John Hough (director)

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Born (1941-11-21) 21 November 1941 (age 84)
London, England
OccupationsFilm and television director, screenwriter, producer
John Hough
Born (1941-11-21) 21 November 1941 (age 84)
London, England
OccupationsFilm and television director, screenwriter, producer

John Hough (/hɔːf/,[1] born 21 November 1941)[2] is a retired English film and television director, producer, and screenwriter. He is primarily known for his horror and suspense films of the 1970s and 1980s,[3] including Twins of Evil (1971), The Legend of Hell House (1973), The Incubus (1982) and American Gothic (1988), as well as the 1974 action thriller Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry and the Walt Disney Studios productions Escape to Witch Mountain (1975) and Return from Witch Mountain (1978).

FilmInk characterized him as an "unsung auteur."[4]

British TV

After many credits as a second unit director on The Baron, The Avengers and The Champions, Hough took his first job as a director on the 1968 season of The Avengers, directing episodes such as "Super Secret Cypher Snatch" and "Homicide and Old Lace".

"ITC was a very special place to work in", he said later. "And the people cared. Instead of asking you to do it quicker and with less quality, they'd push you to excel yourself. It was creative and interesting, but very disciplined. It was like Michelangelo painting the Sistine Chapel on a nine-to-five contract."[5]

British films

Hough's TV work led to a TV pilot for a proposed Robin Hood TV show, Wolfshead: The Legend of Robin Hood in 1969. Even though the series never materialised, the pilot was picked up by Hammer Films, which distributed it theatrically.[citation needed]

"That one sank without trace", Hough recalled in the notes for his biography on the DVD of his 1980 film The Watcher in the Woods, "but in 1970 a Hollywood producer named Paul Maslanksy came over here looking for a new director to work on a remake of The Window (1949), in which a young boy is the sole witness to a murder and is then tracked down by the assassin."[6]

The film Eyewitness (1970) was well received; Hammer then approached him to make the final film in its erotic vampire horror 'Karnstein' trilogy, Twins of Evil (1971).[citation needed]

Hollywood career

Hough moved to Hollywood with the intention of making inroads to direct for Disney.[7] While doing so, a new production company, Academy Pictures Corporation (started by former American International Pictures partner, James H. Nicholson), hired Hough to direct the low-budget action picture Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry. The film was very successful in the summer of 1974, and helped open the doors to Disney, where Hough directed Escape to Witch Mountain which was successful and Watcher In The Woods.[citation needed]

Return to Britain

Hough later directed three of the TV movies in the 1984 anthology series Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense.

He directed a series of films based on Barbara Cartland novels starting with A Hazard of Hearts.[8]

He also directed Something to Believe In (1998) for Lew Grade.[9]

Personal life

Hough's son, Paul, is also a film director.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Functioned as
Director Writer Producer
1969 Wolfshead: The Legend of Robin Hood Yes No No
1970 Eyewitness Yes No No
1971 Twins of Evil Yes No No
1972 Treasure Island Yes No No
1973 The Legend of Hell House Yes No No
1974 Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry Yes No No
1975 Escape to Witch Mountain Yes No No
1978 Brass Target Yes No No
Return from Witch Mountain Yes No No
1980 The Watcher in the Woods Yes No No
1981 Incubus Yes No No
1983 Triumphs of a Man Called Horse Yes No No
1986 Biggles Yes No No
1988 Howling IV: The Original Nightmare Yes No No
American Gothic Yes Yes No
1998 Something to Believe In Yes Yes Yes
2001 Bad Karma Yes No No

Executive producer only

Television

Year Title Functioned as Notes
Director Writer Producer Other
1966–67 The Baron No No No Yes 2nd unit director; 29 episodes
1968–69 The Avengers Yes No No Yes Director; 4 episodes
2nd unit director; 29 episodes
The Champions No No No Yes 2nd unit director; 15 episodes
1972–74 The Protectors Yes No No No 5 episodes
1974 The Zoo Gang Yes No No No 3 episodes
1976 The New Avengers Yes No No No Episode: "Cat Amongst the Pigeons"
1984 Omnibus No No Yes No Episode: "Joan Littlewood's Lovely War"
Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense Yes No Associate No 3 episodes
1986 Dempsey and Makepeace Yes No No No Episode: "Extreme Prejudice"

TV movies and miniseries

Year Title Functioned as
Director Writer Producer
1985 Black Arrow Yes No No
1987 A Hazard of Hearts Yes No Yes
1989 The Lady and the Highwayman Yes No Yes
1990 A Ghost in Monte Carlo Yes No Yes
1991 Duel of Hearts Yes No Yes

Unmade projects

References

External links

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