William Brent Bell is an American filmmaker. He is best known for directing horror films such as "Stay Alive" (2006), "The Devil Inside" (2012), "Wer" (2013), "The Boy" (2016), "Brahms: The Boy II" (2020), "Separation" (2021), "Orphan: First Kill" (2022), "Lord of Misrule" (2023), and "Orphans" (2027). He is the founder of production company The Machine Room.
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Biography from TMDB.
- Lexington, Kentucky, USA
- Director, writer, editor and producer
- 9 on MovieCove · 14 credits in all
What are William Brent Bell's films like?
Across their 8 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Bonds.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 8
Light 0 · Serious 1 · Dark 7
A split, not a type: Grounded 3 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 0
Gentle 0 · Charged 1 · Intense 7
Steady 2 · Shifting 6 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 8 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 0
Slow burn 1 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 2
Casual 1 · Engaged 6 · Full focus 1
Easy watch 1 · Affecting 6 · Heavy 1
Resolved 4 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Bittersweet4
- Tragic2
- Ambiguous2
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch William Brent Bell's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 5 of their 9 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Paramount+ (2).
Subscription and free streaming for William Brent Bell's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
14 credits, 9 with a MovieCove page.
Lord of Misrule(2023)
Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films
Orphan: First Kill(2022)
Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films
Separation(2021)
Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films
Brahms: The Boy II(2020)
Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films
The Boy(2016)
Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films
Wer(2013)
Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films
The Devil Inside(2012)
Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films
Stay Alive(2006)
Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all filmsSparkle and Charm (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)
Power 98(1996)
Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all filmsFear Paris (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Isochronic (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Orphans (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
The Vatican (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 14 titles, 10 of them dated from 1996 to 2023.
Biggest box office
The Devil Inside (2012)
Highest rated
Wer (2013)
Most popular right now
Orphan: First Kill (2022)
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do William Brent Bell's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 19th percentile, the median of all 9; across their 8 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 23rd percentile for acclaim.
- 25th to 49th3
- Below 25th6
Shape of the crowd
7 of their 9 titles are Mixed.
- Broadly Agreed2
- Mixed7
Reviewers score the atmosphere 57/100 and the pacing 40/100 in their films, across 8 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is William Brent Bell's work okay for kids?
Across up to 7 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does William Brent Bell work with?
People who share at least 2 of William Brent Bell's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Brett Detar shares the most, 6.
Writers
- Matthew PetermanShared titles: Wer (2013), The Devil Inside (2012), Stay Alive (2006)See all 3 shared titles with Matthew Peterman
- Stacey MenearShared titles: Brahms: The Boy II (2020), The Boy (2016)See all 2 shared titles with Stacey Menear
Actors
- Simon QuartermanShared titles: Separation (2021), Wer (2013), The Devil Inside (2012)See all 3 shared titles with Simon Quarterman
- Ralph InesonShared titles: Lord of Misrule (2023), Brahms: The Boy II (2020)See all 2 shared titles with Ralph Ineson
- Stephanie LemelinShared titles: The Boy (2016), Wer (2013)See all 2 shared titles with Stephanie Lemelin
- Brian JohnsonShared titles: Wer (2013), The Devil Inside (2012)See all 2 shared titles with Brian Johnson
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Brett DetarShared titles: Lord of Misrule (2023), Orphan: First Kill (2022), Separation (2021), Brahms: The Boy II (2020), Wer (2013), The Devil Inside (2012)See all 6 shared titles with Brett Detar
- Brian BerdanShared titles: Separation (2021), Brahms: The Boy II (2020), The Boy (2016)See all 3 shared titles with Brian Berdan
- Karl Walter LindenlaubShared titles: Separation (2021), Brahms: The Boy II (2020)See all 2 shared titles with Karl Walter Lindenlaub
- Alejandro MartínezShared titles: Wer (2013), Stay Alive (2006)See all 2 shared titles with Alejandro Martínez
Producers
- James TomlinsonShared titles: Lord of Misrule (2023), Orphan: First Kill (2022)See all 2 shared titles with James Tomlinson
- Adam FogelsonShared titles: Brahms: The Boy II (2020), The Boy (2016)See all 2 shared titles with Adam Fogelson
- Eric ReidShared titles: Brahms: The Boy II (2020), The Boy (2016)See all 2 shared titles with Eric Reid
- Gary LucchesiShared titles: Brahms: The Boy II (2020), The Boy (2016)See all 2 shared titles with Gary Lucchesi
