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Howard R. Cohen

Writer and director · Died April 3, 1999, aged 56 · Illinois, USA

Howard R. Cohen was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He directed films such as Saturday the 14th (1981), a horror-comedy parody, and Space Raiders (1983), a science fiction adventure. Cohen also wrote for television series, including The Care Bears and Rainbow Brite. His work often blended genres, incorporating elements of comedy, horror, and science fiction.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
August 12, 1942
Died
April 3, 1999 (aged 56)
From
Illinois, USA
Works as
Writer and director
Titles
12 on MovieCove · 21 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 38 days to Oct 27Down 8% in 30 days

What are Howard R. Cohen's films like?

Across their 12 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Power and Survival.

Genres

Action5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 8th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Comedy3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 3rd percentile
: browse their Comedy movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Power
21%
Survival
21%
Self
20%
Morality
18%
Bonds
12%
Ideas
7%
Society
2%
Survival6 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition3 titles, browse their movies with this themePower3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds3 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 12 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 12 · Serious 0 · Dark 0

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 2 · Stylized 9 · Heightened 1

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 6 · Charged 5 · Intense 1

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 3 · Shifting 8 · Whiplash 1

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 5 · Funny 3

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

A split, not a type: Slow burn 7 · Even-paced 4 · Relentless 1

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 12 · Engaged 0 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 12 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Absurd
6
Thrilling
8
Tense
5
Joyful
2
Dread
2
Other
5

How their films linger

Fun10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy9
  • Bittersweet1
  • Ambiguous2

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Howard R. Cohen's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 7 of their 12 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (6).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Howard R. Cohen's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

21 credits, 12 with a MovieCove page.

  • Space Case (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Director · Writer

  • Deathstalker IV: Match of Titans (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Director · Producer · Writer

  • Barbarian Queen II: The Empress Strikes Back(1990)

    Screenplay · Story

    Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films

  • Time Trackers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Director · Writer

  • Lords of the Deep(1989)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films

  • Saturday the 14th Strikes Back(1988)

    Director · Writer · as Mr. Bleckner

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films

  • Deathstalker and the Warriors from Hell(1988)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films

  • Lady Lovely Locks and the Pixietails (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Show Creator

  • Emmanuelle 5 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Screenplay

  • Barbarian Queen(1985)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films

  • Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer(1985)

    Scenario Writer · Screenstory · Writer

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Deathstalker(1983)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films

  • Stryker (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Screenplay

  • Space Raiders(1983)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • Saturday the 14th(1981)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films

  • Death Force (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Screenplay

  • Vampire Hookers(1978)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films

  • Cover Girl Models(1975)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • The Young Nurses (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Writer

  • The Unholy Rollers(1972)

    Screenplay · Story

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Void Where Prohibited by Law (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Actor

Career shape

A full career of 20 titles from 1971 to 1992.

Biggest box office

Deathstalker (1983)

$12M worldwide

Highest rated

Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer (1985)

Midcredits 73rd

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting2 of 20: 1 only acting, 1 with another roleDirecting6 of 20: 0 only directing, 6 with another roleWriting18 of 20: 12 only writing, 6 with another role · typical Midcredits score8thProducing1 of 20: 0 only producing, 1 with another roleOther crew1 of 20: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

20 titles, 6 with more than one role — writing and directing overlap on 6 of them.

By decade

1970s6 · 1 acting · 5 crew1980s11 · 1 acting · 11 crew1990s3 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Howard R. Cohen's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 6th percentile, the median of all 12; across their 12 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 10th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

10thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 12

Approval · how many liked their films

4thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 12

Reach · how many have seen their films

68thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 12

Midcredits score across 12 titles, by percentile

  • 50th to 74th1
  • 25th to 49th1
  • Below 25th10

Shape of the crowd

8 of their 12 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Panned4
  • Mixed8

Most divisive · actor, director, writer

Saturday the 14th Strikes Back (1988)

74th percentile spread · 70% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer

Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer (1985)

Midcredits 73rd · 68% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 25/100 and the plot and story 25/100 in their films, across 12 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Howard R. Cohen's work okay for kids?

Across up to 5 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity runs heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore3 titlesmedian 53 · moderateMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity5 titles35–73 · median 55 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity3 titlesmedian 8 · minimalMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs3 titlesmedian 24 · mildMedian of all films: 33

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Howard R. Cohen work with?

People who share at least 2 of Howard R. Cohen's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Roger Corman shares the most, 10.

Directors

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles