Obsession director Curry Barker's next movie confirms 2027 release date

Curry Barker, writer and director of one of the buzziest horror films of the year in Obsession, has just announced his next project, which is set to hit cinema screens next year.

YouTuber-turned-filmmaker Barker has made a grand debut with his first feature earlier in the year. A wish-gone-wrong story following a music store employee who pines for his colleague, Obsession has dethroned 2019's Downton Abbey as Focus Features' highest-grossing film.

Fresh off the success of his first offering, Barker will helm another horror backed by Focus Features and Blumhouse-Atomic Monster. Titled Anything But Ghosts, the film is directed by Barker, who co-wrote the script with longtime collaborator and Obsession star, Cooper Tomlinson.

Related: UK film release dates

For the upcoming film, Barker and Tomlinson are set to share the frame once again after appearing in multiple sketches for their YouTube channel, That's A Bad Idea.

Both are starring in Anything But Ghosts, with the ensemble rounded out by Violet McGraw and Chris Reinacher, as well as Jurassic World star Bryce Dallas Howard and Breaking Bad star Aaron Paul.

The film is expected to be released in cinemas on 7 May 2027, while plot details hint at a present-day take on Ghostbusters.

"When a group of fame-seeking wannabe 'ghosthunters' find themselves in over their heads, things spiral wildly and terrifyingly out of control," the logline teases.

Horror fans have been treated to some great titles this 2026 – Obsession is in good company with Kane Parsons' Backrooms and Jane Schoenbrun's Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, to name a few – but it seems that 2027 is also shaping to be another good year if you love a good cinematic scare.

After premiering at TIFF in September, acclaimed horror River has announced a release date for 15 January 2027 in the US, with a UK date to be confirmed.

Written and directed by Joshua Giuliano on his feature debut, River centres on three estranged siblings who reunite to scatter their father's ashes on a remote river, soon finding themselves hunted down by a killer.

Anything But Ghosts is slated to release in cinemas on 7 May 2027.

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Reporter, Digital Spy

Stefania is a freelance writer specialising in TV and movies. After graduating from City University, London, she covered LGBTQ+ news and pursued a career in entertainment journalism, with her work appearing in outlets including Little White Lies, The Skinny, Radio Times and Digital Spy. 

Her beats are horror films and period dramas, especially if fronted by queer women. She can argue why Scream is the best slasher in four languages (and a half).