Eric Red
Encyclopedia
Eric Red is an American screenwriter
and director
, best known for writing the horror
films The Hitcher and Near Dark
.
, the son of Nancy (née Pickhardt) and Cornelius Gerard Durdaller. He attended the AFI Conservatory
and graduated in 1983.
, a short he produced and directed while a student at the AFI Conservatory
. He went broke in trying to get national distribution for the film, and had to drive a cab in New York for a year to recoup.
His AFI thesis script, The Hitcher
, was produced in 1986, and is considered a cult-horror classic. A major studio remake of The Hitcher
was released in 2007, with Red on board as a consultant. He wrote the original script to Lost Boys: The Tribe
and narrated the film on the 2010 Screamfest Horror Film Festival
in Los Angeles
.
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
and director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, best known for writing the horror
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
films The Hitcher and Near Dark
Near Dark
Near Dark is an American vampire/Western horror film, written by Eric Red and Kathryn Bigelow, and directed by Bigelow. The story follows a young man in a small midwestern town who becomes involved with a family of nomadic American vampires...
.
Early life
Red was born in Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
, the son of Nancy (née Pickhardt) and Cornelius Gerard Durdaller. He attended the AFI Conservatory
AFI Conservatory
The AFI Conservatory is a division of the American Film Institute founded in 1969, located in Hollywood's Griffith Park. The school is the only existing Master of Fine Arts conservatory in advanced film education...
and graduated in 1983.
Writing career
The first film written by Red was Gunmen's BluesGunmen's Blues
Gunmen's Blues is a 1981, independent short film written and directed by Eric Red, and represents his first film.-Background:Filmed on location in Hoboken, New Jersey, Gunmen's Blues is a two-character film made while Eric Red was a student at the AFI Conservatory as his very fist film...
, a short he produced and directed while a student at the AFI Conservatory
AFI Conservatory
The AFI Conservatory is a division of the American Film Institute founded in 1969, located in Hollywood's Griffith Park. The school is the only existing Master of Fine Arts conservatory in advanced film education...
. He went broke in trying to get national distribution for the film, and had to drive a cab in New York for a year to recoup.
His AFI thesis script, The Hitcher
The Hitcher
The Hitcher is a 1986 thriller, directed by Robert Harmon and written by Eric Red. The film stars Rutger Hauer, C. Thomas Howell, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Jeffrey DeMunn.-Plot:...
, was produced in 1986, and is considered a cult-horror classic. A major studio remake of The Hitcher
The Hitcher (2007 film)
The Hitcher is a 2007 horror film starring Sean Bean, Sophia Bush, and Zachary Knighton. It is a remake of the 1986 film of the same name starring Rutger Hauer, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and C. Thomas Howell. The Hitcher was directed by Dave Meyers and produced by Michael Bay’s production company...
was released in 2007, with Red on board as a consultant. He wrote the original script to Lost Boys: The Tribe
Lost Boys: The Tribe
Lost Boys: The Tribe is a 2008 sequel to the successful 1987 vampire horror film, The Lost Boys; directed by P. J. Pesce. It stars Autumn Reeser, Tad Hilgenbrink, Angus Sutherland and Corey Feldman...
and narrated the film on the 2010 Screamfest Horror Film Festival
Screamfest Horror Film Festival
Screamfest Horror Film Festival is the largest horror film festival in the United States. Some of the largest horror online publications have called it the "Sundance of Horror". Previously held at Loews Universal Studios Cinemas, Universal CityWalk, the festival is now held annually at the...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.
Fatal car crash
Red was found to be at fault in a car accident that caused two deaths on May 31, 2000. After the accident, Red apparently picked up a piece of broken glass and slit his own throat. He was taken to the hospital under an alias and released weeks later. Criminal charges were brought, but a jury in a civil suit found that he had acted intentionally. The suit, which awarded over a million dollars to the families of the two men killed in the accident, was appealed to state and federal courts which confirmed the original jury finding.Filmography
- Gunmen's BluesGunmen's BluesGunmen's Blues is a 1981, independent short film written and directed by Eric Red, and represents his first film.-Background:Filmed on location in Hoboken, New Jersey, Gunmen's Blues is a two-character film made while Eric Red was a student at the AFI Conservatory as his very fist film...
, writer/director (1981) - The Hitcher, writer (1986)
- Telephone, writer/director (1986)
- Near DarkNear DarkNear Dark is an American vampire/Western horror film, written by Eric Red and Kathryn Bigelow, and directed by Bigelow. The story follows a young man in a small midwestern town who becomes involved with a family of nomadic American vampires...
, writer (1987) - Cohen and TateCohen and TateCohen and Tate is a 1989 American thriller film, also known as Cohen & Tate, starring Roy Scheider and Adam Baldwin, and written and directed by Eric Red, the writer of The Hitcher and Near Dark, in his directorial debut.- Plot :...
, writer/director (1989) - Blue SteelBlue Steel (1990 film)Blue Steel is a 1990 action thriller film, directed by Kathryn Bigelow, and starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Ron Silver and Clancy Brown.-Plot:Megan Turner is a rookie New York City policewoman who shoots and kills a suspect with her police-issue .38 Special Smith & Wesson Model 10 revolver while he's...
, writer (1990) - Body PartsBody Parts (1991 film)Body Parts is a 1991 horror thriller film directed by Eric Red and released by Paramount Pictures. The film stars Jeff Fahey, Kim Delaney, Brad Dourif and Zakes Mokae.-Plot:...
, writer/director (1991) - Bad MoonBad MoonBad Moon is a 1996 American horror film written and directed by Eric Red and produced by James G. Robinson. The plot involves a family man who struggles to overcome his curse....
, writer/director (1996) - Undertow, writer/director (1996)
- 100 Feet100 Feet100 Feet is a 2008 American horror film, written and directed by Eric Red. The film stars Famke Janssen, Bobby Cannavale, Ed Westwick, and Michael Paré.-Plot:The film begins with Marnie Watson being driven home in a police car...
, writer/director (2008)