Prolific Horror Movie Writer Simon Barrett Makes Directorial Debut with Shudder’s Seance [Trailer]

Horror movie geeks are quite familiar with the name Simon Barrett, as the writer-actor-producer has made quite a mark for himself in the last 15 years, primarily through collaborations with friend and recent Godzilla vs. Kong director Adam Wingard. Barrett was long the secret weapon of Wingard’s well-regarded early movies, having written two of the best: 2011’s You’re Next and 2014’s The Guest. He also occasionally fills in as an actor, having portrayed one of the masked killers of You’re Next. That kind of double duty was standard for the early 2010s innovators of low-budget indie horror sometimes referred to as “mumblegore,” which included Wingard and other contemporaries such as Joe Swanberg and Ti West.

Now, though, it’s time for Barrett to move behind the camera for his feature length directorial debut, Seance. Wingard, fittingly, is a producer this time around. The film has been acquired by RLJE, and is set for a theatrical release in May, following an ultimate destination on horror streamer Shudder later in the year. The first spooky trailer can be seen below.