Photo: McDwmont / CC BY 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
What I admire about Don Coscarelli is his refusal to play by Hollywood's rules. Born in Tripoli and raised stateside, he built the Phantasm franchise almost single-handedly, wearing the hats of director, cinematographer, writer and editor. That kind of total authorship is rare, and it gives his horror a handmade, dream-logic strangeness you can't manufacture with a big budget. Bubba Ho-Tep proves he had range and a wicked sense of humor too. He's a cult figure for good reason, and I think filmmakers who guard their personal vision this fiercely tend to outlast the trend-chasers.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Don Coscarelli
- Name (Japanese)
- ドン・コスカレリ
- Reading
- どん・こすかれり
- Born
- February 17, 1954 (age 72)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aquarius / Horse
- Origin
- Tripoli, Tripoli District, Libya
- Occupation
- film director / cinematographer / screenwriter / film editor / film producer
2. Background
- High school
- Woodrow Wilson Classical High School
Awards & achievements
- Bram Stoker Awards
- 2012 Time Machine Award
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Don Coscarelli born?
Born February 17, 1954 (age 72).
Where is Don Coscarelli from?
Don Coscarelli is from Tripoli, Tripoli District, Libya.
What does Don Coscarelli do?
Don Coscarelli works as film director, cinematographer, screenwriter, film editor, film producer.
Film director — see all → · Cinematographer — see all → · More people from Libya →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.