Mike Mendez

Last updated
Mike Mendez
Born1973
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupations
  • Film director
  • producer
  • screenwriter
  • editor
  • actor

Mike Mendez (born 1973) is an American filmmaker. Best known for his work in the horror genre, [1] [2] his directorial credits include The Convent (2000), The Gravedancers (2006), and Big Ass Spider! (2013).

Contents

Early life

Mendez was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. His parents are from the Republic of El Salvador. [3]

Career

Mendez's debut feature, Killers, played at the Sundance Film Festival in 1997. Concerning two psychotic brothers who escape from death row and take a suburban family hostage, it was described by Variety as a "parodistic genre piece", [4] and by Sundance head Geoffrey Gilmore as "completely delirious and truly inspired". [5] His next notable project was The Convent , a supernatural horror film starring Adrienne Barbeau, which critic Joe Leydon felt was "markedly more accomplished than the usual run of self-consciously campy horror schlock", adding: "[Mendez] dwells gleefully on scenes of jokey, over-the-top gore, but otherwise keeps the pace brisk enough to sustain the fang-in-cheek mood". [6]

Mendez received praise for his work on The Gravedancers (2006), [7] a ghost story set in a cemetery, with Fangoria commenting, "If the basic narrative [is] familiar ... Mendez [proves] that it can still work when staged with gusto. There are moments when the action and images tip over into silliness, but you have to hand it to Mendez: the very last major effect is completely gonzo and yet done with such poker-faced conviction that the scene remains exciting instead of becoming laughable". [8] His next film was the sci-fi creature feature Big Ass Spider! , which premiered at SXSW and was positively reviewed by critics: [9] The Hollywood Reporter called it "shamelessly Corman-esque", saying that it "does almost everything just a tiny bit better than it needs to" and "relishes its campy heritage from the title card onward", [10] while Paste 's Jim Vorel wrote, "It has a motor on it, propelling itself through its under-80 minute runtime without ever taking a breath ... There will undoubtedly be detractors who lump it into the same category as [ Sharknado ] but [there's] an easily noticeable upgrade in quality [here]. It's more good-natured, less stilted and in many ways more fun". [11]

Mendez directed two films released in 2016: action thriller The Last Heist and horror comedy Don't Kill It . Describing the latter, which follows an eccentric demon hunter, The Austin Chronicle said it was full of "belly laughs" and noted, "[Mendez has never] hit quite the right tone in his films to date ... But in the perfectly self-aware Lundgren, he has [found] his perfect muse/foil for his brand of [smart and silly] horror spoof". [12] In a similarly positive review, the Los Angeles Times commended Mendez on his ability to "[crank] up the pace", as well as for bringing "a lightness and unpretentiousness" to the material. [13]

In addition to directing and producing, Mendez has worked as an editor on many of his own features, alongside various documentaries, television films, and series such as Beavis and Butt-Head . His acting roles include small parts in Hatchet II (2010), Terror Toons 3 (2015), and Malignant (2021).

Filmography

Film

Selected credits
YearTitleDirectorWriterProducerEditorNotes
1996KillersYesYesNoNo
1997Bimbo Movie BashYesYesNoNo
2000 The Convent YesNoNoNoWinner: Audience Award, Fantafestival
2006 The Gravedancers YesNoYesYes
2010 Midgets vs. Mascots NoNoNoYes
2013 Big Ass Spider! YesNoNoYes
2015 Tales of Halloween YesYesYesYesSegment: "Friday the 31st"
2016 The Last Heist YesNoNoYes
Don't Kill It YesNoNoYes
2018 Nightmare Cinema NoNoNoYes
2019 The Shed NoNoNoYes
Acceleration NoNoNoYes
2022 Satanic Hispanics YesNoYesYesSegment: "The Traveler"
Winner: Best Director, Fantastic Fest
Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe NoNoNoYes
2023 Slotherhouse NoNoNoYes

Television

Selected credits
YearTitleDirectorWriterProducerEditorNotes
2002Masters of HorrorYesYesYesYesDocumentary
2009 Jockeys NoNoNoYes6 episodes
2013Alaska Gold DiggersNoNoNoYes6 episodes
2015 Lavalantula YesYesNoYesTV film
2018 Stan Against Evil NoYesNoNo1 episode
2019 Critters Attack! NoNoNoYesTV film
2022–2023 Beavis and Butt-Head NoNoNoYes22 episodes

Related Research Articles

<i>The Gravedancers</i> 2006 American film

The Gravedancers is a 2006 American horror film directed by Mike Mendez. It was chosen as one of the 8 Films To Die For in 2006 and screened at that year's After Dark Horrorfest film festival.

<i>They Wait</i> 2007 film by Ernie Barbarash

They Wait is a 2007 Canadian horror film directed by Ernie Barbarash. It stars Jaime King as a mother attempting to find the truth and save her son when threatened by spirits during the Chinese tradition of Ghost Month. The other leading star is Chinese Canadian actor Terry Chen, who plays her husband. It was both filmed, and set, in the city of Vancouver, in British Columbia in Canada, and was featured at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival.

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<i>Haunter</i> (film) 2013 Canadian film

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<i>The Convent</i> (2000 film) 2000 American film

The Convent is a 2000 horror film directed by Mike Mendez, starring horror veteran Adrienne Barbeau. It is about a group of college students who go into an abandoned convent, only to discover that it is inhabited by demons intent on possessing them. It premiered in January 2000 at the Sundance Film Festival. Due to the original distributor closing, the film was not released on home video until December 2002.

<i>Big Ass Spider!</i> 2013 film by Mike Mendez

Big Ass Spider! is a 2013 science fiction action film directed and edited by Mike Mendez. The film tells the story of a bug exterminator, who, with the help of a hospital security guard and the military, battles a giant spider that goes on a rampage in Los Angeles.

<i>Knock Knock</i> (2015 film) Film by Eli Roth

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<i>Dont Kill It</i> 2016 American film

Don't Kill It is a 2016 American comedy horror film directed and edited by Mike Mendez. Written by Dan Berk and Robert Olsen, it stars Dolph Lundgren as Jebediah Woodley, a demon hunter who travels to Mississippi in the hopes of destroying an ancient, homicidal demon. Kristina Klebe, Tony Bentley, James Chalke, and Miles Doleac appear in supporting roles.

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Hush is a 2016 American slasher film directed and edited by Mike Flanagan, and starring Kate Siegel, who also co-wrote the film with Flanagan. The film co-stars John Gallagher Jr., Michael Trucco, Samantha Sloyan, and Emilia "Emma" Graves. It was jointly produced by Trevor Macy through Intrepid Pictures and Jason Blum through Blumhouse Productions.

<i>Dealt</i> 2017 American film

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<i>Snatchers</i> 2019 American film

Snatchers is a 2019 American comedy horror film directed by Stephen Cedars and Benji Kleiman. It stars Mary Nepi and Gabrielle Elyse. The film had its world premiere at the 2019 South by Southwest on March 10, 2019. Variety included it on the "11 Best Movies of the 2019 SXSW Film Festival" list.

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Satanic Hispanics is a 2022 American horror anthology film written by Alejandro Méndez, Demián Rugna, Lino K. Villa and Pete Barnstrom, directed by Mike Mendez, Demián Rugna, Eduardo Sánchez, Gigi Saul Guerrero and Alejandro Brugués and starring Efren Ramirez, Greg Grunberg, Jacob Vargas, Hemky Madera, Patricia Velásquez and Jonah Ray.

<i>Oddity</i> (film) 2023 film by Damian Mc Carthy

Oddity is a 2024 paranormal horror film written and directed by Damian Mc Carthy. The film centers on a blind medium and curio shopkeeper who is still grieving the death of her twin sister a year prior. A wooden mannequin from her cabinet of curiosities becomes crucial to her quest to uncover the truth about her sister's murder.

References

  1. ↑ Collis, Clark (April 4, 2020). "Self-isolating horror director battles a Guillermo del Toro action figure in amazing short". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved June 7, 2024.
  2. ↑ Bromley, Patrick (October 7, 2015). "Interview with Tales of Halloween's Mike Mendez". Daily Dead. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
  3. ↑ Burstein, Sergio (September 18, 2023). "'Satanic Hispanics' is bringing Latino horror to the big screen". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  4. ↑ McCarthy, Todd (December 1, 1997). "Sundance Slopes Packed". Variety . Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  5. ↑ Yapp, Virginia (October 30, 2020). "30 Years of Chills and Thrills: Your Sundance Midnight Horror Watch List". Sundance.org. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  6. ↑ Leydon, Joe (March 5, 2000). "The Convent". Variety . Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  7. ↑ "The Gravedancers". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  8. ↑ Gingold, Michael (April 27, 2006). "Review: The Gravedancers". Fangoria . Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  9. ↑ "Big Ass Spider!". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  10. ↑ "Big Ass Spider!: SXSW Review". The Hollywood Reporter . March 12, 2013. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  11. ↑ Vorel, Jim (April 19, 2014). "Big Ass Spider!". Paste . Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  12. ↑ Whittaker, Richard (September 28, 2016). "Fantastic Fest Review: Don't Kill It". The Austin Chronicle . Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  13. ↑ Murray, Noel (March 2, 2017). "Review: Dolph Lundgren is back having fun in the horror-comedy 'Don't Kill It'". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved June 11, 2024.
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