Jan 11, 1979

Overland Park, Kansas, USA

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, Florida, 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 qui... ... (read more...) te
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 Leah 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 of 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 it's 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.