As Obsession continues to control the box office after its fifth weekend, director Curry Barker has confirmed he has no intention of moving on to a sequel too quickly.
The budding filmmaker spoke about how he’s taking a careful approach to the next chapter in his new horror universe during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. It’s a conversation that arrived one month after Obsession’s wide theatrical release convinced audiences across the world to show up to the box office for low-budget horror.
All eyes are on Barker as fans wait to see how the magic of the One Wish Willow will be used to create new nightmares in what could eventually be called Obsession 2. However, even as his movie runs victory lap after victory lap in theaters, he’s not in any rush to make it happen.
“I don’t want to go straight into Obsession 2,” Barker said when asked what he doesn’t want from his future in film. “I have such a cool idea for it that I won’t say.”
Barker clarified that he isn’t saying Obsession 2 is still five or six years away, but he doesn’t want to rush a follow-up to Nikki’s story out the door. At the least, he’s confident that fans will show up for a sequel, even if he takes his time.
“But I think people would be just as excited for it if it came a little down the road. It’s a whirlwind, and I’m trying to figure it out.”
Obsession wished its way into theaters May 15 and has become one of the biggest movie success stories of the last decade. Starring Inde Navarrette as Nikki, Michael Johnston as Bear, Cooper Tomlinson as Ian, and Megan Lawless as Sarah, the Focus Features film’s be-careful-what-you-wish-for story has helped it tear through the box office with a global total of more than $286.49 million so far (via Box Office Mojo). These would be solid returns for even some Marvel movies, but for a small-scale horror movie like Obsession, which worked on a budget of about $750,000, it’s almost unheard of.
He’s so far played coy when it comes to how Obsession and the One Wish Willow may evolve in future installments. However, he did tell Total Film last month that he’s toyed with the idea of potentially making an Obsession anthology series, where each episode follows a new character’s wish. He elaborated on what the future may hold during an interview with Happy, Sad, Confused, today.
“This just happens to be a premise where there is a lot more to be done. It’s not really a sequel,” Barker said. “It’s just a new guy or girl with a One Wish Willow: What does she wish for, and how did that mess up her life? There’s so many stories to be told.
As Barker refines the idea for what may one day become Obsession 2, he’s already signed on to take the reigns on something with a little more meat on its bones: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. He spoke about his plans for a new chapter in the decades-old horror universe during his interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
“I wouldn’t be interested if I didn’t think I could find a way in that feels fresh and new, while still respecting the original,” Barker explained. “The canon itself is all over the place, so there’s not much to stay loyal to other than the original. I want to make a new generation of people scared and give them this feeling of: ‘What if you went on a road trip with your friends and this happened to you?’ I want to capture the rawness and the grounded-ness of the original.”
Barker is just getting started. While we wait to see how Obsession 2 and his Texas Chainsaw Massacre will take shape, you can read IGN’s 8/10 Obsession review.
“Obsession should and will put Barker on the map as a horror filmmaker you need to watch with this addictive sour Valentine’s Day counterprogramming,” we said after watching its 2025 Fantastic Film Festival screening.
Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/WireImage.
Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
