Tom Holland (director)
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Tom Holland | |
|---|---|
 Holland in 2008 | |
| Born | July 11, 1943 Poughkeepsie, New York, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Worcester Academy |
| Alma mater | University of California, Los Angeles (B.A., J.D.) |
| Occupation | Film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, model |
| Years active | 1964–present |
Notable work | Psycho II Fright Night Child's Play |
| Children | 1 |
Thomas Lee "Tom" Holland (born July 11, 1943) is an American screenwriter, actor, and filmmaker best known for his work in the horror film genre, penning the 1983 sequel to the classic Alfred Hitchcock film Psycho,[4] directing the first entry in the long-running Child's Play franchise,[5] and writing and directing the cult vampire film Fright Night.[6] He also directed the Stephen King adaptations The Langoliers[7] and Thinner.[8] He is a two-time Saturn Award recipient.
Early life[edit]
Holland was born July 11, 1943 in Poughkeepsie, New York,[9] to Lee and Tom Holland. He attended Ossining Public High School in Ossining, New York before transferring to Worcester Academy, where he graduated in 1962. After graduating high school, Holland attended Northwestern University for one year before transferring to the University of California, Los Angeles, where he graduated in 1970.[10] He later graduated from UCLA Law School with a Juris Doctor.[11]
Career[edit]
Acting career[edit]
Holland trained as an actor at the Actor's Studio under Lee Strasberg. Throughout the 60s and early 70s Holland appeared under the moniker of Tom Fielding in several supporting and guest star roles for both television and film, including A Walk in the Spring Rain alongside Anthony Quinn and Ingrid Bergman.
In December 2009 Holland was cast for Adam Green's Hatchet II,[12] to star alongside Danielle Harris, Tony Todd, Kane Hodder, and R.A. Mihailoff.[13] He narrated the film alongside Green on San Diego Comic-Con International 2010.[14]
Writing[edit]
Holland made his screenwriting debut with the 1978 made-for-television film The Initiation of Sarah. He made his feature film writing debut in 1982, adapting the Edward Levy novel The Beast Within into the film of the same name.[15] That same year, he wrote the Class of 1984, an urban thriller film centered on juvenile delinquency and punk subculture. The film proved controversial upon release and was heavily censored in the United Kingdom[16] and outright banned in other countries.[17] It has since become a cult classic.[18][19][20]
Holland was hired by Universal Pictures to write a sequel to the 1960 Alfred Hitchcock film Psycho, which since its initial release had been acclaimed as not only a seminal and iconic horror film,[21][22] but one of the greatest films of all time.[23][24][25] Lead actor Anthony Perkins, who had previously displayed apprehension at appearing in a sequel, agreed to do the film after being impressed by Holland's screenplay.[26] The film, directed by Richard Franklin and co-starring Meg Tilly, Robert Loggia, and Dennis Franz, opened at No. 2 at the box office (behind Return of the Jedi) and went on to gross $34 million.[27]
Holland re-teamed with director Franklin the following year on his next film, Cloak & Dagger. Unlike their previous film, Cloak & Dagger was a spy film aimed at a younger audience, and starring Henry Thomas of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial in its leading role. Despite positive critical reviews,[28] the film was a financial failure, grossing $9,719,952 off of a 13 million dollar production budget.
Directing[edit]
Holland's directorial debut came in 1985 with the vampire horror film Fright Night. Holland first conceived of the premise during the writing of Cloak & Dagger,[29] of a horror film fan who learns that his neighbor is a vampire. He chose to direct the film himself after being disappointed with Michael Winner's direction of his screenplay Scream for Help.[30][31] The film was both financial and critical success, earning a rave review from Roger Ebert[32] who wrote "Fright Night is not a distinguished movie, but it has a lot of fun being undistinguished." The film spawned a sequel, and a 2011 remake starring Colin Farrell and Anton Yelchin.
In 1988, Holland directed the film Child's Play, which received positive reviews from Ebert[33] and Leonard Maltin,[34] spawned a long-running franchise consisting of six sequels, and helped elevate its antagonist Chucky to a pop culture icon. He directed three episodes of the horror anthology series Tales from the Crypt, and returned to television films with The Stranger Within. He wrote and directed a 1996 ABC miniseries adaptation of the Stephen King novella The Langoliers, and the following year adapted King's novel Thinner into a film of the same name.
Dead Rabbit Films[edit]
He and David Chackler founded the horror film company Dead Rabbit Films.[35] Their first feature film was the remake of Fright Night.[36] Holland is also reportedly scheduled to be writing and directing a feature-length anthology of horror shorts titled Twisted Tales.[37]
Personal life[edit]
He is the father of American actor Josh Holland.[38][39]
Awards and nominations[edit]
| Year | Award | Category | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Edgar Award | Best Motion Picture | Psycho II | Nominated |
| 1986 | Dario Argento Award | Best Film | Fright Night | Won |
| Critics' Award | Special Mention | Won | ||
| International Fantasy Film Award | Best Film | Nominated | ||
| Saturn Award | Best Director | Nominated | ||
| Best Horror Film | Won | |||
| Best Writing | Won | |||
| 1990 | Best Horror Film | Child's Play | Nominated | |
| Best Writing Shared with Don Mancini and John Lafia |
Nominated | |||
| 1996 | Best Television Presentation | The Langoliers | Nominated |
Filmography[edit]
Film[edit]
Filmmaking credits[edit]
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | The Beast Within | No | Yes | |
| Class of 1984 | No | Yes | ||
| 1983 | Psycho II | No | Yes | |
| 1984 | Cloak & Dagger | No | Yes | |
| Scream for Help | No | Yes | ||
| 1985 | Fright Night | Yes | Yes | Directorial debut |
| 1987 | Fatal Beauty | Yes | No | |
| 1988 | Child's Play | Yes | Yes | |
| 1993 | The Temp | Yes | No | |
| 1996 | Thinner | Yes | Yes | |
| 2010 | To Hell with You | Yes | No | Short film |
| 2011 | Fright Night | No | Story | |
| 2017 | Rock, Paper, Scissors | Yes | No |
Executive producer[edit]
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | You're So Cool, Brewster! The Story of Fright Night | Documentary film; also creative consultant |
| What Is Fright Night? | Documentary short films | |
| Tom Holland and Amanda Bearse Talk Fright Night | ||
| Tom Holland: Writing Horror | ||
| Roddy McDowall: From Apes to Bats | ||
| A Beautiful Darkness: The Look of Regine |
Acting credits[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | America America | (voice) | Uncredited |
| 1969 | Model Shop | Gerry | |
| Changes | Roommate | ||
| 1970 | A Walk in the Spring Rain | Boy | |
| 1972 | Josie's Castle | Leonard Robbins | |
| 1983 | Psycho II | Deputy Norris | |
| 2009 | The Crystal Lake Massacres Revisited | Charles Brewster | Mockumentary short film |
| 2010 | Hatchet II | Bob | |
| 2014 | Digging Up the Marrow | Himself | |
| 2015 | Clowntown | The Clown with No Name | Short film |
| TBA | The Tarot | Uncle Walter |
Television and web[edit]
Filmmaking credits[edit]
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Executive Producer |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | The Initiation of Sarah | No | Story | No | Television film |
| 1986 | Amazing Stories | Yes | No | No | Episode: "Miscalculation" |
| 1989-1992 | Tales from the Crypt | Yes | Yes | No | Directed episodes: "Lover Come Hack to Me" & "King of the Road" Written and directed episode: "Four-Sided Triangle" |
| 1990 | The Stranger Within | Yes | No | No | Television film |
| 1991 | The Owl | Yes | Yes | Yes | Unsold pilot |
| 1992 | Two-Fisted Tales | Yes | No | No | Television film (segment: "King of the Road") |
| 1995 | The Langoliers | Yes | Yes | No | Television miniseries (2 episodes) |
| 2006 | The Initiation of Sarah | No | Story | No | Television film |
| Driven | Yes | Yes | Yes | Web short film | |
| 2007 | Masters of Horror | Yes | No | No | Episode: "We All Scream for Ice Cream" |
| 2008 | 5 or Die | Yes | No | Yes | Web short film |
| 2013 | Twisted Tales | Yes | Yes | Yes | Web series (9 episodes) |
Acting credits[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | Telephone Time | Millsap | Episode: "Trail Blazer" |
| 1964 | 77 Sunset Strip | Al Killian | Episode: "Lover's Lane" |
| Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre | Vic Burns | Episode: "Out on the Outskirts of Town" | |
| 1965-1966 | A Flame in the Wind | Steve Reynolds #2 | 50 episodes |
| 1967 | Combat! | Pfc. Tommy Bishop | Episode: "Entombed" |
| 1968 | Felony Squad | LeRoy Baker | Episode: "Epitaph for a Cop" |
| 1969 | My Friend Tony | Urknown | Episode: "The Hazing" |
| The Young Lawyers | David Harrison | Episode: "Pilot" | |
| Medical Center | Jess Yarnaby | Episode: "24 Hours" | |
| 1978 | The Incredible Hulk | Steve Silva | Episode: "Another Path" |
| 1983 | The Winds of War | Devilfish Sub Captain | Episode: "Into the Maelstrom" |
| 1991 | The Owl | Mugger | Television pilot, appears uncredited in extended international version |
| 1994 | The Stand | Carl Hough | Television miniseries (2 episodes) |
| 1995 | The Langoliers | Harker | Television miniseries (2 episodes) |
| 2007 | Masters of Horror | Funeral Guest | Episode: "We All Scream for Ice Cream" |
| 2010 | Team Unicorn | Grandpa | Episode: "A Very Zombie Holiday" |
| 2013 | Twisted Tales | Himself / Janitor | Web series (9 episodes) |
| 2015 | 20 Seconds to Live | Bystander | Episode: "Evil Doll" |
Critical reception[edit]
| Film | Rotten Tomatoes score |
|---|---|
| The Beast Within (1982) | 13%[40] |
| Class of 1984 (1982) | 75%[41] |
| Psycho II (1983) | 59%[42] |
| Scream for Help (1984) | N/A |
| Cloak & Dagger (1984) | 64%[43] |
| Fright Night (1985) | 91%[44] |
| Fatal Beauty (1987) | 23%[45] |
| Child's Play (1988) | 69%[46] |
| The Temp (1993) | 29%[47] |
| The Langoliers (1995) | 50%[48] |
| Thinner (1996) | 16%[49] |
| Fright Night (2011) | 72%[50] |
| Rock Paper Dead (2017) | N/A |
References[edit]
- ^ Worcester Academy (Class of 1962) Yearbook
- ^ https://www.martindale.com/sherman-oaks/california/thomas-lee-holland-170479-a/
- ^ http://members.calbar.ca.gov/fal/Licensee/Detail/61529
- ^ "TOM HOLLAND and PSYCHO II". Damn Dirty Geeks. 2015-08-10. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
- ^ Stuart, Gwynedd (2017-10-12). "Director Tom Holland Looks Back at Child's Play Nearly 30 Years Later". L.A. Weekly. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
- ^ Vanderbilt, Mike. "Tom Holland on his seminal vampire flick Fright Night, which turned 30 this week". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
- ^ The Langoliers (1995), retrieved 2017-12-05
- ^ "VUDU - Watch Movies". www.vudu.com. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
- ^ "Tom Holland Biography". FilmReference. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
- ^ Vanderbilt, Mike (August 5, 2015). "Tom Holland on his seminal vampire flick Fright Night, which turned 30 this week". The A.V. Club. Retrieved August 8, 2018.
- ^ Hollywood Interview
- ^ "A.J. Bowen and Tom Holland Join Cast of Hatchet 2".
- ^ "'Hatchet 2' Picked Up By Dark Sky Films, Plans to Build Franchise!".
- ^ "First Look: Tom Holland in Hatchet II".
- ^ "Tom Holland Remaking His Own 'The Beast Within' - Bloody Disgusting". bloody-disgusting.com. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
- ^ "BBFC Rating; Class of 1984".
- ^ http://www.filmsite.org/reviews/1982/class-of-1984/. Missing or empty
|title=(help)[dead link] - ^ "Film Review: Class of 1984 (1982) | HNN". horrornews.net. Retrieved 2017-12-06.
- ^ Muir, John Kenneth (2012-01-27). "John Kenneth Muir's Reflections on Cult Movies and Classic TV: The Films of 1982: Class of 1984". John Kenneth Muir's Reflections on Cult Movies and Classic TV. Retrieved 2017-12-06.
- ^ "Class of 1984 Movie - The 80s Movies Rewind". www.fast-rewind.com. Retrieved 2017-12-06.
- ^ Kermode, Mark (2010-10-22). "Psycho: the best horror film of all time". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-12-06.
- ^ "'Psycho': The horror movie that changed the genre". EW.com. Retrieved 2017-12-06.
- ^ "The 100 Greatest Movies of All Time by Entertainment Weekly". www.filmsite.org. Retrieved 2017-12-06.
- ^ "AFI's 100 Greatest American Movies". www.filmsite.org. Retrieved 2017-12-06.
- ^ "The 100 greatest films of all time". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2017-12-06.
- ^ McCarty, John (1990). The Modern Horror Film. Citadel Press. pp. 67–69. ISBN 0806511648.
- ^ "Psycho II (1983) - Box Office Mojo". www.boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved 2017-12-06.
- ^ "Movie Review - - THE SCREEN: 'DAGGER', SPY GAMES - NYTimes.com". www.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2017-12-06.
- ^ Shock Till You Drop (2013-08-09), Choice Cuts: Tom Holland's Fright Night Tour, retrieved 2017-12-06
- ^ "PIRATE COMMENTARIES". Icons of Fright - Horror News | Horror Interviews | Horror Reviews & More!. 2011-10-17. Retrieved 2017-12-06.
- ^ "FRIGHT NIGHT Reunion Panel From Dallas, TX FEAR FEST 2 moderated by ICONS Robg". www.iconsoffright.com. Retrieved 2017-12-06.
- ^ Ebert, Roger. "Fright Night Movie Review & Film Summary (1985) | Roger Ebert". www.rogerebert.com. Retrieved 2017-12-06.
- ^ Ebert, Roger. "Child's Play Movie Review & Film Summary (1988) | Roger Ebert". www.rogerebert.com. Retrieved 2017-12-06.
- ^ Maltin, Leonard; Sader, Luke; Clark, Mike (2008). Leonard Maltin's 2009 Movie Guide. Penguin. p. 240. ISBN 9780452289789.
leonard maltin child's play.
- ^ "Dead Rabit Films – Official". Deadrabbitent.com. Archived from the original on 2012-07-30. Retrieved 2012-06-07.
- ^ "Tom Holland and David Chackler Bring Horror Fans Dead Rabbit Films". DreadCentral.
- ^ "Tom Holland INCORRECT INFORMATION - HE IS NOT BRYAN'S UNCLE to Unleash His New Brand of Twisted Tales".
- ^ "Tom Holland here..." Reddit. Ask Me Anything. 2014. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
- ^ Hatfull, Jonathan (October 6, 2015). "Tom Holland talks Twisted Tales and the Ten O'Clock People". SciFiNow. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
- ^ https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/beast_within
- ^ "Rotten Tomatoes T-Meter Rating of Class of 1984". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
- ^ "Rotten Tomatoes T-Meter Rating of Psycho II". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
- ^ "Rotten Tomatoes T-Meter Rating of Cloak & Dagger". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
- ^ "Rotten Tomatoes T-Meter Rating of Fright Night". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
- ^ "Rotten Tomatoes T-Meter Rating of Fatal Beauty". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
- ^ "Rotten Tomatoes T-Meter Rating of Child's Play". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
- ^ "Rotten Tomatoes T-Meter Rating of The Temp". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
- ^ "Stephen King's 'The Langoliers' (1995)".
- ^ "Rotten Tomatoes T-Meter Rating of Thinner". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
- ^ "Rotten Tomatoes T-Meter Rating of Fright Night". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
External links[edit]
- Tom Holland on IMDb
