Fred Dekker

Fred Dekker (born April 9, 1959) is an American screenwriter and film director best known for his cult classic horror comedy films Night of the Creeps and The Monster Squad (written with Shane Black).[1][2] He contributed the story ideas for House (1986) and Ricochet (1991), and also directed and co-wrote RoboCop 3 with Frank Miller.

For the Dutch politician, see Fred Dekker (politician).

Fred Dekker
Born (1959-04-09) April 9, 1959
San Francisco, California, U.S.
Occupations
  • Film director
  • film producer
  • screenwriter
AwardsBrussels International Fantastic Film Festival Silver Raven Award

One of his earliest movies was a short film he made in college titled Starcruisers, directed in the early 1980s.[3]

Life and career

Dekker was born on April 9, 1959, in San Francisco and was raised in the Bay Area. He attended the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television in the mid-1980s.[4]

In 1983, film director Steve Miner hired Dekker to write the script for Godzilla: King of the Monsters in 3D, a project which went unproduced.[5] Dekker's first success came in 1986: a 15-page Twilight Zone inspired script & an original story that was expanded into a full screenplay by writer Ethan Wiley for what would become the 1986 comedy horror film House. The film was nominated for the International Fantasy Film Award at the Fantasporto Film Festival, and earned its director Steve Miner the Critics' Award at the Avoriaz Fantastic Film Festival. That same year, Dekker made his directorial debut with Night of the Creeps, the script for which was written in only a week.[6] The film, an homage to B-movies of the 1950s and 60s, has since become a cult classic.[7][8]

His next film The Monster Squad was co-written with his friend and long-time collaborator Shane Black. It is an homage to the Universal "monster cycle" of films produced between the early 1930s to mid-1950s.[9] Like his previous film, it has since become a cult classic. Dekker subsequently wrote five episodes of the Tales from the Crypt television series, and directed one. He co-wrote the neo-noir Ricochet and the spy comedy If Looks Could Kill. His return to the director's chair came in 1992 when he directed the third installment in the RoboCop series, co-writing the screenplay with comic book writer Frank Miller. The film, which had its release delayed by a year due to the bankruptcy of Orion Pictures, received negative reviews from critics and audiences. Dekker has since gone on to accept blame for the film's negative reception.[10]

Dekker worked as a script doctor, making uncredited contributions to films including Titan A.E. and Lethal Weapon 4.[4] He also wrote three episodes of Star Trek: Enterprise in the early 2000s. In 2015, after a lengthy hiatus, he returned to filmmaking by co-writing a television pilot, Edge, for Amazon Studios, with Black. He co-wrote the 2018 film The Predator with Black, who also directed the film.

Filmography

Film
Year Title Director Writer
1986 Night of the Creeps Yes Yes
1987 The Monster Squad Yes Yes
1993 RoboCop 3 Yes Yes
2018 The Predator No Yes

Story writer only

Uncredited works

Unproduced works

Television
Year Title Director Writer Notes
1989–92 Tales from the Crypt Yes Yes Wrote 4 episodes
Directed episode "The Thing From the Grave"
2001–02 Star Trek: Enterprise No Yes Also consulting producer
Wrote 3 episodes
2015 Edge No Yes TV movie

Awards

References
  1. "Fred Dekker: Life at 24 Frames Per Second | Moxie Sozo". Moxie Sozo. January 24, 2017. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  2. "WORDPLAY/Special Notice". www.wordplayer.com. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on March 13, 2010. Retrieved February 28, 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. Simon. "Roger Cobb's House - The Official Site for the House Movies". www.rogercobbshouse.com. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  5. Cecchini, Mike (August 24, 2017). "The Godzilla Movie You Never Saw". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on October 5, 2021. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
  6. "Ocala Star-Banner - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  7. Dean, Rob. "It's the 30th anniversary of Night Of The Creeps? Thrill me". News. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  8. Knight, Jacob (June 20, 2016). "Over My Dead Body: Fred Dekker's NIGHT OF THE CREEPS". Birth.Movies.Death. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  9. "The Lasting Legacy of 'The Monster Squad' - Bloody Disgusting". bloody-disgusting.com. August 14, 2017. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  10. "Fred Dekker [Interview]". TRAINWRECK'D SOCIETY. September 23, 2013. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  11. Mendelson, Scott (November 25, 2015). "The 5 Best Sylvester Stallone Movies That Aren't 'Rocky' Or 'Rambo'". Forbes. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
  12. Fred Dekker
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