Stuart Gordon
Stuart Gordon (born August 11, 1947 in Chicago , Illinois , † March 24, 2020 in Van Nuys , California ) was an American director , producer and screenwriter , primarily of horror and splatter films .
Life
Gordon began his film career with the cult film Re-Animator in 1985, with which he had a great influence on the genre of splatter films. The film was based on a story by HP Lovecraft . Gordon then filmed a few more Lovecraft templates, albeit mostly rather free (including From Beyond , Castle Freak and Dagon ), which earned the director the reputation of a "Lovecraft specialist". The title role in Re-Animator played Jeffrey Combs , who was also used in many other films by Gordon in leading or supporting roles.
Before that, Gordon had already become known for his theater work since the late 1960s; Overall, Gordon produced and staged more than 40 plays, mainly in three of his own theaters, which he founded in succession, including the 1974 world premiere of Sexual Perversity in Chicago by David Mamet and several other world premieres. He remained connected to the theater as a director and author until the end. His 2005 film Edmond is based on a play by David Mamet.
Since 1968 Gordon was married to Carolyn Purdy-Gordon, with whom he realized his theater work and who also took on small roles in some of his films. Together they also founded a theater group. The connection resulted in three daughters.
In addition to Lovecraft, Gordon's interest was always in the work of Edgar Allan Poe . Masters of Horror is a free adaptation of Poe's short story The Pit and the Pendulum , while The Black Cat (an episode of the TV series Masters of Horror ) connects Poe's story of the same name with his life (played by Jeffrey Combs here). In addition, Gordon wrote and directed the monodrama Nevermore about Poe for the stage (from 2010, again with Combs as Poe). The plan to make a film out of the play was not realized.
Gordon died in March 2020 at the age of 72.
Filmography (selection)
Director
- 1985: re-animator
- 1986: From Beyond - Aliens des Horens (From Beyond)
- 1987: Dolls
- 1990: Daughter of Darkness
- 1990: Masters of Horror (The Pit and the Pendulum)
- 1990: Robot Jox - The Battle of the Steel Giants (Robot Jox)
- 1993: Fortress - The Fortress
- 1995: Castle Freak
- 1996: Space Truckers
- 1997: Honey, I Shrunk the Kids ( Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show , TV series, one episode)
- 1998: A suit for every occasion (The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit)
- 1998: Progeny - Hellbrood (Progeny)
- 2001: Dagon
- 2002: Deathbed
- 2003: King of the Ants
- 2005/2007: Masters of Horror (episode: HP Lovecraft's Dreams in the Witch-House and EA Poe's The Black Cat )
- 2005: Edmond
- 2007: stucco
Script and direction
- 1985: re-animator
script
- 1989: Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (Honey, I Shrunk the Kids)
- 1992: Honey , Now We Have a Giant Baby (Honey, I Blew Up the Kid)
- 1993: Body Snatchers - Attack of the Body Eaters (Body Snatchers)
- 1996: The Dentist
literature
- Thomas Gaschler, Eckhard Vollmar: Dark Stars. Belleville, Munich 1992, ISBN 3-923646-50-X .
Web links
- Stuart Gordon in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Daniel E. Slotnick: Stuart Gordon, Whose Films Reanimated Horror, Dies at 72. In: The New York Times , March 27, 2020 (English). Retrieved March 28, 2020.
- ↑ Interview: Q&A: Stuart Gordon on Kickstarting Poe film, Nevermore ( Memento from January 15, 2018 in the Internet Archive ).
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Gordon, Stuart |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American director, producer and screenwriter (horror and splatter films) |
DATE OF BIRTH | August 11, 1947 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Chicago , Illinois |
DATE OF DEATH | March 24, 2020 |
Place of death | Van Nuys , California |