Herb Freed

Last updated
Herb Freed
Born
Herbert Freed

1935 (age 8889)
Occupation(s)Film director, screenwriter
Spouse
Anne Marisse
(m. 1964;died 1984)
(m. 1985;died 2011)

Herb Freed (born 1935) [1] is an American film director and screenwriter best known for a number of horror films made in the 1970s and 1980s. His feature credits include Haunts (1976), Beyond Evil (1980), and Graduation Day (1981). [2]

Contents

Biography

Freed was born in 1935 in Youngstown, Ohio, the son of Russian-Jewish immigrants. [3]

Prior to embarking on a filmmaking career, Freed served as rabbi at Temple Beth Shalom in Mahopac, New York for eight years before resigning. [2] He relocated to Los Angeles with the intent of making films. [2]

He made his feature film debut with A.W.O.L. (1972) before co-writing and directing the psychological horror film Haunts (1976), starring May Britt and Cameron Mitchell; the latter was co-written with his then-wife, Anne Marisse. [4] In 1980, he directed the supernatural horror film Beyond Evil , starring John Saxon and Lynda Day George.

Personal life

Freed and screenwriter Anne Marisse were married from 1964 until her death from cancer in 1984. [4] Freed married film editor Marion Segal in 1985. [5] The couple were married until her death on December 22, 2011. [5]

Filmography

YearTitleDirectorScreenwriterNotesRef.
1972A.W.O.L.YesYes
1976 Haunts YesYes
1980 Beyond Evil YesYes
1981 Graduation Day YesYes
1985 Tomboy YesNo
1987Survival GameYesYes
1992Stickin' TogetherYesYes
1999Dead PunkzYesYes
1999Paradise LostYesYes

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scream queen</span> Actress known for her work in horror films

A scream queen is an actress who is prominent and influential in horror films, either through a notable appearance or recurring roles. A scream king is the male equivalent. Notable female examples include Barbara Steele, Sandra Peabody, Linda Blair, Olivia Hussey, Marilyn Burns, Neve Campbell, Daria Nicolodi, Dee Wallace, Jamie Lee Curtis, Heather Langenkamp, Shawnee Smith, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Linnea Quigley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R. L. Stine</span> American writer and producer (born 1943)

Robert Lawrence Stine, known by his pen name R.L. Stine, is an American novelist. He is the writer of Goosebumps, a horror fiction novel series which has sold over 400 million copies globally in 35 languages, becoming the second-best-selling book series in history. The series spawned a media franchise including two television series, a video game series, a comic series, and two feature films. Stine has been referred to as the "Stephen King of children's literature".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Segal</span> American actor (1934–2021)

George Segal Jr. was an American actor. He became popular in the 1960s and 1970s for playing both dramatic and comedic roles. After first rising to prominence with roles in acclaimed films such as Ship of Fools (1965) and King Rat (1965), he co-starred in the classic drama Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966).

Terrance William Dicks was an English author and television screenwriter, script editor and producer. In television, he had a long association with the BBC science-fiction series Doctor Who, working as a writer and also serving as the programme's script editor from 1968 to 1974. The Doctor Who News Page described him as "arguably the most prolific contributor to Doctor Who". He later became a script editor and producer of classic serials for the BBC.

<i>The Shining</i> (film) 1980 horror film by Stanley Kubrick

The Shining is a 1980 psychological horror film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick and co-written with novelist Diane Johnson. It is based on Stephen King's 1977 novel of the same name and stars Jack Nicholson, Danny Lloyd, Shelley Duvall, and Scatman Crothers. Nicholson plays Jack Torrance, a writer and recovering alcoholic who accepts a new position as the off-season caretaker of the Overlook Hotel. Lloyd plays his young son Danny, who has psychic abilities, which he learns about from head chef Dick Hallorann (Crothers). Danny's imaginary friend Tony warns him the hotel is haunted before a winter storm leaves the family snowbound in the Colorado Rockies. Jack's sanity deteriorates under the influence of the hotel and the residents, and Danny and his mother Wendy (Duvall) face mortal danger.

Robert Adrian Scott was an American screenwriter and film producer. He was one of the Hollywood Ten and later blacklisted by the Hollywood movie studio bosses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frances Marion</span> American screenwriter, director, journalist and author

Frances Marion was an American screenwriter, director, journalist and author often cited as one of the most renowned female screenwriters of the 20th century alongside June Mathis and Anita Loos. During the course of her career, she wrote over 325 scripts. She was the first writer to win two Academy Awards. Marion began her film career working for filmmaker Lois Weber. She wrote numerous silent film scenarios for actress Mary Pickford, before transitioning to writing sound films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vikram Bhatt</span> Indian film director

Vikram Bhatt is an Indian director, producer, screenwriter and actor. He is best known for directing the Raaz film series, an Indian horror series produced by Mahesh Bhatt and Mukesh Bhatt and for directing Ghulam (1998) starring Aamir Khan and Rani Mukherji, which was also produced by Mukesh Bhatt. For both of these films, he was nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susan Harris</span> American former television comedy writer and producer

Susan Harris is an American former television writer and producer who created the Emmy Award-winning sitcoms Soap (1977–1981) and The Golden Girls (1985–1992). Between 1975 and 1998, Harris was one of the most prolific television writers, creating 13 comedy series. In 2011, she was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Noel Black</span> American film director

Noel Black was an American film and television director, screenwriter, and producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adela Rogers St. Johns</span> American writer (1894–1988)

Adela Nora Rogers St. Johns was an American journalist, novelist, and screenwriter. She wrote a number of screenplays for silent movies, but is best remembered for her groundbreaking exploits as "The World's Greatest Girl Reporter" during the 1920s and 1930s and her celebrity interviews for Photoplay magazine.

The Amityville haunting is a modern folk story based on the true crimes of Ronald DeFeo Jr. On November 13, 1974, DeFeo shot and killed six members of his family at 112 Ocean Avenue, Amityville, on the south shore of Long Island. He was convicted of second-degree murder in November 1975. In December 1975, George and Kathy Lutz and their three children moved into the house. After 28 days, the Lutzes left the house, claiming to have been terrorized by paranormal phenomena while living there. The house became the subject of numerous investigations by paranormal researchers, journalists, and skeptics, including Ed and Lorraine Warren. These events served as the historical basis for Jay Anson's 1977 novel The Amityville Horror, which was followed by a number of sequels and was adapted into a film of the same name in 1979. Since then, many films have been produced that draw explicitly, to a greater or lesser extent, from these historical and literary sources. As Amityville is a real town and the stories of DeFeo and the Lutzes are historical, there can be no proprietary relationship to the underlying story elements associated with the Amityville haunting. As a result of this, there has been no restriction on the exploitation of the story by film producers, which is the reason that most of these films share no continuity, were produced by different companies, and tell widely varying stories.

Paul Harris Boardman is an American screenwriter and film producer, best known for his work in the horror genre. Boardman has also written other screenplays for various studios and production companies, including TriStar, Disney, Bruckheimer Films, IEG, APG, Sony, Lakeshore, Screen Gems, Universal and MGM.

<i>Beyond Evil</i> 1980 film

Beyond Evil is a 1980 American supernatural horror film directed by Herb Freed and starring John Saxon and Lynda Day George. Its plot follows an architect who suspects his wife is possessed by a former resident of the historic colonial mansion they have just moved into.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Brent Bell</span> American screenwriter and film director

William Brent Bell is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He is known for his work on 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), and Lord of Misrule (2023). His films have grossed over $300 million worldwide at the box office.

Lewis John Carlino was an American screenwriter and director. His career spanned five decades and included such works as The Fox, The Brotherhood, The Mechanic, The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea, I Never Promised You a Rose Garden, Resurrection, and The Great Santini. Carlino was nominated for many awards, including the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eli Craig</span> American screenwriter and film director (born 1972)

Eli Craig is an American film director, screenwriter, and actor. He is best known for writing and directing the cult horror comedy film Tucker & Dale vs Evil.

Marion Segal Freed was an American film producer, editor and screenwriter.

<i>Haunts</i> (film) 1976 American film

Haunts is a 1976 American psychological horror film directed by Herb Freed, and starring May Britt, Cameron Mitchell, and Aldo Ray. Its plot follows a young woman living on a farm with her uncle, whom she suspects of committing several murders of young girls in the area. The screenplay was written by Freed and his wife, Anne Marisse, and was inspired by a series of repressed memories Freed experienced after his wife witnessed a car accident.

<i>Evil</i> (TV series) American supernatural thriller television series

Evil is an American supernatural drama television series created by Robert and Michelle King that premiered on September 26, 2019, on CBS, before moving to Paramount+ for subsequent seasons. It features an ensemble cast led by Katja Herbers, Mike Colter, and Aasif Mandvi as three individuals from vastly different backgrounds who are tasked by the Catholic Church to investigate possible supernatural incidents.

References

  1. "Herb Freed". British Film Institute . Archived from the original on September 10, 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 "Hollywood Hypocrites: Industry Vet Herb Freed on Harvey Weinstein and Hollywood's Casting Couch Era". BookTrib. October 16, 2017. Archived from the original on September 10, 2023.
  3. "Writing Wisdom from Herb Freed (transcript)". KevinTumlinson.com. September 13, 2019. Archived from the original on September 10, 2023.
  4. 1 2 "Anne Marisse". Turner Classic Movies . Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  5. 1 2 Barnes, Mike (December 25, 2011). "Marion Segal Freed, Film Editor, Dies at 77". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on September 10, 2023.