James Isaac (June 5, 1960 – May 6, 2012) was an American

film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...

and visual effects supervisor.

Career

James Isaac was born June 5, 1960. Isaac began work in film in the early 1980s creating the creatures in films such as ''

Return of the Jedi ''Return of the Jedi'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi'' is a 1983 American epic space opera film directed by Richard Marquand from a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas. The sequel to '' The Empire ...

'' and ''

Gremlins ''Gremlins'' is a 1984 American black comedy horror film directed by Joe Dante, written by Chris Columbus and starring Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, Hoyt Axton, Polly Holliday and Frances Lee McCain, with Howie Mandel providing the voic ...

''. He continued his work into the 1980s with '' Enemy Mine'', '' House II: The Second Story'' and ''

DeepStar Six ''DeepStar Six '' (released in the Philippines as ''Alien from the Deep'') is a 1989 American science-fiction horror film directed and co-produced by Sean S. Cunningham. Its plot follows the crew of the titular underwater military outpost, who s ...

''. He made his directorial debut on ''

The Horror Show ''House III: The Horror Show'' (also known simply as ''House III'' or ''The Horror Show'') is a 1989 American slasher film directed by James Isaac, from a script co-written by Allyn Warner and Leslie Bohem. Produced by Sean S. Cunningham, it s ...

'' after the original director left the project a week into shooting. He also worked with director

David Cronenberg David Paul Cronenberg (born March 15, 1943) is a Canadian film director, screenwriter, producer and actor. He is a principal originator of the body horror genre, with his films exploring visceral bodily transformation, infectious diseases, and ...

on his films '' The Fly'', ''

Naked Lunch ''Naked Lunch'' (first published as ''The Naked Lunch'') is a 1959 novel by American author William S. Burroughs. The novel does not follow a clear linear plot, but is instead structured as a series of non-chronological "routines". Many of thes ...

'' and '' eXistenz''. His other 1990s work included being a special effects supervisor for Chris Wales Inc. on ''

Look Who's Talking Too ''Look Who's Talking Too'' is a 1990 American romantic comedy film, a sequel to ''Look Who's Talking'', and the second installment in the franchise. The film was directed by Amy Heckerling from a script she co-authored with Neal Israel. The film ...

'' and ''

Virtuosity ''Virtuosity'' is a 1995 American science fiction action film directed by Brett Leonard and starring Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. Howard W. Koch Jr. served as an executive producer for the film. The film was released in the United St ...

''. He returned to directing in the 2000s, working on ''

Jason X ''Jason X'' is a 2001 American science fiction slasher film directed by Jim Isaac and written by Todd Farmer. It is the tenth installment in the ''Friday the 13th'' franchise. It stars Lexa Doig, Lisa Ryder, Chuck Campbell, and Kane Hodder ...

'', ''

Skinwalkers In Navajo culture, a skin-walker () is a type of harmful witch who has the ability to turn into, possess, or disguise themselves as an animal. The term is never used for healers. The yee naaldlooshii, translating to "by means of it, it goes on ...

'' and '' Pig Hunt''. Isaac died of

blood cancer Tumors of the hematopoietic and lymphoid tissues (American English) or tumours of the haematopoietic and lymphoid tissues (British English) are tumors that affect the blood, bone marrow, lymph, and lymphatic system. Because these tissues are al ...

on May 6, 2012.

Select filmography

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Isaac, James 1960 births 2012 deaths Film directors from Washington, D.C. Deaths from multiple myeloma in the United States English-language film directors American horror film directors