Joel M. Reed

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Joel Melvin Reed
Joel M. Reed at his apartment December 2018.png
Still of Joel M. Reed at his apartment from the documentary Reed Unbound: The Joel M Reed Story.
Born(1933-12-29)December 29, 1933
Brooklyn, New York City, US
DiedApril 13, 2020(2020-04-13) (aged 86)
New York City, US
NationalityAmerican
OccupationFilm director, producer, screenwriter
Years active1968–2020

Joel M. Reed (December 29, 1933 – April 13, 2020) was an American film director, producer and screenwriter.[1][2][3][4]

Career[]

Reed is best known for directing the controversial Blood Sucking Freaks [5] (1976), a notorious horror comedy that was the subject of protests upon its initial release and has since achieved cult status.[6]

Reed also directed the films Career Bed[7] (1968), Sex by Advertisement (1969), The G.I. Executioner (Wit's End / Dragon Lady / Wild Dragon Lady;[7] 1971), Blood Bath (Terror / Night and the City;[7] 1976),Blood Sucking Freaks [8] (1976) and Night of the Zombies (Gamma 693 / Sister of Death / Battalion of the Living Dead;[7] 1981). Reed wrote all the scripts of the movies he directed.[9]

Reed wrote and directed Blood Bath, which was produced by the Trans-Orient Entertainment Corporation and had a budget of $100,000. In a 1974 interview with The New York Times, he described the film as a "contemporary, episodic occult-horror adventure". Harve Presnell starred in the film as a producer of horror films who arranges in his studio a Black Mass.[10]

On March 1, 1990, Masquerade Books published a book that Reed wrote on Donald Trump called Trump: the Man, the Myth, the Scandal.

In 2011 Reed made a comeback as an actor playing the main character Uncle Joe in the film Dead Eye, directed by Louis Affortunato. After that, Reed acted in eight more films: I Spill Your Guts (2012); Supernaturalz: Weird, Creepy & Random (2012); Trashtastic (2013); Catch of the Day (2014); (2015); Vault of Terror II: The Undead (2015); Freak in a Basement (2018); and The Dysfunctional Mob.

In May 2012, Reed signed with Polus Books, which released the books Zombie Wall[11] and Outrage: Hitler Didn't Die.[12]

On September 17, 2018 a book by author John Szpunar was released by Headpress about Reed called Blood Sucking Freak: The Life and Films of the Incredible Joel M. Reed.

Reed was Interviewed December 2018 for a documentary about himself called Reed Unbound: The Joel M. Reed Story (2019) which chronicles his whole life and film career and was directed by Jerry Landi and Adrian Esposito.

Death[]

Reed died on April 13, 2020, aged 86, in a care facility in New York City after contracting COVID-19.[13][14][15][16]

References[]

  1. ^ "details".
  2. ^ "An Interview with Joel M. Reed". Film Threat. May 16, 2005. Archived from the original on October 12, 2012. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  3. ^ "Movies". The New York Times.
  4. ^ Institute, American Film (November 4, 1971). The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States. University of California Press. ISBN 9780520209701 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ Gingold, Michael (April 14, 2020). "RIP "BLOODSUCKING FREAKS" director Joel M. Reed". Rue Morgue. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  6. ^ "overview".
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Movie Reviews". The New York Times. May 8, 2020.
  8. ^ Gingold, Michael (April 14, 2020). "RIP "BLOODSUCKING FREAKS" director Joel M. Reed". Rue Morgue. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  9. ^ Warnock, Caroline (April 15, 2020). "Joel M. Reed Dead: Fans Mourn 'Bloodsucking Freaks' Film Director". Heavy.com. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  10. ^ Weiler, A. H. (April 28, 1974). "News of the Screen: Shooting Horrors in Local Studio". The New York Times.
  11. ^ "Zombie Wall".
  12. ^ "Outrage: Hitler Didn't Die".
  13. ^ Dick, Jeremy (April 14, 2020). "'Blood Sucking Freaks' Director Joel M. Reed Dies at 86". Horror Geek Life. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  14. ^ Sprague, Mike (April 16, 2020). "RIP: BLOODSUCKING FREAKS Director Joel M. Reed Dies at 86 After Contracting COVID-19". Dreadcentral. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  15. ^ "Joel M. Reed Obituary". everhere.com. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  16. ^ Schwartz, John (May 22, 2020). "Joel M. Reed, 86, Director of Horror Movies, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved May 22, 2020.

External links[]

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