- David Schmoeller
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David Schmoeller Born December 8, 1947
Louisville, KentuckyOccupation Director Years active 1976–current David Schmoeller (born December 8, 1947 in Louisville, Kentucky) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is notable for directing several full-length theatrical horror movies including Tourist Trap (1979), The Seduction (1982), Puppet Master (1989), Catacombs (1988), and Crawlspace (1986) starring Klaus Kinski.
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Biography
Schmoeller was born in Kentucky but raised and educated in Texas. He completed a Masters program in Radio-Television-Film at the University of Texas at Austin. Fluent in Spanish, he was briefly an interpreter for ABC Sports during the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City.
He spent six months as an intern with writer-director Peter Hyams on the film Capricorn One.[1], before writing and directing his first theatrical feature Tourist Trap (1979).
Tourist Trap was based on Schmoeller's University of Texas thesis film The Spider Will Kill You. Shot in 24 days, it features a score by Pino Donaggio, performances from Chuck Connors and Tanya Roberts, and contains sound effects culled from The Time Machine (1960) and Gone with the Wind (1939).[2]
Schmoeller also wrote the screenplays for Tourist Trap (1979), The Seduction (1982), Crawlspace (1986), and Catacombs (1988).
In 1982, he directed The Seduction (1982), a thriller starring Morgan Fairchild and Andrew Stevens.
He directed the horror film Puppet Master in 1989 and also wrote its original screenplay. Many of the puppet characters Schmoeller created for Puppet Master have appeared in the various sequels that comprise the Puppet Master franchise.
In 1991, Schmoeller directed The Arrival starring John Saxon. The Arrival is a horror-themed science fiction tale which tells the story of an old man who comes across a fallen meteor from outer space. Soon, the old man begins to grow younger and younger, aging backwards. However, he also develops an intense thirst for blood.
In the early 1990s, he directed several episodes for TV series such as Silk Stalkings and Renegade (TV series), and also directed a TV movie called Search for the Jewel of Polaris: Mysterious Museum in 1999.[3]
In recent years, Schmoeller has produced many of his own film projects including the full-length feature Thor at the Bus Stop (2009) as well as the shorts Please Kill Mr. Kinski (1999) and Spanking Lessons (2007).
His most recent film, a video short titled The Rules of House-Sitting, was completed in 2010.
He is currently employed as a film professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Filmography (as director)
Movies
- The Spider Will Kill You (1976)
- Tourist Trap (1979)
- The Seduction (1982)
- Crawlspace (1986)
- Catacombs (1988)
- Puppet Master (1989)
- The Arrival (1991)
- Netherworld (1992)
- The Secret Kingdom (1998)
- Please Kill Mr. Kinski (1999)
- Wedding Day (2008)
Television series (as director)
- Silk Stalkings (TV series) (1992–1993)
- Renegade (TV series) (TV series) (1992)
References
- ^ "The Man Behind...Tourist Trap!: An Interview with David Schmoeller - November 1999". The Terror Trap. http://www.terrortrap.com/interviews/davidschmoeller/.
- ^ "Reflections on...Fear! A Collection of Personal Horror Memories & Anecdotes: David Schmoeller - October 2010". The Terror Trap. http://www.terrortrap.com/specialfeatures/reflectionsonfear/halloween.php.
- ^ "David Schmoeller". IMDb. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0773541/.
External links
Categories:- 1947 births
- Living people
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