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Anthony Shaffer

Anthony Shaffer

Writer · Died November 6, 2001, aged 75 · Liverpool, England, UK

​From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Anthony Joshua Shaffer  (15 May 1926 – 6 November 2001) was an English barrister, advertising executive, novelist, playwright and screenwriter. Description above from the Wikipedia article Anthony Shaffer, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
May 15, 1926
Died
November 6, 2001 (aged 75)
From
Liverpool, England, UK
Works as
Writer
Titles
12 on MovieCove · 15 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 19% in 30 days

What are Anthony Shaffer's films like?

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

Genres

Crime5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 84th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Drama3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 61st percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Horror2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 48th percentile
: browse their Horror 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
Morality
50%
Power
15%
Society
11%
Bonds
8%
Self
7%
Ideas
5%
Survival
4%
Justice4 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception6 titles, browse their movies with this themeFaith3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRevenge3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

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

A split, not a type: Light 5 · Serious 3 · Dark 4

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

Grounded 4 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 4

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 5 · Intense 6

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

Steady 4 · Shifting 6 · Whiplash 2

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

Straight-faced 5 · Some laughs 7 · Funny 0

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

Slow burn 5 · Even-paced 7 · Relentless 0

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 7 · Full focus 4

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 2 · Open-ended 6 · Ambiguous 4

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
11
Dread
4
Contemplative
5
Absurd
2
Thrilling
2
Other
8

How their films linger

Thought-provoking7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCathartic2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 9 with a twist

  • Happy3
  • Bittersweet2
  • Tragic4
  • Ambiguous3

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 Anthony Shaffer'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 Anthony Shaffer'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

15 credits, 12 with a MovieCove page; 4 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Tamanna (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Author

  • Sleuth(2007)

    Teleplay

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • The Wicker Man(2006)

    Original Film Writer

    Midcredits score: 2nd percentile of all films

  • A Sleuthian Journey with Anthony Shaffer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Thanks · as Self

  • Burnt Offering: The Cult of The Wicker Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Actor

  • Sommersby(1993)

    Author

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Appointment with Death(1988)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films

  • Evil Under the Sun(1982)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • Death on the Nile(1978)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Absolution(1978)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Murder on the Orient Express(1974)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • The Wicker Man(1973)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Sleuth(1972)

    Screenplay · Theatre Play

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Frenzy(1972)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Mr. Forbush and the Penguins(1971)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

Career shape

A full career of 14 titles from 1971 to 2014.

Biggest box office

Sommersby (1993)

$140M worldwide

Highest rated

Sleuth (1972)

Midcredits 96th

Most popular right now

Murder on the Orient Express (1974)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 14: 1 only acting, 0 with another roleWriting12 of 14: 12 only writing, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score61stOther crew1 of 14: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

By decade

1970s6 · crew1980s2 · crew1990s1 · crew2000s4 · 1 acting · 3 crew2010s1 · 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 Anthony Shaffer's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 73rd percentile, the median of all 12; across their 12 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 72nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

72ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 12

Approval · how many liked their films

76thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 12

Reach · how many have seen their films

91stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 12

Midcredits score across 12 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up6
  • 50th to 74th3
  • 25th to 49th2
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

7 of their 12 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Universally Panned1
  • Crowd Pleaser7
  • Broadly Agreed2

Most divisive · writer

The Wicker Man (2006)

53rd percentile spread · 63% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer

Sleuth (1972)

Midcredits 96th · 86% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 64/100 and the plot and story 54/100 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 Anthony Shaffer's work okay for kids?

Across up to 9 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore and frightening / intense run heavier than most films and sex & nudity lighter.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore7 titles36–68 · median 61 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity9 titles5–76 · median 17 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity7 titles17–60 · median 36 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs6 titles18–40 · median 32 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense6 titles28–85 · median 58 · moderateheavier 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 Anthony Shaffer work with?

People who share at least 2 of Anthony Shaffer's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Agatha Christie shares the most, 4.

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers