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Alan Ormsby

Alan Ormsby

Writer, actor and director · Born December 14, 1943 (82) · Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Writer, director and make-up effects artist Alan Ormsby was born on December 14, 1943. He was a drama student at the University of Florida, where he met future director Bob Clark. The pair first collaborated on a tongue-in-cheek low-budget zombie horror flick, Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things (1972). Ormsby not only co-wrote the script and did the effectively ghoulish zombie make-up, but also gave a deliciously hammy performance as the arrogant and obnoxious theater group leader Alan. Ormsby's then-wife Anya Liffey portrayed another group member; the couple later divorced in 1981. Ormsby and Clark followed this film with Dead of Night (1974) (aka Deathdream), which was a supremely potent and unnerving Vietnam-era variant on the classic short story "The Monkey's Paw." Next up for Ormsby was the excellent Deranged (1974), which he co-wrote, co-directed and handled make-up effects chores on along with a then-unknown Tom Savini (Savini also worked with Ormsby on the make-up effects for Deathdream). Deranged (1974) was a macabre and blackly humorous rural psycho item inspired by the notorious exploits of serial killer Ed Gein. Other movies Ormsby has penned screenplays for are the delightful teen coming-of-age winner My Bodyguard (1980), Paul Schrader's sexy and stylish Cat People (1982) remake, the uproariously raunchy Porky's II: The Next Day (1983), and the exciting action opus The Substitute (1996). Ormsby did the genuinely creepy zombie make-up for the spooky Nazi horror doozy Shock Waves (1977) and wrote Movie Monsters, a book on makeup effects, in 1976. He created the popular doll Hugo: Man of a Thousand Faces, which was featured in both The Uncle Floyd Show (1974) and The Pee-Wee Herman Show (1981). He co-wrote and directed the entertaining film-within-a-film segments for the hugely enjoyable slasher send-up Popcorn (1991). He is currently married to actress Hilarie Thompson and has two sons.

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Biography from IMDb.

Born
December 14, 1943 (82)
From
Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Works as
Writer, actor and director
Titles
16 on MovieCove · 23 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 37 days to Oct 26Up 2% in 30 days

What are Alan Ormsby's films like?

Across their 14 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Morality.

Genres

Comedy5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 34th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Action4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 18th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Drama2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 61st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama 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
Self
23%
Morality
23%
Bonds
20%
Survival
20%
Society
11%
Power
2%
Ideas
2%
Justice4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds5 titles, browse their movies with this themeObsession3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival4 titles, browse their movies with this themePrejudice2 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 14 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 7 · Stylized 6 · 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 1 · Charged 6 · Intense 7

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

Steady 4 · Shifting 7 · Whiplash 3

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

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 9 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 2

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

Slow burn 5 · Even-paced 9 · Relentless 0

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

Casual 7 · Engaged 7 · Full focus 0

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 7 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 4

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

Resolved 12 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
9
Dread
3
Thrilling
5
Triumphant
3
Cold
3
Other
11

How their films linger

Fun5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCathartic4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy9
  • Bittersweet1
  • Tragic4

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 Alan Ormsby's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 10 of their 16 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (8).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Alan Ormsby'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

23 credits, 16 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • King's Gambit (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Producer

  • The Substitute: Failure Is Not an Option(2001)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • The District (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Show 2 episodes · Writer

  • The Substitute 3: Winner Takes All(1999)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • The Substitute 2: School's Out(1998)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Mulan(1998)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • The Substitute(1996)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films

  • Deadly Web (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Associate Producer · Writer

  • The Disappearance of Nora (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Writer

  • Indecency(1992)

    Teleplay

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • Popcorn(1991)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Not Quite Human (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Writer

  • Touch and Go(1986)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films

  • Porky's II: The Next Day(1983)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • Cat People(1982)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • The Little Dragons (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Writer

  • My Bodyguard(1980)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Shock Waves(1977)

    Makeup Designer · Makeup Effects

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • Lenny(1974)

    as Man in Audience of Cellar Club (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Dead of Night(1974)

    Makeup Effects · Screenplay · as Bystander

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • The Great Masquerade (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Director · Writer

  • Deranged(1974)

    Director · Makeup Artist · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things(1972)

    Makeup Effects · Screenplay · as Alan

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

Career shape

A full career of 22 titles from 1972 to 2025.

Biggest box office

Mulan (1998)

$304M worldwide

Highest rated

Mulan (1998)

Midcredits 97th

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting3 of 22: 1 only acting, 2 with another roleDirecting2 of 22: 0 only directing, 2 with another roleWriting19 of 22: 14 only writing, 5 with another role · typical Midcredits score34thProducing2 of 22: 1 only producing, 1 with another roleOther crew4 of 22: 1 only other crew, 3 with another role

22 titles, 5 with more than one role — writing and other crew overlap on 3 of them.

By decade

1970s6 · 3 acting · 5 crew1980s6 · crew1990s7 · crew2000s2 · crew2020s1 · 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 Alan Ormsby's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 37th percentile, the median of all 16; across their 14 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 43rd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

43rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Approval · how many liked their films

32ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Reach · how many have seen their films

81stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Midcredits score across 16 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up3
  • 50th to 74th2
  • 25th to 49th6
  • Below 25th5

Shape of the crowd

9 of their 16 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Crowd Pleaser4
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed9

Most divisive · actor, writer

Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things (1972)

57th percentile spread · 30% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer

Mulan (1998)

Midcredits 97th · 86% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 41/100 and the plot and story 42/100 in their films, across 13 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 Alan Ormsby's work okay for kids?

Across up to 11 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, sex & nudity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films and alcohol & drugs lighter.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore8 titles37–83 · median 59 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity11 titles9–61 · median 49 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity5 titles14–72 · median 41 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs5 titles6–52 · median 13 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense6 titles37–74 · median 61 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

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 Alan Ormsby work with?

People who share at least 2 of Alan Ormsby's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Bob Clark shares the most, 5.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles