Simon Barrett | |
|---|---|
 Barrett in 2014 | |
| Born | 1978 (age 45–46) |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, producer, screenwriter |
| Years active | 2000–present |
Simon Barrett (born 1978) is an American actor, producer, and screenwriter known for his collaborations with Adam Wingard, including A Horrible Way to Die , V/H/S , V/H/S/2 , You're Next , and The Guest . He is associated with the mumblecore movement and has worked with director Joe Swanberg several times.
Barrett was born in Columbia, Missouri, [1] in 1978. [2]
Barrett has performed a number of roles in his films. He attributes this to the low budgets of his early films, in which he and frequent collaborator Adam Wingard were forced to act, as they could not afford to hire anyone else. [3] Barrett credits his acting with informing his screenwriting. Although he said in October 2014 that he is too busy writing to direct, Barrett does not discount directing more projects in the future. [4]
Among his early work was writing the 2004 TV film Frankenfish , [5] and collaborating with director Alex Turner as writer on Dead Birds (2004) and Red Sands (2009), period horror films. [6] He first collaborated with Wingard on A Horrible Way to Die (2010) and continued with You're Next , in which he wrote, produced, and acted. [7] He co-wrote Autoerotic (2011) with co-directors Wingard and Joe Swanberg. [3] The three collaborated again that same year on What Fun We Were Having . [8]
In 2012, he wrote a segment in The ABCs of Death for Wingard [3] and joined V/H/S as a writer, producer, and actor; [9] he returned to the 2013 sequel to write and direct a segment. [10] Eric England cast Barrett in Contracted (2013) after meeting him and being impressed with his ability to blend into crowds despite his charisma. [11] Swanberg cast Barrett and Wingard in 24 Exposures (2013) after being inspired by their working relationship and differing personalities. [12] Also in 2013, Barrett wrote and directed a radio play for Larry Fessenden's Tales from Beyond the Pale . [13] The Guest (2014) was another collaboration between Wingard and Barrett. They said the thriller opened up additional doors to them, as they had previously been stereotyped as horror filmmakers. [7]
He wrote the 2016 horror sequel Blair Witch . [14]
In 2014, he was in works of a remake of the Korean thriller I Saw The Devil . [15]
| Year | Title | Writer | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Dead Birds | Yes | co-producer | |
| Frankenfish | Yes | No | TV movie | |
| 2009 | Red Sands | Yes | co-producer | |
| 2010 | A Horrible Way to Die | Yes | Yes | Also first assistant director, casting director, location manager and music/post-production supervisor |
| 2011 | You're Next | Yes | Yes | |
| Autoerotic | Yes | No | ||
| What Fun We Were Having: 4 Stories About Date Rape | Yes | No | ||
| 2014 | The Guest | Yes | executive | |
| 2016 | Blair Witch | Yes | co-producer | |
| 2017 | Temple | Yes | No | |
| 2021 | Seance | Yes | No | Also director |
| 2024 | Azrael | Yes | Yes | [16] |
| Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire | Yes | No | [17] |
Acting roles
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Red Sands | Matt Carson |
| 2010 | A Horrible Way to Die | Olsen |
| 2011 | You're Next | Tiger Mask |
| 2013 | Contracted | B. J. |
| 24 Exposures | Michael Bamfeaux | |
Short films
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | The Nothing Deal | Yes | Yes | Yes | Also cinematographer and editor | |
| 2012 | Tape 56 | No | Yes | Yes | Steve | Segment of V/H/S |
| The Sick Thing that happened to Emily when she was Younger | No | Yes | No | None | Segment of V/H/S ; Also camera operator | |
| Q is for Quack | No | Yes | No | Simon Barrett | Segment of The ABCs of Death | |
| 2013 | Tape 49 | Yes | Yes | executive | Steve | Segment of V/H/S/2 |
| Phase I Clinicial Trials | No | Yes | executive | Segment of V/H/S/2 ; also set photographer | ||
| 2021 | The Empty Wake | Yes | Yes | No | Segment of V/H/S/94 |
Joe Swanberg is an American independent filmmaker. Known for micro-budget films which make extensive use of improvisation, Swanberg is considered a major figure in the mumblecore film movement. His films often focus on relationships, sex, technology, and the filmmaking process. He is also known for his collaboration with Greta Gerwig.
You're Next is a 2011 American slasher film directed and edited by Adam Wingard, written by Simon Barrett and starring Sharni Vinson, Nicholas Tucci, Wendy Glenn, A. J. Bowen, Joe Swanberg, Barbara Crampton and Rob Moran. The plot concerns an estranged family under attack by a group of masked assailants during a family reunion.
Timon C. West is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, editor, cinematographer, and occasional actor, best known for his work in horror films. He directed the horror films The Roost (2005), Trigger Man (2007), The House of the Devil (2009), The Innkeepers (2011), The Sacrament (2013), X and its prequel Pearl, and the Western In a Valley of Violence (2016). He has also acted in a number of films, mostly in those directed by either himself or Joe Swanberg.
Mumblecore is a subgenre of independent film characterized by naturalistic acting and dialogue, low budgets, an emphasis on dialogue over plot, and a focus on the personal relationships of young adults. Filmmakers associated with the genre include Andrew Bujalski, Lynn Shelton, the Duplass brothers Mark and Jay, Greta Gerwig, Aaron Katz, Joe Swanberg, and Ry Russo-Young. In many cases, though, these directors reject the term. The genre is a mostly American phenomenon. The related term mumblegore has been used for films mixing the mumblecore and horror genres.
Joe Lynch is an American film and music video director, film producer, cinematographer, and actor.
Brad Miska is an American film producer and founder of Bloody Disgusting, a horror genre website known for covering horror films, video games, comics, and music. His films include the V/H/S franchise, Under the Bed, A Horrible Way to Die and Southbound.
Adam Wingard is an American filmmaker. He has served as a film director, producer, screenwriter, editor, cinematographer, actor, and composer on numerous American films.
A Horrible Way to Die is a 2010 American horror film directed and edited by Adam Wingard, written by co-producer Simon Barrett, and starring A. J. Bowen, Amy Seimetz, Joe Swanberg, Brandon Carroll, and Lane Hughes. The story follows an escaped serial killer as he chases down his recovering alcoholic ex-girlfriend who is responsible for his incarceration. The film had its world premiere at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival Vanguard program where it was picked up for distribution by Anchor Bay Entertainment. It also played at Fantastic Fest where it received three major awards: Best Screenplay for Simon Barrett, Best Actor for A. J. Bowen and Best Actress for Amy Seimetz.
V/H/S is a 2012 American found footage horror anthology film and the first installment in the V/H/S franchise created by Brad Miska and Bloody Disgusting and produced by Miska and Roxanne Benjamin. It features a series of found footage shorts written and directed by Adam Wingard, David Bruckner, Ti West, Glenn McQuaid, Joe Swanberg, and the filmmaking collective Radio Silence.
The ABCs of Death is a 2012 American comedy horror anthology film produced by international producers and directed by filmmakers from around the world. The film contains 26 shorts, each by different directors spanning fifteen countries, including Nacho Vigalondo, Kaare Andrews, Adam Wingard, Simon Barrett, Banjong Pisanthanakun, Ben Wheatley, Lee Hardcastle, Noboru Iguchi, Ti West, and Angela Bettis.
V/H/S/2 is a 2013 found footage horror anthology film produced by Bloody Disgusting and Roxanne Benjamin. The second installment in the V/H/S franchise, it comprises four found footage segments linked together by a fifth frame narrative. V/H/S/2 features a largely different group of directors: Jason Eisener, Gareth Evans, Timo Tjahjanto, Eduardo Sánchez, and Gregg Hale, and franchise returnees Simon Barrett and Adam Wingard.
The Guest is a 2014 American thriller film directed by Adam Wingard and written by Simon Barrett. The film stars Dan Stevens and Maika Monroe, with a supporting cast that includes Leland Orser, Sheila Kelley, Brendan Meyer, and Lance Reddick. It tells the story of a U.S. soldier (Stevens) called David who unexpectedly visits the Peterson family, introducing himself as a friend of their son who died in combat in Afghanistan. After he has been staying in their home for a couple of days, a series of deaths occur, and the daughter Anna (Monroe) suspects David is connected to them.
24 Exposures is a 2013 erotic thriller film written and directed by Joe Swanberg. It stars Adam Wingard as a fetish photographer who becomes involved in a murder mystery and Simon Barrett as the detective who investigates the crime. IFC Midnight distributed it on January 24, 2014, in a limited release and through video on demand.
Autoerotic is a 2011 comedy-drama film directed by Joe Swanberg and Adam Wingard, written by Swanberg, Wingard, and Simon Barrett, and starring Kate Lyn Sheil, Amy Seimetz, Lane Hughes, Kris Swanberg, Ti West, and Frank V. Ross. IFC Midnight released it to video on demand on July 22, 2011.
Art History is a 2011 American drama film directed by Joe Swanberg, written by Swanberg, Josephine Decker, and Kent Osborne. It stars Decker, Swanberg, Osborne, Adam Wingard, and Kris Swanberg as filmmakers whose lives are complicated by a graphic sex scene in an arthouse film.
Caitlin Plays Herself is a 2011 American drama film directed and produced by Joe Swanberg, written by Caitlin Stainken and Swanberg, and starring Stainken and Swanberg. Swanberg and Stainken, a performance artist with the Neo-Futurists, play fictionalized versions of themselves.
The Zone is a 2011 American drama film written, produced, and edited by Joe Swanberg. It stars Sophia Takal, Lawrence Michael Levine, Kate Lyn Sheil, Kentucker Audley, Swanberg, Adam Wingard, Kris Swanberg, and Dustin Guy Defa. Swanberg and several of his regulars play themselves in a film within a film.
Jeremy Slater is an American writer and producer of film and television, known for his work on films such as Fantastic Four and Death Note, and on television series such as The Umbrella Academy and The Exorcist, which Slater created, and on which he served as executive producer. He is the head writer and executive producer for the Disney+ miniseries Moon Knight.
Blair Witch is a 2016 found footage supernatural horror film directed by Adam Wingard and written by Simon Barrett. It is the third film in the Blair Witch series and a direct sequel to the 1999 film The Blair Witch Project, while ignoring the events of its 2000 follow-up film Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, given the events of that film being a film within a film. It stars James Allen McCune, Callie Hernandez, Brandon Scott, Corbin Reid, Valorie Curry and Wes Robinson. The film follows a group of college students and their local guides who venture into the Black Hills Forest in Maryland to uncover the mysteries surrounding the prior disappearance of Heather Donahue, the sister of one of the characters.
The Guest (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack album to the 2014 film of the same name directed by Adam Wingard. The 11-track album features songs ranging from electronic and synthwave to gothic rock and pop performed by several goth bands include Clan of Xymox, Love and Rockets, Survive and artists such as Annie, Stevie B, Mike Simonetti among several others. The album was released by J-2 Music on September 16, 2014.
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