Rob Savage

Rob Savage
Savage in February 2013
BornJuly 1992 (1992-07) (age 32)
Shrewsbury, England
OccupationFilmmaker
Spouse
​
(m. 2023)​

Rob Savage (born 1992) is an English filmmaker. Initially gaining attention at the age of 19 when he wrote, directed, produced, and edited the drama film Strings (2012), he later became more widely known for his work on horror films such as Host (2020), Dashcam (2021), and The Boogeyman (2023).

Early life

Savage was born in Shrewsbury in July 1992.[1] When he was a child, his father showed him the animated action film Akira (1988), which inspired him to abandon his goal of becoming a comic book illustrator in favour of a career as a filmmaker.[1] His first venture into filmmaking was a 20-minute short he created at the age of 13, which depicted a young boy experiencing inner turmoil when his online girlfriend requests a picture of his penis.[1]

Career

Savage began his career by making short films and commercials.[1] He made his debut when he wrote, directed, produced, and edited the low-budget drama film Strings (2012), which won the Raindance Award at the British Independent Film Awards and received praise for its high quality despite Savage being just 19 years old when it was released.[2] In 2016, he revealed he was working a horror film titled Seaholme, but it was never made.[3]

Savage had his breakthrough when he co-wrote, directed, and produced the horror film Host (2020) for Shudder.[4] That same year, he established the production company BOO-URNS, which he named after a joke in the 1995 Simpsons episode "A Star Is Burns".[5] After the success of Host, it was announced that he had signed on to direct an untitled Sam Raimi-produced film based on an original idea by Savage and Host co-writer Jed Shepherd.[6] He also signed on to direct an untitled female-centric horror film taking place in a prison, which was described as "The Conjuring behind bars". The film will be released by StudioCanal and is written by Savage and Shepherd.[7] Savage signed a three-picture deal with Blumhouse Productions, with the first release from that deal coming when Savage directed the horror film Dashcam (2021), which he co-wrote with Shepherd and their Host co-writer Gemma Hurley.[8][9]

Savage directed The Boogeyman (2023), based on a short story by Stephen King.[10] His next projects include directing a horror film adaptation of Night of the Ghoul for 20th Century Studios[11] and a TV adaptation of Jason Arnopp's The Last Days of Jack Sparks.[12][13] In 2023 he also participated in Ca' Foscari Short Film Festival.

Influences

In a 2011 interview, Savage named Polish filmmaker Krzysztof Kieślowski as his favourite at the time, calling Kieślowski's film Three Colours: Blue (1993) a "completely revelatory experience".[1] In the same interview, he said that 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) is "indisputably the best film ever made" but named his personal top five films at the time as Three Colours Blue, Evil Dead II (1987), Akira (1988), The Limey (1999), and Requiem (2006).[1] In a 2022 interview, he said that his three favourite horror films are Evil Dead II, The Innocents (1961), and Lake Mungo (2008).[14]

Personal life

Savage married American musician Erin Birgy, better known as Mega Bog, in November 2023.[15]

Filmography

Feature films

Year Title Director Writer Producer Cinematographer Editor
2012 Strings Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
2020 Host Yes Yes Executive No No
2021 Dashcam Yes Yes Yes No No
2023 The Boogeyman Yes No No No No

Short films

Year Title Director Writer Producer Cinematographer Editor
2009 Sex Scene Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
2010 Act Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
2011 Sit in Silence Yes Yes No Yes Yes
Polaroid Yes Yes No No No
Touching from a Distance Yes Yes No Yes Yes
2012 Sticks and Stones Yes Yes No Yes No
Assessment No No No Yes No
I Am No No No Yes No
Who Killed the Bear? No No No Yes No
2014 Valentine No No No Yes No
Healey's House Yes Yes No No No
2015 Absence Yes Yes No No No
2016 Dawn of the Deaf Yes Yes No No No
2017 Salt Yes Yes No No Yes

Television

Year Title Director Writer Notes
2018 True Horror Yes Yes Episode: "Ghost in the Wall"
2019 Britannia Yes No 3 episodes
2020 Soulmates Yes No 2 episodes

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f https://archive.today/20140301231324/http://write-shoot-cut.com/2011/08/22/filmmakers-interview-3-rob-savage/
  2. ^ Raindance Interview with Rob Savage
  3. ^ INTERVIEW: Robert Savage, Director of Dawn of the Deaf
  4. ^ Ehrlich, Brenna (2020-08-17). "'Host': Why Rob Savage's Quarantine Horror Film Is About More Than a Virus". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2022-09-14.
  5. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKu0TVlumcc
  6. ^ Sam Raimi Producing Contained Supernatural Horror Pic; Rob Savage To Direct
  7. ^ Studiocanal & 'Host' Creators Team For Female-Fronted Horror Film Pitched As "'The Conjuring' Behind Bars"
  8. ^ Travis, Ben (2021-07-09). "Rob Savage's Host Follow-Up Is Titled DASHCAM". Empire. Retrieved 2022-09-14.
  9. ^ Furzan, Federico (2023-01-04). "Was Rob Savage's Movie Dashcam Ignored Because of its Problematic Lead?". MovieWeb. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  10. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (2021-11-01). "20th/Hulu Conjure 'The Boogeyman' From Stephen King Short; Rob Savage Directs & 21 Laps Produces". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
  11. ^ 20th, 21 Laps Win Graphic Novel 'Night Of The Ghoul' For 'Host' Helmer Rob Savage
  12. ^ Ritman, Alex (2023-02-22). "'Host,' 'Dashcam' Director Rob Savage Tapped for TV Adaptation of Supernatural Horror 'The Last Days of Jack Sparks'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  13. ^ Lodderhose, Diana (2023-02-22). "'Host' Director Rob Savage Boards Supernatural Horror TV Series 'The Last Days Of Jack Sparks' For Vertigo Films". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  14. ^ Russell, Calum (2022-07-16). "Rob Savage reveals his three favourite horror movies ever". Far Out Magazine. Retrieved 2022-09-14.
  15. ^ https://www.instagram.com/mega_bog/p/CzjUpDqtyan/