 | A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject.(May 2024) |
Frank Merle | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Education | DePaul University (BFA) |
| Occupation(s) | Screenwriter, director, producer |
| Known for | Writing, producing, and directing The Employer and From Jennifer |
Frank Merle is an American screenwriter, director and producer best known for The Employer [1] and From Jennifer. Also a theatrical producer and director, Merle graduated from The Theatre School at DePaul University. [2]
Merle co-founded Keyhole Theatre Company in the Wicker Park neighborhood of Chicago, IL. He served as artistic director of Keyhole Theatre Company for seven years until it closed. [2] He made the short films, What Joan Knows,Morgan's Last Call,Gnaw,Art Room, and Carnage on Graves Farm. The latter three were released on home video in 2010 as Carnage, Chaos & Creeps.
Merle's first feature film was the 2013 psychological thriller The Employer . It was a Shriekfest official selection and Merle won Best director for the film at the Los Angeles Movie Awards. [1] [3] In 2016, Dread Central reported that Merle would write and direct From Jennifer, the third installment in the To Jennifer found-footage series originated by James Cullen Bressack. [4]
Daniel Francis Boyle is an English director and producer. He is known for his work on films including Shallow Grave (1994), Trainspotting (1996) and its sequel T2 Trainspotting (2017), The Beach (1999), 28 Days Later (2002), Sunshine (2007), Slumdog Millionaire (2008), 127 Hours (2010), Steve Jobs (2015), and Yesterday (2019).
Michael Rooker is an American actor who mainly plays roles of antagonists. He first rose to prominence for portraying the titular role in Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986), and is best known for starring as Merle Dixon in the AMC series The Walking Dead (2010–2013) and as Yondu Udonta in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), followed by its sequels Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023). He is a recurring collaborator of Guardians of the Galaxy director and co-CEO of DC studios James Gunn, appearing in all of his films to date including Slither (2006), Super (2010) and The Suicide Squad (2021).
Rupert Julian was a New Zealand cinema actor, director, writer and producer. During his career, Julian directed 60 films and acted in over 90 films. He is best remembered for directing Lon Chaney in The Phantom of the Opera (1925). He also directed The Cat Creeps (1930), a sound remake of The Cat and the Canary (1927), which is now considered a lost film, with only two minutes of footage remaining in the 1932 Universal comedy short film Boo!.
Sir Christopher James Hampton is a British playwright, screenwriter, translator and film director. He is best known for his play Les Liaisons Dangereuses based on the novel of the same name and the film adaptation. He has thrice received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay: for Dangerous Liaisons (1988), Atonement (2007) and The Father (2020); winning for the former and latter.
Kiss of the Spider Woman is a musical with music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and book by Terrence McNally. It is based on Manuel Puig's novel of the same name. Directed by Harold Prince, the musical had runs in Toronto (1992), the West End (1992-93) and Broadway (1993) and won the 1993 Tony Award for Best Musical, as well as acting awards for all three principals in the cast.
Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever is a 2009 American comedy horror film directed by Ti West. It is a sequel to the 2002 film Cabin Fever and the second installment in the Cabin Fever franchise. The film stars Noah Segan, Rusty Kelley, Alexi Wasser, Marc Senter, Rider Strong and Giuseppe Andrews, with Strong and Andrews reprising their roles from the first film. The film is about a high school prom that descends into chaos when a deadly flesh-eating bacteria spreads via a popular brand of bottled water.
God of Carnage is a play by Yasmina Reza that was first published in 2008. It is about two sets of parents; the son of one couple has hurt the son of the other couple at a public park. The parents meet to discuss the matter in a civilized manner. However, as the evening goes on, the parents become increasingly childish and the meeting devolves into chaos. Originally written in French, the play was translated into English by translator Christopher Hampton, and has enjoyed acclaim in productions in both London and New York.
Shriekfest Horror Film Festival was a film festival specializing in the horror genre. It was one of the longest running horror festivals in Los Angeles, until 2021. In 2017, Shriekfest expanded to include an Orlando, FL festival location.
Sarah Elizabeth Butler is an American actress. She is best known for playing the role of Jennifer Hills in the I Spit on Your Grave film series.
Seed of Chucky is a 2004 black comedy slasher film, the fifth installment of the Child's Play series, and sequel to 1998's Bride of Chucky as well as the first film to be distributed by another company since the original Child's Play. The film was written and directed by Don Mancini, who created the series and has written all of the films, and stars Jennifer Tilly, Redman, Hannah Spearritt, John Waters, Billy Boyd and Brad Dourif. With this entry, Mancini made his directorial debut. The film is set six years after Bride of Chucky and follows a young doll named Glen, the son of Chucky and Tiffany, resurrecting his parents, causing chaos.
The Employer is a psychological thriller written and directed by Frank Merle. The film stars Malcolm McDowell as the title character who interviews five candidates for a job at a mysterious, powerful corporation. After a film festival circuit in early 2013, the film was released by Vision Films in the U.S. on June 7, 2013, as an On Demand premiere title, followed by a DVD release on July 2, 2013.
Steve Cuden is an American screenwriter, director, lyricist, playwright, author, theater lighting designer, artist, and teacher. He is best known for his work on the Broadway musical, Jekyll & Hyde, as well as his writing for numerous television series.
Nailbiter is a 2013 horror film directed by Patrick Rea. The movie was first released onto DVD in Japan on January 25, 2013 and received its American debut on April 5, 2013 at the Phoenix Film Festival. It stars Erin McGrane as a mother who defends herself and her children against a dangerous foe. Rea intends to film a sequel to the film, which is tentatively titled Nailbiter: The Storm Children and will feature Meg Saricks reprising her role as Jennifer.
Devil in My Ride is a 2013 American horror comedy road movie and the feature film directorial debut of Gary Michael Schultz, who also co-wrote the movie's script. It had its world premiere on October 6, 2013 at Shriekfest and was released to video on demand the following year. It stars Joey Bicicchi and Erin Breen as a couple whose dream wedding is ruined when the bride gets possessed by the Devil. Filming took place in Chicago and Las Vegas.
Mike Flanagan is an American filmmaker, best known for his horror work. Flanagan wrote, directed, produced, and edited the horror films Absentia (2011), Oculus (2013), Hush, Before I Wake, Ouija: Origin of Evil, Gerald's Game (2017), and Doctor Sleep (2019). He created, wrote, produced, and served as showrunner on the Netflix horror series The Haunting of Hill House (2018), The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020), Midnight Mass (2021), The Midnight Club (2022), and The Fall of the House of Usher (2023), also directing and editing some episodes of each.
Clinger is a 2015 comedy horror film and the feature film directorial debut of Michael Steves, who co-wrote the film with Gabi Chennisi Duncombe and Bubba Fish.
From Jennifer, sometimes stylized as #FromJennifer, is a 2017 comedy horror film written and directed by Frank Merle. The film stars Danielle Taddei and Derek Mears as an unlikely duo plotting to become internet celebrities by filming and posting an outrageous revenge plot.
Joyce Cheung is a Hong Kong theatre producer. She graduated with an advanced diploma from the School of Drama at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing arts; a Bachelor of Arts in directing from the School of Drama; and a Master of Arts in comparative and public history from the Department of History at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. She has been actively involved in the radio, film, theatre and publishing industries, working both on- and off-stage in theatre production, distribution and promotion as a producer, book editor and writer.
Ian Truitner is an American filmmaker and entrepreneur.
Michael Chaves is an American filmmaker and visual effects artist. He is best known for directing the horror films The Curse of La Llorona (2019), The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021), and The Nun II (2023).