Fred Olen Ray (born September 10, 1954) is an American film producer, director, and screenwriter of more than 200 low-to-medium-budget
feature films
A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...
in many genres, including
horror,
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 ...
,
action
Action may refer to:
* Action (narrative), a literary mode
* Action fiction, a type of genre fiction
* Action game, a genre of video game
Film
* Action film, a genre of film
* ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford
* ''Action'' (1980 fil ...
/
adventure
An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...
,
erotic thrillers
The erotic thriller is a film subgenre defined as a thriller with a thematic basis in illicit romance or erotic fantasy. Though exact definitions of the erotic thriller can vary, it is generally agreed "bodily danger and pleasure must remain in ...
,
crime drama
Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...
s, and holiday films.
Ray is the head of Retromedia, which releases DVDs of both his own productions and archival films. He has also worked for other well-known independent studios and on a few occasions for major Hollywood studios. He has been cited as an inspiration for many independent filmmakers. He loaned a 16 mm camera to
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, writer, producer, and actor. His films are characterized by stylized violence, extended dialogue, profanity, Black comedy, dark humor, Nonlinear narrative, non-lin ...
so he could make ''
My Best Friend's Birthday''.
Aside from his work in the film industry, Ray was also a professional
wrestler
Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat sport ...
. His wrestling name was ''Fabulous Freddie Valentine''.
Early life
Ray was born September 10, 1954 in
Wellston, Ohio
Wellston is a city in Jackson County, Ohio, United States, in the southeastern part of the state. The population was 5,663 at the 2010 census.
History
Wellston was laid out and founded in 1873 on land owned by Harvey Wells. Wells constructed a ...
to a family originally from
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...
. As a teenager, he regularly read ''
Famous Monsters of Filmland
''Famous Monsters of Filmland'' is an American genre-specific film magazine, started in 1958 by publisher James Warren and editor Forrest J Ackerman.
''Famous Monsters of Filmland'' directly inspired the creation of many other similar publica ...
'' magazine. Being a fan of horror and science fiction films such as ''
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein
''Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein'' is a 1948 American horror comedy film directed by Charles Barton (director), Charles Barton. The film features Count Dracula (Bela Lugosi) who has become partners with Dr. Sandra Mornay (Lenore Aubert), a ...
'' and the AIP movies of the 1950s and 1960s, Ray started making his own movies at the age of fourteen.
Career
Early work and ''The Brain Leeches'' (1970s)
Ray served in the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
. After his discharge, he began working at a local television station, in
Orlando, Florida
Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Greater Orlando, Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, acco ...
. He first appeared in a small role in the 1975 film ''
Shock Waves
In physics, a shock wave (also spelled shockwave), or shock, is a type of propagating disturbance that moves faster than the local speed of sound in the medium. Like an ordinary wave, a shock wave carries energy and can propagate through a med ...
'', which starred
Peter Cushing
Peter Wilton Cushing (26 May 1913 – 11 August 1994) was an English actor. His acting career spanned over six decades and included appearances in more than 100 films, as well as many television, stage, and radio roles. He achieved recognition ...
and
John Carradine
John Carradine ( ; born Richmond Reed Carradine; February 5, 1906 – November 27, 1988) was an American actor, considered one of the greatest character actors in American cinema. He was a member of Cecil B. DeMille's stock company and later Jo ...
.
Ray then began directing independent films during free time using station equipment, starting with ''
The Brain Leeches
''The Brain Leeches'' is a 1978 American low-budget science fiction exploitation film directed by Fred Olen Ray and starring Paul Jones, Marcia Scott, and Ray Starr. It has a running time of 55 minutes, and was completed on a budget of $298.00. Th ...
'' (1978) produced on a budget of $298.00.
Ray also co-wrote the screenplay with political essayist
Brad Linaweaver
Bradford Swain Linaweaver (September 1, 1952 – August 29, 2019) was an American science fiction writer, film producer, actor, and magazine publisher. Over a 40-year career, he completed a body of work including novels, short stories, and scree ...
, and the two later collaborated on additional films.
1980s
Ray's next film was shot on a budget of $15,000. Lessons learned from ''The Brain Leeches'' allowed Ray to keep production cost to a minimum, while using the bulk of the budget to attract a recognized Hollywood name to the project. ''
Alien Dead
''Alien Dead'' is an American horror film directed by Fred Olen Ray. Ray co-wrote the script with Martin Nicholas. The film involves a meteor hitting a houseboat, which causes the people on board to become zombies who eat alligators and eventual ...
'' was shot featuring an elderly
Buster Crabbe
Clarence Linden Crabbe II (; February 7, 1908 – April 23, 1983), known professionally as Buster Crabbe, was an American two-time Olympic swimmer and film and television actor. He won the 1932 Olympic gold medal for 400-meter freestyle swimmi ...
, cinema action hero of the 1930s and 1940, and star of three
Flash Gordon
Flash Gordon is the protagonist of a space adventure comic strip created and originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by, and created to compete with, the already established ''Buck Rogers'' adve ...
serials from 1936-1940. With the success of that film, Ray decided to move to Hollywood to be close to the film industry. He was interested in working in make-up and special effects, "probably from all of those years of reading ''Famous Monsters'' magazine", he later said. He found out "it soon became apparent that you would always be between jobs and I was looking for something that would actually earn me a living. I think I became a director because that was the fastest way to get a film made on the independent side of things."
Ray succeeded in raising money for a low budget horror film, ''
Scalps'' (1983), which featured cameos from
Carroll Borland
Carroll Borland (February 25, 1914 – February 3, 1994) better known by the stage-spelling Carol Borland, was an American professor, writer, and actress. She is best known for having portrayed Luna, the daughter of Bela Lugosi's character, C ...
and
Forrest J. Ackerman. ''
The Tomb'' (1986) starred
Cameron Mitchell and
John Carradine
John Carradine ( ; born Richmond Reed Carradine; February 5, 1906 – November 27, 1988) was an American actor, considered one of the greatest character actors in American cinema. He was a member of Cecil B. DeMille's stock company and later Jo ...
. Ray switched to action films with ''
Armed Response'' (1986), which starred
David Carradine
David Carradine ( ; born John Arthur Carradine Jr.; December 8, 1936 – June 3, 2009) was an American actor best known for playing martial arts roles. He is perhaps best known as the star of the 1970s television series ''Kung Fu'', playi ...
and
Lee Van Cleef
Clarence LeRoy Van Cleef Jr. (January 9, 1925 – December 16, 1989) was an American actor. He appeared in over 170 film and television roles in a career spanning nearly 40 years, but is best known as a star of Italian Spaghetti Westerns, partic ...
. Ray had affection for this movie because "it had a great cast and was one of the first times I had more than two nickels to rub together."
He then turned to science fiction: ''Deep Space'' (1987), ''
Cyclone
In meteorology, a cyclone () is a large air mass that rotates around a strong center of low atmospheric pressure, counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere as viewed from above (opposite to an anti ...
'' (1987). ''
Beverly Hills Vamp
''Beverly Hills Vamp'' is a 1989 direct to video comedy horror film directed by Fred Olen Ray and starring Eddie Deezen and Britt Ekland.
Plot summary
Three nerds, Kyle (Eddie Deezen), Brock ( Tim Conway Jr.) & Russell (Tom Shell), want to make ...
'' (1988) was a horror comedy with
Eddie Deezen
Edward Harry Deezen (born March 6, 1957) is an American actor and comedian, best known for his roles as "nerd" characters in films including '' Grease'', ''Grease 2'', '' Midnight Madness'', ''I Wanna Hold Your Hand'', ''1941'', and ''WarGames''. ...
. ''
Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers
''Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers'' (also known as simply ''Hollywood Hookers'' in the United Kingdom) is a 1988 American black comedy slasher film directed by Fred Olen Ray, and starring Gunnar Hansen, Linnea Quigley, Jay Richardson and Michelle Bau ...
'' (1988) was made in only a few days and turned out to be a big hit.
Less popular was ''
The Phantom Empire
''The Phantom Empire'' is a 1935 American Western serial film directed by Otto Brower and B. Reeves Eason and starring Gene Autry, Frankie Darro, and Betsy King Ross.Magers 2007, p. 21. This 12-chapter Mascot Pictures serial combined the Wes ...
'' (1988).
1990s
![Fred Olen Ray making Operation Cobra](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Fred_Olen_Ray_making_Operation_Cobra.jpg)
After ''
Alienator
''Alienator'' is a 1990 science fiction film directed by Fred Olen Ray, produced by Jeffrey C. Hogue, and starring Jan-Michael Vincent.
The film was described by Leonard Maltin and confirmed by Fred Olen Ray to be a "semi- remake" of the 1957 ...
'' (1989) he was reunited with Deezen for ''
Mob Boss
A crime boss, also known as a crime lord, Don, gang lord, gang boss, mob boss, kingpin, godfather, crime mentor or criminal mastermind, is a person in charge of a criminal organization.
Description
A crime boss typically has absolute or near ...
'' (1990), another comedy. He entered sword and sorcery movies with ''
Wizards of the Demon Sword'' (1991) and made the more popular ''
Bad Girls from Mars'' (1991). During this time he published a book he had written, ''The New Poverty Row: Independent Filmmakers as Distributors'' (1991).
Ray co-directed ''
Scream Queen Hot Tub Party'' (1991) with
Jim Wynorski
Jim Wynorski (born August 14, 1950) is an American screenwriter, film director, director, and film producer, producer.
Wynorski has been making B-movies and exploitation movies since the early 1980s, and has directed over 150 feature films. His ...
, shot in one day.
Ray moved into erotic thrillers with ''
Inner Sanctum'' (1991) starring
Tanya Roberts
Tanya Roberts (born Victoria Leigh Blum; October 15, 1949 – January 4, 2021) was an American actress. She played Julie Rogers in the final season of the television series ''Charlie's Angels'' (1980–1981), Stacey Sutton in the James Bond fi ...
. It was a hit and Ray would make others in that genre, including ''Inner Sanctum 2'', ''
Mind Twister
''Mind Twister'' is a 1994 American erotic thriller film directed by Fred Olen Ray, written by Mark Thomas McGee, and produced by Luigi Cingolani and Smart Egg Pictures.
After the profitable release of his previous erotic thriller '' Inner Sanct ...
'' (1994) and ''
Possessed by the Night
''Possessed by the Night'' is a 1994 erotic thriller directed by Fred Olen Ray, who also co-wrote and had a brief appearance in the film. It also stars Shannon Tweed.
Synopsis
When a horror writer named Howard Hansen buys an oversized jar contai ...
'' (1994).
''
Evil Toons
''Evil Toons'' is a 1992 American live-action/adult animated comedy horror B-movie written and directed by Fred Olen Ray. The film is a light spoof of traditional haunted-house films.
Plot
In the past, Gideon Fisk hangs himself in the basement ...
'' (1992) was a comedy-horror, then he co-directed another with Wynorski, ''
Dinosaur Island'' (1994). ''
Witch Academy'' (1994) was the last of his "scream queen" movies.
After ''
Attack of the 60 Foot Centerfold
''Attack of the 60 Foot Centerfold'' (also known as ''Attack of the 60 Foot Centerfolds'') is a 1995 satirical science fiction film directed by Fred Olen Ray and starring J.J. North, Ted Monte, Tammy Parks, Raelyn Saalman, Nikki Fritz, John LaZar ...
'' (1995), he made ''
Fugitive Rage
''Fugitive Rage'' (also known as ''Caged Fear'') is a 1996 crime drama action film directed by Fred Olen Ray and starring Shauna O'Brien, Jay Richardson and Alexander Keith, credited as Wendy Schumacher. The film was released straight to video in ...
'' (1996), ''
Friend of the Family II'' (1996), ''
Inferno
Inferno may refer to:
* Hell, an afterlife place of suffering
* Conflagration, a large uncontrolled fire
Film
* ''L'Inferno'', a 1911 Italian film
* Inferno (1953 film), ''Inferno'' (1953 film), a film noir by Roy Ward Baker
* Inferno (1973 fi ...
'' (1997), ''
Hybrid
Hybrid may refer to:
Science
* Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding
** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species
** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two dif ...
'' (1997), and ''
The Shooter'', which has been referred to as Ray's best film.
''
Dear Santa'' (1998) was a family film and ''
Billy Frankenstein'' (1998) a comedy.
2000s to present
In 2001 he made the film ''
Critical Mass
In nuclear engineering, a critical mass is the smallest amount of fissile material needed for a sustained nuclear chain reaction. The critical mass of a fissionable material depends upon its nuclear properties (specifically, its nuclear fissi ...
''. He later said he was a "''Critical Mass'' kind of guy. I like to shoot things and blow stuff up. I also like comedies. Don't like erotic thrillers."
He established a DVD company called Retromedia. Ray made a film called ''
Bikini Airways'' "on a lark and it did really well", said Ray. This led to a series of Bikini films.
In 2007 he reflected on his career:
Budgetary constraints notwithstanding, Ray has on occasion been able to attract
A list
An A-list actor is a major movie star, or one of the most bankable actors in a film industry.
The A-list is part of a larger guide called ''The Hot List'', which ranks the bankability of 1,400 movie actors worldwide, and has become an industry ...
actors to appear in his films. Two time
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
nominee
Peter Fonda
Peter Henry Fonda (February 23, 1940 – August 16, 2019) was an American actor. He was the son of Henry Fonda, younger brother of Jane Fonda, and father of Bridget Fonda. He was a prominent figure in the counterculture of the 1960s. Fond ...
played Marshal Kane in the 2010 Ray film ''American Bandits: Frank and Jesse James''.
One reviewer described ''American Bandits'' as perhaps "the most boring Jesse James film ever made".
In 2017, he received a "Living Legend Award" at the
Buffalo Dreams Fantastic Film Festival
Buffalo Dreams Fantastic Film Festival is an international film festival in Buffalo, New York.
Founded by Chris Scioli and Gregory Lamberson, the festival runs for 10 days which and shows films from around the world.
The festival is described ...
.
In 2019 he produced and released ''Boggy Creek: The Series'' with director
Henrique Couto
Henrique Couto (born September 10, 1986) is a Portuguese American writer and film director from Dayton, Ohio, United States. He is best known for directing the ''Babysitter Massacre.''
Feature films
His first feature film was ''Marty Jenkins a ...
at the helm.
Books
* ''Grind Show - Weirdness as Entertainment'' (1993)
* ''The New Poverty Row: Independent Filmmakers as Distributors'' (2011),
Filmography
See also
*
Sam Newfield
Sam Newfield, born Samuel Neufeld, (December 6, 1899 - November 10, 1964), also known as Sherman Scott or Peter Stewart, was an American B-movie Film director, director, one of the most prolific in American film history—he is credited with d ...
, a filmmaker who uses the "Sherman Scott" and "Peter Stewart" pseudonyms.
*
Brad Linaweaver
Bradford Swain Linaweaver (September 1, 1952 – August 29, 2019) was an American science fiction writer, film producer, actor, and magazine publisher. Over a 40-year career, he completed a body of work including novels, short stories, and scree ...
, science fiction writer, publisher, and frequent Ray collaborator.
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ray, Fred Olen
1954 births
Living people
American television writers
American male television writers
American television directors
Horror film directors
American male professional wrestlers
People from Wellston, Ohio
Film directors from Ohio
Screenwriters from Ohio