Curry Barker Has a "Cool Idea" for OBSESSION 2, But He Thinks Fans Can Wait a Little Longer

Curry Barker's indie horror sensation Obsession continues to impress at the box office a month after its theatrical release, and naturally, fans are already wondering if a sequel is on the horizon.

The good news is that Barker has ideas. The bad news, at least for impatient horror fans, is that he isn't planning to jump straight into making Obsession 2.

The filmmaker recently spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about the future of the franchise and revealed that a sequel concept is already floating around in his head. He just doesn't think now is the right time to make it.

"I don’t want to go straight into Obsession 2. I have such a cool idea for it that I won’t say. I’m not saying it has to be five, six years from now. 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."

That response will probably leave fans both excited and frustrated. It's encouraging to hear that Barker already has a direction in mind for a sequel, but it sounds like he wants to give the idea room to breathe rather than rushing another installment into production.

For those who haven't experienced Obsession yet, the film centers on a shy young man named Bear who purchases a novelty wishing branch and wishes for his crush, Nikki, to love him more than anything in the world.

The wish unexpectedly works, but the outcome is far from romantic. Nikki transforms into a dangerously obsessed succubus, turning Bear's dream relationship into a nightmare.

While the story may have wrapped up for some of the movie's characters, the mythology surrounding the One Wish Willow feels like it still has plenty of untapped potential. That larger world is one of the reasons fans have been speculating about sequels and spinoffs ever since the film started gaining momentum.

Interestingly, Barker has also floated another possibility that could expand the franchise in a completely different way. During an early screening of Obsession, he talked about the idea of turning the concept into an anthology series.

"What really is exciting to me [would be doing] an anthology, like a one-hour episode," said Barker. "Each episode is a different wish that goes completely off the rails. Maybe I'll direct the pilot with the same DP, and then you could invite other filmmakers to give their spin at it. That would be really cool."

It's easy to see the appeal. The One Wish Willow creates a setup that could generate countless horror stories, each exploring a different wish gone horribly wrong. An anthology format would also allow Barker and other filmmakers to experiment with fresh characters, tones, and nightmares without being tied to a single ongoing storyline.

Of course, Barker has plenty keeping him busy before he has to make a decision about returning to the world of Obsession. He's currently editing his next film, Anything But Ghosts, which stars Aaron Paul and Bryce Dallas Howard. After that, he'll be tackling a new Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie for A24.

Barker has previously said that he wants to focus heavily on Leatherface's family in that project, though the script hasn't been written yet. Between that film and his original projects, he's facing the kind of career crossroads most filmmakers dream about.

"The opportunities were just unbelievable. I realized I can do whatever I want now," said Barker to THR. "The big conversation is: Do I want to do an IP movie? Or do I want to do my original?

“I have an idea for my original, but I have so many ideas for Chainsaw as well. I have a lot to weigh, and that’s where the stress really comes from. I don’t know what to do next."

That's a pretty great problem to have. For now, it sounds like Obsession 2 remains a possibility rather than a priority. Barker clearly has ideas for where the franchise could go next, but he's also in a position where multiple exciting opportunities are competing for his attention.

Whether the next chapter arrives as a sequel, an anthology series, or something completely unexpected, fans will just have to be patient.

In the meantime, Obsession is still playing in theaters and continuing to build its audience, proving that Barker's twisted horror story has struck a nerve with genre fans.