Larry Fessenden

Laurence T. Fessenden (born March 23, 1963)[1] is an American actor, producer, writer, director, film editor, and cinematographer.[1] He is the founder of the New York based independent production outfit Glass Eye Pix. His writer/director credits include No Telling (written with Beck Underwood, 1991), Habit (1997), Wendigo (2001), and The Last Winter (written with Robert Leaver, 2006), which is in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum Of Modern Art.[2] He has also directed the television feature Beneath (2013), an episode of the NBC TV series Fear Itself (2008) entitled "Skin and Bones", and a segment of the anthology horror-comedy film The ABCs of Death 2 (2014). He is the writer, with Graham Reznick, of the BAFTA Award-winning Sony PlayStation video game Until Dawn. He has acted in numerous films including Like Me (2017), In a Valley of Violence (2016), We Are Still Here (2015), Jug Face (2012), and Broken Flowers (2005).

Larry Fessenden
Larry Fessenden in August 2010
Born
Laurence T. Fessenden

(1963-03-23) March 23, 1963
New York City, New York, U.S.
Occupation
  • Actor
  • producer
  • screenwriter
  • director
  • film editor
  • cinematographer
Years active1978–present
Spouse(s)Beck Underwood (1 child)

Personal life

Fessenden was born in New York City, New York.[1] He attended St. Bernard's School, then Phillips Academy, from which he was expelled.[3] He is married to Beck Underwood and the couple have one child.

Career

Fessenden has operated the production company Glass Eye Pix since 1985.[4] Fessenden regards the old Universal Monsters as a substantial influence for him.[5] In a review of Fessenden's film Wendigo (2001), Dave Kehr of the New York Times stated, "The independent filmmaker Larry Fessenden has set himself a challenging project: to approach the themes and thrills of the classic American horror movies through a determinedly modern approach, as if John Cassavetes had been working for Universal in the early 30s." [6]

As an actor, screenwriter, director and film editor, he has worked, in addition to feature films, on such television projects as the NBC horror anthology Fear Itself (2008), directing the episode "Skin and Bones". He wrote the screenplay of Orphanage (2007) with Guillermo del Toro, an English-language remake of El Orfanato.[7]

Fessenden has worked as a mentor to young directors, such as Jim Mickle and Ti West.[8] He has been a producer on projects including Ilya Chaiken's Liberty Kid (2007), Kelly Reichardt's Wendy and Lucy (2008), James McKenney's Satan Hates You (2010), West's The House of the Devil (2009) and The Innkeepers (2011), Joe Maggio's The Last Rites of Joe May (2011), and Rick Alverson's The Comedy (2012). Under his low-budget horror banner ScareFlix, Fessenden has produced films including West's The Roost (2005) and Trigger Man (2007), Glenn McQuaid's I Sell the Dead (2008), Maggio's Bitter Feast (2010), and Mickle's Stake Land (2010). More recently he has produced for prolific horror auteur Mickey Keating with Darling (2015) and Psychopaths (2017).

As a character actor, Fessenden has appeared in numerous films, including Martin Scorsese's Bringing Out the Dead (1999), Steve Buscemi's Animal Factory (2000), Brad Anderson's Session 9 (2001) and Vanishing on 7th Street (2010), Jim Jarmusch's Broken Flowers (2005), Neil Jordan's The Brave One (2007), McQuaid's I Sell the Dead (2008) for which he won best actor at the Slamdance Film Festival; Reichardt's Wendy and Lucy (2008), Mickle's Mulberry Street (2006) and Stake Land (2010), Joe Swanberg's All the Light in the Sky (2011), and Ted Geoghegan's We Are Still Here. Fessenden also starred in the Sundance Film Festival picture River of Grass (1994), which was Reichardt's debut feature, and Margarita Happy Hour (2001) directed by Chaiken. He has appeared on television in Louie, The Strain, and as himself in National Geographic's Brain Games.

In 2010, Fessenden co-produced Tales from Beyond the Pale, with Glenn McQuaid, a 10-episode audio series [8] now in its fourth season. In 2011, he released his third rock album with the band Just Desserts, an on-going partnership with songwriter Tom Laverack.[9] In 2012, he executive produced and was interviewed in the documentary Birth of the Dead, which examines the legacy of Night of the Living Dead.[10] In 2016, he produced, acted, and served as cinematographer in his son Jack's feature debut, Stray Bullets.[11] The same year also saw Fessenden release a book titled, Sudden Storm, A Wendigo Reader.[12]

Fessenden has also established a strong presence in the video game world. In 2015, he and Graham Reznick collaborated on writing the video game Until Dawn. Fessenden also played the role of a mysterious stranger armed with a flamethrower in the game itself.[13] The game earned positive reviews and would go on to receive the "Original Property" award in the 2016 BAFTA Games Awards.[14] Fessenden and Reznick also set a Guinness World Record for "Longest script for a graphic adventure videogame," with their script reaching 1,000 pages.[15] The two writers would team up again in 2016 to develop a spin-off game known as Until Dawn: Rush of Blood,[16] and later in 2018 for the Until Dawn prequel, The Inpatient.[17]

Fessenden has run the company Glass Eye Pix since 1985 with the mission of "supporting individual voices in the arts." Glass Eye Pix continues to nurture young talent, most recently producing the debut features of Robert Mocker (Like Me, starring Addison Timlin and Fessenden), Ana Asensio (Most Beautiful Island), and Jenn Wexler (The Ranger).[18]

Fessenden's Frankenstein-themed feature, Depraved, which he wrote, directed, edited and produced, was released on Friday the 13th of September, 2019 through IFC Midnight.

Awards and honors

Awards

Honors

Filmography

As actor
Year Title Credit Notes
2019 The Dead Don't Die Danny Perkins
2019 Depraved Man in Bar
2018 The Ranger Uncle Pete
2017 Hidden Agenda Vernon LeMay Video game
2017 Psychopaths Henry Earl Starkweather
2017 Most Beautiful Island Rudy
2017 Small Crimes Earl
2017 Like Me Marshall
2017 Girlfriend's Day Taft
2016 The Stakelander Biggs
2016 Until Dawn: Rush of Blood Dan T Video game
2016 Stray Bullets Charlie
2016 No Way to Live Jerry
2016 The Transfiguration Drunk Man
2016 In a Valley of Violence Roy
2016 Carnage Park Travis
2015 Darling Officer Maneretti
2015 Until Dawn Stranger Video game; Voice & likeness
2015 We Are Still Here Jacob Lewis
2015 Body Arthur
2015 Pod Smith
2014 Worst Friends Jerry
2014 Late Phases O'Brien
2013 We Are What We Are Bearded Tenant
2013 Ritual Motel Clerk
2012 Jug Face Sustin
2012 Wolf Dog Wolf Dog
2012 Hellbenders Detective Elrod
2012 Wolf Dog Tales Wolf Dog Video short; Voice only
2011 Silver Bullets Sam
2011 You're Next Erik Harson
2010 Stake Land Roadhouse Bartender
2010 Vanishing on 7th Street Bike Messenger
2010 Satan Hates You Glumac
2010 Bitter Feast William Coley
2010 Hypothermia Fishing Host
2009 Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever Bill
2008 I Sell The Dead Willy Grimes
2008 Wendy and Lucy Man in Park
2008 I Can See You Mickey Hauser
2006 The Last Winter Charles Foster
2005 The Roost Tow Truck Driver
2004 The Off Season Phil
2001 Session 9 Craig McManus
2000 Animal Factory Benny
2000 Hamlet Kissing Man
1999 Bringing Out The Dead Cokehead
1997 Habit Sam
1994 River of Grass Lee Ray Harold
1991 No Telling Eden Ridge Employee
1982 Habit Sam Video
1981 A Face in the Crowd Narrator Voice only
1981 Lifeline Man Short film
1980 White Trash Man Who Looks Through Trash Short film

As writer
Year Title Notes
2019 Depraved
2019 The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan Video game
2018 The Inpatient Video game
2017 Hidden Agenda Video game
2016 Until Dawn: Rush of Blood Video game
2015 Until Dawn Video game
2008 Santa Claws Short film
2006 The Last Winter
2001 Wendigo
1997 Habit
1991 No Telling
1989 Hollow Venus: Diary of a Go-Go Dancer
1982 Habit Video
1981 A Face in the Crowd
1981 Lifeline Short film
1980 The Field Short film
1980 White Trash Short film
1979 The Eliminator Short film

As director
Year Title Notes
2019 Depraved
2014 The ABCs of Death 2 Segment: "N is for Nexus"
2014 Frankenstein Cannot Be Stopped Video short
2013 Beneath
2008 Fear Itself Episode: "Skin and Bones"
2006 The Last Winter
2002 Searching for the Wendigo Documentary short
2001 Wendigo
1997 Habit
1991 No Telling
1989 Hollow Venus: Diary of a Go-Go Dancer
1989 Stunt: A Musical Motion Picture Short film
1987 Mismatch Documentary short
1986 Chinatown Documentary short
1985 Experienced Movers
1982 Habit Video
1981 A Face in the Crowd
1981 Lifeline Short film
1980 The Field Short film
1980 White Trash Short film
1979 The Eliminator Short film
1978 Jaws Short film

As producer
Year Title Notes
2019 Depraved Producer
2016 The Stakelander Producer
2016 Stray Bullets Producer
2016 Callback Co-Producer
2016 Certain Women Executive Producer
2015 Darling Executive Producer
2014 Late Phases Producer
2013 Beneath Producer
2011 The Innkeepers Producer
2010 Hypothermia Producer
2010 Stake Land Producer
2010 Satan Hates You Producer
2010 Bitter Feast Producer
2009 The House of the Devil Producer
2008 I Sell the Dead Producer
2008 Wendy and Lucy Producer
2008 I Can See You Executive Producer
2007 Trigger Man Executive Producer
2006 The Last Winter Producer
2006 Automatons Executive Producer
2005 The Roost Executive Producer
2004 The Off Season Executive Producer
1994 River of Grass Associate Producer
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gollark: Free non-toxic unbranded melons at GMart (nearish `/warp choruscity`).
gollark: What would be loaded from the encrypted FS image anyway?
gollark: I mean, most of the groundwork for that exists, but… why? Where would that be used and how would that be useful?
gollark: What if we remove sponge? That would fix it right?

See also

References
  1. Southern, Nathan. "Larry Fessenden Biography". Allmovie. Retrieved August 4, 2011 – via The New York Times.
  2. "Larry Fessenden. The Last Winter. 2006 | MoMA". The Museum of Modern Art.
  3. Adams, Sam (August 31, 2009). "Larry Fessenden". The A.V. Club. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
  4. Truitt, Brian (2013-06-25). "Sunday Geekersation: The many horrors of Larry Fessenden". USA Today. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
  5. "Icons Interview with Larry Fessenden". IconsOfFright.com. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
  6. Kehr, Dave (February 15, 2002). "FILM REVIEW; A With-It Way to Jump Up and Say 'Boo!'" – via NYTimes.com.
  7. "New York horror mogul Larry Fessenden". Fangoria.
  8. Kohn, Eric (April 15, 2011). "A Kingmaker in the Realm of Cheapie Horror". The New York Times. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
  9. "Sojourn Records". www.sojournrecords.com.
  10. Casciato, Cory (October 23, 2013). "Larry Fessenden on Birth of the Living Dead". Westword. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
  11. McDonagh, Maitland (February 8, 2017). "High School Auteur: Teenager Jack Fessenden makes an auspicious genre feature debut with Stray Bullets". Film Journal International. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
  12. "Sudden Storm: A Wendigo Reader". Glass Eye Pix.
  13. Graham, Roy (2015-10-26). "Here's What Happens When Great Indie Horror Directors Make a Video Game". IndieWire. Retrieved 2017-02-24.
  14. "2016 Games Original Property | BAFTA Awards". awards.bafta.org.
  15. "Longest script for a graphic adventure videogame". Guinness World Records.
  16. "Supermassive Games - Until Dawn: Rush of Blood". Supermassive Games.
  17. "Supermassive Games - The Inpatient". Supermassive Games.
  18. "Larry Fessenden / bio". Glass Eye Pix.
  19. "Larry Fessenden and Gualberto Baña receive the Honorary Maria Award in Sitges 07' - Sitges Film Festival - Festival Internacional de Cinema Fantàstic de Catalunya". sitgesfilmfestival.com.
  20. "Movie Reviews". September 3, 2019 – via NYTimes.com.
  21. Jones, Michael; Jones, Michael (January 24, 2009). "Slamdance winners announced".
  22. "Larry Fessenden Awards + Nominations – Fandango".
  23. http://www.frightmeterawards.com/past-winners-of-fright-meter.php?sYr=2015
  24. "We Are Still Here - IMDb" – via www.imdb.com.
  25. "Develop Awards 2017 Winners Include Guerrilla Games". PlayStation LifeStyle. July 13, 2017.
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