1 hour ago
Charles Russell, nan head of specified 1980s and ’90s films and cult favorites arsenic A Nightmare connected Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, The Mask, The Blob and Eraser, died astatine his San Diego-area location Wednesday, July 22. He was 74.
His decease has been reported by TMZ, and was confirmed by Deadline’s sister tract Variety. Russell was pronounced dormant aft nan section occurrence section responded to his location connected a reported aesculapian emergency and an unconscious man. The origin of decease has not been disclosed.
Russell, who was besides a screenwriter and producer, made his characteristic movie directing debut successful 1987 pinch A Nightmare connected Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, nan 3rd (and astatine that constituent astir successful) installment of nan Freddy Krueger scary franchise. Written by Wes Craven, Bruce Wagner, Frank Darabont and Russell, Dream Warriors starred Robert Englund successful his continuing domiciled arsenic Freddy, on pinch Craig Wasson, Patricia Arquette, Laurence Fishburn and others.
Produced by New Line Cinema, Dream Warriors grossed $44.8 cardinal domestically, by acold nan astir successful of nan Elm Street films to that point.
With that occurrence connected his resume, Russell went connected to constitute and head nan 1988 remake of nan classical 1958 scary movie The Blob, a container agency disappointment and captious failure.
The head rebounded, and past some, pinch 1994’s The Mask, a superhero drama staring a green-faced Jim Carrey, past riding precocious from In Living Color and Ace Venture: Pet Detective. The movie was a monolithic container agency success, and scored an Oscar information for nan ocular effects created by George Lucas’ Industrial Light and Magic.
Next for Russell came nan deed 1996 action movie Eraser starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, followed by nan commercially disappointing scary movie Bless The Child starring Kim Bassinger and Jimmy Smits.
Another occurrence followed soon enough, pinch The Scorpion King arriving successful 2002 and launching nan acting profession of WWE prima Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
Following an eight-year hiatus, Russell emerged to nonstop an section of TV’s The Fringe earlier taking connected what would beryllium a wide panned John Travolta vengeance vehicle I Am Wrath successful 2016. Neither Junglee, an Hindi-language action movie from 2019 nor Paradise City starring Travolta and Bruce Willis successful 2022 matched nan occurrence of Russell’s highest years, nor did his 2024 remake of ’80s cult classical Witchboard.
In summation to penning and directing, Russell was a shaper connected specified films as Hell Night and Girls Just Want To Have Fun, among others.
According to TMZ, Russell is survived by woman Ania and children Logan, Riley and Carlyn, and sister Anne Jacob.
