Dennis Paoli
Screenwriter and playwright
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Dennis Paoli is a screenwriter and playwright. He is mainly known for his collaborations with director Stuart Gordon.
Career
Paoli studied and graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1969.[1] Paoli first met Stuart Gordon from high school in Chicago, with both bonding over reading and movies. The two became roommates at Wisconsin.[2]
He has notably written or co-written works based on the writings of H.P. Lovecraft, such as the films Re-Animator (1985), From Beyond (1986) and Dagon (2001) and the Masters of Horror episode "H. P. Lovecraft's Dreams in the Witch-House", all directed by Gordon, with whom Paoli also collaborated on the stage productions of Bleacher Bums, Re-Animator: The Musical, and Nevermore: An Evening with Edgar Allan Poe. He also wrote another Lovecraft adaptation, the film Suitable Flesh (2023) directed by Joe Lynch.
Paoli serves as the coordinator of the Hunter College writing center. He retired from his teaching job at Hunter College prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.[3][4] He established the Heidi Paoli Fund in honor of his late wife (d. 1987) to distribute donations to approved cancer charities from a variety of fundraising sources.[3]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Director(s) | Role | Co-writer(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Re-Animator | Stuart Gordon | Screenwriter | Stuart Gordon and William J. Norris | [5] |
| 1986 | From Beyond | Stuart Gordon | Screenwriter and story writer | Brian YuznaS and Stuart GordonS | [5] |
| 1988 | Ghoulies II | Albert Band | Screenwriter | Charlie DolanS | [5] |
| 1988 | Spellcaster | Rafal Zielinski | Screenwriter | Charlie Bogel and Ed NahaS | [5] |
| 1988 | Pulse Pounders | Charles Band | Screenwriter | Danny Bilson and Paul DeMeo | [5] |
| 1990 | Meridian: Kiss of the Beast | Charles Band | Screenwriter | Charles BandS | [5] |
| 1991 | The Pit and the Pendulum | Stuart Gordon | Screenwriter | [5] | |
| 1993 | Body Snatchers | Abel Ferrara | Screenwriter | Stuart Gordon, Nicholas St. John, Raymond CistheriS and Larry CohenS | [5] |
| 1995 | Castle Freak | Stuart Gordon | Screenwriter and story writer | Stuart GordonS | [5] |
| 1996 | The Dentist | Brian Yuzna | Screenwriter | Stuart Gordon and Charles Finch | [5] |
| 2001 | Dagon | Stuart Gordon | Screenwriter | [5] | |
| 2023 | Suitable Flesh | Joe Lynch | Screenwriter | [6] |
Television
| Year | Title | Director(s) | Role | Co-writer | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Mortal Sins | Bradford May | Writer | Greg Martinelli | Television film | [7] |
| 2001 | Bleacher Bums | Saul Rubinek | Writer | Mitch Paradise | Television film | [8] |
| 2005; 2007 | Masters of Horror | Stuart Gordon | Writer | Stuart Gordon | Episodes: "H. P. Lovecraft's Dreams in the Witch-House" "The Black Cat" |
[5] |
Stage
| Title | Role | Co-writer(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bleacher Bums | Playwright |
|
[9] |
| Re-Animator: The Musical | Playwright | Stuart Gordon and William J. Norris | [10] |
| Nevermore: An Evening with Edgar Allan Poe | Playwright | [11] |
- An S indicates a story writer.