Karyn Kusama

Directing

Karyn Kusama

Born 1968-03-21 · Brooklyn, New York, USA

Karyn Kiyoko Kusama (born March 21, 1968) is an American filmmaker. She made her directorial and writing feature film debut with the sports drama Girlfight (2000) for which she received a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature. Kusama went on to direct the science fiction action film Æon Flux (2005), based on Peter Chung's animated series of the same name and the cult horror comedy film Jennifer's Body (2009). After working extensively as a television director, Kusama directed the horror film The Invitation (2015), a segment in the all-female horror anthology film XX (2017), and the Nicole Kidman-starring crime thriller film Destroyer (2018). Among her accolades, Kusama has received awards from the Cannes Film Festival and the Sundance Film Festival.

Acting credits

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

Chain Reactions poster
6.0

Fifty years after Tobe Hooper’s THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE shocked the world and forever changed the face of global cinema and popular culture, CHAIN REACTIONS charts the film’s profound impact and lasting influence on five great artists through early memories, sensory experiences, and childhood trauma.

Chain Reactions

2025

Lynch/Oz poster
6.9

Victor Fleming’s 1939 film The Wizard of Oz is one of David Lynch’s most enduring obsessions. This documentary goes over the rainbow to explore this Technicolor through-line in Lynch’s work.

Lynch/Oz

2023

Boorman and the Devil poster
8.5

Featuring commentary from surviving participants, as well as other filmmakers and critics, this documentary chronicles the career of director John Boorman and the tumultuous production of his film Exorcist II: The Heretic, exploring its critical and commercial failure, how it changed the industry, and the importance of risk-taking in art.

Boorman and the Devil

2026

Half the Picture poster
6.6

At a pivotal moment for gender equality in Hollywood, successful women directors talk about their art, lives and careers.

Half the Picture

2018

Body Parts poster
6.5

An eye-opening investigation into the making of Hollywood sex scenes, shedding light on the real-life experiences behind classic scenes of cinema and tracing the legacy of exploitation of women in the entertainment industry.

Body Parts

2022

Sex on Screen poster
4.3

Explores the process of creating sex scenes in Hollywood, the toll on those involved in filming them, and the impact such images have on women and girls in the real world. The film features candid interviews with actors and creators, including Jane Fonda, Rosanna Arquette, Joey Soloway, Angela Robinson, Karyn Kusama, Rose McGowan, Alexandra Billings, Emily Meade and David Simon, and highlights the voices of women who have spoken out against abusive behaviour on set and were punished for it.

Sex on Screen

2023

Behind the camera

Jennifer's Body poster
6.0

Jennifer, a gorgeous, seductive cheerleader takes evil to a whole new level after she's possessed by a sinister demon. Now it's up to her best friend to stop Jennifer's reign of terror before it's too late.

Jennifer's Body

2009

Destroyer poster
5.9

When Erin Bell was a young cop, she was given an undercover assignment that ended badly and destroyed her life. Years later, she must face her demons in order to make peace with her past.

Destroyer

2018

Æon Flux poster
5.6

400 years into the future, disease has wiped out the majority of the world's population, except one walled city, Bregna, ruled by a congress of scientists. When Æon Flux, the top operative in the underground 'Monican' rebellion, is sent on a mission to kill a government leader, she uncovers a world of secrets.

Æon Flux

2005

The Invitation poster
6.4

Will and his new girlfriend Kira are invited to a dinner with old friends at the house of Will’s ex Eden and her new partner David. Although the evening appears to be relaxed, Will soon gets a creeping suspicion that their charming host David is up to something.

The Invitation

2016

XX poster
5.0

This all-female horror anthology features four dark tales from four fiercely talented women.

XX

2017

XX poster
5.0

This all-female horror anthology features four dark tales from four fiercely talented women.

XX

2017

Girlfight poster
6.5

Diana Guzman, a troubled Brooklyn teenager, decides to channel her aggression by training to become a boxer, all while keeping it a secret from her father.

Girlfight

2000

Girlfight poster
6.5

Diana Guzman, a troubled Brooklyn teenager, decides to channel her aggression by training to become a boxer, all while keeping it a secret from her father.

Girlfight

2000

No artwork available
NR

Plot details TBA. Rumored to begin production in Vancouver in October 2026.

Jennifer's Body 2

Stan poster
NR

An obsessed fan comes to believe there is a hidden message buried within his favorite singer's songs.

Stan

Speechless poster
6.4

Desmond has a secret he cannot share with anyone. His grades are slipping, rumors are swirling and he feels powerless, especially when he sees his sister being hurt, too. With the support of his father and a new friend, Desmond is able to tell his story of being sexually assaulted and end the cycle of abuse. Desmond regains his power when he uses his voice.

Speechless

2015

No artwork available
NR

A wealthy New York couple turns to a controversial Eastern European fertility clinic to conceive when all conventional methods fail. Ten years later, the nightmarish side-effects of the procedure begin to manifest.

Breed

Bad Behavior poster
NR

Based on Mary Gaitskill's acclaimed best-selling book, BAD BEHAVIOR centers on the lives and loves of three siblings and the lower East Side of Manhattan in the early 1990s.

Bad Behavior

Bad Behavior poster
NR

Based on Mary Gaitskill's acclaimed best-selling book, BAD BEHAVIOR centers on the lives and loves of three siblings and the lower East Side of Manhattan in the early 1990s.

Bad Behavior

No artwork available
NR

Two sisters at bedtime discuss what their ideal boyfriend will look like. After they fall asleep, he arrives on a motorcycle.

Sleeping Beauties

1991