Adam Green

Adam Green
Born	Adam Green (1975-03-31) March 31, 1975 (age 37) Holliston, Mass., USA
Occupation	Film director, producer, writer, actor
Spouse	Rileah Vanderbilt (2010–present)

Adam Green (born March 31, 1975) is an American film director, producer, writer and actor.^[1]

Background

Best known as the creator of the worldwide slasher franchise "Hatchet" and as the creator and star of the US Television sitcom "Holliston", Adam Green was raised in Holliston, Massachusetts. After finishing high school in 1993 he graduated from Hofstra University in New York in 1997 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Television and Film Production. Green’s very first job out of college was producing and directing local commercials for cable in the Boston area. Green made his feature film debut with the comedy, Coffee & Donuts, which was in part, based on his own life. Green founded the feature film and television production company ArieScope Pictures with Director of Photography, Will Barratt in 1997. He was the lead singer for the heavy metal band, Haddonfield based out of Salem, Massachusetts at one time. He also worked as the DJ at the world famous Rainbow Bar & Grill on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood when he first moved to Los Angeles and was still struggling to get his start in the film/television industry.^{[1] [2]} On June 26, 2010, he was married in a private ceremony to actress Rileah Vanderbilt by Green's childhood idol turned best friend Dee Snider of the American heavy metal band Twisted Sister. A leader in the horror genre and celebrated independent filmmaker and personality, Adam Green resides in Los Angeles with his wife Rileah as well as their dog "Arwen" and their four cats "Tyler", "Perry", "Chewbacca", and "Patches".

Feature film and television career

Coffee & Donuts

Coffee & Donuts was a lighthearted romantic comedy about two friends, "Adam" and "Steve", who strive to get their morning radio program off of the small town air waves of Holliston and into the big time.^[3] Meanwhile, Adam struggles to get over a break up with his long-time girlfriend and back into the magnificent and horrendous world of dating.^[4] The film was made for only $400 by borrowing equipment from the cable advertising facility that he was working for at the time and by using friends and volunteers for everything from cast to crew. Green starred in the lead role while other parts were played by Steven C. DeWitt Jr., Katie Bove, and Jeff Davison. The movie was bought by Disney/Touchstone and developed as a sit-com for UPN in 2004. The pilot episode’s script was written by Adam Green himself and produced by Tom Shadyac's Shady Acres. The original concept for the show was eventually completely re-developed by Green and became the first original series for the FEARnet cable TV network and re-titled "Holliston". The series is written and directed by Adam Green and stars Green, Joe Lynch, Corri English, and Laura Ortiz. "Holliston" was filmed in the Fall of 2011. It premiered on television on April 3, 2012 to extremely positive reactions and high ratings, earning the series a second season green-light after airing only two episodes of its inaugural season.^[5]

Hatchet

Green released Hatchet in 2006.^[6] The film, described as “old school American horror”, was about a group of tourists on a boat ride of the haunted Louisiana bayous where they learn the ghastly tale of local legend "Victor Crowley"; a hideously disfigured man who was killed accidentally with a hatchet by the hands of his own father.^[7] But when the boat sinks and the ghost story turns out to be real, the group tries urgently to flee the swamp with their lives.^[8] This film was instantly revered by horror fans as a "classic" and was even well received by mainstream critics, Harry Knowles of Ain't It Cool News hailed the film saying, “Director Adam Green is the real deal – and Victor Crowley is a friggin fantastic horror icon waiting to be unleashed upon all y’all,” and included the film on his Top Ten films of 2006. The film starred Joel David Moore, Kane Hodder, Robert Englund, and Tony Todd.^[9]

Spiral

In 2007 Green released Spiral, which he co-directed with actor, Joel David Moore.^[10] The film was about an isolated telemarketer (Moore), whose dysfunctional closeness with his boss is lessened when an idiosyncratic new co-worker enters his life. But as he begins to draw his new friend's portrait, troubling feelings from his past threaten to lead him down a path of annihilation. Critics hailed "Spiral" as "nothing short of brilliant" and "the closest thing you'll get to Hitchcock in this day and age" and the film took home the prestigious Gold Vision Award at the 2008 Santa Barbara Film Festival.^[11]

Grace

In 2008, Adam Green produced the disturbing and chilling dramatic thriller "Grace" about a woman who loses her baby in the womb but still carries it to term only to find that the baby has returned to life in her arms and can only survive on human blood. "Grace" marked the first production for Green's company (ArieScope Pictures) that Green did not write and/or direct himself. Written and directed by newcomer Paul Solet, Adam Green discovered the project (and talent Paul Solet) when he saw Solet's short film of the same title while doing the festival and horror convention circuit in support of "Hatchet". "Grace" world premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2009 to astoundingly positive mainstream reviews. When a man feinted in the Egyptian Theater during the film's opening night at the festival, "Grace" quickly became the hit of Sundance that year and Deadline Hollywood's Nikki Finke was among the first wave of major critics to champion the indie film. Starring Jordan Ladd, "Grace" saw a limited theatrical release on August 14, 2009 and arrived on DVD just one month later.

Frozen

Green wrote and directed the deep-freeze thriller Frozen,^[12] which stars Kevin Zegers, Emma Bell and Shawn Ashmore.^[13] He world premiered the film at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.^[14] The film was released in North American theaters on February 5, 2010 and received some of the best reviews a genre film has received in two decades. The NY Times said that Frozen "delivers maximum fright", while Rex Reed of the NY Post wrote "Frozen is a brilliantly conceived, gut-wrenching horror film. I was so paralyzed with terror by this movie that I chewed a whole pencil in half watching it."

Hatchet II

In December 2009 Green began casting the sequel to Hatchet^[15] which stars Kane Hodder^[16] and Danielle Harris.^[17] Filming began January 5, 2010 and wrapped at the end of February 2010.^[18][19] Green announced the film at the Sundance world premiere of his last project Frozen^[20] and gave fans the first glimpse at footage during the Creation Entertainment: Weekend of Horrors of May 2010 in Los Angeles.^[21][22] The cast did a special autograph signing at the San Diego Comic-Con International.^[23] "Hatchet II" marked the first of Adam Green's films where his name was credited above the title ("Adam Green's Hatchet II") and the film was written, directed, and executive produced by Green. When the MPAA demanded an outrageous number of cuts be made to the film in order to secure an "R" rating, "Hatchet II" made history by going around the tyrannical organization and making a deal with AMC theaters to be released theatrically in "unrated" form. This marked the first time in close to 3 decades that a genre film played in mainstream multiplexes without a rating. The film made history a second time that same weekend when it became the first film to ever be pulled from all screens in its opening weekend. Though the MPAA refused to comment on this controversial situation, AMC tried to blame "poor box office" as the reason for pulling the film. Journalists (including CNN and The Hollywood Reporter) were quick to cry foul as there was no way to tell how "Hatchet II" was performing financially when it had started being pulled from screens on its opening night and many cinemas only played the film once or twice before pulling it. While AMC theaters reported "Hatchet II" making about $1,000.00 per screen, another genre film ("Chain Letter") opened in AMC theaters that same weekend and only grossed $342.00 per screen yet remained in cinemas for 2 full weeks. "Hatchet II" went on to become a best selling DVD/BLU RAY and another sequel was green-lit just seven days after being released in retail stores, proving that the film was indeed a big financial success and that the only thing to blame for the film being pulled from screens was foul play and the major theater chain's fear over the ratings controversy.

Chillerama: The Diary of Anne Frankenstein

Adam Green wrote and directed the short film "The Diary of Anne Frankenstein" as part of the 2011 comedy/horror anthology "Chillerama" which consisted of four short films by four different filmmakers. A Mel Brooks style comedy, "Anne Frankenstein" was shot in black and white and made entirely in German to look and feel like a lost 1940's foreign film. While Green cast authentic German speaking actors in all of his film's roles, the lead role of "Adolf Hitler" was portrayed by Joel David Moore who does not know how to speak German and who purposely fakes his way through the film by speaking a combination of gibberish and random words thrown to him by Green such as "Boba Fett", "Osh Kosh Bagosh" and "Goldie Hawn". Kane Hodder portrayed the film's hero "Meshugannah", a Hassidic Jewish take-off on the classic Frankenstein Monster. Created by "Hitler", "Meshugannah" ultimately turns against his master and kills him at the end of the story. Though Green's "The Diary of Anne Frankenstein" segment received almost entirely positive and rave reviews, some of the other "Chillerama" segments were met with an extremely mixed critical response.

Holliston [Television Sit-Com] Season 1 (2012) / Season 2 (2013)

In 2012, Adam Green created, wrote, directed, executive produced, and starred in the sit-com "Holliston" for the FEARnet cable television network. Based on his own life and largely adapted from his first feature film, the romantic comedy "Coffee & Donuts" (2000), "Holliston" follows the lives of "Adam" (played by Green) and "Joe" (played by fellow genre director and real-life best friend Joe Lynch) as two aspiring horror filmmakers living in the small town of Holliston, Massacusetts. Together they work at a local cable advertising station and struggle with their fledgling careers, making ends meet while financially broke, and dealing with the opposite sex. The ensemble cast also includes Laura Ortiz (who plays "Laura", Joe's girlfriend), Corri English (who plays "Corri", Adam's ex-girlfriend and the greatest heartbreak of his life), Dee Snider (who plays "Lance Rockett", Adam and Joe's cross dressing boss who is the lead singer for a Van Halen cover band and who is still stuck in the 80's), and GWAR frontman Oderus Urungus (who plays "Oderus", Adam's imaginary alien friend who lives in his closet). Green wrote and directed all six episodes that comprised the first season of this show that mixes comedy, horror, and romance and is described by the network as "Big Bang Theory" meets "Evil Dead 2". "Holliston" launched on the FEARnet network on April 3, 2012 to rave reviews and high ratings. The show was deemed such a big hit by FEARnet that a second season was formally announced and green-lit after airing only two episodes from season one. Guest stars for season one included Seth Green, John Landis, Kane Hodder, Brian Posehn, Ray Wise, Deanna Pappas, Derek Mears, Colton Dunn, Danielle Harris, Nick Ballard, Parry Shen, Magda Apanowicz, and Tony Todd. In interviews Adam Green described "Holliston" as his "most passionate of passion projects" and explained that the show took him over 13 years to bring to fruition. The first season was filmed in September and October 2011 and produced by Green's production company ArieScope Pictures. "Holliston" is the very first original series for FEARnet. A "first look" at the show was run in the January 13, 2012 issue of Entertainment Weekly.

Hatchet III

Written, executive produced, and "presented by" Adam Green, "Hatchet III" will be directed by BJ McDonnell who served as Green's camera operator on the first two "Hatchet" films as well as Green's "Spiral". The film begins production in April 2012 and is slated for a release at the end of the year. In passing the torch to a new director, many "Hatchet" fans (known proudly as the "Hatchet Army") were conflicted and disappointed that Green himself would not be returning in the director's chair in the popular franchise that he created, however in all announcements and press for the film Green has vowed to personally oversee the project and to keep the story of his modern day slasher icon "Victor Crowley" on the right path. Actors Kane Hodder and Danielle Harris will be returning to their roles in this second sequel to Green's cult classic film.

Digging Up the Marrow

Written by, directed by, executive produced by, and starring Adam Green as himself, "Digging Up the Marrow" is a documentary about "monster art" that Green is making in collaboration with popular urban artist Alex Pardee. Production began in 2012 but the documentary is not expected to be completed until late 2013.

Killer Pizza

Adam Green is currently writing MGM's big budget teen adventure film, Killer Pizza which is being produced by Chris Columbus' 1492 Films ("Harry Potter", "Gremlins", "Home Alone", The Goonies", "The Help"). Based on Greg Taylor's children's book of the same name, "Killer Pizza" follows the story of sixteen year old Tobe MaGill who gets a summer job at a mysterious Cape Cod pizza parlor only to discover that the restaurant is actually a front for a top secret monster hunting organization. Recruited into a band of heroic misfits, Tobe spends his summer battling horrifying monsters and trying to save the world from imminent destruction at the hands of a mythical and deadly monster prophecy. IMDB has the film slated for production in 2013 though there has been no projected release date or specific information made available by MGM Studios at this time.

Filmography

Director

• Coffee & Donuts (2000)
• Hatchet (2006)
• Spiral (2007) (with Joel David Moore)
• Frozen (2010)
• Hatchet II (2010)
• Chillerama: The Diary of Anne Frankenstein (2011)
• Holliston (TV series 2012)
• Digging Up The Marrow (2013)
• Killer Pizza (2013)
• Holliston (TV series - season 2 - 2013)

Writer

• Coffee & Donuts (2000)
• Hatchet (2006)
• Frozen (2010)
• Hatchet II (2010)
• Chillerama: The Diary of Anne Frankenstein (2011)
• Hatchet III (2013)
• Holliston (TV series 2012)
• Digging Up The Marrow (2013)
• Killer Pizza (2013)
• Holliston (TV series - season 2 - 2013)

Short films

• "A Voice Named Reason" (1996) Writer/Director
• "Columbus Day Weekend" (1999) Writer/Director/Actor
• "Stagefright" (2001) Writer/Director
• "Oh, Sherrie" (2002) Writer/Director
• "Steven's Room" (2003) Writer/Director/Actor
• "The Real World Hollywood" (2003) Writer/Director/Actor
• "Midnight" (2004) Writer/Director
• "Trick Or Treat" (2005) Writer/Director
• "King In The Box" (2006) Writer/Director
• "The Tiffany Problem" (2007) Writer/Director/Actor
• "American Eagle: It's A Mall World" (2007) 13 Episodes - Writer
• "American Eagle: Winter Tales" (2007) 5 Episodes - Writer/Director/Actor
• "The Road To FrightFest" (2008) 5 Episodes - Writer/Director/Actor
• "The Tivo" (2008) Writer/Director
• "Fairy Tale Police" (2008) Writer/Director/Actor
• "Saber" (2009) Writer/Director
• "The Road To FrightFest Part 2: American Douchebags In London" (2009) 5 Episodes - Writer/Director/Actor^[24]
• "Jack Chop" (2009) Writer/Director^[25]
• "The Road To FrightFest Part 3: The FrightFest Project" (2010) 5 Episodes - Writer/Director/Actor
• "Just Take One" (2010) Writer/Director/Actor
• "Sexy Nightmare Slayers" (2011) Writer (created by)/Director
• "Downloading and You" (2011) Writer/Director
• "The Road to Holliston" (2012) 6 Episodes - Writer/Director/Acotr
• "Saber 2" (2012) Creator/Executive Producer

Actor

• "Columbus Day Weekend" (1998) (Michael Myers)
• Coffee & Donuts (2000) (Adam)
• "Steven's Room" (2002) (Matt)
• "The Real World: Hollywood" (2003) (Shlomo)
• Hatchet (2006) (Buddy #1)
• The Eden Formula" (2006) (Maury)
• The Making of 'Hatchet' (2007) (Himself)
• Anatomy of a Kill (2007) (Himself)
• A Twisted Tale (2007) (Himself)
• Guts & Gore: The FX of 'Hatchet' (2007) (Himself)
• Meeting Victor Crowley (2007) (Himself)
• "Winter Tales" (2007) (Paramedic, Dad, Snowman Child, Party Guest)
• "The Tiffany Problem" (2007) (Gilligan)
• Gingerdead Man 2: Passion of the Crust (2008) (Toothless McHomeless)
• The Making of 'Spiral' (2008) (Himself)
• "The Road to FrightFest" (2008) (Himself)
• His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th (2009) (Himself)
• Into the Dark: Exploring the Horror Film (2009) (Himself)
• The Psycho Legacy (2009) (Himself)
• Grace: Conception (2009) (Himself)
• Grace: Delivered (2009) (Himself)
• Grace: Family (2009) (Himself)
• "Fairy Tale Police" (2009) (Rudolph)
• "The Road to FrightFest Part II: American Douchebags in London" (2009) (Himself)
• Brides of Horror (2010) (Himself)
• "Ultradome" (2010) (Himself/Jedi Knight)
• "The Rotten Tomatoes Show" (2010) (Himself)
• Hatchet II (2010) (Puking Guy)
• "The Road to FrightFest Part III: The FrightFest Project" (2010) (Himself)
• "Just Take One" (2010) (Ernie)
• "The Making of The Diary of Anne Frankenstein" (2011) (Himself)
• Holliston (TV series 2012) (Adam)
• "The Road to Holliston" (2012) (Himself)
• "Digging Up The Marrow" (2013) (Himself)
• "Holliston" (TV series - Season 2 - 2013) (Adam)

Producer

• Coffee & Donuts (2000) (Executive Producer)
• "Grace" (2008) (Producer)
• Hatchet II (2010) (Executive Producer)
• "Chillerama" (2011) (Executive Producer)
• "Hatchet III" (2013) (Executive Producer)
• Holliston (TV series 2012) (Executive Producer)
• "Digging Up the Marrow" (2013) (Executive Producer)
• "Holliston" (TV series - Season 2 - 2013) (Executive Producer)

Television

• It’s a Mall World (2007) (short form mini-series, 13 episodes) Writer
• Winter Tales (2007) (claymation mini-series, 5 episodes) Writer/Director/Actor
• Cheerleader Camp (2008) (half-hour comedy/horror, pilot episode) Director
• Holliston (2012)^[26] (half-hour sit-com, 6 episodes) Creator/Writer/Director/Executive Producer/Actor
• "Holliston" (2013) (season 2, half-hour sit-com, 10 episodes) Creator/Writer/Director/Executive Producer/Actor)

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Adam Green (filmmaker)

• Official website
• Adam Green at the Internet Movie Database
• Adam Green at AllRovi
• Adam Green on Myspace
• Adam Green on Twitter
• Adam Green on Talk Radio Meltdown on 4-10-12 http://www.talkradiomeltdown.com/podcasts/4-10-12.mp3