The Chair: The Short Film That Inspired Curry Barker’s Horror Hit Obsession

The Chair played a key role in inspiring Obsession. Here’s everything to know about the short film that helped shape Curry Barker’s breakout horror hit.

- June 10, 2026 | 2:57 PM IST

Curry Barker’s Obsession ( Photo Credit – YouTube )

Obsession is the talk of the town. This supernatural psychological horror film, written and directed by Curry Barker, has emerged as a major critical and commercial success. It crossed the $150 million mark domestically in North America.

The film has also emerged as a breakthrough project for Barker, who is known for making YouTube videos and funny sketches. But before his major Hollywood leap, he made a short film that inspired the plot of Obsession. Let’s get into the details.

The Chair: The Short Film Behind Obsession

According to The New Yorker, Curry Barker ran a YouTube channel called ‘that’s a bad idea’ where he posted short films and funny sketches. The videos were made by Barker with his friends, and the director would also feature in them. Barker reached his creative peak with the feature-length found-footage horror film Milk and Serial.

Amid all this, he also made a short film called The Chair, about a guy named Anthony who brings home a random chair to surprise his girlfriend. According to Bloody Disgusting, this one decision quickly escalates as they struggle to understand the reality.

Just checked out Curry barker's other two short horror films Warnings and The Chair.

They're both equally twisted with unsettling moments and great build up tension. I love your how your sick mind works Curry.

if you loved Obesssion I'd highly recommend checking them out!! 🍿 pic.twitter.com/hpnMAIOPWN

— 𝙹𝚞𝚗𝚒𝚘𝚛 (@Juniornothere2) June 3, 2026

How The Chair Led To A Feature Film Deal

The short film was such a hit that he was approached by producer James Harris. Speaking on the Seen on the Screen podcast, Barker explained how the short eventually became Obsession.

He said, “It started as just an idea that I had, and then it kinda started as a short film. James Harris was a producer who reached out to my manager and said, “I’ve got this program that I do where I basically pick an up-and-coming filmmaker based off short films, and I give them a very small amount of money to go make a movie. And I saw [Barker’s short The Chair], and I’d love to do a feature film version of The Chair.”

Obsession Expands On The Chair

The plot of Obsession differs from that of The Chair. But as per YouTuber Ryan Hollinger, the film taps into similar themes of a character getting obsessed with something. Other thematic and obvious similarities include the characters’ increasing paranoia and delusion and the escalation to a breaking point.

The short film features Anthony’s girlfriend initially being reluctant about him bringing a chair into the home. But she quickly comes to like it, and it grows into an obsession. This theme was the focal point of Barker’s feature-length film.

As per Forbes, Obsession is about a guy named Bear who secretly likes his friend, Nikki. He buys a supernatural toy named One Wish Willow, which grants him a wish for Nikki to fall in love with him. But that results in deadly consequences for everyone.

Overall, Barker has had a smooth transition from being a YouTube filmmaker to an established Hollywood storyteller. But within this leap, he managed to keep the indie essence of his storytelling alive in Obsession.