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Tommy Lee Wallace

Tommy Lee Wallace

Director, writer, actor and editor, also producer · Born September 6, 1949 (77) · Somerset, Kentucky, USA

Thomas Lee Wallace (born September 6, 1949) is an American film producer, director, editor, and screenwriter. He is best known for his work in the horror genre, directing films such as Halloween III: Season of the Witch, Fright Night Part 2 and the 1990 miniseries, It. He is a long-time collaborator of director John Carpenter, receiving his first credit as art director on Carpenter's directorial debut, Dark Star. Along with Charles Bornstein, he edited both the original Halloween and The Fog. Description above from the Wikipedia article Tommy Lee Wallace, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia. ​

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
September 6, 1949 (77)
From
Somerset, Kentucky, USA
Works as
Director, writer, actor and editor, also producer
Titles
21 on MovieCove · 30 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 156 days to Oct 27Down 30% in 30 days

What are Tommy Lee Wallace's films like?

Across their 20 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Self.

Genres

Horror5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 33rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Horror movies
Comedy3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 44th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Crime3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 30th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 11th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Drama2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 21st percentile
: 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
Morality
27%
Self
22%
Survival
17%
Bonds
10%
Society
9%
Power
8%
Ideas
7%
Survival6 titles, browse their movies with this themeComing of age4 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice4 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeArt2 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRevenge2 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 18 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 8 · Stylized 10 · Heightened 0

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

A split, not a type: Gentle 4 · Charged 5 · Intense 9

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

A split, not a type: Steady 9 · Shifting 7 · Whiplash 2

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

Straight-faced 12 · Some laughs 5 · Funny 1

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

Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 14 · 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 7 · Engaged 10 · Full focus 1

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

Resolved 11 · Open-ended 6 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
14
Dread
11
Warm
4
Melancholic
4
Joyful
3
Other
12

How their films linger

Unsettling9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCathartic3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 4 with a twist

  • Happy8
  • Bittersweet7
  • Ambiguous4
  • Cyclical1

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 Tommy Lee Wallace's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 14 of their 21 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (6).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Tommy Lee Wallace'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

30 credits, 21 with a MovieCove page; 13 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • The Boy from Below(2026)

    as Doctor Dementia

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • The Fields(2011)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • 12 Days of Terror(2004)

    Teleplay

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Vampires: Los Muertos(2002)

    Director · Writer · as Scared Guy

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films

  • Final Justice (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Director

  • The Spree(1998)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • Steel Chariots (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Director

  • Once You Meet a Stranger(1996)

    Director · Teleplay

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films

  • Born Free: A New Adventure(1996)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Green Dolphin Beat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Director

  • Witness to the Execution(1994)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • The Presence (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Director

  • The Comrades of Summer(1992)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • And the Sea Will Tell(1991)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • And the Sea Will Tell (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

  • IT(1990)

    Show 2 episodes · Director · Teleplay

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all shows

  • El Diablo(1990)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Far from Home(1989)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • Baywatch (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Fright Night Part 2(1988)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Aloha Summer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Director

  • Tour of Duty (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • The Boy Who Could Fly(1986)

    as The Coupe de Villes

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Big Trouble in Little China(1986)

    Second Unit Director

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • The Twilight Zone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Halloween III: Season of the Witch(1982)

    Director · Screenplay · as Silver Shamrock Commercial Announcer (voice) (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Amityville II: The Possession(1982)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • The Fog(1980)

    Editor · Production Design · as Ghost

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Halloween(1978)

    Editor · Production Design · as Michael Myers (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Assault on Precinct 13(1976)

    Art Direction · Sound Effects

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

Career shape

A full career of 29 titles from 1976 to 2025.

Biggest box office

Halloween (1978)

$47M worldwide

Highest rated

Halloween (1978)

Midcredits 95th

Most popular right now

IT (1990)

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting6 of 29: 2 only acting, 4 with another role · typical Midcredits score49thDirecting19 of 29: 14 only directing, 5 with another role · typical Midcredits score28thWriting9 of 29: 4 only writing, 5 with another role · typical Midcredits score30thEditing2 of 29: 0 only editing, 2 with another roleOther crew4 of 29: 2 only other crew, 2 with another role

29 titles, 7 with more than one role — directing and writing overlap on 5 of them.

By decade

1970s2 · 1 acting · 2 crew1980s11 · 3 acting · 10 crew1990s13 · crew2000s2 · 1 acting · 2 crew2020s1 · acting

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 Tommy Lee Wallace's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 32nd percentile, the median of all 20; across their 18 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 31st percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

31stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 18

Approval · how many liked their films

33rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 18

Reach · how many have seen their films

60thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 18

Midcredits score across 21 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up3
  • 50th to 74th3
  • 25th to 49th10
  • Below 25th5

Shape of the crowd

10 of their 21 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Universally Panned1
  • Divisive1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser5
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed10

Most divisive · actor

The Boy from Below (2026)

97th percentile spread · 38% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor, editor

Halloween (1978)

Midcredits 95th · 82% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 63/100 and the pacing 43/100 in their films, across 16 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 Tommy Lee Wallace's work okay for kids?

Across up to 8 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, sex & nudity, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore8 titles57–87 · median 65 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity7 titles16–59 · median 54 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity6 titles34–63 · median 52 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs5 titles33–38 · median 36 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense6 titles68–83 · median 74 · 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 Tommy Lee Wallace work with?

People who share at least 2 of Tommy Lee Wallace's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; John Carpenter shares the most, 5.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers