John McNaughton
Encyclopedia
John McNaughton is an American
film
and television director
, originally from Chicago, Illinois.
, made in 1986, was Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer
, a film McNaughton directed, co-wrote, and co-produced. Numerous complications plagued the controversial film, delaying its theatrical release until 1989. The film made Time magazine's
and Roger Ebert
's ten best lists and won best picture honors at Fantasporto
and the Brussels International Festival of Fantasy Film
.
His other works include the films Mad Dog and Glory
and Wild Things
, the documentary Condo Painting as well as episodes of Homicide: Life on the Street
, John From Cincinnati
, Masters of Horror
and the pilot episode
for Push, Nevada
.
reported that McNaughton was signed to direct Backstabbers, a film that would re-unite him with Stephen Peters, the writer of Wild Things and that film's two lead actresses, Neve Campbell
and Denise Richards
. The project is reportedly not a Wild Things sequel.
During a March 2006 interview, actor Robert Englund
stated that McNaughton was attached to direct a proposed Nightmare on Elm Street
prequel
, entitled A Nightmare On Elm Street: The First Murders. He will direct the traditional old school horror film The Harvest.
and graduated from Columbia College Chicago
with a degree in television production and a minor in photography.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film
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:...
and television director
Television director
A television director directs the activities involved in making a television program and is part of a television crew.-Duties:The duties of a television director vary depending on whether the production is live or recorded to video tape or video server .In both types of productions, the...
, originally from Chicago, Illinois.
Biography
His first feature filmFeature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
, made in 1986, was Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer
Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer is a 1986 crime horror film directed and co-written by John McNaughton about the random crime spree of a serial killer who seemingly operates with impunity. It stars Michael Rooker as the nomadic killer Henry, Tom Towles as Otis, a prison buddy with whom Henry is...
, a film McNaughton directed, co-wrote, and co-produced. Numerous complications plagued the controversial film, delaying its theatrical release until 1989. The film made Time magazine's
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
and Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
's ten best lists and won best picture honors at Fantasporto
Fantasporto
Fantasporto, also known as Fantas, is an international film festival, annually organized since 1981 in Porto, Portugal. Giving screen space to commercial feature films, auteur films and experimental projects from all over the world, Fantasporto has created enthusiastic audiences, ranging from...
and the Brussels International Festival of Fantasy Film
Brussels International Festival of Fantasy Film
The Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival , previously named Brussels International Festival of Fantastic Film was created in 1983 as a venue for horror, thriller and science fiction films. It takes place in Brussels, every year in March...
.
His other works include the films Mad Dog and Glory
Mad Dog and Glory
Mad Dog and Glory is a 1993 American comedy-drama film directed by John McNaughton and starring Robert De Niro, Uma Thurman and Bill Murray.-Plot:...
and Wild Things
Wild Things
Wild Things is a 1998 erotic thriller film starring Matt Dillon, Neve Campbell, Kevin Bacon, Denise Richards, Theresa Russell and Bill Murray. It was directed by John McNaughton. In some countries the film was released as Sex Crimes...
, the documentary Condo Painting as well as episodes of Homicide: Life on the Street
Homicide: Life on the Street
Homicide: Life on the Street is an American police procedural television series chronicling the work of a fictional version of the Baltimore Homicide Unit. It ran for seven seasons on NBC from 1993 to 1999, and was succeeded by a TV movie, which also acted as the de-facto series finale...
, John From Cincinnati
John from Cincinnati
John from Cincinnati is an American television drama, set against the surfing community of Imperial Beach, California, that aired on HBO from June 10, 2007 to August 12, 2007. It is the result of a collaborative effort between writer/producer David Milch and author Kem Nunn, whose novels have been...
, Masters of Horror
Masters of Horror
Masters of Horror is an informal social group of international film writers and directors specializing in horror movies and an American television series created by director Mick Garris for the Showtime cable network.- Origin :...
and the pilot episode
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
for Push, Nevada
Push, Nevada
Push, Nevada is an American mystery television series set in the fictional town of Push, Nevada. It premiered on September 17, 2002 on the ABC network, and ran for 7 episodes before it became one of the first shows to be cancelled during the Fall 2002 season.Created by Ben Affleck and Sean Bailey ,...
.
Projects in development
In February 2006, VarietyVariety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
reported that McNaughton was signed to direct Backstabbers, a film that would re-unite him with Stephen Peters, the writer of Wild Things and that film's two lead actresses, Neve Campbell
Neve Campbell
Neve Adrianne Campbell is a Canadian actress. After beginning her career on stage, and on numerous commercials, she starred on the Canadian television series Catwalk. She then rose to international fame on the Golden Globe-winning 1990s television series Party of Five, playing the role of teenager...
and Denise Richards
Denise Richards
Denise Lee Richards is an American actress and former fashion model of Croatian and Welsh descent. She has appeared in films including Starship Troopers, Wild Things, and The World Is Not Enough...
. The project is reportedly not a Wild Things sequel.
During a March 2006 interview, actor Robert Englund
Robert Englund
Robert Barton Englund is an American actor, voice-actor and director, best known for playing the fictional serial killer Freddy Krueger, in the Nightmare on Elm Street film series. He received a Saturn Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors in...
stated that McNaughton was attached to direct a proposed Nightmare on Elm Street
A Nightmare on Elm Street (franchise)
A Nightmare on Elm Street is an American horror franchise that consists of nine slasher films, a television show, novels, and comic books. The franchise began with the film series created by Wes Craven. The franchise is based on the fictional character Freddy Krueger, introduced in A Nightmare on...
prequel
Prequel
A prequel is a work that supplements a previously completed one, and has an earlier time setting.The widely recognized term was a 20th-century neologism, and a portmanteau from pre- and sequel...
, entitled A Nightmare On Elm Street: The First Murders. He will direct the traditional old school horror film The Harvest.
Filmography
- Dealers in Death (1984)
- Henry: Portrait of a Serial KillerHenry: Portrait Of A Serial KillerHenry: Portrait of a Serial Killer is a 1986 crime horror film directed and co-written by John McNaughton about the random crime spree of a serial killer who seemingly operates with impunity. It stars Michael Rooker as the nomadic killer Henry, Tom Towles as Otis, a prison buddy with whom Henry is...
(1990) (also Co-Writer, with Richard Fire) - Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll (1991)
- The BorrowerThe BorrowerThe Borrower is a 1991 American science fiction / horror film directed by John McNaughton. The film is a B-movie about an alien serial killer, who is sent to Earth to live among humans as a form of penalty...
(1991) - Mad Dog and GloryMad Dog and GloryMad Dog and Glory is a 1993 American comedy-drama film directed by John McNaughton and starring Robert De Niro, Uma Thurman and Bill Murray.-Plot:...
(1993) - Rebel HighwayRebel HighwayRebel Highway was a short-lived revival of American International Pictures created and produced by Lou Arkoff, the son of Samuel Z. Arkoff and Debra Hill for the Showtime channel in 1994. The concept was 10-week series of 1950s "drive-in classic" B-movies remade "with a '90s edge"...
: Girls in PrisonGirls in PrisonGirls in Prison is a 1956 drama/sexploitation women in prison film about a young woman who is convicted of being an accomplice to a bank robbery and is sent to an all-female prison. The film was directed by Edward L. Cahn, and stars Richard Denning, Joan Taylor, and Mae Marsh...
(1994) (TV) - Homicide: Life on the StreetHomicide: Life on the StreetHomicide: Life on the Street is an American police procedural television series chronicling the work of a fictional version of the Baltimore Homicide Unit. It ran for seven seasons on NBC from 1993 to 1999, and was succeeded by a TV movie, which also acted as the de-facto series finale...
(1994-1996) (TV) - Normal LifeNormal LifeNormal Life is a 1996 crime drama film based on the real lives of husband and wife bank robbers, Jeffrey and Jill Erickson. The film stars Ashley Judd and Luke Perry and was directed by John McNaughton.- Plot :...
(1996) - FirehouseFirehouse (1997 film)Firehouse is a 1997 drama film about the dealings of a crew at a firehouse. The group is attacked by an assassin and eventually must accept that the firehouse is to be consolidated with a rescue unit....
(1997) (TV) (as Alan SmitheeAlan SmitheeAlan Smithee was an official pseudonym used by film directors who wish to disown a project, coined in 1968. Until its use was formally discontinued in 2000, it was the sole pseudonym used by members of the Directors Guild of America when a director dissatisfied with the final product proved to...
) - Wild ThingsWild ThingsWild Things is a 1998 erotic thriller film starring Matt Dillon, Neve Campbell, Kevin Bacon, Denise Richards, Theresa Russell and Bill Murray. It was directed by John McNaughton. In some countries the film was released as Sex Crimes...
(1998) - LanskyLansky (film)Lansky is a 1999 American made-for-television crime drama film. Directed by John McNaughton, it stars Richard Dreyfuss as the famous gangster Meyer Lansky, Eric Roberts as Bugsy Siegel, and Ryan Merriman as the young Lansky.-Plot summary:...
(1999) (TV) - Condo Painting (2000)
- Speaking of Sex (2001)
- Push, NevadaPush, NevadaPush, Nevada is an American mystery television series set in the fictional town of Push, Nevada. It premiered on September 17, 2002 on the ABC network, and ran for 7 episodes before it became one of the first shows to be cancelled during the Fall 2002 season.Created by Ben Affleck and Sean Bailey ,...
(2002) (TV) - Expert WitnessExpert witnessAn expert witness, professional witness or judicial expert is a witness, who by virtue of education, training, skill, or experience, is believed to have expertise and specialised knowledge in a particular subject beyond that of the average person, sufficient that others may officially and legally...
(2003) (TV) - Without a TraceWithout a TraceWithout a Trace is an American television drama which originally ran on CBS from September 26, 2002 to May 19, 2009. The series was set in New York City and concerned a fictitious FBI Missing Persons Unit.-Premise:...
(2003) (TV) - Masters of HorrorMasters of HorrorMasters of Horror is an informal social group of international film writers and directors specializing in horror movies and an American television series created by director Mick Garris for the Showtime cable network.- Origin :...
(2006) (TV) - John from CincinnatiJohn from CincinnatiJohn from Cincinnati is an American television drama, set against the surfing community of Imperial Beach, California, that aired on HBO from June 10, 2007 to August 12, 2007. It is the result of a collaborative effort between writer/producer David Milch and author Kem Nunn, whose novels have been...
(2007) (TV) - Shoedog (2012)
Personal life
John McNaughton studied fine arts at the University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
and graduated from Columbia College Chicago
Columbia College Chicago
Columbia College Chicago is one of the largest art colleges in the United States with nearly 12,000 students pursuing degrees within 120 undergraduate and graduate programs...
with a degree in television production and a minor in photography.