Don Coscarelli | |
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 Coscarelli at Nocturna Fest Madrid in 2017 | |
| Born | February 17, 1954 |
| Occupation(s) | Film director Producer Screenwriter |
| Spouse | Shelley Kay |
| Children | Chloe |
Don Coscarelli Jr. (born February 17, 1954) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. [1] He is best known for his work in horror films. His directing credits include the first four films in the Phantasm franchise, [2] as well as The Beastmaster (1982) and Bubba Ho-Tep (2002). [3]
Coscarelli was born to Italian settlers in Libya and raised in Southern California. Although his family was not connected with the motion picture business, he was fascinated with cameras and filmmaking at an early age. Long before he was old enough to attend film school, his short films, made with the help of neighborhood friends in his hometown of Los Alamitos, California , were winning prizes on television.
At the age of 19, Coscarelli became the youngest director to have a feature film distributed by a major studio when he sold his independently produced drama Jim the World's Greatest , to Universal Pictures. The film was the first collaboration for Coscarelli with actor Lawrence Rory Guy, who went on to achieve horror icon status under the screen name Angus Scrimm. [4] Jim the World's Greatest was an official selection of the USA Film Festival.
Coscarelli is best known for Phantasm , and its sequels. The original Phantasm was a worldwide critical and box-office success and won the Special Jury Prize at the Festival du Cinema Fantastique at Avoriaz, France.
Coscarelli also co-wrote (with Paul Pepperman) and directed The Beastmaster , [5] which was described by Entertainment Weekly as "a surefire audience favorite." [6] The Beastmaster has spawned two sequels [7] [8] and a television series. [9]
Coscarelli was the recipient of the Bram Stoker Award for Best Screenplay for his film Bubba Ho-Tep , which he also directed. Based on a short story by Joe R. Lansdale, Bubba Ho-Tep stars Bruce Campbell, Ossie Davis, and frequent Coscarelli collaborator Reggie Bannister. In addition to being a critical hit, Bubba Ho-Tep was also a festival favorite, playing prestigious international film festivals like the Toronto International Film Festival, SXSW, Florida Film Festival, Brussels International Festival of Fantasy Films, and the Hong Kong International Film festival. At HBO's US Comedy Arts Festival, Coscarelli was the recipient of the Best Screenplay Award. At Montreal's FantAsia Festival, Bubba Ho-Tep was the recipient of the Best International Film award.
Coscarelli also directed the premiere episode of the American TV series Masters of Horror , titled "Incident On and Off a Mountain Road" [10] and co-wrote the teleplay with Stephen Romano. In 2008, Coscarelli purchased film rights to the horror novel and internet series John Dies at the End by David Wong. The film was completed in 2011, and released in 2013. [11]
In 2018, he published his memoir, True Indie: Life and Death in Filmmaking.
Coscarelli frequently collaborates with his wife, costume designer Shelley Kay. [12] His daughter is award-winning vegan chef Chloe Coscarelli. [13]
| Awards | |
|---|---|
| Phantasm (1979) | Special Prize at the Avoriaz Fantastic Film Festival |
| The Beastmaster (1982) | Antenne II Award at the Avoriaz Fantastic Film Festival |
| Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead (1994) | Chainsaw Award for Best Limited-Release/Direct-to-Video Film |
| Bubba Ho-Tep (2002) | Bram Stoker Awards for Best Screenplay, Nominated - Best Film at the Fantasporto |
| Don Coscarelli (2004) | Fangoria Horror Hall of Fame |
| John Dies at the End (2012) | Philadelphia Film Festival, Audience Award - Honorable Mention |
The Beastmaster is a 1982 sword and sorcery film directed by Don Coscarelli and starring Marc Singer, Tanya Roberts, John Amos and Rip Torn. Loosely based on the 1959 novel The Beast Master by Andre Norton, the film is about a man who can communicate with animals, and who fights an evil wizard and his army.
Bubba Ho-Tep is a 2002 American comedy horror film written, co-produced and directed by Don Coscarelli. It stars Bruce Campbell as Sebastian Haff, a man residing in a nursing home who claims to be the real Elvis Presley. The film also stars Ossie Davis as Jack, a black man who claims to be John F. "Jack" Kennedy, explaining that he was patched up after the assassination, dyed black, and abandoned.
Reginald Horace "Reggie" Bannister is an American musician, actor, producer, writer, and activist. He is known for his role as Reggie in the Phantasm film series.
Phantasm is a 1979 American science fantasy horror film that was directed, written, photographed, and edited by Don Coscarelli. The first film in the Phantasm franchise, it introduces the Tall Man, a supernatural and malevolent undertaker who turns the dead of Earth into dwarf zombies to be sent to his planet and used as slaves. He is opposed by a young boy, Mike, who tries to convince his older brother Jody and family friend Reggie of the threat.
Daniel James Roebuck is an American actor and writer. In film, he is known for his roles as Deputy Marshal Robert Biggs in The Fugitive (1993) and its spin-off U.S. Marshals (1998), as well as Mr. Banks in Agent Cody Banks (2003) and Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London (2004). He has appeared in numerous Rob Zombie-directed films, his roles including Morris Green in The Devil's Rejects (2005),The Haunted World of El Superbeasto (2009), and 3 from Hell (2019); Lou Martini in Halloween (2007) and Halloween II (2009); and The Count in The Munsters (2022). Roebuck has worked with director and producer Don Coscarelli, appearing in Bubba Ho-Tep (2002), John Dies at the End (2012), and Phantasm: Ravager (2016).
Angus Scrimm was an American actor, author, and journalist, known for his portrayal of the Tall Man in the 1979 horror film Phantasm and its sequels.
Phantasm II is a 1988 American science fantasy action-horror film and the sequel to Phantasm (1979). It was written and directed by Don Coscarelli and stars Angus Scrimm, James LeGros and Reggie Bannister. The first film's protagonist, Mike, recently released from a mental institution, recruits Reggie and some new friends in an effort to defeat the villain Tall Man.
Ella Joyce is an American actress. She starred as Eleanor Emerson in the Fox comedy-drama series Roc, which originally ran from 1991 until 1994. Joyce also appeared in films Set It Off (1996), Bubba Ho-Tep (2002), Our Family Wedding (2010), Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor (2013) and Nina (2016).
Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead is a 1994 American science fantasy horror film and the second sequel in the Phantasm series, written and directed by Don Coscarelli. The film stars Angus Scrimm as the Tall Man, Reggie Bannister, and A. Michael Baldwin. It is followed by Phantasm IV: Oblivion.
Phantasm IV: Oblivion is a 1998 American science fantasy horror film. The film was written, produced and directed by Don Coscarelli and starring A. Michael Baldwin, Reggie Bannister and Angus Scrimm. It is the third sequel in the Phantasm series and is followed by Phantasm: Ravager.
Kenny & Company is a 1976 American comedy-drama film directed by Don Coscarelli. It stars A. Michael Baldwin and Reggie Bannister, who would both later star in Coscarelli's Phantasm.
Gloria Lynne Henry is an American actress best known for her role in the film Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead.
Roberto A. Quezada is an American gaffer, cinematographer, and film producer best known for his work with Don Coscarelli including the Phantasm series and The Beastmaster. Quezada is also a film journalist and a Web site producer best known for his pioneering work with Amnesty International USA and Planned Parenthood Federation of America. His father is the Guatemalan journalist, poet, and fiction writer Roberto P. Quezada.
Crypticon is a horror-oriented media convention held annually in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Seattle, Washington, and Kansas City, Missouri. Guests have included authors, actors, directors, producers, and writers from classic and upcoming horror titles.
The Tall Man is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the Phantasm series of horror films. The Tall Man first appeared in the first Phantasm in 1979, and his most recent appearance in the film Phantasm: Ravager in 2016. In all of his film appearances, the Tall Man has been portrayed by Angus Scrimm, while he is voiced by Jeff Bergman in Mike Tyson Mysteries.
Chip Gubera is an American film director and producer. He also teaches digital media technology at the University of Missouri in the IT Program.
Bubba Ho-Tep is a 1994 alternate history novella by American author Joe R. Lansdale. It was first published on August 1, 1994 in the Elvis Presley themed anthology The King is Dead and has since been re-published in various formats. A film adaptation by the same name was released in 2002 and starred Bruce Campbell as the lead character of Elvis.
Phantasm: Ravager is a 2016 American science fantasy action horror film, and the fifth and final installment in the Phantasm series. It marks the only film in the series not directed by Don Coscarelli, although he acts as producer and cowriter. It is directed by David Hartman and stars A. Michael Baldwin, Reggie Bannister, and Angus Scrimm in his final appearance as the Tall Man.
Phantasm is an American horror film series that consists of five films, novels, comic books, and merchandise. It is mainly about the Tall Man, a supernatural and malevolent undertaker and the main antagonist who turns the dead into dwarf zombies to do his bidding and take over the world. He is opposed by a young boy, Mike, who tries to convince his older brother Jody and family friend Reggie of the threat. The first film was released in 1979, received generally positive reviews and has garnered a cult following.
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