Darren Lynn Bousman Movies
As with many contemporary film directors, Kansas native Darren Lynn Bousman got his start by making short films. Later, after learning the basics of filmmaking at Full Sail film school in Orlando, FL, Bousman continued to create short films with his former classmates, and eventually graduated to directing music videos. Music videos led to commercials, and the next thing Bousman knew he was the driving force behind one of the biggest franchises in horror history.Of course it wasn't quite that easy or direct -- before Bousman truly established himself as a filmmaker he did work as a production assistant on Van Wilder and a honey wagon attendant on The X-Files -- but to say that he had a fast rise wouldn't necessarily be an exaggeration, either. Faced with the prospect of picking up where Leigh Whannell and James Wan left off with the surprise 2004 horror hit Saw, Bouseman was understandably intimidated yet eager to keep the series fresh as the new co-writer and director. When Saw II hit stateside screens in October 2005 and grossed nearly twice the opening weekend take of the original right out of the gate, horror fans were abuzz and it was obvious that he had succeeded. While Bousman would hand writing duties on Saw III back to Wan and Whannell in order to focus on directing, it was obvious that he had become as much a part of the series' remarkable success as its two creators. Though initially hesitant to take the helm for Saw IV, Bouseman eventually signed on due in large to his commitment to the Saw "family" and his unexpected approval of the script -- which was penned by Feast duo Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton.
Subsequently seeking to branch out with something more original, Bousman used the influence he gained by working on the Saw series to bring a bizarre play he had previously directed in Hollywood to the big screen. Described by Bousman as a cross between The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Blade Runner, Repo! The Genetic Opera combined the filmmaker's mutual loves of horror and musicals (he's an admitted fan of Jesus Christ Superstar in particular) to explore a future in which a worldwide epidemic has caused mass organ failure and the public at large is forced to seek replacement organs if they hope to go on living. When some of the recipients fall behind on their payment plans, repo agents are sent to retrieve their organs by any means necessary. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Saw franchise mainstay Darren Lynn Bousman directs this remake of the David Cronenberg classic concerning an underground group of telekinetic "scanners" who plot to take over the world. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 2010
Veteran Saw franchise helmer Darren Lynn Bousman continues his foray into the macabre with this remake of the 1989 Troma B-film classic Mother's Day. The revamp will still center on a demented mother (Rebecca De Mornay) and her two sons, but will focus on them terrorizing a couple that is residing in their old home rather than the original's theme of a group of hikers being tortured in the woods. Jaime King, Shawn Ashmore, Briana Evigan, and Deborah Ann Woll topline the cast. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jaime King, Patrick Flueger, (more)
Saw series mainstay Darren Lynn Bousman reunites with Twisted Pictures producers Oren Koules and Mark Burg for this futuristic shocker detailing a terrifying epidemic of organ failures. The denizens of planet Earth have been devastated by inexplicable and widespread organ failures, and as a result scientists begin planning a substantial organ harvest. Though an innovative biotech conglomerate subsequently offers the fearful public a means of maintaining their health by enacting a series of hassle-free organ payment plans, things begin to get messy when it's revealed that the financed body parts are subjected to legal default, and that failure to maintain proper payment will result in forceful repossession of the organs. Paul Sorvino and Spy Kids' Alexa Vega star alongside celebrity socialite Paris Hilton in the Lionsgate film. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Head, Alexa Vega, (more)
Just when audiences thought they'd heard the last of the demented killer Jigsaw (Tobin Bell), here comes Saw IV, continuing his trap-filled legacy -- this time, targeting the last remaining officer who has touched the case, SWAT Commander Rigg (Lyriq Bent). As FBI agents Strahm (Scott Patterson) and Perez (Athena Karkanis) begin to dig through the remains of Jigsaw's crime-scene hideout, a new puzzle presents itself, with Rigg as the pawn in another deadly game filled with moral quandaries and torture-filled traps. At stake is the life of his superior officer Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) as well as his friend and fellow cop Eric Matthews (Donnie Wahlberg), whose abduction by a now-dead Jigsaw triggers an obsession in Rigg that will haunt him til the grisly end. Director Darren Lynn Bousman returns to the series after helming both Saw II and III, with a script penned by Feast writers Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, (more)
Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) is back, and this time he's concocted his deadliest set of traps yet in this gore-soaked sequel written by James Wan and Leigh Whannell, and directed by Saw II's Darren Lynn Bousman. Picking up directly where its predecessor left off, Saw III finds Jigsaw near death and fighting to stay alive for one final game. Determined to show his protégé, Amanda (Shawnee Smith), what it truly means to carry out his deadly game, the ailing Jigsaw instructs his apprentice to kidnap unsuspecting doctor Lynn Denlon (Bahar Soomekh) in order to ensure that he survives long enough to see how his latest victim Jeff (Angus MacFadyen) fares when faced with the prospect of imminent death. As Lynn and Jeff both struggle to beat the clock and carry out their tasks before Jigsaw draws his final breath, a much larger plan begins to emerge that shows just how cunning the legendary killer can truly be. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith, (more)
Jigsaw, the diabolical criminal who captured the imagination of horror fans in the 2004 hit Saw, returns in this equally bloody sequel. Eric Matthews (Donnie Wahlberg) is a police detective who, after discovering the aftermath of a particularly gruesome murder, is convinced that Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) is up to his ugly tricks again. Matthews' hunch turns out to be correct, but the master criminal proves to be disconcertingly easy to capture. As it happens, Jigsaw is eager to be put behind bars in order to throw the authorities off his trail as he once again punishes people who in his eyes have transgressed the boundaries of acceptable moral behavior. But instead of trapping two people in a filthy dungeon where they must engage in a terrible contest in order to win their freedom, eight people have been locked away by Jigsaw, and they must torture their bodies and minds to achieve the terrible justice Jigsaw seeks. Saw II was written by Leigh Whannell, who also scripted the first film. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Donnie Wahlberg, Tobin Bell, (more)
