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 III'' is a 2006 horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman from a screenplay by Leigh Whannell and a story by Whannell and James Wan. It is the third installment in the ''Saw'' film series and sequel to 2005's ''Saw II''. The film star ...

'', ''

Saw IV ''Saw IV'' is a 2007 horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman from a screenplay by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan, and a story by Melton, Dunstan, and Thomas Fenton. It is the fourth installment in the ''Saw'' film series and sequel to ...

'', 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) 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 Overland Park ( ) is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas. Located in Johnson County, Kansas, it is one of four principal cities in the Kansas City metropolitan area and the most populous suburb of Kansas City, Missouri. As ...

, 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 Full Sail University is a private for-profit university in Winter Park, Florida. It was formerly a recording studio in Ohio named Full Sail Productions and Full Sail Center for the Recording Arts. The school moved to Florida in 1980 and began ...

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 fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...

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 who worked on ''Saw'' asked Bousman if he could show the script to ''Saw'' producer Gregg Hoffman. Hoffman read the script and called Bousman interested in producing ''The Desperate'', but after showing the script to his partners

Mark Burg Mark Burg is an American film producer, manager and actor. He is the co-founder of Evolution Entertainment and produced the ''Saw'' film series as well as the CBS television series ''Two and a Half Men''. Biography Burg graduated from the Roy ...

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 Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

to direct. During the production of ''Saw II'', Bousman directed the music video for

Mudvayne Mudvayne is an American heavy metal band formed in Peoria, Illinois in 1996. Known for their sonic experimentation, face and body paint, masks and uniforms, the band has sold over six million records worldwide, including nearly three millio ...

'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 ''

'', 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 Leigh Whannell (; is an Australian screenwriter, actor, film producer, and film director. He is best known for writing films directed by his friend James Wan, including ''Saw'' (2004), ''Dead Silence'' (2007), '' Insidious'' (2010), and '' Insi ...

announced that Bousman had signed on to direct ''

''. 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 COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. 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. Whi ...

". 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 i ...

. He will direct the psychological thriller ''Ninety','' written by Scott Milam. Bousman directed the 2010 remake of ''

Mother's Day Mother's Day is a celebration honoring the mother of the family or individual, as well as motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on different days in many parts of the world, most commonly in th ...

'' 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 s ...

, Deborah Ann Woll, and

Briana Evigan Briana Barbara-Jane Evigan is an American actress and dancer best known for her roles in the ''Step Up'' series and for her scream queen roles in numerous horror films. Born in Los Angeles, Evigan is the daughter of actor Greg Evigan and his ...

. 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 ...

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 ''Tales of Halloween'' is a 2015 American comedy horror anthology film consisting of ten interlocking segments, each revolving around the titular holiday. Segments were directed by Neil Marshall, Darren Lynn Bousman, Axelle Carolyn, Lucky McKee, ...

'' produced by Epic Pictures. He directed the segment "The Night Billy Raised Hell" written by Clint Sears. In 2016, he directed ''

Abattoir A slaughterhouse, also called abattoir (), is a facility where animals are slaughtered to provide food. Slaughterhouses supply meat, which then becomes the responsibility of a packaging facility. Slaughterhouses that produce meat that is no ...

'', 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. T ...

but otherwise was not well reviewed. ''Abattoir'' premiered at the

Los Angeles Film Festival The LA Film Festival was an annual film festival that was held in Los Angeles, California, and usually took place in June. It showcased independent, international, feature, documentary and short films, as well as web series, music videos, epis ...

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 Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. He next directed '' Death of Me'', another horror film, starring

Maggie Q Margaret Denise Quigley ( Vietnamese: Lý Mỹ Kỳ; born May 22, 1979), professionally known as Maggie Q, is an American actress, activist, and model. She began her professional career in Hong Kong, with starring roles in the action films ''Ge ...

and

Luke Hemsworth Luke Hemsworth (born 5 November 1980) is an Australian actor who is known for his roles as Nathan Tyson in the TV series ''Neighbours'' and as Ashley Stubbs in the HBO sci-fi series ''Westworld''. He is the older brother of actors Chris Hemswor ...

. 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 ''The Verge'' is an American technology news website operated by Vox Media, publishing news, feature stories, guidebooks, product reviews, consumer electronics news, and podcasts. The website launched on November 1, 2011, and uses Vox Media ...

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 AGBO (also known as Gozie AGBO) is an independent film and television production company led by Anthony and Joe Russo, best known for their work in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, most notably '' Avengers: Infinity War'' and '' Avengers: Endgame ...

, 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

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 The Movement for Black Lives (M4BL) is a coalition of more than 50 groups representing the interests of black communities across the United States. Members include the Black Lives Matter Network, the National Conference of Black Lawyers, and th ...

''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 An encore is an additional performance given by performers after the planned show has ended, usually in response to extended applause from the audience.Lalange Cochrane, in ''Oxford Companion to Music'', Alison Latham, ed., Oxford University Pre ...

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

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bousman, Darren Lynn 1979 births Horror film directors American male screenwriters Living people Full Sail University alumni People from Overland Park, Kansas Film directors from Kansas Screenwriters from Kansas