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James Isaac

James Isaac

Director and producer · Died May 6, 2012, aged 51 · San Francisco, California, USA

James Isaac (June 5, 1960 – May 6, 2012) was an American film director and visual effects supervisor. He is best known for directing "Jason X" (2001).

Biography from TMDB.

Born
June 5, 1960
Died
May 6, 2012 (aged 51)
From
San Francisco, California, USA
Works as
Director and producer
Titles
7 on MovieCove
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 27Up 6% in 30 days

What are James Isaac's films like?

Across a limited sample of 4 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Bonds.

Themes

share of theme weight
Survival
75%
Bonds
19%
Self
5%
Survival4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this themeViolence2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 4 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Earnest: How sincerely it treats its story and characters, from ironic to earnest. Browse their earnest movies.
Tone · Sincerity
ironicearnest

A split, not a type: Ironic 0 · Wry 2 · Earnest 1

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

Grounded 1 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 1

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

Gentle 0 · Charged 0 · Intense 4

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

Steady 1 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 0

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

Slow burn 0 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 2

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

Casual 1 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 3 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings shown from 5 titles

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
4
Thrilling
3
Dread
2
Melancholic
1

How their films linger

Unsettling3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

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 James Isaac's films?

As of October 24, 2026, all 7 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for James Isaac'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

7 credits, 7 with a MovieCove page; 3 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Pig Hunt(2008)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • Skinwalkers(2006)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films

  • Jason X(2001)

    Director · Producer · as Doctor (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films

  • eXistenZ(1999)

    Visual Effects Supervisor

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror(1998)

    Second Unit Director

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films

  • House III: The Horror Show(1989)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • DeepStar Six(1989)

    Visual Effects Supervisor

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

Career shape

A full career of 7 titles from 1989 to 2008.

Biggest box office

Jason X (2001)

$17M worldwide

Highest rated

House III: The Horror Show (1989)

Midcredits 17th

Most popular right now

Jason X (2001)

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 7: 0 only acting, 1 with another roleDirecting4 of 7: 2 only directing, 2 with another roleProducing1 of 7: 0 only producing, 1 with another roleOther crew3 of 7: 3 only other crew, 0 with another role

By decade

1980s2 · crew1990s2 · crew2000s3 · 1 acting · 3 crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it.

How do James Isaac's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 14th percentile, the median of all 7; across a limited sample of 4 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 16th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

16thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Approval · how many liked their films

12thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Reach · how many have seen their films

86thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Midcredits score across 7 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up1
  • Below 25th6

Shape of the crowd

5 of their 7 titles are Mixed.

  • Crowd Pleaser1
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed5

Most divisive · actor, director, producer

Jason X (2001)

58th percentile spread · 47% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director

House III: The Horror Show (1989)

Midcredits 17th · 24% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 40/100 and the pacing 40/100 in their films, across 4 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

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 James Isaac's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 3 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Sex & Nudity3 titlesmedian 33 · mildMedian of all films: 32

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does James Isaac work with?

People who share at least 2 of James Isaac's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Adam Kane shares the most, 2.

Composers and cinematographers

Producers