With the release of The Invisible Man, it seems that longtime horror writer/director is finally getting his credit for his contribution to the genre.
Having already launched such franchises as Insidious as writer, this man has helped catapult careers of many through the sequels of those films. Many only know him for the bigger named franchises that he has a hand in and his newest big-name project, but he has written some smaller in scale gems as well. This list will take a look at Leigh Whannell's entire writing filmography front-to-back, showing fans of his new and old some projects they may not have known existed.
Dead Silence (2007) - 20%
Leigh famously stated that this is his least favorite of all of his films, a sleepy ghost town film about a ghost ventriloquist who lives through her dolls.
It seems that the reps for Wan/Whannell got them a sort of backup deal in case Saw flopped and Whannell forced out a story. He took up smoking and made himself come up with an idea and later on said he took it as a lesson and a positive.
Saw III (2006) - 28%
The third entry in the franchise would be the last time that Whannell was connected to it other than as an executive producer. The killing of John Kramer definitely seemed like a swing for Whannell to kill the franchise whether he would ever it it or not.
Not the strongest entry in the franchise, but it still felt to audiences in tone with the original and the second film because it was written by Whannell in collaboration with James Wan who helped him develop the story.
Insidious: The Last Key (2018) - 33%
Going into the background of Lin Shaye's character Elise much more in the latest entry of the Insidious franchise, Leigh not only writes these films but stars in them as well as Specs.
Leigh and Wan stick around so close to these films because they said not staying around for the Saw franchise was something that they learned from as filmmakers. When you create something that you care about that you created, never let it go because ownership is everything in the world of creativity.
Saw II (2005) - 37%
The screenplay for the sequel to the original Saw has a very interesting story behind it. After the initial success of the first film, producers wanted another by the following year, turning the film around as fast as possible. With Wan and Whannell already working on the backup film Dead Silence the studio started looking for scripts and came across one from Darren Lynn Bousman that really felt like Saw.
After showing the creators Whannell basically changed everything around the traps and the house full of them, making the characters in it related to the blossoming franchise. It was a sort of stitched together script of two scripts that Whannell did while making Dead Silence, BRAVO!
Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013) - 40%
Chapter 2 of the Insidious saga introduced a ton of new dynamics about "The Further" and what it actually was and what could be done inside of it. The writing and world-building done in this film is so intricate that it literally sets up building blocks that could be built upon for years to come if they felt like continuing that long.
The connectivity cannot be stressed enough when it comes to this franchise, every audience loves connected universes and this one has no holes whatsoever. Leigh even plugging holes that no one asked to be plugged with flawless writing.
Cooties (2015) - 45%
This wacky super out there gem is not known by many but has an All-Star cast including Whannell, Elijah Wood, Rainn Wilson, Allison Pill, and more. Following a group of teachers, as kids turn into vicious monsters due to bad chicken nuggets, that weird kind of writing is from the mind of Leigh Whannell.
This is Whannell finally flexing his comedic chops that have been seen in his acting and sometimes bleeds through in his writing. This film goes all out on comedy and it pays off so well in all the best ways.
Saw (2004) - 49%
The first film that Whannell ever wrote and crafted with a man that he still creates a lot with James Wan. This film catapulted horror into a renaissance of creativity and was the perfect flip-side to all of the PG-13 horrors that had started to come out. Before everyone started labeling it "Torture-Porn" horror, this film as a single horror film was scary, creepy, and full of surprises big and small.
Saw was successful and launched a franchise because it was really well made and it was extremely smart, written and shot with secrets hidden in plain sight if only you looked hard enough. Often overlooked by the many sequels is the fact that this film is a bonafide CLASSIC!
Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015) - 59%
Being the first film to not focus on the Lambert family was going to be tricky, but a talented writer like Whannell who also directed always finds a way to keep the audience engaged. It always helps having an actor like Lin Shaye at your disposal as well who can sell anything in the realm of horror.
Setting it up as a prequel makes it so the fans are not constantly asking too many questions about what is happening with the already known characters. These are the types of smart decisions that Leigh makes in what seems like every film he writes.
Insidious (2011) - 66%
When Wan/Whannell work together something magical must just be in the air. Fans of theirs were excited to learn they were back to work on something and when the first trailer released it blew away everyone.
The series was made by the duo as somewhat reactionary to show that they could make a series that does not rely so heavily on violence like Saw. The film showcased the team working together for the first time since Dead Silence which was also supposed to be more of a bare-bones old school horror film.
The Mule (2014) - 87%
Not to be confused with the film Directed by and starring Clint Eastwood, this film is an Australian made crime comedy film starring Hugo Weaving.
A very unique film that has its own style to it and was released directly to digital back in 2014, definitely deserves a watch for people who enjoy Whannell's writing style.