Sean S. Cunningham

Sean S. Cunningham
Cunningham in 2024
Born
Sean Sexton Cunningham

December 31, 1941 (1941-12-31) (age 82)
New York City, U.S.
Alma mater
Occupations
  • Film director
  • writer
  • producer
Years active1970–present
SpouseSusan E. Cunningham
Children3

Sean Sexton Cunningham (born December 31, 1941)[a] is an American film director, producer, and writer. He is best known for directing and producing several horror films, beginning in the early 1970s.

Raised in Connecticut, Cunningham graduated from Franklin & Marshall College before earning an MFA from Stanford University. After completing his education, he worked as a manager for various theater companies, including New York City's Lincoln Center and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. While working for a documentary company in New York, Cunningham made his feature film directorial debut with The Art of Marriage (1970). While editing his second film, he met Wes Craven, with whom he collaborated as a producer of Craven's exploitation horror film The Last House on the Left (1972).

Cunningham went on to co-create and direct the slasher film Friday the 13th (1980), which was a major box-office success. He produced several horror films throughout the 1980s, including House (1985) and its sequel House II: The Second Story (1987).

Early life

Cunningham was born in New York City on December 31, 1941[1] and raised in Connecticut.[2] He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Franklin & Marshall College and later earned an MFA from Stanford University.[3]

Career

Cunningham's first jobs after graduating from Stanford included managing theater companies such as New York's Lincoln Center, the Mineola Theater on Long Island, as well as the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the latter of where he briefly studied.[2] He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Directors Guild of America.

While working for a documentary company in New York City in the late 1960s, Cunningham made his directorial debut with The Art of Marriage (1970). While editing Together, he met Wes Craven, who was working as an editor at the time.[4] The two collaborated on Craven's directorial debut, the exploitation film The Last House on the Left (1972), which Cunningham produced.

Cunningham is best known for his involvement of multiple films in the Friday the 13th franchise, which introduced the fictional mass murderer Jason Voorhees. Of the 12 films in the series, the ones that had Cunningham's involvement were the original, Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday, Jason X, Freddy vs. Jason, and the 2009 reboot. He has also produced many horror films, such as the House series and Wes Craven's debut feature, The Last House on the Left. He is the founder and CEO of Crystal Lake Entertainment. Cunningham was set to produce the CW series adaption of Friday the 13th before that project fell through,[5][6] and served as a producer of Friday the 13th: The Game.

As of 2015, he is also a member of the board of advisers for the Hollywood Horror Museum.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Director Producer Writer
1970 The Art of Marriage Yes Yes Yes
1971 Together Yes Yes Yes
1972 The Last House on the Left No Yes No
1974 Case of the Full Moon Murders Yes Yes No
1978 Here Come the Tigers Yes Yes No
Manny's Orphans Yes Yes No
1980 Friday the 13th Yes Yes No
1982 A Stranger Is Watching Yes No No
1983 Spring Break Yes Yes No
1985 The New Kids Yes Yes No
House No Yes No
1986 Reiselust No Yes Yes
1987 House II: The Second Story No Yes No
1989 DeepStar Six Yes Yes No
House III No Yes No
1992 House IV No Yes No
1993 My Boyfriend's Back No Yes No
Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday No Yes No
2001 XCU: Extreme Close Up Yes Yes No
2002 Jason X No Yes No
Terminal Invasion Yes Yes No
2003 Freddy vs. Jason No Yes No
2006 Trapped Ashes Yes No No
2009 Friday the 13th No Yes No
The Last House on the Left No Yes No
His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th No Yes No
2017 The Nurse with the Purple Hair Yes Yes No

Short film

Year Title Director Writer
2015 The 'Thing' Yes No
2019 The Music Teacher Yes Yes

Acting roles

Notes

  1. ^ Some sources cite December 1, 1941 as Cunningham's birthdate,[1] while others claim December 31, 1941.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b Roberts 2009, p. 109.
  2. ^ a b c LoBrutto 2002, p. 94.
  3. ^ International Television Almanac. Quigley Publishing Company. 1985. p. 61. ISBN 978-0-900-61033-2.
  4. ^ Corman & Cregan 2003, event occurs at 1:26.
  5. ^ "New Friday the 13th: Crystal Lake Chronicles Details; The CW Interested - Dread Central". www.dreadcentral.com. 15 March 2015. Archived from the original on 18 March 2015. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
  6. ^ Hibberd, James (August 11, 2016). "CW scraps plans for Little Women, Friday the 13th shows". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on August 12, 2016. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
  7. ^ Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th (2013). Retrieved 2024-12-19 – via www.blu-ray.com.

Works cited

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