Alan Ormsby

Biography

Writer, director and make-up effects artist Alan Ormsby was born on December 14, 1943. He was a drama student at the University of Florida. He met director 'Bob Clark (III)' (qv) while attending college. The pair first collaborated on the amusing tongue-in-cheek low-budget zombie horror hoot _Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things (1972)_ (qv). Ormsby not only co-wrote the script and did the effectively ghoulish zombie make-up, but also gave a deliciously hammy performance as arrogant and obnoxious theater group leader Alan. Ormsby's then-wife Anya portrays another group member; the couple later divorced in 1981. Ormsby and Clark followed this film with _Dead of Night (1974)_ (qv) (aka Deathdream), which was a supremely potent and unnerving Vietnam-era variant on the classic short story "The Monkey's Paw." Next up for Ormsby was the excellent _Deranged (1974)_ (qv), which he co-wrote, co-directed and handled make-up effects chores on along with a then-unknown 'Tom Savini' (qv) (Savini also worked with Ormsby on the make-up effects for Deathdream). _Deranged (1974)_ (qv) was a stunningly macabre and blackly humorous rural psycho item inspired by the notorious exploits of serial killer 'Ed Gein' (qv). Other movies Ormsby has penned screenplays for are the delightful teen coming-of-age winner _My Bodyguard (1980)_ (qv), 'Paul Schrader's sexy and stylish _Cat People (1982)_ (qv) remake, the uproariously raunchy _Porky's II: The Next Day (1983)_ (qv), and the exciting action opus _The Substitute (1996)_ (qv). Ormsby did the genuinely creepy zombie make-up for the spooky Nazi horror doozy _Shock Waves (1977)_ (qv) and wrote the make-up effects book Movie Monsters in 1976. He created the popular doll Hugo: Man of a Thousand Faces, which was featured on both _"The Uncle Floyd Show" (1974)_ (qv) and _The Pee Wee Herman Show (1981) (TV)_ (qv). Ormsby co-wrote and directed the entertaining film-within-a-film segments for the hugely enjoyable slasher send-up _Popcorn (1991)_ (qv). He's married to actress 'Hilarie Thompson' (qv).