# Simon Barrett (filmmaker)

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

Barrett was born in Columbia, Missouri, in 1978.

## Career

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. Barrett credits his acting with informing him about the screenwriting process and techniques he'll use in the future.
Among his early work was writing the 2004 TV film Frankenfish, and collaborating with director Alex Turner as writer on Dead Birds (2004) and Red Sands (2009), period horror films. 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. He co-wrote Autoerotic (2011) with co-directors Wingard and Joe Swanberg. The three collaborated again that same year on What Fun We Were Having.
In 2012, he wrote a segment in The ABCs of Death for Wingard and joined V/H/S as a writer, producer, and actor; he returned to the 2013 sequel to write and direct a segment. Eric England cast Barrett in Contracted (2013) after meeting him and being impressed with his ability to blend into crowds despite his charisma. Swanberg cast Barrett and Wingard in 24 Exposures (2013) after being inspired by their working relationship and differing personalities. Also in 2013, Barrett wrote and directed a radio play for Larry Fessenden's Tales from Beyond the Pale. 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.
In 2016, he wrote Blair Witch, directed by Wingard, it is a sequel to the 1999 film The Blair Witch Project.
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. 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

Film
| Year | Title | Writer | Producer | Notes |
| 2004 | Dead Birds | Yes | co-producer | |
| 2004 | 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 | |
| 2011 | Autoerotic | Yes | No | |
| 2011 | 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 | |
| 2024 | Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire | Yes | No | |
| 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. |
| 2013 | 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 |
| 2012 | The Sick Thing that happened to Emily when she was Younger | No | Yes | No | None | Segment of V/H/S ; Also camera operator |
| 2012 | 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 |
| 2013 | 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 |