greg Gilreath for Divide/Conquer, with Image Nation Abu Dhabi also producing. Daniel Bekerman, Barker, Tomlinson, and Ben Ross serve as executive producers.

Coming Off a Breakout Debut

Barker’s rise has been remarkably fast. His debut feature “Obsession” became one of the biggest box office stories of the year, grossing $519 million worldwide against a budget of under $1 million, making it both the highest-grossing film in Focus Features’ history and the highest-grossing festival acquisition ever, having been picked up out of the Toronto International Film Festival for $15 million. That success has since led to Barker also being tapped to write and direct a new take on “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” for A24, cementing him as one of horror’s fastest-rising filmmakers.

Why It Matters

“Anything But Ghosts” enters a genuinely stacked opening weekend, sharing its release date with Sony’s “The Legend of Zelda” adaptation and Mel Gibson’s “The Resurrection of the Christ — Part One.” With Barker’s uncanny ability to turn microbudget horror into a genuine box office phenomenon, and a starry ensemble anchoring this follow-up, the film arrives as one of the most closely watched horror releases of the 2027 summer season.

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