Exclusive Interview: Darren Barnet Chats Untitled Horror Movie & Never Have I Ever

Have you ever wondered what would happen if six actors got together to make a film during a global pandemic? Well, we’ve got the answer because that’s the backstory behind the must-see new film, Untitled Horror Movie.

Brought to you by the director of Truth or Dare, Untitled Horror Movie follows six co-stars who learn that their hit TV show is about to be canceled, so they decided to shoot their own movie—after all, how hard can it be? Stuck for a plot, they unintentionally summon a demonic spirit with an affinity for violence that starts picking them off, one vapid actor at a time.

Starring Luke Baines, Kat McNamara, Claire Holt, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Darren Barnet, and Tim Granaderos, Untitled Horror Movie is a fun escape from reality with tons of laughs and a few scares thrown in there.

Pop Culturalist had the pleasure of speaking with one of the stars, Darren Barnet, about the film, how he and the cast built their bond remotely, and what audiences can expect from Season 2 of his hit series, Never Have I Ever.

PC: Luke [Baines] reached out to you to be a part of this film. How did he initially pitch the story and this character to you?
Darren: He just called me one day. I hadn’t spoken to him for many months. He was like, “Hey man, look, I know it’s crazy, but I’m doing this insane little film that I wrote. I have a role that I think you’re perfect for.” He was like, “I was scrolling through Instagram, saw your picture, and was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is it. Why don’t you take a read? If you are keen to it, jump on board.’”

Obviously, I wasn’t doing anything during quarantine workwise at that point because it was at the very start of it, but I thought it was very funny and quirky. I thought it was very special that we could make a film. We might’ve been among the first films that were filmed during quarantine. It really caught my eye. Luke’s a great guy, so it was an easy yes.

PC: You all made this film on your own. Can you walk us through that experience behind the scenes?
Darren: We were sent a kit with an iPhone, a lighting system, makeup, sound, everything of that sort. We had a wonderful DP, a technical coordinator, Kevin [Duggin], plus Nick [Simon], our director. Before every scene, we would set up the shot meticulously to what they wanted, and then we would roll. It was very much on our shoulders, but we had wonderful guidance, which took off a little bit of the pressure.

PC: What is the biggest lesson you learned from this experience that you’ll apply to future projects?
Darren: There was so much going on behind the scenes. I started behind the camera, and it reminded me how appreciative you need to be about the amount of work people put in to make you look good, sound good, and make the film flow well. It made me more aware of how I can make other people’s jobs easier. There were things where I was like, “Okay, do that. Don’t do that because this will mess up the sound. This would do that. This would that.” That all made me more self-aware, I’d say.

PC: The film does a fantastic job balancing horror with comedy, and your character, in particular, brings a lot of levity. How much of your scenes were improvised? Do you a scene that you’re excited for your fans to see?
Darren: Yeah, a lot of it was improv. Obviously, I respected the script and the writing, and I wanted to honor that, but Nick really allowed me, as well as everyone else, to go off the rails. I did a lot. [laughs] I’d say every scene has at least one moment where it was improv.

My favorite one that I did—I’m very proud of it—is when I got back to my “mom’s house”. That wasn’t planned. I was filming a movie in New York, but they needed to re-shoot something. We were like, “How do we work this out?” We decided it would be my “mom’s house”, but I was working on my friend’s old crotchety laptop, and the headphone jack didn’t work. I had to do the scene without being able to hear my co-stars and just lip read what they were saying and then react.

The moment where my mom is vacuuming and it scares me—that was completely improvised. My costars both lost it during that and went out of character, but I couldn’t hear them; I just stayed in it, sitting there, not really knowing what to do. It was really challenging, but it was a lot of fun. It worked better under pressure. It was pretty great.

PC: There’s an organic chemistry that jumps off the screen. With the exception of Luke, who you’ve worked with in the past, had you met anybody that was part of this film? How did you all build that chemistry remotely?
Darren: Never met any of them. Luke was the glue that brought us all together. I felt comfortable with Luke, therefore, felt comfortable with the rest of the cast. The chemistry was very instant. It was effortless to film. We all got a very good sense of each other’s sense of humor and the way we would work. It was quick and very fun.

PC: If you had to describe each of your cast members in one word, what would it be?
Darren: Tim is a charmer. Luke is very witty. Kat is eloquent. Emmy is Fierce. Claire is, I don’t want to say posh, not posh…she’s also fierce. I’ll say she’s also fierce.

PC: With the film coming out next week, what do you hope audiences take away after they see it?
Darren: You’d like everyone to appreciate how hard it is to make a film and how special it was that we made this. Not everybody has a deep appreciation about how the film is made and will walk away with that, but I hope that’s at least on their radar because we were among the first to shoot during quarantine. Jumping through those hoops was a very big accomplishment. I also hope people have a good time. It’s supposed to be fun. It’s supposed to be an enjoyable experience.

PC: In addition to Untitled Horror Movie, you’re also one of the stars of Never Have I Ever. Season 2 is about to drop. What can fans expect this season?
Darren: Fans can expect the same wonderful comedy and heartfelt moments of Season 1, but I think on a different level this season. Also, we’ll get a deeper look into Paxton as a character, which I was so honored to be able to do. But you’re going to get to know him a little bit better, and I think that’s going to be a good time.

To keep up with Darren, follow him on Instagram. Check out Untitled Horror Movie when it comes out on June 15th.