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John Ainslie

Writer, director, producer and composer

Works as
Writer, director, producer and composer
Titles
7 on MovieCove · 13 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 38 days to Oct 27Down 13% in 30 days

What are John Ainslie's films like?

Across their 7 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Self.

Themes

share of theme weight
Survival
39%
Self
27%
Bonds
20%
Society
9%
Morality
4%
Identity2 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival2 titles, browse their movies with this themeTrauma2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 5 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 1 · Serious 1 · Dark 3

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

A split, not a type: Grounded 3 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 1

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

Gentle 0 · Charged 1 · Intense 4

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

Steady 1 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 2

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

Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 0

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

Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 2 · 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 2 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 0

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

A split, not a type: Resolved 2 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 2

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
7
Dread
6
Melancholic
2
Cold
1
Cathartic
1
Other
3

How their films linger

Unsettling5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Bittersweet1
  • Ambiguous6

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 John Ainslie's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 5 of their 7 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (4).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for John Ainslie'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

13 credits, 7 with a MovieCove page.

  • Death Cycle(2025)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films

  • Do Not Disturb(2022)

    Director · Composer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Mission Unexplained(2023)

    Show Writer

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

  • Queen of Spades(2021)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films

  • Eli Roth Presents: A Ghost Ruined My Life(2021)

    Show Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all shows

  • The Anniversary Party (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Director · Editor · Producer · Screenplay

  • She Came Knocking (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Director · Co-Producer · Co-Writer

  • The Sublet(2015)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films

  • The Garage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Writer

  • Bullet in the Head (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Director · Writer

  • Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer(2007)

    Screenplay · Story

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Sk8 Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Cinematographer

  • Do Not Disturb (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Sound

Career shape

A full career of 10 titles from 2003 to 2023.

Biggest box office

Queen of Spades (2021)

$51K worldwide

Highest rated

Do Not Disturb (2022)

Midcredits 56th

Most popular right now

Queen of Spades (2021)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing5 of 10: 0 only directing, 5 with another roleWriting8 of 10: 3 only writing, 5 with another roleProducing2 of 10: 0 only producing, 2 with another roleCinematography1 of 10: 1 only cinematography, 0 with another roleEditing1 of 10: 0 only editing, 1 with another roleOther crew1 of 10: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

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

By decade

2000s3 · crew2010s4 · crew2020s3 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it.

How do John Ainslie's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 15th percentile, the median of all 5; across their 5 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 21st percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

21stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Approval · how many liked their films

12thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Reach · how many have seen their films

48thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Midcredits score across 7 titles, by percentile

  • 50th to 74th1
  • 25th to 49th2
  • Below 25th4

Shape of the crowd

5 of their 7 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Panned1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Mixed5

Most divisive · director, writer

Eli Roth Presents: A Ghost Ruined My Life (2021)

84th percentile spread · 30% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director, writer, composer

Do Not Disturb (2022)

Midcredits 56th · 63% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 28/100 and the plot and story 42/100 in their films, across 4 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.

Who does John Ainslie work with?

People who share at least 2 of John Ainslie's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Patrick White shares the most, 3.

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Producers