Daniel Farrands

Daniel Farrands
Born (1969-09-03) September 3, 1969 (age 55)
Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.
OccupationFilmmaker
Years active1993–present
Notable works

Daniel Farrands (born September 3, 1969)[1][2] is an American filmmaker who specializes in the horror film genre.[3] His first major credit was as screenwriter of Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995). He has subsequently worked as a producer, writer, and director of both feature and documentary films.

He produced the 2009 horror film The Haunting in Connecticut before directing Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy (2010), a documentary on the A Nightmare on Elm Street film series. Farrands subsequently wrote, produced and directed Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th (2013), a documentary film on the Friday the 13th film series.

Biography

Farrands was born September 3, 1969, in Providence, Rhode Island,[2] but was raised in Santa Rosa, California, in a "strict Catholic household."[4] Farrands developed an interest in horror films as a child, and became enamored with John Carpenter's Halloween (1978) after seeing it air on television as an NBC "Movie of the Week."[4] He graduated from Santa Rosa High School in 1987 before relocating to Los Angeles to pursue a career in film.[4]

In 1990, Farrands approached Halloween producer Moustapha Akkad with a screenplay for a sixth installment in the Halloween film series.[5] A sixth installment was not considered for production until 1995, after Miramax acquired the rights to the Halloween series, and Farrands was appointed as screenwriter.[5] The film, Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995), was released in September 1995.[5] Though Farrands wrote the original screenplay, developing subplots that had been obliquely established in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988) and Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989), the final version of the film released to theaters was significantly altered by Miramax and much of the final act was ghostwritten without Farrands' involvement.[5]

Farrands later wrote the horror film The Tooth Fairy (2006), before serving as producer of The Haunting in Connecticut (2009).[4]

In 2010, Farrands directed Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy, a documentary on the A Nightmare on Elm Street film series, and subsequently wrote, produced and directed Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th, an expansive documentary film on the Friday the 13th film series.[4]

Farrands' other directorial credits include The Amityville Murders (2013), The Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson (2019), Ted Bundy: American Boogeyman, and Aileen Wuornos: American Boogeywoman (both 2021).[2]

Filmography

Films

Year Title Director Writer Producer Notes
1993 Rave, Dancing to a Different Beat No Yes No
1995 Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers No Yes No
2006 The Tooth Fairy No Yes Yes
2007 The Girl Next Door No Yes Yes Associate producer, also actor
2009 The Haunting in Connecticut No No Yes
2010 Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy Yes No Yes Also archive material provider and music editor
2011 The Trouble with the Truth No No Yes
2013 Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th Yes Yes Yes Also archive material provider
2015 The Id No No Yes
2018 Havenhurst No Yes No
2017 Amityville: The Awakening No No Yes
2018 The Amityville Murders Yes Yes Yes
2019 The Haunting of Sharon Tate Yes Yes Yes
The Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson Yes No Yes
2021 Ted Bundy: American Boogeyman Yes Yes Yes
Aileen Wuornos: American Boogeywoman Yes Yes Yes

Other

Title Year Role
Halloween: 25 Years of Terror 2006 Documentary; himself and archival material provider
Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film Documentary; special thanks
The Taking of Deborah Logan 2014 Special thanks
Demon House 2019 Documentary; special thanks

Television

Year Show Credit Notes
Director Writer
2000-2001 History's Mysteries Yes Yes 3 Episodes;
  • Amityville: The Haunting
  • Amityville: Horror or Hoax
  • The True Story of Rob Roy (also co-producer)
2009 His Name was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th Yes No Producer
2012 Paranormal Paparazzi Yes No Pilot: Teen Exorcism Squad
Scream: The Inside Story Yes No Also producer

Short films

Title Year Role
Halloween: The Shape of Horror 2006 Co-producer
The Making of 'The Girl Next Store' 2007 Himself
The Fear is Real: Reinvestigating The Haunting (In Connecticut) 2009 Director, writer, producer
The Crystal Lake Massacres Revisited
Jason's Unlucky Day: 25 Years After Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter Producer
New Beginnings: The Making of Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning
Jason Lives: The Making of Friday the 13th: Part VI
Mind Over Matter: The Truth About Telekinesis Director
Jason's Destroyer: The Making of Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood Director, producer
New York Has a New Problem: The Making of Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan Writer, producer
The Shadow of October 2012 Dedicatee

Accolades

Year Award Category Recipient(s) Result
2019 Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival Awards Best Picture The Haunting of Sharon Tate Nominated
Best Horror Movie Won
Best Director Won
2020 Golden Raspberry Awards Worst Picture Nominated
Worst Screenplay Nominated
Worst Reckless Disregard for Human Life and Public Property Nominated

See also

References

  1. ^ "Daniel Farrands Biography". AllMovie. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c "Daniel Farrands". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  3. ^ Boucher, Geoff (November 21, 2018). "Horror Specialist Daniel Farrands Signs With Abrams Artists Agency". Deadline. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d e Decker, Sean (September 29, 2020). "On Its 25th Anniversary, Writer Daniel Farrands Looks Back at Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers – Part 1". HalloweenMovies.com. Archived from the original on August 14, 2021. Retrieved October 9, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  5. ^ a b c d Decker, Sean (October 14, 2020). "On Its 25th Anniversary, Writer Daniel Farrands Looks Back at Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers – Part 2". HalloweenMovies.com. Archived from the original on August 13, 2021. Retrieved October 9, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)