Brian Duffield blows up teenagers, pits them against strange monsters and killer babysitters, but always talks about love.

The crisis of ideas in Hollywood is talked about often and a lot. These conversations are driven by endless remakes, reboots, prequels-sidequels, and other reproductions that keep being actively pushed on us. But as long as people like Brian Duffield appear on the horizon, there is hope for fresh and witty cinema.

Who is Brian Duffield, and why you should talk about him

Brian Duffield is a 35-year-old screenwriter and director from Pennsylvania. He first gained attention in 2011 when his script landed on the Black List of best screenplays. That work later turned into a solid western starring Natalie Portman, “Jane Got a Gun” (2015).

His very next original script became a big hit for Netflix, which was the first to jump in and acquire the rights to the film “The Babysitter” (2017). McG’s film became one of the most original, distinctive, funny, and successful comedy horrors of the last 5 years. This is further confirmed by the sequel, which, alas, turned out to be much worse than the original. Perhaps precisely because Brian Duffield himself had no part in its creation.

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Open material

After the not-so-successful experience of writing the brutal, contained horror film starring Kristen Stewart, “Underwater”, Duffield turned to the young adult genre with horror undertones and wrote two more excellent films: “Love and Monsters” and “Spontaneous”. These recent works elevated the young man to the status of one of Hollywood’s most promising screenwriters, and his schedule already includes new film and TV projects that will surely showcase Duffield’s talent again. So now is the perfect time to dive into his filmography, before it becomes mainstream.

Playing with clichés, witty humor, and love as a driving force

Although most of Brian Duffield’s films are unlike each other in terms of script or form, his authorial voice has already become recognizable. His toolkit includes a skillful play on genre tropes and clichés from films of past years, mandatory humor built both on witty banter between characters and on situational comedy, and at the center of each of his stories is love. Even if, at the same time, people are exploding or dangerous monsters are running amok.

In “The Babysitter,” Duffield, in the manner of “The Cabin in the Woods,” brilliantly mocked the long-outdated genre of the teen slasher, while simultaneously giving it a new lease on life. In this film, every character is a walking stereotype, which forms the basis for most of the gags. Every death is a real spectacle of elaborate madness. But what’s even more interesting is that beneath the shell of a seemingly silly horror film in the style of 80s cinema, the screenwriter told a subtle and very precise story about first teenage love and the associated self-doubt.

In the road movie “Love and Monsters,” which unexpectedly ended up among the nominees, the theme of first love was presented in the context of unrequited feelings. Or rather, possible unrequited feelings, because the main character, played by Dylan O'Brien, embarks on a dangerous journey across a land teeming with deadly monsters to meet his beloved, whom he hasn’t seen for years, not knowing how she will react. Silly? Yes. Romantic? Absolutely!

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Open material

In his directorial debut, the film “Spontaneous,” Brian Duffield continued to explore the theme of first love. In this story, he placed his characters in a setting where any character could literally explode at any moment. In this metaphorical way, the director demonstrated the impossibility of controlling much of what happens in life, including the death of loved ones. Particularly successful in this regard is the final monologue of the heroine Katherine Langford about how to live with it, which can sober up many members of Generation Z.

Brian Duffield skillfully combines the techniques of low genres with very clear ideas and an authentic portrait of youth. He manages to create simple, entertaining, but not stupid cinema, if you look closely. He deftly incorporates homages to classics into his films while simultaneously poking gentle fun at them. Duffield’s films exude a huge love for the art, which can be distantly compared to the enthusiasm of Steven Spielberg when he created his early sci-fi films.

P.S. To get to know Duffield even better, try reading his short essay at the link.