Skip to content
MovieCove
David Seltzer

David Seltzer

Writer, director and producer, also actor · Born February 12, 1940 (86) · Highland Park, Illinois, USA

Writers Guild Award winner

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. David Seltzer (born 1940) is an American screenwriter, producer and director, perhaps best known for writing The Omen (1976), and Bird on a Wire (1990), starring Mel Gibson and Goldie Hawn. As writer/director, Seltzer's credits include the 1986 teen tragi-comedy Lucas starring Corey Haim, Charlie Sheen and Winona Ryder, the 1988 comedy Punchline starring Sally Field and Tom Hanks, and 1992's Shining Through starring Melanie Griffith and Michael Douglas. Description above from the Wikipedia article David Seltzer, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.​

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
February 12, 1940 (86)
From
Highland Park, Illinois, USA
Works as
Writer, director and producer, also actor
Titles
24 on MovieCove · 34 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 63 days to Oct 26Down 19% in 30 days

What are David Seltzer's films like?

Across their 26 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Drama8 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 46th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Horror6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 37th percentile
: browse their Horror movies
Comedy5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 35th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Documentary2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 78th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary 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
Bonds
27%
Self
24%
Survival
17%
Morality
12%
Ideas
8%
Society
8%
Power
4%
Family bonds7 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth4 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose4 titles, browse their movies with this themeSacrifice5 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival4 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFate3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 26 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 14 · Stylized 8 · Heightened 4

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

Gentle 4 · Charged 11 · Intense 11

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

Steady 11 · Shifting 11 · Whiplash 4

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

Straight-faced 15 · Some laughs 7 · Funny 4

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

Slow burn 11 · Even-paced 14 · Relentless 1

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

Casual 12 · Engaged 12 · Full focus 2

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 9 · Heavy 10

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

Resolved 22 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
12
Melancholic
12
Dread
7
Warm
7
Hopeful
9
Other
22

How their films linger

Hopeful11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 8 with a twist

  • Happy8
  • Bittersweet13
  • Tragic5

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 David Seltzer's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 18 of their 24 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Prime Video (5).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for David Seltzer'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

34 credits, 24 with a MovieCove page; 5 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • The First Omen(2024)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory(2017)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Damien (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Show 10 episodes · Characters

  • Cinema Verite(2011)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • The Omen(2006)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • Revelations (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Show 6 episodes · Creator · Executive Producer

  • Dragonfly(2002)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Nobody's Baby(2001)

    Director · Scenario Writer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films

  • 666: The Omen Revealed (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Actor

  • My Giant(1998)

    Screenplay · Story

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • The Eighteenth Angel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Writer

  • The Omen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Characters

  • Shining Through(1992)

    Director · Executive Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Omen IV: The Awakening(1991)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films

  • Bird on a Wire(1990)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Punchline(1988)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Someone to Watch Over Me(1987)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Lucas(1986)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Private Sessions (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Teleplay

  • Table for Five(1983)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Six Weeks(1982)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • The Final Conflict(1981)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Prophecy(1979)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Damien: Omen II(1978)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Green Eyes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Producer · Screenplay

  • The Omen(1976)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • The Other Side of the Mountain(1975)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • My Father's House(1975)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Larry (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Writer

  • One Is a Lonely Number(1972)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • King, Queen, Knave(1972)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory(1971)

    Additional Writing · Writer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • The Hellstrom Chronicle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Writer

  • The Lonely Dorymen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Writer

Career shape

A full career of 33 titles from 1968 to 2024.

Biggest box office

Bird on a Wire (1990)

$139M worldwide

Highest rated

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)

Midcredits 96th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 33: 1 only acting, 0 with another roleDirecting4 of 33: 0 only directing, 4 with another roleWriting30 of 33: 25 only writing, 5 with another role · typical Midcredits score43rdProducing3 of 33: 0 only producing, 3 with another roleOther crew2 of 33: 1 only other crew, 1 with another role

33 titles, 6 with more than one role — writing and directing overlap on 4 of them.

By decade

1960s1 · crew1970s11 · crew1980s7 · crew1990s6 · crew2000s5 · 1 acting · 4 crew2010s2 · 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.

Awards

1 major award from 3 major nominations, 1972–2012.

WinNomination
  1. 2012
    • Writers Guild Award, won · Long Form - Original
  2. 1977
    • Writers Guild Award, nominated · Best Drama Written Directly for the Screen
  3. 1972
    • Writers Guild Award, nominated · Best Drama Written Directly for the Screen

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do David Seltzer's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 43rd percentile, the median of all 24; across their 26 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 46th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

46thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 26

Approval · how many liked their films

46thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 26

Reach · how many have seen their films

85thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 26

Midcredits score across 24 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up4
  • 50th to 74th5
  • 25th to 49th10
  • Below 25th5

Shape of the crowd

9 of their 24 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Universally Panned1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser9
  • Broadly Agreed6
  • Mixed5

Most divisive · writer

Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (2017)

81st percentile spread · 35% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)

Midcredits 96th · 86% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 47/100 and the plot and story 45/100 in their films, across 24 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 David Seltzer's work okay for kids?

Across up to 13 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore13 titles34–83 · median 67 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity13 titles6–59 · median 35 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity12 titles17–49 · median 38 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs11 titles5–36 · median 29 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense9 titles56–84 · median 78 · 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 David Seltzer work with?

People who share at least 2 of David Seltzer's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Harvey Bernhard shares the most, 4.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and cinematographers

Producers

Mixed roles