Filmmaker Curry Barker has already seen massive success with his first major feature debut, “Obsession,” but has already reunited with Blumhouse and Focus Features for his second effort, “Anything But Ghosts,” a paranormal movie with two ghost hunter con artists that boasts a larger profile lead cast featuring Bryce Dallas Howard (“Jurassic World”) and Aaron Paul (“Breaking Bad,” Westworld”) in main roles, which will also see Barker in an acting capactiy with his YouTube comedy channel partner Cooper Tomlinson as well (the two playing grifer ghost hunters).
Speaking with the industry podcast, “Happy Sad Confused,” Barker talked up his next feature (which has already wrapped) and hints that the movie will be a lot funnier than “Obsession,” which is happening “by nature” and partly because of the concept of the film as well.
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“It’s different than ‘Obsession,’ I think there’s a lot of anxiety about, something I never felt, just excited to do something different and new. But when you see this level of success on a film, you can’t help but to start comparing it and start asking if it has the same beats…but it’s not the same movie, and I’m glad it’s not. It leans more comedic than ‘Obsession,’ I’m not saying it’s a full-on comedy, because it’s not, but it leans way more into the comedy because of the premise. Just by nature its a funnier movie…it’s two guys who are ghost hunter con artists, they’re f***ers, you know? They mess with people…my character is selfish, and Cooper is more grounded, but wants to pull away from the job and doesn’t want to do it anymore.”
That’s not the only thing on the horizon for Barker, as there has been a $10 million offer for his next original film idea (a deal has yet to be announced or finalized), and he was recently tasked by A24 to tackle a new “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” movie, which is being described as a reboot. Barker was quick to mention that while it’s going to be his take on the material from the late director Tobe Hooper (spawning multiple sequels and remakes over the decades), some of the same basic beats will be there, including it being a “road trip movie,” a nod to the original featuring a group of youngsters who pick up a hitchhiker that leads to events that unfortunately pit them against the infamous chainsaw-wielding Leatherface. Alongside the “raw and f***ed up” elements, which shocked audiences back in the 1970s.
After detailing how quickly A24 signed him up for the legacy horror flick, Barker shared how he’s going to use the original as a blueprint for his “new take” on the horror material: “I have a take on it. Here’s the thing: I wouldn’t be doing it if I didn’t have a really cool take on it and if I couldn’t do something different. I don’t want to say ‘different’…it’s still going to be about people on a road trip, but I’m just going to lean into THINGS in a way that’s way more raw and f***ed up…the original already does that. But I guess I’m going to lean into the original, is what I’m going to do.”
How “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” will fit into his schedule is a little less clear, but given it’s an A24 flick and they’re also developing a series alongside Barker’s film with JT Mollner (“Strange Darling”) working on that one, then again, the expectation is that they’ll want that one in front of cameras as soon as Barker can muster it.
Focus has yet to give “Anything But Ghosts” an official release date, so stay tuned on that front. Also, feel free to watch that full interview between podcast host Josh Horowitz and Barker below.
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