Zach Cregger’s lesson for the next movie revealed by the Obsession Director
Every filmmaker faces the relentless pressure of balancing vision with logistics, but for some, the lessons learned on set are as memorable as the final cut. Director Curry Barker recently reflected on a pivotal moment in his career—the lesson he learned about the power of directorial advice, and the surprising difficulty of sticking to it.
Marking the one-year anniversary of his breakout film Obsession, Barker discussed the challenges of preparing for his next venture, Anything But Ghosts. The central hurdle wasn’t the creative vision; it was the sheer scope of the material compared to the tight shooting schedule.
During the production of the new horror comedy, Barker faced a classic cinematic dilemma: a lengthy script versus a compressed timeline. He had a 130-page script but only 26 days to film it. The pressure mounted when he realized that starring in the film and directing it meant he had more lines than anyone else on set, amplifying the complexity of the task.
Before production began, Barker had received guidance from fellow horror director Zach Cregger, who insisted the script needed to be leaner. Cregger reportedly advised, “You have to cut 30 pages.” Barker, however, chose to maintain the full text, determined to shoot every scene and every detail.
This decision, while artistically driven, proved to be a logistical nightmare. Keeping the entire script forced the production team into difficult compromises, necessitating the removal of planned shots and significant cuts to coverage as filming progressed. It was a powerful, if frustrating, reminder that in filmmaking, sometimes the most efficient path is the shortest one.
Despite the production challenges, the resulting film, Anything But Ghosts, remains a compelling blend of genre and comedy. Produced by a team including Jason Blum, Roy Lee, and Steven Schneider, and co-written with Cooper Tomlinson, the movie is set in the same universe as Obsession.
The story follows two fake paranormal investigators who make their living by staging supernatural events for clients. Their routine is spectacularly derailed when they accidentally stumble upon genuine supernatural forces, leading to chaotic and hilarious consequences. Tomlinson described the film’s tone as being akin to if Key and Peele walked into Hereditary.
Barker and Tomlinson lead the ensemble cast, which includes Aaron Paul, Bryce Dallas Howard, Violet McGraw, and Chris Reinacher. The movie successfully mixes the humor of con artists with the creeping dread of darker horror as the duo attempts to escape the supernatural mess they created.
ComingSoon.net initially covered the story, highlighting the significant lesson about streamlining creative content during the production process.
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