Michael Paul Nelson (born December 18, 1982) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for directing the horror films The Domestics (2018), Wrong Turn (2021) and Silent Night, Deadly Night (2025).
Biography from TMDB.
- December 18, 1982 (43)
- Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA
- Director, writer, editor, actor, producer and cinematographer
- 6 on MovieCove · 15 credits in all
What are Mike P. Nelson's films like?
Across their 6 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Self.
Genres
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
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 1 · Earnest 5
Light 0 · Serious 3 · Dark 3
Grounded 1 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 1
Gentle 0 · Charged 0 · Intense 6
Steady 0 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 3
Straight-faced 5 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 0
Slow burn 0 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 1
Casual 1 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 2
Easy watch 0 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 4
A split, not a type: Resolved 3 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 1
Roles they play
- Shadowas The Monsters in Summer School (2006)
Moods and endings
- Tragic1
- Ambiguous5
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 Mike P. Nelson's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 5 of their 6 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (3).
Subscription and free streaming for Mike P. Nelson'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, 6 with a MovieCove page.
Beware Boiúna(2026)
Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films
Sweet Revenge (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)
V/H/S/85(2023)
Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films
Edge of Insanity (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)
Wrong Turn(2021)
Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films
One Minnesota (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)
Ahockalypse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)
The Domestics(2018)
Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films
The Goodbye (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)
The Retirement of Joe Corduroy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
An American Classic (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)
Summer School(2006)
Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all filmsThe 26th (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)
The G.I. (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)
Career shape
A full career of 15 titles from 2004 to 2026.
Biggest box office
Silent Night, Deadly Night (2025)
Highest rated
Silent Night, Deadly Night (2025)
Most popular right now
Beware Boiúna (2026)
By role
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 Mike P. Nelson's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 33rd percentile, the median of all 6; across their 6 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 37th percentile for acclaim.
- 25th to 49th6
Shape of the crowd
5 of their 6 titles are Mixed.
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed5
Reviewers score the atmosphere 58/100 and the pacing 41/100 in their films, across 6 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 Mike P. Nelson's work okay for kids?
Across a limited sample of up to 4 MovieCove titles with content scores.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.
Who does Mike P. Nelson work with?
People who share at least 2 of Mike P. Nelson's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Nick Junkersfeld shares the most, 3.
Writers
- Alan B. McElroyShared titles: Beware Boiúna (2026), Wrong Turn (2021)See all 2 shared titles with Alan B. McElroy
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Nick JunkersfeldShared titles: Beware Boiúna (2026), V/H/S/85 (2023), Wrong Turn (2021)See all 3 shared titles with Nick Junkersfeld
- Stephen LukachShared titles: Beware Boiúna (2026), V/H/S/85 (2023), Wrong Turn (2021)See all 3 shared titles with Stephen Lukach
- Tom ElkinsShared titles: Beware Boiúna (2026), Wrong Turn (2021)See all 2 shared titles with Tom Elkins
Producers
- Robert KulzerShared titles: Beware Boiúna (2026), Wrong Turn (2021)See all 2 shared titles with Robert Kulzer
- Brad MiskaShared titles: Silent Night, Deadly Night (2025), V/H/S/85 (2023)See all 2 shared titles with Brad Miska
- James HarrisShared titles: V/H/S/85 (2023), Wrong Turn (2021)See all 2 shared titles with James Harris
