Darren Lynn Bousman (; born January 11, 1979) is an American film director and screenwriter, best known for his work in horror films. He has directed four of the '' Saw'' films: '' Saw II'', '' Saw III'', '' Saw IV'', and ''
Spiral
In mathematics, a spiral is a curve which emanates from a point, moving farther away as it revolves around the point.
Helices
Two major definitions of "spiral" in the American Heritage Dictionary are:Repo! The Genetic Opera'' and '' The Devil's Carnival'' movies. Bousman is co-creator and writer of alternate reality games (
ARG
Arg or ARG may refer to:
Places
*''Arg'' () means "citadel" in Persian, and may refer to:
**Arg, Iran, a village in Fars Province, Iran
**Arg (Kabul), presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan
**Arg, South Khorasan, a village in South Khorasan P ...
) and immersive experiences, ''The Tension Experience'' (2016), ''The Lust Experience'' (2017), ''Theatre Macabre'' (2018), ''iConfidant'' (2020), and ''One Day Die'' (2020).
Personal life
Bousman was born in Overland Park, Kansas, the son of Nancy and Lynn Bousman. He attended high school at Shawnee Mission North High School in Overland Park, and studied film at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida, graduating in 2000. He was inducted into the Full Sail University
Hall of Fame
A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...
in 2011. Bousman lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two children.
Career
''Saw II''
During 2004, he was pitching an idea for a movie called ''The Desperate'' to various American studios, who complained that the screenplay was too violent, and the plot was too close to '' Saw''.
David A. Armstrong
David A. Armstrong is an American cinematographer, film producer and director, who was involved in a number of short films and low budget horror films. Although best known for his work on the first six installments of the ''Saw'' franchise, Arm ...
who worked on ''Saw'' asked Bousman if he could show the script to ''Saw'' producer
Gregg Hoffman
Gregg Hoffman (June 11, 1963 – December 4, 2005), born in Phoenix, Arizona, was a film producer responsible for developing ''Saw'' and ''Saw II''. He studied communications, law and economics at American University in Washington, D.C. Hoffma ...
. Hoffman read the script and called Bousman interested in producing ''The Desperate'', but after showing the script to his partners Mark Burg and Oren Koules, the two decided it would be the perfect opportunity to turn ''The Desperate'' into '' Saw II''. Two months later, Bousman was flown to Toronto to direct.
During the production of ''Saw II'', Bousman directed the music video for Mudvayne's single " Forget to Remember," which appeared as the lead song on the
soundtrack album
A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television show. The first such album to be commercially released was Walt Disney's ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'' ...
. ''Saw II'' was profitable and Bousman was signed on to direct '' Saw III'', which was released on October 27, 2006.
''Saw III'' and ''Saw IV''
After ''Saw III'', Bousman announced that he would not direct another ''Saw'' film so that he would be free to prepare for his project '' Repo! the Genetic Opera'', the stage version of which he had directed in 2002. Despite this, on February 19, 2007, Leigh Whannell announced that Bousman had signed on to direct '' Saw IV''. Bousman explained that before shooting could begin on '' Repo! The Genetic Opera'', there was a gap of time during which the songs were being pre-recorded, and he would be able to direct ''Saw IV'' during that period.
''Spiral''
In 2019, it was announced Bousman would return to the ''Saw'' franchise directing '' Spiral: From the Book of Saw'', the ninth installment in the series. The film was set to be released on May 15, 2020, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The release of the film was moved to May 21, 2021.
Filmography
In 2008, Bousman directed an episode of the horror anthology show '' Fear Itself'', entitled "
New Year's Day
New Year's Day is a festival observed in most of the world on 1 January, the first day of the year in the modern Gregorian calendar. 1 January is also New Year's Day on the Julian calendar, but this is not the same day as the Gregorian one. Wh ...
". He has also been attached to direct the remake of David Cronenberg's '' Scanners''. Bousman taught Film director newcomers in the Horror Film Boot Camp, which ran from May 7–9, 2010, in
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...
. He will direct the psychological thriller ''Ninety','' written by Scott Milam.
Bousman directed the 2010 remake of '' Mother's Day'' starring
Shawn Ashmore
Shawn Robert Ashmore (born October 7, 1979) is a Canadian actor. He is known for his roles as Bobby Drake / Iceman in the ''X-Men'' film series, Jake Berenson in the television series '' Animorphs'', Agent Mike Weston in the television drama ...
, Deborah Ann Woll, and Briana Evigan. In 2011, Bousman directed the film '' 11-11-11''. In 2012, Bousman directed and produced '' The Devil's Carnival'', a short film planned to be the first installment of a longer series. Bousman also wrote and directed '' The Barrens'', starring
Stephen Moyer
Stephen Moyer (born Stephen John Emery; 11 October 1969) is an English film and television actor who is best known as vampire Bill Compton in the HBO series ''True Blood''. His first television role was in 1993 as Philip Masefield in the TV ad ...
and Mia Kirshner, in 2012.
On May 13, 2013, it was announced that Bousman would be directing a film titled ''Sacrilege'', another religious-themed work. In 2015, he participated in the anthology movie '' Tales of Halloween'' produced by Epic Pictures. He directed the segment "The Night Billy Raised Hell" written by Clint Sears.
In 2016, he directed '' Abattoir'', which was described as "the best 2016 horror movie you didn't see" and Bousman as "an underrated force of bold originality" by
Bloody Disgusting
Bloody Disgusting is an American multi-media company, which began as a horror genre-focused news site/website specializing in information services that covered various horror medias, including: film, television, video games, comics, and music. ...
but otherwise was not well reviewed. ''Abattoir'' premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival on June 7, 2016.
Bousman again collaborated with writer, Clint Sears, in 2018 on ''St. Agatha'', a religious horror film set in a convent in the 1950s in small-town Georgia. He next directed '' Death of Me'', another horror film, starring Maggie Q and Luke Hemsworth. It was filmed in Thailand and released on October 2, 2020 by Saban Films.
Immersive Theater
Bousman began developing immersive experiences in 2016 and has co-created five experiences to date:
''The Tension Experience'' (2016)
''The Tension Experience,'' created with Gordon Bijelonic and Clint Sears and directed by Bousman, launched on September 8, 2016. The ARG immersive theater production took place over nine months, with participants unlocking secrets through various interactions in an alternate reality game which culminating in a series of two-hour live immersive experiences at a secret location in Los Angeles. ''The Tension Experience'' was set in a 45,000 square foot warehouse and employed over 40 actors who followed different scripts depending on how participants reacted.
The Verge described ''The Tension Experience'' as "A dramatically engaging, layered story experience that breathed new life into the ideas of transmedia storytelling" saying it raised the bar for the kind of emotional experiences that people can expect from immersive theater. In 2018, independent film and television production company, AGBO, announced it would partner with ''The Tension Experience'' to develop new immersive experiences and support expansion of the production to more cities. The first planned project was to be a permanent casino destination in Las Vegas.
''The Lust Experience'' (2017)
''The Lust Experience'' debuted in 2017, immediately following the success of ''The Tension Experience''. A
Bloody Disgusting
Bloody Disgusting is an American multi-media company, which began as a horror genre-focused news site/website specializing in information services that covered various horror medias, including: film, television, video games, comics, and music. ...
review said The Lust Experience was a story surrounding an ancient cult that was actively recruiting new members and that "Bousman and Sears pulled every string they could to push us to our mental limits" Haunting described ''The Tension Experience'' and ''The Lust Experience'' as "two interconnected multi-year alternate reality experiences that preyed on the emotions and thrived on the dedication of a loyal and widespread group of followers."
''Theatre Macabre'' (2018)
''Theatre Macabre'' was launched in Los Angeles in 2018. The eagerly anticipated immersive experience had a thousand-page script and was inspired by the Paris Théâtre du Grand Guignol, which, in 1897, "specialized in grotesque shows that explored society's darkest taboos". Bousman told Daily Dead, "it is the most intricately designed and choreographed show that we've done, where there are endless possibilities when you walk through the door. Anything can happen based on your choices as a participant."
''iConfidant'' (2020)
A socially distant immersive ARG, ''iConfidant'' ran for six weeks in 2020, culminating in a "multimedia, multi-platform experience centered around the theme of connection" on June 6, 2020. Participants joined a month-long journey, exploring friendship, deceit, and mental health, entering what Bousman described as a "rabbit hole llowing participants to entera bizarre and distorted world". No Proscenium said, "the amount of work behind iConfidant is stunning" and noted that the show raised over $4,000 for Movement for Black Lives.
''One Day Die'' (2020)
''One Day Die'' was a 90-minute guided online séance experience that took place throughout October 2020. /Film described it as an "intense, R-rated experience". The immersive show saw participants each receive a mysterious handmade box, sent by the show's creators, that must remain sealed until the experience commenced. Participants then enjoyed "a spooky evening from the comfort of their own homes". A run of sold out shows in October saw Bousman announce two additional encore shows in early November. Daily Dead said, "Darren Lynn Bousman is one of the most inventive creators in the immersive entertainment space today and the fact that many of his events run for a limited time, means you have to catch them before they're gone forever."
Filmography
Short films
Feature films
Television
Music videos
Immersive theater
Recurring collaborators in Darren Lynn Bousman's films