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
A saw is a tool consisting of a tough blade, Wire saw, wire, or Chainsaw, chain with a hard toothed edge used to cut through material. Various terms are used to describe toothed and abrasive saws.
Saws began as serrated materials, and when man ...
'' films: ''
Saw II
''Saw II'' is a 2005 horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and written by Leigh Whannell and Bousman. It is the sequel to ''Saw (2004 film), Saw'' (2004) and the second installment in the Saw (franchise), ''Saw'' film series. The film sta ...
'', ''
Saw III'', ''
Saw IV'', and ''
Spiral
In mathematics, a spiral is a curve which emanates from a point, moving further away as it revolves around the point. It is a subtype of whorled patterns, a broad group that also includes concentric objects.
Two-dimensional
A two-dimension ...
''. He also directed the horror musicals ''
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).
Early life
Bousman was born in
Overland Park, Kansas
Overland Park ( ) is the largest city in Johnson County, Kansas, United States, and the List of cities in Kansas#Highest population listing, second-most populous city in the state of Kansas. It is one of four principal city, principal cities in ...
, the son of Nancy and Lynn Bousman.
He attended high school at
Shawnee Mission North High School
Shawnee Mission North High School is a Public high school, public secondary school in Overland Park, Kansas, United States, for grades Ninth grade, 9–Twelfth grade, 12. It is one of five high schools operated by Shawnee Mission USD 512 school ...
in Overland Park, and studied film at
Full Sail University
Full Sail University is a Private university, private For-profit higher education in the United States, for-profit university in Winter Park, Florida. It was formerly a recording studio in Ohio named Full Sail Productions and Full Sail Center f ...
in Winter Park, Florida, graduating in 2000.
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
A saw is a tool consisting of a tough blade, Wire saw, wire, or Chainsaw, chain with a hard toothed edge used to cut through material. Various terms are used to describe toothed and abrasive saws.
Saws began as serrated materials, and when man ...
''.
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 R ...
and
Oren Koules
Oren Koules (born January 31, 1961) is an American entrepreneur and film producer. He is the co-founder of Evolution Entertainment and produced the Saw (franchise), ''Saw'' film series as well as the CBS television series ''Two and a Half Men'' ...
,
the two decided it would be the perfect opportunity to turn ''The Desperate'' into ''
Saw II
''Saw II'' is a 2005 horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and written by Leigh Whannell and Bousman. It is the sequel to ''Saw (2004 film), Saw'' (2004) and the second installment in the Saw (franchise), ''Saw'' film series. The film sta ...
''. Two months later, Bousman was flown to
Toronto
Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
to direct.
During the production of ''Saw II'', Bousman directed the music video for
Mudvayne
Mudvayne is an American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Peoria, Illinois, Peoria, Illinois, in 1996. Known for their sonic experimentation, face and body paint, masks and uniforms, the band has sold over five million records wor ...
'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
Leigh Whannell (; born 17 January 1977) is an Australian filmmaker and actor. He has written multiple films that were directed by his friend James Wan, including ''Saw (2004 film), Saw'' (2004), ''Dead Silence'' (2007), ''Insidious (film), Insid ...
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 COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. 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
In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Day is the first day of the calendar year, January 1, 1 January. Most solar calendars, such as the Gregorian and Julian calendars, begin the year regularly at or near the December solstice, northern winter ...
". He has also been attached to direct the remake of David Cronenberg's ''
Scanners
''Scanners'' is a 1981 Canadian science fiction horror film written and directed by David Cronenberg and starring Stephen Lack, Jennifer O'Neill, Michael Ironside, and Patrick McGoohan. In the film, "scanners" are psychics with unusual telep ...
''. Bousman taught Film director newcomers in the Horror Film Boot Camp, which ran from May 7–9, 2010, in
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque ( ; ), also known as ABQ, Burque, the Duke City, and in the past 'the Q', is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, Bernal ...
. 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 Mar ...
'' starring
Shawn Ashmore
Shawn Robert Ashmore (born October 7, 1979) is a Canadian actor whose career spans film, television, and interactive media.
A former child actor, he first drew notice as Jake Berenson on Nickelodeon's ''Animorphs'' (1998–1999), Tyler Connell ...
,
Deborah Ann Woll, and
Briana Evigan
Briana Evigan (born October 23, 1986) is an American actress and dancer best known for her lead roles as Andrea "Andie" West in the dance film '' Step Up 2: The Streets'' (2008) and its sequel '' Step Up: All In'' (2014), and Ms. Kathleen Merrywo ...
. 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 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 Halloween. Segments were directed by Neil Marshall, Darren Lynn Bousman, Axelle Carolyn, Lucky McKee, Andrew Kas ...
'' produced by Epic Pictures. He directed the segment "The Night Billy Raised Hell" written by Clint Sears.
In 2016, he directed ''
Abattoir
In livestock agriculture and the meat industry, a slaughterhouse, also called an abattoir (), is a facility where livestock animals are slaughtered to provide food. Slaughterhouses supply meat, which then becomes the responsibility of a meat ...
'', 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 independent multi-media company, which began as a horror genre-focused news website specializing in information services that covered various horror media. The company expanded into other media including podcast ...
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
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States
Georgia may also refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
. He next directed ''
Death of Me'', another horror film, starring
Maggie Q
Margaret Denise Quigley (born May 22, 1979), professionally known as Maggie Q, is an American actress.
She began her professional career in Hong Kong, with starring roles in the action films '' Gen-Y Cops'' (2000) and '' Naked Weapon'' (2002), ...
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
''The Verge'' is an American Technology journalism, technology news website headquarters, headquartered in Lower Manhattan, New York City and operated by Vox Media. The website publishes news, feature stories, guidebooks, product reviews, cons ...
'' 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 independent multi-media company, which began as a horror genre-focused news website specializing in information services that covered various horror media. The company expanded into other media including podcast ...
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."
Personal life
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.
On October 4, 2008, Bousman got engaged to Laura Bosserman and married her on January 2, 2010. The couple has two children, Henry Lynn Bousman and Hadley Jordan Bousman.
Filmography
Short films
Feature films
Television
Music videos
Immersive theater
Recurring cast members
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bousman, Darren Lynn
1979 births
American horror film directors
American male screenwriters
Living people
Full Sail University alumni
People from Overland Park, Kansas
Film directors from Kansas
Screenwriters from Kansas