October 30, 2026, 6:35 pm | Read time: 2 minutes
It almost doesn’t matter anymore whether “Dune 3” or “Avengers: Doomsday” hit theaters. In the film year 2026, you simply couldn’t avoid the small horror films “Backrooms” and “Obsession,” which, with tiny budgets, pushed real Hollywood blockbusters like “The Mandalorian & Grogu” to the back seats. The latter was directed by the 27-year-old Curry Barker, who followed his megahit with a short film, “Mama Bear.” It’s quite something.
What “Mama Bear” Is About
“Mama Bear” has a mere runtime of 4:58 minutes, so you shouldn’t expect much plot. But what difference does it make if what’s shown still gets under your skin? In the film, a young man lying on a sofa suddenly receives an agitated call from a friend.
After a brief shock, the conversation initially seems to be a false alarm, before the trouble starts again. Then it dawns on him: Something terrible has happened. On his phone display are numerous missed calls, and in the house, he suddenly discovers bloody traces–and a strange figure in the room. Before he can find out what’s really going on, the situation escalates fatally.
Short Film After Megahit
That Barker is presenting another short film after “Obsession” may be surprising. Normally, more films follow directly after an initial box office success. For the filmmaker, however, it seems more like a small exercise and a return to his roots, as he became known as an actor and director of YouTube videos.
“Mama Bear” was created in collaboration with Microsoft Windows, as reported by the U.S. industry magazine “Variety.” Not much more background is known, but there are voices that see at least a nod to “Obsession” in the title, as the protagonist in that film is also named Bear.
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Barker’s next feature film is already planned. Titled “Anything But Ghosts,” it is about wannabe ghost hunters who one day face a real threat. Whether the film will be another megahit remains to be seen. “Obsession” cost only about $750,000 and grossed nearly $520 million worldwide.