Jim Wynorski
- Director
- Writer
- Producer
A 25-year veteran in the Hollywood exploitation field,
writer/producer/director Jim Wynorski is responsible for over 150
varied motion pictures in a myriad of genres. Leaving behind a
successful commercial business in New York, Wynorski relocated to
California in 1980 and soon found himself on the doorstep of his
childhood idol, B-film king Roger Corman.
"The rest was destiny," recounts Wynorski, who soon found himself hired
by the renowned movie mogul to cut "coming attractions" for all of the
company's new action and horror films. "It was like grasshopper
learning from the kung-fu master," says Wynorski, who claims his
six-months internship with Corman taught him more than four years at
film school.
"It wasn't long after that Corman offered me the first of many
writing/directing assignments. Some distributor wanted a flick about a
killer in a shopping mall," recalls Wynorski, "and Roger trusted me
enough to say 'come up with something good, and you can direct it."
Well, a couple days later, the director walked in with the first
treatment to a film called
Chopping Mall (1986), and the rest
was history. From then on, Jim Wynorski turned out an average of three
to five films a year as a director, and even more as a producer/writer.
Throughout the 1980s came a steady stream of wild exploitation titles
like Big Bad Mama II (1987) with
Angie Dickinson,
Not of This Earth (1988) with
Traci Lords and
The Return of Swamp Thing (1989)
with Heather Locklear. On into the
1990s, Wynorski continued to climb to the top of the B-Film mountain
with flicks like Hard Bounty (1995)
starring Kelly LeBrock,
Point of Seduction: Body Chemistry III (1994)
&
Body Chemistry 4: Full Exposure (1995)
with Shannon Tweed and
Morgan Fairchild and
Munchie (1992), which featured the first
film appearance of the then-unknown 12-year-old child actress
Jennifer Love Hewitt.
As the years peeled by and tastes changed, Jim Wynorski kept hip by
innovating new special effects techniques that landed the director no
less than seven world premieres on the Sci-Fi Channel. His credits
there include films like
Gargoyle (2004),
The Curse of the Komodo (2004),
Project Viper and
Cry of the Winged Serpent (2007).
As for the future, the 59-year-old Wynorski feels the audience for
alternative cinema made away from the studio system will continue to
grow thanks to new advances in Internet and Cable technologies. In
fact, he is in post-production on another thriller,
Vampire in Vegas (2009). "And
you can bet I'll be there," he offers with a big smile, "with some
really fun stuff." Jim has a huge following in the MidWest and is
beloved in Franklin, Indiana, Home of The B Movie Celebration.
writer/producer/director Jim Wynorski is responsible for over 150
varied motion pictures in a myriad of genres. Leaving behind a
successful commercial business in New York, Wynorski relocated to
California in 1980 and soon found himself on the doorstep of his
childhood idol, B-film king Roger Corman.
"The rest was destiny," recounts Wynorski, who soon found himself hired
by the renowned movie mogul to cut "coming attractions" for all of the
company's new action and horror films. "It was like grasshopper
learning from the kung-fu master," says Wynorski, who claims his
six-months internship with Corman taught him more than four years at
film school.
"It wasn't long after that Corman offered me the first of many
writing/directing assignments. Some distributor wanted a flick about a
killer in a shopping mall," recalls Wynorski, "and Roger trusted me
enough to say 'come up with something good, and you can direct it."
Well, a couple days later, the director walked in with the first
treatment to a film called
Chopping Mall (1986), and the rest
was history. From then on, Jim Wynorski turned out an average of three
to five films a year as a director, and even more as a producer/writer.
Throughout the 1980s came a steady stream of wild exploitation titles
like Big Bad Mama II (1987) with
Angie Dickinson,
Not of This Earth (1988) with
Traci Lords and
The Return of Swamp Thing (1989)
with Heather Locklear. On into the
1990s, Wynorski continued to climb to the top of the B-Film mountain
with flicks like Hard Bounty (1995)
starring Kelly LeBrock,
Point of Seduction: Body Chemistry III (1994)
&
Body Chemistry 4: Full Exposure (1995)
with Shannon Tweed and
Morgan Fairchild and
Munchie (1992), which featured the first
film appearance of the then-unknown 12-year-old child actress
Jennifer Love Hewitt.
As the years peeled by and tastes changed, Jim Wynorski kept hip by
innovating new special effects techniques that landed the director no
less than seven world premieres on the Sci-Fi Channel. His credits
there include films like
Gargoyle (2004),
The Curse of the Komodo (2004),
Project Viper and
Cry of the Winged Serpent (2007).
As for the future, the 59-year-old Wynorski feels the audience for
alternative cinema made away from the studio system will continue to
grow thanks to new advances in Internet and Cable technologies. In
fact, he is in post-production on another thriller,
Vampire in Vegas (2009). "And
you can bet I'll be there," he offers with a big smile, "with some
really fun stuff." Jim has a huge following in the MidWest and is
beloved in Franklin, Indiana, Home of The B Movie Celebration.