It’s always sad when a legend leaves us, but when it’s totally unexpected, it always hits a little harder. Such is the case with Chuck Russell, the writer-director behind such classics as A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, The Mask, and many more. Russell was only seventy-four, but what makes his death even more surprising is that, just weeks ago, he was out there doing press for the thirtieth anniversary of Eraser. In fact, I spoke to him, and he seemed to be in excellent spirits. Truth be told, I had spoken to him several times before and always found him to be a joy. Guys like him don’t get the love they deserve, so I wanted to take this opportunity to take a deep dive into some of his movies.
Dreamscape (1984):
While Russell didn’t direct this one, he was a co-writer and associate producer who spent months working on what eventually became a pretty solid cult hit, helping launch Dennis Quaid to stardom. It’s always been a favorite of mine, with Quaid playing a psychic who becomes part of a program in which people can enter others’ dreams—something that could be therapeutic or deadly, with the bad guys looking to use the technology to assassinate the president. This is a great horror/sci-fi mash-up, with the movie’s villain, Tommy Ray (David Patrick Kelly), becoming a snake man at one point—something that freaked me out as a kid.
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987):
In a lot of ways, Russell is responsible for A Nightmare on Elm Street becoming a franchise. While Wes Craven will always be the creator of Freddy Krueger, the second film (directed by Jack Sholder) rubbed a lot of fans the wrong way. It was Russell who convinced New Line to double down on Freddy’s nightmare world, with the movie featuring more VFX, more Freddy, and loads of gore. It was a smash hit—and also gave Patricia Arquette her breakout role as the movie’s final girl.
The Blob (1988):
To me, this is Russell’s horror masterpiece. A big flop in its day, Russell’s movie used cutting-edge practical VFX to reimagine the ’50s cult classic as a ruthless horror flick in which no one is safe. The movie’s first kill is a legitimate shocker, with Donovan Leitch’s Paul, who had been set up as our hero, meeting an especially gruesome end. It’s nice to see that the movie’s reputation has grown.
The Mask (1994):
Russell’s biggest hit was a huge departure for him, as it was a VFX-driven comedy aimed at family audiences. An adaptation of the comic, Russell’s movie was perfectly timed, having been filmed just before Ace Ventura: Pet Detective hit theaters and made star Jim Carrey a phenomenon. The Mask was released just months later and perfectly tapped into the zeitgeist, while also introducing audiences to Cameron Diaz.
Eraser (1996):
The Mask was so big that Russell immediately became an A-list director and was given the chance to helm Arnold Schwarzenegger’s massively budgeted Eraser. When I spoke to Russell (embedded above), he seemed proud of this relatively grounded action movie (minus the alligators), which has stood the test of time brilliantly. The plane sequence really pushed the envelope for its era.
What’s your favorite Chuck Russell movie? Let us know in the comments!
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