Eric Red
Born
Eric Joseph Durdaller

(1961-02-16) February 16, 1961
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Occupation(s)Screenwriter, film director

Eric Red (born Eric Joseph Durdaller; February 16, 1961) is an American screenwriter, director and novelist, best known for writing the horror films The Hitcher and Near Dark,[1] as well as writing and directing Cohen and Tate.

Biography

Early life

Red was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the son of Nancy (née Pickhardt) and Cornelius Gerard Durdaller.[2] He attended the AFI Conservatory and graduated in 1983.

Screenwriter career

The first film written by Red was Gunmen's Blues, a short he produced and directed while a student at the AFI Conservatory.[3] He went broke trying to get national distribution for the film and had to drive a cab in New York City for a year to recoup.[4]

His AFI thesis script, The Hitcher, was produced in 1986. A major studio remake of The Hitcher was released in 2007 with Red as a consultant.[5] From the '80s through the '00s, his subsequent produced screenplays were Near Dark, Cohen and Tate, Blue Steel, Body Parts, The Last Outlaw, Undertow, Bad Moon and 100 Feet.

Director career

The first feature film directed by Red was Cohen and Tate in 1987. He subsequently directed the films Body Parts (1990), Undertow (1995), Bad Moon (1996) and 100 Feet (2008).

Novelist career

Eric Red published his first novel, Don't Stand So Close, in 2011. His subsequent published novels are The Guns of Santa Sangre (2013), The Wolves of El Diablo (2017), It Waits Below (2014), Noose (2018), Hanging Fire (2019), White Knuckle (2015), Strange Fruit (2014), Branded (2021) and The Crimson Trail (2021).

Car crash

Following a car accident, Red crashed his truck into a crowded bar in Los Angeles on May 31, 2000, resulting in the deaths of two patrons. After the incident, Red apparently exited his vehicle and attempted suicide by slitting his own throat with a piece of broken glass.[6] Red survived the incident, was taken to the hospital under an alias and was released weeks later. No criminal charges were brought against Red, but a jury in a civil suit awarded monetary damages to the families of the victims. 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.[7]

Filmography

Short films

Year Title Director Writer Editor
1981 Gunmen's Blues Yes Yes Yes
1986 Telephone Yes Yes Yes

Feature films

Year Title Director Writer
1986 The Hitcher No Yes
1987 Near Dark No Yes
1989 Cohen and Tate Yes Yes
1990 Blue Steel No Yes
1991 Body Parts Yes Yes
1996 Bad Moon Yes Yes
2007 The Hitcher No Yes
2008 100 Feet Yes Yes

TV movies

Year Title Director Writer
1993 The Last Outlaw No Yes
1996 Undertow Yes Yes
2015 Night of the Wild Yes No

Bibliography

  • Containment (2005) [graphic novel]
  • Don't Stand So Close (2011)
  • The Guns of Santa Sangre (2013)
  • It Waits Below (2014)
  • Strange Fruit (2014)
  • White Knuckle (2015)
  • The Wolves of El Diablo (2017)
  • Noose (2018)
  • Hanging Fire (2019)
  • Branded (2021)
  • The Crimson Trail (2021)
  • Stopping Power (2021)

References

  1. ↑ "Eric Red". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2008. Archived from the original on May 12, 2008. Retrieved May 26, 2012.
  2. ↑ "Eric Red Biography". filmreference.com. Retrieved May 26, 2012.
  3. ↑ staff (March 30, 2001). "Interview with Eric Red". Buried.com. Archived from the original on January 14, 2016. Retrieved August 21, 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  4. ↑ "Eric Red Biography". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 21, 2011.
  5. ↑ EyeForFilm.co.uk -Interview with Eric Red about 100 Feet and Nightlife
  6. ↑ "Driver Who Plowed Into Pool Hall Has History of Blackouts" 09-23-2000, Los Angeles Times
  7. ↑ LA Weekly story: Death Race 2000, by Paul Cullum 01-13-2006, LA Weekly
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