Darren Stein

Darren Stein (born December 24, 1971) is an American film director, screenwriter, and film producer who grew up in Los Angeles's San Fernando Valley. Among his works include the documentary Put the Camera on Me, the 2010 horror comedy All About Evil, and the satirical major motion picture Jawbreaker, which was deemed a "cult classic" by the New York Post.

Early life and education Stein was born and raised in Encino, California. His father worked with his grandparents at a film lab and post-production company called Crest National in Hollywood.

Career

Late 1990s Stein's first feature was Sparkler, a film about a newly single woman in Victorville, California, who crosses paths with three young men on a road trip to Las Vegas. Stein co-wrote and directed the film which featured Park Overall, Jamie Kennedy, Freddie Prinze Jr., Grace Zabriskie, and Veronica Cartwright. The film premiered at the Hamptons Film Festival.

Stein's second feature, Jawbreaker, premiered at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for the MTV Movie Award for “Best Villain”. The dark comedy about three teenage girls who accidentally kill their best friend via a birthday prank gone awry had a wide release in theaters through Tristar Pictures. The film's stars — Rose McGowan, Julie Benz, and Rebecca Gayheart — reunited at 90s Con in March 2023.

2001–2004 Stein's third feature, Put the Camera on Me, premiered at Outfest in July 2003. The documentary takes viewers behind the scenes of the movies Stein made with his neighborhood friends on his Encino cul-de-sac in the 1980s. Stein co-directed and co-produced the film with Adam Shell. The project was released on DVD through Wellspring/Genius Entertainment.

2005–2008 Stein executive-produced Cam Archer’s Wild Tigers I Have Known, which premiered at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival.

2009–2015 In 2010, Stein produced All About Evil, a horror comedy starring Natasha Lyonne, Thomas Dekker, Cassandra Peterson, Noah Segan, and Jack Donner. The film is written and directed by Joshua Grannell (also known as the drag queen Peaches Christ). All About Evil premiered at the San Francisco International Film Festival. It was released on Blu-Ray through Severin in 2022.

Stein wrote the book for Jawbreaker the Musical, with music and lyrics by Jeff Thomson and Jordan Mann. The stage musical had a one-night showing on July 29, 2010, in Los Angeles, featuring Jenna Leigh Green, Eden Espinosa, Shoshana Bean, and Megan Hilty. The show also had a reading in New York City featuring Elizabeth Gillies, Jojo, and Diana Degarmo.

Stein was the writer of Seeds of Yesterday (2015), based on the book by V.C. Andrews for Lifetime starring Sammi Hanratty, James Maslow, Jason Lewis, and Rachel Carpani. It was directed by Shawn Ku.

2016–present Stein has appeared as a guest judge on five seasons of The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula.

He has directed music videos for Deap Vally (featuring Trixie Mattel), The Haunt (featuring Vander Von Odd), and '90s electropop band Dirty Sanchez.

Personal life Stein is openly gay.

Filmography 1988 Aviel Short film Director and writer 1997 Sparkler Film Director and writer 1999 Jawbreaker Film Director and writer 2003 Put the Camera on Me Documentary Himself Director, cinematographer, editor, producer and writer 2006 Wild Tigers I Have Known Film Executive producer 2007 Color Me Olsen Short film Director, producer and writer 2010 All About Evil Film Producer 2013 G.B.F. Film Director and producer 2014 Hey Qween! Web series Himself Guest (1 episode: Paul Iacono & Darren Stein) 2016-2024 The Boulet Brothers' Dragula TV Himself Guest judge (6 episodes: Season 1, episode 1; Season 2, episode 6; Season 3, episode 4; Season 4, episode 1; Season 5, episode 7; Season 6, episode 5) 2017 Do the Voice TV Director and executive producer (1 episode) 2022 The Boulet Brothers' Dragula: Titans TV Himself Producer (10 episodes)Guest judge (Episode 3)