Leigh Whannell

Writing

Leigh Whannell

Born

1977-01-17 (49)

Place of birth

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Known for

Writing

Credits

80 titles

Leigh Whannell (/ˈli ˈwɑːnɛl/; born 17 January 1977) is an Australian filmmaker and actor. He has written multiple films that were directed by his friend James Wan, including Saw (2004), Dead Silence (2007), Insidious (2010), and Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013). Whannell made his directorial debut with Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015) and has since directed three more films, Upgrade (2018), The Invisible Man (2020) and Wolf Man (2025). Whannell and Wan are the creators of the Saw franchise. Whannell wrote the first installment, co-wrote the second and third installments, was the producer or executive producer for all the films, and appeared as the Adam Stanheight character in three of the installmen…

Known for

Insidious: Out of the Further poster
7.7

Gemma, a young mother raising her daughter in the house she grew up in, discovers she can travel into The Further, where she possesses an ability to bring what lives there back to the real world.

Insidious: Out of the Further

2026

Neighbours poster
6.1

Neighbours is an Australian television soap opera. The show's storylines concern the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in Erinsborough, a fictional suburb of Melbourne, Victoria. The series primarily centres around the residents of Ramsay Street, a short cul-de-sac, and its neighbouring areas, the Lassiters complex, which includes a bar, hotel, cafe, news office and park. Neighbours began with three families created by Watson – the Ramsays, the Robinsons and the Clarkes. Watson said that he wanted to show three families who are friends living in a small street. The Robinsons and the Ramsays had a long history and were involved in an ongoing rivalry.

Neighbours

1985

Blue Heelers poster
6.7

Blue Heelers was one of Australia's longest running weekly television drama series. Blue Heelers is a police drama series set in the fictional country town of Mount Thomas. Under the watchful eye of Tom Croydon (John Wood), the men and women of Mount Thomas Police Station fight crime, resolve disputes and tackle the social issues of the day. We watch their successes and their failures and learn to grow with them and their loved ones as the heart of the series develops.

Blue Heelers

1993

Insidious: Chapter 2 poster
6.7

The haunted Lambert family seeks to uncover the mysterious childhood secret that has left them dangerously connected to the spirit world.

Insidious: Chapter 2

2013

The Matrix Reloaded poster
7.1

The Resistance builds in numbers as humans are freed from the Matrix and brought to the city of Zion. Neo discovers his superpowers, including the ability to see the code inside the Matrix. With machine sentinels digging to Zion in 72 hours, Neo, Morpheus and Trinity must find the Keymaker to ultimately reach the Source.

The Matrix Reloaded

2003

Insidious: Chapter 3 poster
6.3

A prequel set before the haunting of the Lambert family that reveals how gifted psychic Elise Rainier reluctantly agrees to use her ability to contact the dead in order to help a teenage girl who has been targeted by a dangerous supernatural entity.

Insidious: Chapter 3

2015

Film credits

2020s · 5 titles

2010s · 19 titles

Insidious: Chapter 2 poster
6.7

The haunted Lambert family seeks to uncover the mysterious childhood secret that has left them dangerously connected to the spirit world.

Insidious: Chapter 2

2013

Insidious: Chapter 3 poster
6.3

A prequel set before the haunting of the Lambert family that reveals how gifted psychic Elise Rainier reluctantly agrees to use her ability to contact the dead in order to help a teenage girl who has been targeted by a dangerous supernatural entity.

Insidious: Chapter 3

2015

Insidious poster
7.0

A family discovers that dark spirits have invaded their home after their son inexplicably falls into an endless sleep. When they reach out to a professional for help, they learn things are a lot more personal than they thought.

Insidious

2011

Insidious: The Last Key poster
6.3

Parapsychologist Elise Rainier and her team travel to Five Keys, NM, to investigate a man’s claim of a haunting. Terror soon strikes when Rainier realizes that the house he lives in was her family’s old home.

Insidious: The Last Key

2018

Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole poster
6.8

When a young owl is abducted by an evil Owl army, he must escape with new-found friends and seek the legendary Guardians to stop the menace.

Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole

2010

Aquaman poster
6.9

Half-human, half-Atlantean Arthur Curry is taken on the journey of his lifetime to discover if he is worth of being a king.

Aquaman

2018

Saw 3D poster
6.0

As a deadly battle rages over Jigsaw's brutal legacy, a group of Jigsaw survivors gathers to seek the support of self-help guru and fellow survivor Bobby Dagen, a man whose own dark secrets unleash a new wave of terror.

Saw 3D

2010

The Bye Bye Man poster
5.2

When three college students move into an old house off campus, they unwittingly unleash a supernatural entity known as The Bye Bye Man, who comes to prey upon them once they discover his name. The friends must try to save each other, all the while keeping The Bye Bye Man's existence a secret to save others from the same deadly fate.

The Bye Bye Man

2017

Cooties poster
5.9

A mysterious virus hits an isolated elementary school, transforming the kids into a feral swarm of mass savages. An unlikely hero must lead a motley band of teachers in the fight of their lives.

Cooties

2014

Keep Watching poster
5.0

A family imprisoned by intruders is forced to play a terrifying game of "Kill, Or Be Killed". As the night unfolds, the game's mysterious rules become clear, and the family realizes their nightmare is being streamed live to riveted viewers all over the world, who are compelled to KEEP WATCHING... not knowing if what they're seeing is real, or staged.

Keep Watching

2017

Crush poster
6.0

A secret admirer's crush on a high school athlete takes a fatal turn.

Crush

2013

Lavalantula poster
4.8

Giant lava breathing tarantulas – Lavalantulas – erupt out of ancient volcanos in the Santa Monica Mountains, raining death and destruction upon Los Angeles. With the City of Angels on the verge of incineration, only a washed up ‘90s action hero actor stands in the way of this monstrous swarm of bloodthirsty creatures who burn their victims alive.

Lavalantula

2015

78/52 poster
7.1

The most famous murder scene in movie history comprises 78 camera settings and 52 cuts: the shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho. 78/52 tells the story of the man behind the curtain and his greatest obsession.

78/52

2017

The Pardon poster
4.4

Toni Jo tries to break her husband, Cowboy, out of prison and becomes an instant sensation due to her beauty.

The Pardon

2013

Raze poster
5.1

After Sabrina is abducted, she finds herself in an underground lair, forced to do battle with other innocent women for the amusement of unseen spectators. Each of these reluctant warriors has something to lose, but only one will remain when the game is done.

Raze

2013

The Mule poster
6.3

In 1983, a naive man is detained by Australian Federal Police with lethal narcotics hidden in his stomach. After being apprehended, ‘The Mule’ makes a desperate choice... to defy his bodily functions and withhold the evidence – literally.

The Mule

2014

Game Changer: The Legacy of Saw poster
7.2

Generations of movie fans have thrilled to Saw's blood-curdling story of a serial killer who traps his victims in a sadistic game of survival. Game Changer takes you behind the scenes, as cast and crew reveal the stories behind the film that launched the most successful horror franchise in movie history.

Game Changer: The Legacy of Saw

2015

Dick Elves poster
6.0

Two rebellious elves start to bother their colleagues who are just trying to do their job as santa’s helpers

Dick Elves

2011

The Debt Collector poster
6.0

An unlikely love story between a lonely collections agent and his elderly neighbor.

The Debt Collector

2012

2000s · 21 titles

The Matrix Reloaded poster
7.1

The Resistance builds in numbers as humans are freed from the Matrix and brought to the city of Zion. Neo discovers his superpowers, including the ability to see the code inside the Matrix. With machine sentinels digging to Zion in 72 hours, Neo, Morpheus and Trinity must find the Keymaker to ultimately reach the Source.

The Matrix Reloaded

2003

Saw III poster
6.4

Jigsaw has disappeared. Along with his new apprentice Amanda, the puppet-master behind the cruel, intricate games that have terrified a community and baffled police has once again eluded capture and vanished. While city detectives scramble to locate him, Doctor Lynn Denlon and Jeff Reinhart are unaware that they are about to become the latest pawns on his vicious chessboard.

Saw III

2006

Saw poster
7.4

Two men wake up to find themselves shackled in a grimy, abandoned bathroom. As they struggle to comprehend their predicament, they discover a disturbing tape left behind by the sadistic mastermind known as Jigsaw. With a chilling voice and cryptic instructions, Jigsaw informs them that they must partake in a gruesome game in order to secure their freedom.

Saw

2004

Saw II poster
6.6

The chilling and relentless Jigsaw killer returns to terrorize the city once again. When a gruesome murder victim emerges with unmistakable traces of Jigsaw's sinister methods, Detective Eric Matthews is thrust into a high-stakes investigation. To his surprise, apprehending Jigsaw seems almost too easy, but what he doesn't realize is that being caught is merely another piece of Jigsaw's intricate puzzle.

Saw II

2005

Death Sentence poster
6.8

Nick Hume is a mild-mannered executive with a perfect life, until one gruesome night he witnesses something that changes him forever. Transformed by grief, Hume eventually comes to the disturbing conclusion that no length is too great when protecting his family.

Death Sentence

2007

Saw poster
7.0

David, an orderly at a hospital, tells his horrific story of being kidnapped and forced to play a vile game of survival.

Saw

2003

Dying Breed poster
5.2

An extinct species, the Tasmanian tiger. A long-forgotten legend, “The Pieman” aka Alexander Pearce, who was hanged for cannibalism in 1824. Both had a desperate need to survive; both could have living descendants within the Tasmanian bush. Four hikers venture deep into isolated territory to find one of these legends, but which one will they come upon first?

Dying Breed

2008

Not Quite Hollywood poster
6.8

As Australian cinema broke through to international audiences in the 1970s through respected art house films like Peter Weir's "Picnic At Hanging Rock," a new underground of low-budget exploitation filmmakers were turning out considerably less highbrow fare. Documentary filmmaker Mark Hartley explores this unbridled era of sex and violence, complete with clips from some of the scene's most outrageous flicks and interviews with the renegade filmmakers themselves.

Not Quite Hollywood

2008

Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film poster
6.8

This historical and critical look at slasher films, which includes dozens of clips, begins with Halloween, Friday the 13th, and Prom Night. The films' directors, writers, producers, and special effects creators comment on the films' making and success. During the Reagan years, the films get gorier, budgets get smaller, and their appeal wanes. Then, Nightmare on Elm Street revives the genre. Jump to the late 90s, when Scream brings humor and TV stars into the mix.

Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film

2006

One Perfect Day poster
5.4

Tommy Matisse, a gifted musician, undertakes an odyssey of self-discovery and tragedy in Melbourne's dance music scene.

One Perfect Day

2004

The Scott Tibbs Documentary poster
4.7

Scott Tibbs, one of the Saw world's unseen background characters, takes his own unique perspective on the Jigsaw murders in his down-and-dirty documentary.

The Scott Tibbs Documentary

2006

The Referees poster
7.5

Nick has a one stand with a certain Adele Del Monica. To gather if she would make a good girlfriend, he checks up with her three recent boyfriends: Robert, Tony & Stevo.

The Referees

2003

Making of Saw III poster
NR

Actors and directors of the film "Saw III" talk about the process of making the film.

Making of Saw III

2007

Hacking Away at 'Saw' poster
6.0

People who worked on the film 'Saw' recount events throughout the making of the movie. From creation to screen, the origin of the Saw franchise.

Hacking Away at 'Saw'

2005

Doggie Heaven poster
5.1

The creative team behind the smash hit "Saw" films, James Wan and Leigh Whannell, tell the story of a young man who is having a dog of a day. Hes just been shot dead, but his real problems are only just beginning due to a clerical error that has sent him to the wrong heaven.

Doggie Heaven

2008

Full Disclosure Report poster
4.0

A faux documentary set in the world of 'Saw' that sees reporters investigate the mysterious case around Jigsaw. Universe expanding video and extra-feature on the DVD of "Saw"

Full Disclosure Report

2005

No artwork available
NR

a Memoriam for Gregg Hoffman

Gregg Hoffman: In Memoriam

2006

Razor Eaters poster
6.0

The front row ticket to an anarchistic rampage of death and destruction. First turned on during a home invasion, the gang's video camera never lets up as they take on the city and become our anti-heros by targeting all those we'd love to see get punished - corrupt politicians, filthy drug dealers, arrogant sports stars... and parking inspectors! Now they're wanted for murder, kidnapping, arson, assault, armed robbery, burglary... And they've got it all on video.

Razor Eaters

2003

The Last Supper poster
1.0

Set ten minutes before Jesus arrives at The Last Supper, 13 men at lunch fueled by wine and emotion. Satirising Man's hedonism and greed, 'The Last Supper' explores race and religion whilst re-imagining two of history's greatest betrayals... three if you count reality television.

The Last Supper

2009

The Making of Dead Silence poster
5.7

Short documentary on the making of Dead Silence.

The Making of Dead Silence

2007

The PhanDom Menace poster
8.0

The PhanDom Menace presents the definitive look at the most devoted fans on the planet. Follow the lives of Australia's most passionate Star Wars fans as the moment they've waited 16 years for is suddenly upon them. See the amazing costumes, trivia soaked brains, vast collections and unconditional dedication that make these fans a breed apart. Be stunned by the shockwaves that echo through the Star Wars fan community at the dawn of its new prequel era.

The PhanDom Menace

2002

Series credits

Neighbours poster
6.1

Neighbours is an Australian television soap opera. The show's storylines concern the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in Erinsborough, a fictional suburb of Melbourne, Victoria. The series primarily centres around the residents of Ramsay Street, a short cul-de-sac, and its neighbouring areas, the Lassiters complex, which includes a bar, hotel, cafe, news office and park. Neighbours began with three families created by Watson – the Ramsays, the Robinsons and the Clarkes. Watson said that he wanted to show three families who are friends living in a small street. The Robinsons and the Ramsays had a long history and were involved in an ongoing rivalry.

Neighbours

1985

Blue Heelers poster
6.7

Blue Heelers was one of Australia's longest running weekly television drama series. Blue Heelers is a police drama series set in the fictional country town of Mount Thomas. Under the watchful eye of Tom Croydon (John Wood), the men and women of Mount Thomas Police Station fight crime, resolve disputes and tackle the social issues of the day. We watch their successes and their failures and learn to grow with them and their loved ones as the heart of the series develops.

Blue Heelers

1993

Eli Roth's History of Horror poster
6.4

An in-depth look at the history and pop cultural significance of horror films.

Eli Roth's History of Horror

2018

Grave Conversations poster
10.0

An unforgettable journey into the depths of human existence, while David Dastmalchian guides his guests through discussions that delve into personal reflections on mortality, legacy, and the afterlife, all while lying down in Titan caskets.

Grave Conversations

2024

Recovery poster
NR

Recovery was a music and youth-oriented television series that was broadcast by ABC TV in Australia. The show was aired each Saturday morning from 9:00am to 12:00pm, following the overnight video clip program, Rage, and was broadcast from 20 April 1996 to 29 April 2000.

Recovery

1996

The Project poster
4.0

Six nights a week, The Project provides Australian viewers with their dose of ‘news delivered differently’, serving up thought-provoking news, current affairs, comedy and entertainment.

The Project

2009

The Panel poster
8.5

The Panel was a weekly topical comedy-style chat show produced by Happy Endings Productions for RTÉ. It is based on the Australian programme The Panel, produced by Working Dog Productions for Network Ten. The 2010–2011 season began on 7 October 2010, with a new permanent presenter, Craig Doyle, and ran each Thursday at 22:15 on RTÉ One until 26 January 2011. The theme song is "Waterfall" by The Stone Roses.

The Panel

2003

30 Even Scarier Movie Moments poster
6.0

30 Even Scarier Movie Moments was a two-part miniseries on Bravo which counted down 30 more of the most frightening scenes in horror cinema, or any other genre. This is also a two-part sequel to 100 Scariest Movie Moments. The list mostly consists of movies that didn't quite make the first list, or popular movies that had come out since.

30 Even Scarier Movie Moments

2007

The Core poster
4.5

The Core is a dissection of the brilliant minds from which genre films spring. Whether it's a demo on head explosions, or a primer on avoiding predictable jump scares, The Core busts open the traditional talk show and plays with its guts. Host Mickey Keating and his guests examine the onscreen techniques and real-life psychologies that strike fear into our very core. We'll turn you on to what's thrilling in filmmaking today, without subjecting you to a chat with that dude Greg from film school.

The Core

2017

Insidious: Spectral Sightings poster
NR

Follows characters Specs and Tucker as they investigate a house, in which they come to meet Elise Rainier

Insidious: Spectral Sightings

2013

Behind the camera

Insidious: Out of the Further poster
7.7

Gemma, a young mother raising her daughter in the house she grew up in, discovers she can travel into The Further, where she possesses an ability to bring what lives there back to the real world.

Insidious: Out of the Further

2026

Insidious: Chapter 2 poster
6.7

The haunted Lambert family seeks to uncover the mysterious childhood secret that has left them dangerously connected to the spirit world.

Insidious: Chapter 2

2013

Insidious: Chapter 3 poster
6.3

A prequel set before the haunting of the Lambert family that reveals how gifted psychic Elise Rainier reluctantly agrees to use her ability to contact the dead in order to help a teenage girl who has been targeted by a dangerous supernatural entity.

Insidious: Chapter 3

2015

Insidious: Chapter 3 poster
6.3

A prequel set before the haunting of the Lambert family that reveals how gifted psychic Elise Rainier reluctantly agrees to use her ability to contact the dead in order to help a teenage girl who has been targeted by a dangerous supernatural entity.

Insidious: Chapter 3

2015

Insidious: The Red Door poster
6.5

To put their demons to rest once and for all, Josh Lambert and a college-aged Dalton Lambert must go deeper into The Further than ever before, facing their family's dark past and a host of new and more horrifying terrors that lurk behind the red door.

Insidious: The Red Door

2023

Saw III poster
6.4

Jigsaw has disappeared. Along with his new apprentice Amanda, the puppet-master behind the cruel, intricate games that have terrified a community and baffled police has once again eluded capture and vanished. While city detectives scramble to locate him, Doctor Lynn Denlon and Jeff Reinhart are unaware that they are about to become the latest pawns on his vicious chessboard.

Saw III

2006

The Invisible Man poster
7.1

When Cecilia's abusive ex takes his own life and leaves her his fortune, she suspects his death was a hoax. As a series of coincidences turn lethal, Cecilia works to prove that she is being hunted by someone nobody can see.

The Invisible Man

2020

The Invisible Man poster
7.1

When Cecilia's abusive ex takes his own life and leaves her his fortune, she suspects his death was a hoax. As a series of coincidences turn lethal, Cecilia works to prove that she is being hunted by someone nobody can see.

The Invisible Man

2020

Saw poster
7.4

Two men wake up to find themselves shackled in a grimy, abandoned bathroom. As they struggle to comprehend their predicament, they discover a disturbing tape left behind by the sadistic mastermind known as Jigsaw. With a chilling voice and cryptic instructions, Jigsaw informs them that they must partake in a gruesome game in order to secure their freedom.

Saw

2004

Insidious poster
7.0

A family discovers that dark spirits have invaded their home after their son inexplicably falls into an endless sleep. When they reach out to a professional for help, they learn things are a lot more personal than they thought.

Insidious

2011

Insidious: The Last Key poster
6.3

Parapsychologist Elise Rainier and her team travel to Five Keys, NM, to investigate a man’s claim of a haunting. Terror soon strikes when Rainier realizes that the house he lives in was her family’s old home.

Insidious: The Last Key

2018

Insidious: The Last Key poster
6.3

Parapsychologist Elise Rainier and her team travel to Five Keys, NM, to investigate a man’s claim of a haunting. Terror soon strikes when Rainier realizes that the house he lives in was her family’s old home.

Insidious: The Last Key

2018

Wolf Man poster
6.1

With his marriage fraying, Blake persuades his wife Charlotte to take a break from the city and visit his remote childhood home in rural Oregon. As they arrive at the farmhouse in the dead of night, they're attacked by an unseen animal and barricade themselves inside the home as the creature prowls the perimeter. But as the night stretches on, Blake begins to behave strangely, transforming into something unrecognizable.

Wolf Man

2025

Wolf Man poster
6.1

With his marriage fraying, Blake persuades his wife Charlotte to take a break from the city and visit his remote childhood home in rural Oregon. As they arrive at the farmhouse in the dead of night, they're attacked by an unseen animal and barricade themselves inside the home as the creature prowls the perimeter. But as the night stretches on, Blake begins to behave strangely, transforming into something unrecognizable.

Wolf Man

2025

Dead Silence poster
6.5

Jamie returns to his hometown in search of answers to his wife's murder, which occurred after receiving a weird package containing a ventriloquist dummy named Billy, which may be linked to the legend of ventriloquist Mary Shaw. Destined to find out the truth, Jamie goes to the town of Raven's Fair, where Shaw used to perform and is buried. But Jamie is in for more than he expected.

Dead Silence

2007

Saw II poster
6.6

The chilling and relentless Jigsaw killer returns to terrorize the city once again. When a gruesome murder victim emerges with unmistakable traces of Jigsaw's sinister methods, Detective Eric Matthews is thrust into a high-stakes investigation. To his surprise, apprehending Jigsaw seems almost too easy, but what he doesn't realize is that being caught is merely another piece of Jigsaw's intricate puzzle.

Saw II

2005

Upgrade poster
7.5

A brutal mugging leaves Grey Trace paralyzed in the hospital and his beloved wife dead. A billionaire inventor soon offers Trace a cure — an artificial intelligence implant called STEM that will enhance his body. Now able to walk, Grey finds that he also has superhuman strength and agility — skills he uses to seek revenge against the thugs who destroyed his life.

Upgrade

2018

Upgrade poster
7.5

A brutal mugging leaves Grey Trace paralyzed in the hospital and his beloved wife dead. A billionaire inventor soon offers Trace a cure — an artificial intelligence implant called STEM that will enhance his body. Now able to walk, Grey finds that he also has superhuman strength and agility — skills he uses to seek revenge against the thugs who destroyed his life.

Upgrade

2018

Cooties poster
5.9

A mysterious virus hits an isolated elementary school, transforming the kids into a feral swarm of mass savages. An unlikely hero must lead a motley band of teachers in the fight of their lives.

Cooties

2014

Saw poster
7.0

David, an orderly at a hospital, tells his horrific story of being kidnapped and forced to play a vile game of survival.

Saw

2003

The Mule poster
6.3

In 1983, a naive man is detained by Australian Federal Police with lethal narcotics hidden in his stomach. After being apprehended, ‘The Mule’ makes a desperate choice... to defy his bodily functions and withhold the evidence – literally.

The Mule

2014

Untitled Saw Film poster
NR

The eleventh film in the series. Plot details TBA.

Untitled Saw Film

—

Doggie Heaven poster
5.1

The creative team behind the smash hit "Saw" films, James Wan and Leigh Whannell, tell the story of a young man who is having a dog of a day. Hes just been shot dead, but his real problems are only just beginning due to a clerical error that has sent him to the wrong heaven.

Doggie Heaven

2008

No artwork available
NR

A newspaper publisher teams up with a martial arts expert to fight crime. A reboot based on the 1960 TV series.

The Green Hornet and Kato

—