Laurence T. Fessenden (born March 23, 1963) is an American actor, producer, writer, director, film editor, and cinematographer. He is the founder of the New York based independent production outfit Glass Eye Pix. His writer/director credits include
No Telling
' (written with Beck Underwood, 1991), ''

Habit A habit (or wont as a humorous and formal term) is a routine of behavior that is repeated regularly and tends to occur subconsciously.

'' (1997), ''

Wendigo Wendigo () is a mythological creature or evil spirit originating from the folklore of Plains and Great Lakes Natives as well as some First Nations. It is based in and around the East Coast forests of Canada, the Great Plains region of the U ...

'' (2001), and '' The Last Winter'' (written with Robert Leaver, 2006), which is in the permanent collection of the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...

. He has also directed the television feature '' Beneath'' (2013), an episode of the NBC TV series '' Fear Itself'' (2008) entitled " Skin and Bones", and a segment of the anthology horror-comedy film '' The ABCs of Death 2'' (2014). He is the writer, with Graham Reznick, of the BAFTA Award-winning Sony PlayStation video game ''

Until Dawn ''Until Dawn'' is a 2015 interactive drama horror video game developed by Supermassive Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 4. Players assume control of eight young adults who have to survive on Blackwood ...

''. He has acted in numerous films including ''

Like Me "Like Me" is the official debut single by the American girl group Girlicious. It was released to iTunes on April 22, 2008 in the US and in Canada. After Tiffanie Anderson's departure, Chrystina Sayers performed her part of the bridge and mel ...

'' (2017), ''

In a Valley of Violence ''In a Valley of Violence'' is a 2016 American black comedy Western thriller film written and directed by Ti West. Jason Blum serves as producer through his production company Blumhouse Productions. The film stars Ethan Hawke, Taissa Farmiga, ...

'' (2016), '' We Are Still Here'' (2015), '' Jug Face'' (2012), '' Broken Flowers'' (2005), '' The Dead Don't Die'' (2019), ''

Bringing Out the Dead ''Bringing Out the Dead'' is a 1999 American psychological drama film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Paul Schrader, based on the novel of the same name by Joe Connelly. It stars Nicolas Cage, Patricia Arquette, John Goodman, V ...

'' (1999) and '' I Sell the Dead'' (2009).

Personal life

Fessenden was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, New York. He attended St. Bernard's School, then

Phillips Academy ("Not for Self") la, Finis Origine Pendet ("The End Depends Upon the Beginning") Youth From Every Quarter Knowledge and Goodness , address = 180 Main Street , city = Andover , state = Ma ...

, from which he was expelled. He is married to Beck Underwood and the couple have one child.

Career

Fessenden has operated the production company Glass Eye Pix since 1985. Fessenden regards the old

Universal Monsters Universal Classic Monsters (also known as Universal Monsters and Universal Studios Monsters) is a media franchise based on a series of horror films primarily produced by Universal Pictures from the 1930s to the 1950s. Although not initially concei ...

as a substantial influence for him. In a review of Fessenden's film ''

'' (2001), Dave Kehr of the ''New York Times'' stated, "The independent filmmaker Larry Fessenden has set himself a challenging project: to approach the themes and thrills of the classic American horror movies through a determinedly modern approach, as if John Cassavetes had been working for Universal in the early 30s." As an actor, screenwriter, director and film editor, he has worked, in addition to feature films, on such television projects as the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

horror anthology '' Fear Itself'' (2008), directing the episode " Skin and Bones". He wrote the screenplay of ''Orphanage'' (2007) with

Guillermo del Toro Guillermo del Toro Gómez (; born October 9, 1964) is a Mexican filmmaker, author, and actor. He directed the Academy Award–winning fantasy films ''Pan's Labyrinth'' (2006) and ''The Shape of Water'' (2017), winning the Academy Awards for Be ...

, an English-language remake of '' El Orfanato''. Fessenden has worked as a mentor to young directors, such as

Jim Mickle Jim Mickle (born 1979) is an American director and writer, known for such films as '' Mulberry Street'', '' Stake Land'', '' We Are What We Are'' and '' Cold in July''. He also co-developed the SundanceTV series '' Hap and Leonard'', and the Net ...

and

Ti West Timon C. West (born October 5, 1980) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, editor, cinematographer, and occasional actor, best known for his work in horror films. He directed the horror films ''The Roost'' (2005), ''The House of ...

. He has been a producer on projects including

Ilya Chaiken Ilya Chaiken (born February 10, 1973) is an American film director and screenwriter. She is best known for her debut feature '' Margarita Happy Hour'', a film about motherhood, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2001 and went on t ...

's ''

Liberty Kid ''Liberty Kid'' is a 2007 low-budget American film directed by Ilya Chaiken. Plot Two friends Derrick and Tico lost their jobs at a concession stand at the Statue of Liberty because of the September 11 attacks. In order to make money, they beco ...

'' (2007),

Kelly Reichardt Kelly Reichardt (; born March 3, 1964) is an American film director and screenwriter. She is known for her minimalist films closely associated with slow cinema, many of which deal with working-class characters in small, rural communities. Reich ...

's ''

Wendy and Lucy ''Wendy and Lucy'' is a 2008 American drama film directed by Kelly Reichardt. Reichardt and Jon Raymond adapted the screenplay from his short story ''Train Choir''. The film stars Michelle Williams as Wendy, a homeless woman who searches for he ...

'' (2008), James McKenney's ''

Satan Hates You ''Satan Hates You'' is a 2010 American horror film 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 to ...

'' (2010), West's ''

The House of the Devil ''The House of the Devil'' is a 2009 American horror film written, directed, and edited by Ti West, starring Jocelin Donahue, Tom Noonan, Mary Woronov, Greta Gerwig, A. J. Bowen, and Dee Wallace. The plot concerns a young college student who i ...

'' (2009) and '' The Innkeepers'' (2011), Joe Maggio's ''The Last Rites of Joe May'' (2011), and

Rick Alverson Patrick James Alverson Jr. (born June 25, 1971) is an American film director, screenwriter and musician, living in Richmond, Virginia. His films have been characterized by their confrontational nature and departure from traditional 3 act struct ...

's '' The Comedy'' (2012). Under his low-budget horror banner ScareFlix, Fessenden has produced films including West's ''

The Roost ''The Roost'' is a 2005 American horror film written and directed by Ti West. Plot On television show Frightmare Theatre, the Horror Host welcomes viewers and introduces them to the film they are about to see, ''The Roost''. Four friends – T ...

'' (2005) and '' Trigger Man'' (2007), Glenn McQuaid's '' I Sell the Dead'' (2008), Maggio's '' Bitter Feast'' (2010), and Mickle's ''

Stake Land ''Stake Land'' is a 2010 American post apocalyptic vampire horror film directed by Jim Mickle and starring Nick Damici, who cowrote the script with Mickle. It also stars Connor Paolo, Danielle Harris and Kelly McGillis. The plot revolves aroun ...

'' (2010). More recently he has produced for prolific horror auteur Mickey Keating with '' Darling'' (2015) and ''

Psychopaths Psychopathy, sometimes considered synonymous with sociopathy, is characterized by persistent antisocial behavior, impaired empathy and remorse, and bold, disinhibited, and egotistical traits. Different conceptions of psychopathy have been ...

'' (2017). As a character actor, Fessenden has appeared in numerous films, including

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominatio ...

's ''

'' (1999), Steve Buscemi's ''

Animal Factory ''Animal Factory'' is a 2000 neo-noir film directed by Steve Buscemi and starring Willem Dafoe, Edward Furlong, Danny Trejo, John Heard, Mickey Rourke, Tom Arnold, Seymour Cassel, Shell Galloway and Mark Boone, Jr. Set in San Quentin, the film ...

'' (2000), Brad Anderson's ''

Session 9 ''Session 9'' is a 2001 American psychological horror film directed by Brad Anderson and written by Anderson and Stephen Gevedon. The film stars David Caruso, Peter Mullan, Brendan Sexton III, Josh Lucas, and Gevedon as an asbestos abatement cre ...

'' (2001) and ''

Vanishing on 7th Street ''Vanishing on 7th Street'' is a 2010 American post-apocalyptic thriller film directed by Brad Anderson and starring Hayden Christensen, Thandiwe Newton and John Leguizamo. Plot Paul, a projectionist in a Detroit theater, is reading about the ...

'' (2010), Jim Jarmusch's '' Broken Flowers'' (2005),

Neil Jordan Neil Patrick Jordan (born 25 February 1950) is an Irish film director, screenwriter, novelist and short-story writer. His first book, '' Night in Tunisia'', won a Somerset Maugham Award and the Guardian Fiction Prize in 1979. He won an Academy ...

's '' The Brave One'' (2007), McQuaid's '' I Sell the Dead'' (2008) for which he won best actor at the Slamdance Film Festival; Reichardt's ''

'' (2008), Mickle's '' Mulberry Street'' (2006) and ''

'' (2010),

Joe Swanberg Joseph Swanberg (born August 31, 1981) is an American independent film director, producer, writer, and actor. Known for micro-budget films which make extensive use of improvisation, Swanberg is considered a major figure in the mumblecore film mo ...

's ''

All the Light in the Sky ''All the Light in the Sky'' is an American drama film directed by Joe Swanberg and written by Swanberg and Jane Adams, who also stars in the film, along with Sophia Takal, Kent Osborne, Lawrence Michael Levine, Larry Fessenden, and Lindsay Burdg ...

'' (2011), and

Ted Geoghegan Ted Geoghegan (born August 10, 1979) is an American filmmaker and publicist. He grew up in Great Falls, Montana, attending private and public schools and studying film extensively. He attended The University of Montana in Missoula, Montana and a ...

's '' We Are Still Here''. Fessenden also starred in the

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...

picture ''

River of Grass ''River of Grass'' is a 1994 American drama film directed by Kelly Reichardt in her feature film directorial debut. Reichardt wrote the screenplay from a story by her and Jesse Hartman. It was selected for the Sundance Film Festival and the Be ...

'' (1994), which was Reichardt's debut feature, and ''Margarita Happy Hour'' (2001) directed by Chaiken. He has appeared on television in '' Louie'', ''

The Strain ''The Strain'' is a 2009 vampire horror novel by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan. It is the first installment in ''The Strain Trilogy'', and was followed by '' The Fall'' (2010) and ''The Night Eternal'' (2011). Plot synopsis A Boeing 77 ...

'', and as himself in

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...

's '' Brain Games''. In 2010, Fessenden partnered with Glenn McQuaid to launch ''

Tales from Beyond the Pale ''Tales from Beyond the Pale'' is a horror podcast inspired by 1930s radio dramas. It is produced by Larry Fessenden and Glenn McQuaid for Glass Eye Pix. History Fessenden was introducing old radio dramas to his child when Glenn McQuaid sugge ...

'', a series of macabre audio dramas now available as a 47 episode podcast. In 2011, he released his third rock album with the band Just Desserts, an on-going partnership with songwriter Tom Laverack. In 2012, he executive produced and was interviewed in the documentary ''

Birth of the Living Dead ''Birth of the Living Dead'' (sometimes known by its working title ''Year of the Living Dead'') is a 2012 American documentary film directed by Rob Kuhns. It is about the 1968 horror film ''Night of the Living Dead'' and that film's legacy. It fe ...

'', which examines the legacy of ''

Night of the Living Dead ''Night of the Living Dead'' is a 1968 American independent horror film directed, photographed, and edited by George A. Romero, with a screenplay by John Russo and Romero, and starring Duane Jones and Judith O'Dea. The story follows seven peop ...

''. In 2016, he produced, acted, and served as cinematographer in his son Jack's feature debut, '' Stray Bullets''. The same year also saw Fessenden release a book titled, ''Sudden Storm, A Wendigo Reader''. Fessenden has also established a strong presence in the video game world. In 2015, he and Graham Reznick collaborated on writing the video game ''

''. Fessenden also played the role of a mysterious stranger armed with a flamethrower in the game itself. The game earned positive reviews and would go on to receive the "Original Property" award in the 2016 BAFTA Games Awards. Fessenden and Reznick also set a Guinness World Record for "Longest script for a graphic adventure videogame," with their script reaching 1,000 pages. The two writers would team up again in 2016 to develop a spin-off game known as '' Until Dawn: Rush of Blood'', and later in 2018 for the ''Until Dawn'' prequel, ''

The Inpatient ''The Inpatient'' is a psychological horror video game developed by Supermassive Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for PlayStation 4 and its virtual reality headset PlayStation VR. The game was released in January 2018. It is ...

''. Fessenden has run the company Glass Eye Pix since 1985 with the mission of "supporting individual voices in the arts." Glass Eye Pix continues to nurture young talent, most recently producing the debut features of Robert Mocker (''

'', starring

Addison Timlin Addison Jayne Timlin (born June 29, 1991) is an American actress, best known for her roles as Jami Lerner in ''The Town That Dreaded Sundown'' (2014) and Colleen Lunsford in '' Little Sister'' (2016). She is also known for playing Sasha Bingham i ...

and Fessenden), Ana Asensio ('' Most Beautiful Island''), and Jenn Wexler (
The Ranger
'). Fessenden's Frankenstein-themed feature, ''

Depraved ''Depraved'' is a 2019 American horror film written and directed by Larry Fessenden and starring David Call and Joshua Leonard. It is a modern version of Mary Shelley's ''Frankenstein''. Plot Suffering from PTSD following his stint as an arm ...

'', which he wrote, directed, edited and produced, was released on Friday the 13th of September, 2019 through IFC Midnight.

Awards and honors

Awards

*Won – 1997

Independent Spirit Award The Independent Spirit Awards (abbreviated Spirit Awards and originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards), founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with acrylic glas ...

Someone to Watch Award The Someone to Watch Award, sponsored by Kiehl's, recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition. History The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant. The award was first given at the 1994 a ...

(''

Habit A habit (or wont as a humorous and formal term) is a routine of behavior that is repeated regularly and tends to occur subconsciously.

'') *Nominated – 1997

for Best Director (''

Habit A habit (or wont as a humorous and formal term) is a routine of behavior that is repeated regularly and tends to occur subconsciously.

'') *Nominated – 1997 Austin Film Festival Award for Best Feature Film (''

Habit A habit (or wont as a humorous and formal term) is a routine of behavior that is repeated regularly and tends to occur subconsciously.

'') *Won – 1999 Williamsburg Brooklyn Film Festival Audience Award for Feature Film (''

Habit A habit (or wont as a humorous and formal term) is a routine of behavior that is repeated regularly and tends to occur subconsciously.

'') *Won – 1999 Williamsburg Brooklyn Film Festival Award for Best Editing (''

Habit A habit (or wont as a humorous and formal term) is a routine of behavior that is repeated regularly and tends to occur subconsciously.

'') *Won – 1999 Williamsburg Brooklyn Film Festival Award for Best Actor (''

Habit A habit (or wont as a humorous and formal term) is a routine of behavior that is repeated regularly and tends to occur subconsciously.

'') *Won – 2001

Woodstock Film Festival The Woodstock Film Festival is an American film festival that was launched in 2000 by filmmakers Meira Blaustein and Laurent Rejto with the goal to bring high quality independent film to the Hudson Valley region. The festival takes place each fa ...

Jury Prize for Best Feature Film (''

'') *Nominated – 2003

Fangoria Chainsaw Award The Fangoria Chainsaw Awards are an award ceremony focused on horror and thriller films. Beginning in 1992, the awards were expanded and an annual ceremony was inaugurated to give out the awards. As of 2015, Fangoria also delivers awards to tele ...

for Best Screenplay (''

'') *Won – 2007 Sitges Film Festival Maria Honorary Award (Himself) *Nominated – 2009

for Best Feature Film (''

'') *Won – 2009 AFI Award for Movie of the Year (''

'') *Nominated – 2010 Piaget Spirit Award for Producing (Himself) *Won – 2010 Slamdance Special Jury Mention for Best Performance ('' I Sell the Dead'') *Nominated – 2010

Producers Award ('' I Sell the Dead'' and ''

'') *Won – 2011

Chlotrudis Award The Chlotrudis Society for Independent Films is a nonprofit organization that honors outstanding achievement in independent and world cinema. The organization gives out the Chlotrudis Awards. Membership in the Society includes "the Boston film comm ...

for Career So Far (Himself) *Nominated – 2014

Chicago International Film Festival The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964 by Michael Kutza, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America. Its logo is a stark, black and white close up of the comp ...

Audience Choice Award ('' The ABCs of Death 2'') *Nominated – 2015 Fright Meter Award for Best Supporting Actor ('' We Are Still Here'') *Nominated – 2016

for Best Supporting Actor ('' We Are Still Here'') *Won – 2016 BAFTA Games Award for Original Property (''

'') *Won – 2017 Develop Award for Best Performance ('' Until Dawn: Rush of Blood'')

Honors

*2011 – Inducted into the ''

Fangoria ''Fangoria'' is an internationally distributed American horror film fan magazine, in publication since 1979. It is published four times a year by Fangoria Publishing, LLC and is edited by Phil Nobile Jr. The magazine was originally released i ...

'' Hall of Fame *2011 – ''

Total Film ''Total Film'' is a British film magazine published 13 times a year (published monthly and a summer issue is added every year since issue 91, 2004, which is published between July and August issue) by Future Publishing. The magazine was launched ...

'' Icon of Horror at the

London FrightFest Film Festival FrightFest, also known as Arrow Video FrightFest is an annual film festival held in London and Glasgow. The festival holds three major events each year: a festival running five days over the UK late August Bank Holiday weekend, a Halloween event ...

Filmography

As actor

As writer

As director

As producer

References

External links

*
Glass Eye Pix
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fessenden, Larry 1963 births Living people American male film actors American film editors American male screenwriters American cinematographers Male actors from New York City St. Bernard's School alumni Phillips Academy alumni Film directors from New York City Screenwriters from New York (state)

Personal life

Career

Awards and honors

Awards

Honors

Filmography

As actor

As writer

As director

As producer

See also

References

External links