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Simon Barrett (filmmaker)

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Simon Barrett
Barrett in 2014
Born1978 (age 45–46)
Columbia, Missouri, US
Occupation(s)Actor, producer, screenwriter
Years active2000–present

Simon Barrett (born 1978) is an American actor, producer, screenwriter, and director 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. His feature directorial debut, Seance, was released in 2021.

Early life

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Barrett was born in Columbia, Missouri,[1] in 1978.[2]

Career

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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 him about the screenwriting process and techniques he'll use 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 theme of this film opened up additional doors to them, as they had previously been stereotyped as horror filmmakers.[7]

In 2016, he wrote Blair Witch, directed by Wingard, it is a sequel to the 1999 film The Blair Witch Project.[14]

In 2017, he wrote Temple, directed by Michael Barrett.

In 2021, he made his directorial debut with Seance, with him also writing the film. The same year he also wrote and directed the segment "The Empty Wake" of V/H/S/94, marking his third time working in the V/H/S franchise.

In 2024, he co-wrote Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, also co-written and directed by Wingard. The same year he also wrote Azrael, directed by E. L. Katz.

He was in works of a remake of the South Korean thriller film I Saw The Devil. It was announced in 2014. But as of 2024, there hasn't yet been an update regarding this project. [15] His other upcoming projects as a writer includes Onslaught, the live-action adaptation of Thundercats, and the sequel to the 1997 film Face/Off, all of whom will be directed by Wingard.

Filmography

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Film

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]
TBA Onslaught Yes Yes

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 film

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

References

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  1. ^ Whittaker, Richard (2014-09-27). "Fantastic Fest 2014: Simon Barrett Brings The Guest". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 2015-08-14.
  2. ^ Acevedo, Aristotle. "Today We Learned #151:Simon Barrett". Nerdist. Nerdist. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  3. ^ a b c Robinson, Tasha (2014-09-19). "Adam Wingard, Simon Barrett, and Dan Stevens on The Guest, and its place in their big plan". The Dissolve. Retrieved 2015-08-14.
  4. ^ "#PFF23: An Interview with Simon Barrett, Writer of The Guest [Interview]". Geekadelphia. 2014-10-30. Retrieved 2015-08-17.
  5. ^ Fee, Rob (2013-06-03). "10 Weird Questions with 'V/H/S 2' & 'You're Next' Writer Simon Barrett". CBS Local Media. Retrieved 2015-08-14.
  6. ^ Miska, Brad (2009-01-22). "Is 'Red Sands' Really a Sequel to 'Dead Birds'? What's Next?!". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved 2015-08-14.
  7. ^ a b "Episode 151:Today We Learned". Nerdist. 2016-09-16. Retrieved 2016-10-04.
  8. ^ Janisse, Kier-La (2013-08-26). "EXPOSED: JOE SWANBERG on neo-late nite thriller 24 EXPOSURES". Fangoria. Retrieved 2015-08-14.
  9. ^ Olsen, Mark (2012-09-21). "'V/H/S' makers go on tape about 'found footage' horror anthology". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2015-08-14.
  10. ^ Foutch, Haleigh (2013-06-08). "Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett Talk V/H/S/2, Returning to the Found Footage Format, Why They Enjoy Anthologies, Their Partnership, and More". Collider. Retrieved 2015-08-14.
  11. ^ Foutch, Haleigh (2013-11-25). "Director Eric England Talks CONTRACTED, Body Horror, Casting Simon Barrett, Makeup Effects on a Limited Budget, Life after Film School, and More". Collider. Retrieved 2015-08-14.
  12. ^ Dickson, Evan (2014-01-17). "5 Questions With '24 Exposures' Director Joe Swanberg!". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved 2014-10-12.
  13. ^ Truitt, Brian (August 28, 2013). "Simon Barrett haunts a college DJ with 'Dead Air'". USA Today. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
  14. ^ Kit, Borys (2015-02-04). "'Guest' Director Adam Wingard Goes Back to Horror with 'The Woods' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2015-08-14.
  15. ^ Sneider, Jeff (2014-09-15). "'The Guest's' Adam Wingard, Simon Barrett to Tackle 'I Saw the Devil' Remake (Exclusive)". TheWrap. Retrieved 2015-08-14.
  16. ^ "Azrael". South by Southwest. Archived from the original on February 7, 2024. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  17. ^ "Origins". Writers Guild of America West. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
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