Biographie

His films often take place in small towns and suburbs.

Frequently has films/television series with themes similar to the movie in various scenes.

Always includes a reference to the Warner Bros. cartoons somewhere in each of his works.

Frequently casts Robert Picardo in supporting roles or cameos.

Frequently casts Ron Perlman in supporting roles or cameos.

He was one of the directors considered for Jurassic Park (1993), which went to Steven Spielberg.

His favorite films are La Fiancée de Frankenstein (1935), Jeu dangereux (1942), La nuit du chasseur (1955), La Soif du mal (1958) and Il était une fois dans l'Ouest (1968). He often cites Les Innocents (1961) as his favorite horror film, and one of the scariest he has ever seen.

He was scheduled to direct a Les Dents de la mer (1975) parody (under the National Lampoon banner) in the early 1980s called "Jaws 3 People 0". Universal Pictures dropped this concept in favor of a straight film (which became the critical flop Jaws 3D).

Former Roger Corman protégé. Also helped by Steven Spielberg.

He was John Carpenter's choice to direct Halloween III : Le Sang du sorcier (1982).

[in "Halliwell's Filmgoers and Video Viewers Companion", on producing movie trailers for Roger Corman] We did all kinds of things in trailers to help sell films. We had a famous exploding helicopter shot from one of those Filipino productions that we had cut in every time a trailer was too dull because that was always exciting.

[on Gremlins (1984)] What I like in movies especially are movies that do things that you can't do in real life and show you things that you can't see by walking out in the street. And there have been a lot of great movies that show you real life as it is lived and should be lived. But my favorite kind of movies are the ones that show you things that you can't see anywhere but in the movies. And this picture? Believe me, you will never see this stuff except in the movies.

[on the late Elisabeth Brooks] Hurlements (1981) was her first major hit movie. Elisabeth brought to the role of Marsha Quist exactly what was needed. She was a beautiful and exotic woman and we will miss her.

A lot of people who are in the movie business don't really know much about movies, and they certainly don't know movie history. You have to even find a code when you're talking to these people - you can't use the references that you would use when talking to somebody who knows movie history. When you go in to pitch something, it depends what you invoke. You can't invoke anything really before 1980 with these people because they don't know what you're talking about. It's limiting. They get annoyed. They get offended that you are somehow trying to expose the fact that they don't know things, and make them feel inadequate. Which is of course not the point, or why you do it.

[on Phil Hartman, whom he directed in two films]: He was one of those guys who was a dream to work with. I don't know anybody who didn't like him.