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Ethan Wiley

Writer, director, producer and actor

From Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia Wiley wrote the screenplay for the 1986 film House and has written and directed several other horror films, including, House II: The Second Story, Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror, starring David Carradine and Eva Mendes, Blackwater Valley Exorcism and Brutal, starring Jeffrey Combs, Michael Berryman and Sarah Thompson. In 2006, Wiley formed Wiseacre Films, an independent production company. Producing credits include Blackwater Valley Exorcism, A Dead Calling, Drifter, Brutal, Deadwater (a.k.a. Black Ops), Bear and The Butterfly Room. Ethan is writer, director and producer of the family comedy movie Elf-Man and the Chinese action-adventure feature Journey to the Forbidden Valley. Ethan was a Production Consultant for the Universal Pictures action film The Man with the Iron Fists 2, and teleplay writer for Universal's Dead Again in Tombstone.

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Biography from TMDB.

Works as
Writer, director, producer and actor
Titles
9 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 38 days to Oct 27Down 15% in 30 days

What are Ethan Wiley's films like?

Across their 9 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Bonds.

Genres

Comedy3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 27th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Horror3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 14th percentile
: browse their Horror movies
Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 13th percentile
: browse their Action 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
Survival
47%
Bonds
20%
Self
14%
Morality
11%
Ideas
7%
Society
2%
Survival5 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds4 titles, browse their movies with this themeTrauma2 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 9 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 6 · Serious 1 · Dark 2

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

A split, not a type: Grounded 5 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 0

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

Gentle 2 · Charged 4 · Intense 3

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

A split, not a type: Steady 5 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 2

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 5 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 2

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

Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 6 · Relentless 0

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

A split, not a type: Casual 5 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 6 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
7
Dread
4
Absurd
3
Warm
2
Joyful
2
Other
5

How their films linger

Fun6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy3
  • Bittersweet2
  • Ambiguous4

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 Ethan Wiley's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 7 of their 9 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (6).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Ethan Wiley'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, 9 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • Dead Again in Tombstone(2017)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films

  • Journey to the Forbidden Valley(2017)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • Elf-Man(2011)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • The Butterfly Room(2012)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Bear (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Producer · Screenplay · Second Unit Director

  • Deadwater (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Producer · Writer

  • Drifter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Associate Producer

  • Brutal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Director · Producer · Writer

  • A Dead Calling (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Associate Producer

  • Blackwater Valley Exorcism(2006)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • Under Surveillance(2006)

    as Banker (voice)

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

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

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films

  • House II: The Second Story(1987)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • House(1985)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • House (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Original Film Writer

Career shape

A full career of 14 titles, 13 of them dated from 1985 to 2017.

Biggest box office

House (1985)

$19M worldwide

Highest rated

House (1985)

Midcredits 46th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 14: 1 only acting, 0 with another roleDirecting6 of 14: 1 only directing, 5 with another role · typical Midcredits score11thWriting10 of 14: 3 only writing, 7 with another role · typical Midcredits score14thProducing6 of 14: 2 only producing, 4 with another roleOther crew1 of 14: 0 only other crew, 1 with another role

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

By decade

1980s2 · crew1990s1 · crew2000s6 · 1 acting · 5 crew2010s4 · 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 Ethan Wiley's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 14th percentile, the median of all 9; across their 9 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 9

Approval · how many liked their films

20thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Reach · how many have seen their films

73rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Midcredits score across 9 titles, by percentile

  • 25th to 49th2
  • Below 25th7

Shape of the crowd

6 of their 9 titles are Mixed.

  • Divisive2
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed6

Most divisive · actor

Under Surveillance (2006)

93rd percentile spread · 53% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer

House (1985)

Midcredits 46th · 46% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 35/100 and the plot and story 35/100 in their films, across 9 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 Ethan Wiley'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 10 · minimalMedian of all films: 32

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

Who does Ethan Wiley work with?

People who share at least 2 of Ethan Wiley's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Joseph Bauer shares the most, 4.

Writers

Actors

Composers and cinematographers

Producers