In 1983, film director Steve Miner hired Dekker to write the script for Godzilla: King of the Monsters in 3D, a project which went unproduced.[5] Dekker's first success came in 1985: a 15-page Twilight Zone inspired script & an original story that was expanded into a full screenplay by writer Ethan Wiley for what would become the comedy horror film House. The film was nominated for the International Fantasy Film Award at the Fantasporto Film Festival, and earned its director Steve Miner the Critics' Award at the Avoriaz Fantastic Film Festival. The next year, Dekker made his directorial debut with Night of the Creeps, the script for which was written in only a week.[6] The film, an homage to B-movies of the 1950s and 60s, has since become a cult classic.[7][8]
His next film The Monster Squad was co-written with his friend and long-time collaborator Shane Black. It is an homage to the Universal "monster cycle" of films produced between the early 1930s to mid-1950s.[9] Like his previous film, it has since become a cult classic. Dekker subsequently wrote five episodes of the Tales from the Crypt television series, and directed one. He co-wrote the neo-noirRicochet and the spy comedyIf Looks Could Kill. His return to the director's chair came in 1992 when he directed the third installment in the RoboCop series, co-writing the screenplay with comic book writer Frank Miller. The film, which had its release delayed by a year due to the bankruptcy of Orion Pictures, received negative reviews from critics and audiences. Dekker has since gone on to accept blame for the film's negative reception.[10]
