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Joe Russo

Joe Russo

Writer, producer and director

Joe Russo just sold the screenplay he co-wrote, PORTRAIT OF GOD, to Universal Pictures, which he is producing alongside Jordan Peele (GET OUT) and Sam Raimi (EVIL DEAD, the SPIDER-MAN trilogy). Russo and his writing partner, Chris LaMont, set their latest screenplay, WHEN A STRANGER VENMOS, with 2026 SXSW-winning producers Highway 10. Together, the three-time BloodList screenwriters past feature film credits include the Peyton List and Bob Gunton starring horror film, THE INHERITANCE (#3 movie on Hulu, Christmas 2024), the Bruce Willis-starring HARD KILL (#2 movie on Netflix, Thanksgiving 2020), the Ryan Phillippe, Ving Rhames and Kate Bosworth-starring THE LOCKSMITH and the Neal McDonough-starring SOUL MATES. In 2020, the writing duo penned the thriller THE AU PAIR NIGHTMARE, which Russo directed. The movie debuted to strong reviews and ratings, with USA Today saying it "pushes all the right buttons." Russo also directed the short film BE MINE for Eli Roth's Crypt TV. His short MIDNIGHT CLEAR (featured on Entertainment Weekly, Nerdist and io9) was released on Gunpowder & Sky's digital platform, Alter. As a producer, Russo's feature credits include the Mickey Rourke-starring horror anthology NIGHTMARE CINEMA (#2 movie on Shudder in 2019) and the Zac Efron and Russell Crowe-starring THE GREATEST BEER RUN EVER, which premiered at The Toronto International Film Festival. Notably, Russo acquired the life-rights to THE UNTITLED HULK HOGAN BIOPIC which sold to Netflix with Chris Hemsworth starring and Todd Phillips (JOKER) directing. Previously, Russo has worked as a writer, producer and development executive with companies like Fox, MGM, Showtime, SyFy, History, Adam Sandler's Happy Madison, Will Smith's Overbrook, Davis Entertainment, Broken Road Productions, Voltage Pictures, Millennium, Lionsgate, Amazon and more. In the podcast space, Russo produced seven seasons of the award-winning horror series POST MORTEM WITH MICK GARRIS, featuring over a hundred in-depth conversations with genre legends like Stephen King, Quentin Tarantino, John Carpenter, Guillermo del Toro, Edgar Wright and many more. Russo & LaMont are repped at Untitled Entertainment, Fictional Entity and Yorn Levine.

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Biography from IMDb.

Works as
Writer, producer and director
Titles
7 on MovieCove · 16 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 157 days to Oct 28Down 19% in 30 days

What are Joe Russo's films like?

Across their 6 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 25th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Horror2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 12th 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
34%
Bonds
26%
Self
13%
Survival
11%
Power
6%
Ideas
5%
Society
4%
Family bonds4 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 6 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 5 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 1

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

Gentle 0 · Charged 2 · Intense 4

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

Steady 0 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 1

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

Straight-faced 5 · 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 1 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 2

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 4 · Full focus 1

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

A split, not a type: Resolved 3 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 2

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
5
Dread
2
Thrilling
2
Absurd
2
Hopeful
1
Other
4

How their films linger

Unsettling3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy1
  • Bittersweet2
  • 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 Joe Russo's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 6 of their 7 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (4).

Subscription and free streaming for Joe Russo'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

16 credits, 7 with a MovieCove page.

  • The Inheritance(2024)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • Soul Mates (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    Executive Producer · Screenplay

  • The Locksmith(2023)

    Executive Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • The Greatest Beer Run Ever(2022)

    Associate Producer

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Hard Kill(2020)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • The Au Pair Nightmare (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Dark, Deadly & Dreadful(2018)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • Nightmare Cinema(2018)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Midnight Clear (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Director · Executive Producer · Writer

  • Be Mine (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Postmarked (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Associate Producer

  • 1/10 of a Second(2015)

    Associate Producer

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Peeping Tom (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Director · Writer

  • Take-Out (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Director · Producer

  • Portrait of God (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Producer · Writer

  • When a Stranger Venmos (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Screenplay

Career shape

A full career of 16 titles, 14 of them dated from 2009 to 2024.

Biggest box office

Nightmare Cinema (2018)

$127K worldwide

Highest rated

Hard Kill (2020)

Midcredits 37th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing6 of 16: 1 only directing, 5 with another roleWriting10 of 16: 3 only writing, 7 with another roleProducing9 of 16: 4 only producing, 5 with another role

16 titles, 8 with more than one role — writing and producing overlap on 4 of them.

By decade

2000s1 · crew2010s7 · crew2020s6 · crew

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

How do Joe Russo's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 24th percentile, the median of all 7; across their 6 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 6

Approval · how many liked their films

19thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Reach · how many have seen their films

77thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Midcredits score across 7 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up1
  • 25th to 49th2
  • Below 25th4

Shape of the crowd

4 of their 7 titles are Mixed.

  • Divisive2
  • Crowd Pleaser1
  • Mixed4

Most divisive · producer

1/10 of a Second (2015)

97th percentile spread · 59% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · producer

The Greatest Beer Run Ever (2022)

Midcredits 75th · 70% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 23/100 and the plot and story 26/100 in their films, across 5 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 Joe Russo'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 29 · mildMedian of all films: 32

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

Who does Joe Russo work with?

People who share at least 2 of Joe Russo's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Chris LaMont shares the most, 4.

Directors

Writers

Mixed roles