Popternative is thrilled to feature Cooper Tomlinson on our May 2026 digital cover following the massive success of Obsession, the indie horror breakout captivating audiences worldwide, in which he stars as Ian. The independently made genre film—produced for under $1 million—has become one of the year’s biggest surprise success stories. The film debuted to an impressive $17.2 million at the domestic box office during its opening weekend alone. With a 95% score on Rotten Tomatoes and passionate reactions from both critics and audiences, Obsession has quickly cemented itself as a defining moment for modern horror.

The film also marks the feature directorial debut of Curry Barker, Cooper Tomlinson’s creative collaborator and one half of the viral sketch comedy duo That’s A Bad Idea. Together, Curry and Cooper have amassed millions of views and more than a million followers across platforms with their comedy content. But Obsession is far from their first experiment with horror. In 2024, Barker directed and co-wrote the found-footage horror Milk & Serial, starring Tomlinson, which exploded online after being released for free on YouTube and became a word-of-mouth cult sensation.

Now, with Obsession pushing their filmmaking ambitions onto a much larger stage, Cooper is helping usher in a new era of creators redefining what independent horror can look like. Blending uncomfortable comedy, grounded performances, and visceral gore, the film has resonated with audiences for feeling both wildly entertaining and disturbingly real. In our conversation, Cooper opens up about collaborating with Curry, balancing comedy with horror, the evolution of their creative partnership, and the importance of taking risks.

Exclusive Photos for Popternative Magazine by Kathlyn Almeida 
Grooming: Rachel Andersen 
Creative Director: Rachel Andersen
Studio: CinePacks Studio

With Obsession blending horror, comedy, and gore, which element stand out to you the most?

Cooper: The comedy stands out to me the most. It’s very interesting to see the crowd react; there’s a lot of laughs because it’s so uncomfortable. When reading the script, Ian, my character, had some fun little jokes because that was his character, but I didn’t realize there was going to be so much more unsettling comedy to it because of the subject and the relationship.

Cooper: With the comedy, we really tried to keep it grounded, real and honest. We come up with these things that are just funny and real. Even the scary stuff is funny. That’s why I think people get uncomfortable watching Obsession, because it’s very unsettling and seems realistic at times.

What was it like collaborating with Curry on Obsession, and how did working on a feature horror differ from creating comedy sketches together?

Cooper: It was one of the best experiences of my life, and it was cool to see him step into an official director role and watch him on day one steer the ship in the right direction. There was also so much work that led up to it, so much learning and education, but that was my favorite part, to watch him go from day one. He’s very specific and knows what he wants and that’s what I’ve known about Curry from day one, and that’s why we gravitated towards each other; we knew what we wanted to do, and now we’ve achieved it.

You are a writer and an actor. Do you find they both complement each other, or do you see them as separate?

Cooper: I think they work together because you have to know the script, you have to know the subtext of what is in the material. An actor needs to know what’s going on, and they have to be prepared to improvise and challenge and ask questions, so I do believe they’re the same. A good movie could become a great movie with an actor’s perspective on the script.

As horror continues to evolve and expand as a genre, what do you hope Obsession brings to the conversation?

Cooper: I hope it gives more young filmmakers opportunities and a voice to take risks. Especially creators coming from platforms like YouTube who have big ideas and are taking the untraditional approach. I think this entire movie was a risk that was taken, and we hit the jackpot.

Dd the conversations around Obsession when making it feel different from your past collaborations?

Cooper: Not really, and I think I think that’s important [to note] because you have to treat everything the same. If you treat it like it’s this really special thing, you might screw it up. So, doing this movie really felt like Milk & Serial, like we were shooting our sketches with Curry behind the camera going, “okay, try this.” But it really felt like we were friends making a movie; we just had a nicer camera and a couple more people who wanted to make a movie.

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Obsession is currently playing in theaters.

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