Donald Michael Dohler (January 27, 1946 – December 2, 2006) was an American

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...

known for making low-budget

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

and

horror films Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoc ...

, as well as his work in

underground comix Underground comix are small press or self-published comic books that are often socially relevant or satirical in nature. They differ from mainstream comics in depicting content forbidden to mainstream publications by the Comics Code Authority, ...

and publishing.Vanderbilt, Mike
"Don Dohler’s Nightbeast gave J.J. Abrams his start in sci-fi,"
''The AV Club'' (11/18/15).Kaltenbach, Chris
"Perry Hall to Hollywood: Don Dohler publishes a movie magazine,"
''The Baltimore Sun'' (March 19, 1994).

Biography

Early life

Dohler was born in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. When he was a child, his mother bought him a film projector and one day he drew stick figures on a piece of scotch tape. He ran the tape through the projector and just before the tape burned up inside of the projector, he saw the animated figure dance on the wall and that's when he knew he wanted to make films.

Publishing

''WILD'' and ProJunior

In 1961 at the age of 15, Dohler started a '' Mad''-style

fanzine A fanzine (blend word, blend of ''fan (person), fan'' and ''magazine'' or ''-zine'') is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by fan (person), enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) ...

called ''WILD''. ''Mad'' had

Alfred E. Neuman Alfred E. Neuman is the fictitious mascot and cover boy of the American humor magazine '' Mad''. The character's distinct smiling face, parted red hair, gap-tooth smile, freckles, protruding nose, and scrawny body, first emerged in U.S. iconog ...

as a mascot, so Dohler used his middle-school creation, Pro Junior, as ''WILD''’s mascot. In ''WILD''’s peak it had contributors such as

Jay Lynch Jay Patrick Lynch (January 7, 1945 – March 5, 2017) was an American cartoonist who played a key role in the underground comix movement with his ''Bijou Funnies'' and other titles. He is best known for his comic strip ''Nard n' Pat'' and the r ...

Art Spiegelman Art Spiegelman (; born Itzhak Avraham ben Zeev Spiegelman on February 15, 1948) is an American cartoonist, editor, and comics advocate best known for his graphic novel ''Maus''. His work as co-editor on the comics magazines ''Arcade (comics maga ...

, and

Skip Williamson Mervyn "Skip" Williamson (August 19, 1944 – March 16, 2017) was an American underground cartoonist and central figure in the underground comix movement. Williamson's art was published in the '' National Lampoon'', ''High Times'', ''the Realis ...

, who later went on to be famous in the underground comix movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s. In the early 1970s Jay Lynch and Art Spiegelman were fooling around and they started drawing ''WILD''’s mascot, ProJunior, again, but this time in a leopard skin leotard.Knudde, Kjell
"Don Dohler,"
''Lambiek's Comiclopedia''. Accessed June 4, 2018.

Robert Crumb Robert Dennis Crumb (; born August 30, 1943) is an American cartoonist and musician who often signs his work R. Crumb. His work displays a nostalgia for American folk culture of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and satire of contem ...

saw ProJunior and decided to draw a comic about him. As a result, Lynch rounded up 22 underground comix artists, including Dohler, to draw their own interpretation of ProJunior, which was published by

Kitchen Sink Press Kitchen Sink Press was a comic book publishing company founded by Denis Kitchen in 1970. Kitchen Sink Press was a pioneering publisher of underground comics, and was also responsible for numerous republications of classic comic strips in hardcov ...

in a comic in 1971.

''Cinemagic''

In the mid 1960s Dohler came up with an idea for a magazine for filmmakers. It would feature illustrated step-by-step articles for amateur special effects filmmakers. Inspired by his

friends, Dohler set off to publish the magazine on his own. ''Cinemagic'' featured articles by industry professionals and went on for 11 issues before being purchased by ''

Starlog ''Starlog'' was a monthly science fiction magazine that was created in 1976 and focused primarily on '' Star Trek'' at its inception. Kerry O'Quinn and Norman Jacobs were its creators and it was published by Starlog Group, Inc. in August 1976. ...

'' in 1979. ''Cinemagic'' inspired several young filmmakers who later went on to have successful careers in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

, including

J. J. Abrams Jeffrey Jacob Abrams (born June 27, 1966) is an American filmmaker and composer. He is best known for his works in the genres of action, drama, and science fiction. Abrams wrote and produced such films as '' Regarding Henry'' (1991), '' F ...

, Tom Sullivan, Ernie Farino, Michael Trcic and

Al Magliochetti AL, Al, Ål or al may stand for: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Al (''Aladdin'') or Aladdin, the main character in Disney's ''Aladdin'' media * Al (''EastEnders''), a minor character in the British soap opera * Al (''Fullmetal ...

Other projects

Fresh off the success of ''Cinemagic'' and his own burgeoning filmmaking career, Dohler wrote two books in 1979-1980: ''Film Magic: The Fantastic Guide to Special Effects Filmmaking'' (Cinema Enterprises, 1979) and the two-volume ''Stop Motion Animation: A Complete Step-By-Step Guide'' (Cinema Enterprises, 1980). In the 1990s, he returned to publishing, putting out ''Amazing Cinema'' and ''Movie Club'' magazines. He supplemented his income at various times as editor of the (Baltimore county) ''Times-Herald'' and as editor of the ''Harford Business Ledger''.

Filmmaking

Dohler's first film, the science fiction

B movie A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double feature ...

The Alien Factor ''The Alien Factor'' is a 1978 science fiction horror film written, edited, produced, and directed by Don Dohler. The film centers on a small town that is besieged by three aliens that have crash-landed in the nearby forest. Plot A spacesh ...

'', was released in 1978. The story begins with a young teenage couple making out in a car when an insect-looking monster attacks. The local sheriff must find out what's causing the killings while the mayor is breathing down his neck to keep a lid on the deaths so a multimillion-dollar amusement park can be built nearby. Featuring special effects from Ernest Farino, John Cosentino, and Larry Schelecter, ''The Alien Factor'' had a long run on TV throughout the 1980s, including on

Ted Turner Robert Edward "Ted" Turner III (born November 19, 1938) is an American entrepreneur, television producer, media proprietor, and philanthropist. He founded the Cable News Network (CNN), the first 24-hour United States cable news, cable news ch ...

Superstation ''Superstation'' (alternatively rendered as "super station" or informally as "SuperStation") is a term in North American broadcasting that has several meanings. Commonly, a "superstation" is a form of distant signal, a terrestrial television, br ...

WPCH-TV WPCH-TV (channel 17), branded on-air as Peachtree TV, is an independent television station in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It is owned by locally based Gray Television alongside CBS affiliate and company flagship WANF (channel 46), and l ...

.Piepenburg, Erik
"Big Hair and Bad Blood: VHS-Era Horror Obscurities From A to Z,"
''The New York Times'' (OCTOBER 26, 2011). Dohler made several more low-budget films during the 1980s, including '' The Galaxy Invader'', ''

Nightbeast ''Nightbeast'' is a 1982 science fiction horror film directed by cult director Don Dohler. It is a remake and sequel of sorts to Dohler's first film ''The Alien Factor''. The story concerns a small town sheriff who must stop a rampaging alien from ...

'', ''Blood Massacre'' and ''Fiend'', a

serial killer A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A * * * * with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...

film with a supernatural twist. After an eleven-year self-imposed hiatus, Dohler returned to filmmaking with ''Alien Rampage'', where Dohler met actor/cop

Joe Ripple Joe or JOE may refer to: Arts Film and television * ''Joe'' (1970 film), starring Peter Boyle * ''Joe'' (2013 film), starring Nicolas Cage * ''Joe'' (TV series), a British TV series airing from 1966 to 1971 * ''Joe'', a 2002 Canadian animated ...

. Dohler never cared for directing, so he asked Ripple to direct his films, and he concentrated on cinematography and editing. Together they made five films, including ''Harvesters'', ''Stakes'', ''Vampire Sisters'', ''Crawler'' and ''Dead Hunt''.

Later life and death

Dohler died from cancer in Maryland in 2006; he was 60 years old. Dohler's life is chronicled in a documentary by John Kinhart titled '' Blood, Boobs & Beast'' and released in 2007.

Filmography

*''

'' (1978)"Don Dohler: Celebrity,"
''TV Guide''. Accessed June 4, 2018. *'' Fiend'' (1980) *''

'' (1982) *''

Galaxy Invader ''Galaxy Invader'' is a 1985 American direct-to-video science fiction film directed and co-written by Baltimore filmmaker Don Dohler. The film's plot centers around alien who is pursued by hillbillies after his spaceship crash-lands on Earth. The ...

'' (1985) *''

Blood Massacre Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports Metabolic waste, metabolic waste products away from those same cells ...

'' (1991)Muir, John Kenneth (2011). Horror Films of the 1990s. McFarland. ISBN 978-0786484805. *''

Alien Rampage Alien primarily refers to: * Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country ** Enemy alien, the above in times of war * Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth ** Specifically, intelligent extrate ...

'' (1999) (A.K.A. ''Alien Factor 2: The Alien Rampage'') *''

Harvesters Harvester may refer to: Agriculture and forestry * Combine harvester, a machine commonly used to harvest grain crops * Forage harvester, a machine used to harvest forage * Harvester (forestry), a type of heavy vehicle employed in cut-to-length lo ...

'' (2001) (Remake of ''Blood Massacre'') *'' Stakes'' (2002) *''

Vampire Sisters ''Vampire Sisters'' (german: Die Vampirschwestern) is a 2012 German children's film by Wolfgang Groos. The fantasy-comedy film based on the eponymous novel series by Franziska Gehm. Plot The two twelve year old half-vampire sisters Silvania and D ...

'' (2003) *'' Crawler'' (In Post-Production) *'' Dead Hunt'' (2006)

References

External links

DonDohler.com
– Official Don Dohler Site *

in

Don Markstein's Toonopedia Don Markstein's Toonopedia (subtitled A Vast Repository of Toonological Knowledge) is an online encyclopedia of print cartoons, comic strips and animation, initiated February 13, 2001. Donald D. Markstein, the sole writer and editor of Toonopedi ...

Archived
from the original on September 3, 2015.
TimeWarpFilms.com
– Official site of Time Warp Films
Blood, Boobs & Beast
– A documentary about Don Dohler's life and career by director John Paul Kinhart
Story on Dohler in Bmore Live
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dohler, Don 1946 births 2006 deaths Artists from Baltimore Science fiction film directors Horror film directors Underground cartoonists Deaths from cancer in Maryland Film directors from Maryland