 Writing and directing an independent film that becomes a classic is an accomplishment to which most filmmakers aspire, but Don Coscarelli has done it twice. The first was PHANTASM, the highly original science fiction/horror film still watched and beloved by fans the world over. Coscarelli also co-wrote (with Paul Pepperman) and directed THE BEASTMASTER, released in 1982 and described recently in Entertainment Weekly as "one of the most popular films of all time on cable television." THE BEASTMASTER has spawned two sequels and a television series. Don Coscarelli was born in North Africa and raised in Southern California. Although his family was not connected with the motion picture business, he was fascinated with cameras and filmmaking at an early age. Long before he was old enough to attend film school, his short films, made with the help of neighborhood friends in his home town of Long Beach, California, were winning prizes on television. At the age of nineteen, Coscarelli became the youngest director to have a feature film distributed by a major studio when he sold his independently produced and critically acclaimed drama, Jim The World's Greatest, to Universal Pictures. Jim was the first collaboration for Coscarelli with an accomplished actor named Lawrence Rory Guy, who went on to star for Don in other films under the screen name Angus Scrimm. Jim The World's Greatest was an official selection of the USA Film Festival.
KENNY & COMPANY a warm comedy about children for Twentieth Century Fox, proved to be a financial success overseas and was an especially huge hit in Japan, where the film's young star, Michael Baldwin, became a teen idol. After the worldwide success of Phantasm and The Beastmaster, Coscarelli wrote and directed the wilderness adventure SURVIVAL QUEST , released by MGM, which starred Lance Henriksen, Catherine Keener and Dermot Mulroney. The film tells the story of a group of people who find themselves in a race with death during a wilderness expedition in the high Sierras. Coscarelli is best known for the PHANTASM films. PHANTASM and its successful sequels spawned a huge cult of fans around the world and have become staples in the home video and DVD market. The original PHANTASM was a worldwide critical and box-office success and won the Special Jury Prize at the Festival du Cinema Fantastique at Avoriaz, France. Coscarelli then wrote and directed PHANTASM II, released by Universal Pictures, and a few years later he wrote, directed and produced PHANTASM III: Lord of the Dead, also for Universal. That same year Mr. Coscarelli made an appearance at the largest sci-fi/horror convention on the West Coast, The Weekend of Horrors, and received the Best Independent Film award for PHANTASM III: Lord of the Dead, voted by the readers of Fangoria Magazine. Coscarelli's most recent Phantasm film is what may be the concluding chapter of the series, PHANTASM: OBLIVION. Released by MGM, Oblivion was welcomed by "phans" worldwide, hungry for another episode. Mr. Coscarelli also wrote for the screen and directed the film Bubba Ho-tep. Based on a short story by Joe R. Lansdale, Bubba Ho-tep stars horror icon Bruce Campbell and the legendary Ossie Davis. In addition to being a critical hit, Bubba Ho-tep was also a festival favorite, playing in such prestigious international film festivals as the Toronto International Film Festival, SXSW, Florida Film Festival, Brussels, and the Hong Kong International Film festival. At HBO'S U.S. Comedy Arts Film Festival, Bubba Ho-tep was a double winner with actor Bruce Campbell receiving the Best Actor Award and Don Coscarelli receiving the Best Screenplay Award. At Montreal's FantAsia Film Festival Bubba Ho-tep was the recipient of the Best International Film award. Recently, Don Coscarelli received a Bram Stoker Award in New York City for the screenplay of Bubba Ho-tep. Last year Don co-wrote and directed the premiere episode of Showtime's "Masters of Horror" series, entitled "Incident On and Off a Mountain Road ." Currently Mr. Coscarelli is working on a new feature film, rumored to be the much anticipated sequel to Bubba Ho-tep. |
