Scott Derrickson

Scott Derrickson
Derrickson at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con
Born (1966-07-16) July 16, 1966 (age 58)
Denver, Colorado, U.S.
EducationBiola University (BA)
University of Southern California (MFA)
Occupations
Years active1995–present
Spouses
  • Joyce Ericsson
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1993; div. 2019)​
    [1]
  • Maggie Levin
    ​
    (m. 2022)​
    [2]
Children2

Scott Derrickson (born July 16, 1966) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for his work in the horror genre, directing films such as The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005), Sinister (2012), The Black Phone (2021), and The Black Phone 2 (2025). He is also known for the superhero film Doctor Strange (2016), based on the Marvel Comics character.

Early life

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Scott Derrickson grew up in Denver, Colorado. He graduated from Biola University with a B.A. in Humanities with an emphasis in philosophy and literature and a B.A. in communications with an emphasis in film and a minor in theology.[1] He completed his graduate studies at USC School of Cinema-Television.

Career

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Derrickson's debut feature was Hellraiser: Inferno, the fifth installment in the long-running Hellraiser film series. It was released straight to video in 2000. Following this, Derrickson and co-writer Paul Harris Boardman spent several years doing script-doctoring work for studios. "I was paid to write or rewrite 13 screenplays," Derrickson said, "None of them got made. I was earning a good living but all of my creativity would be read by just a handful of executives. It caused a kind of soul sickness in me."[3] Some of Derrickson and Boardman's unproduced scripts include Darkness Falling, Future Tense, The Mystic, Ghosting and Mindbender.[4][5][6]

Derrickson co-wrote and directed The Exorcism of Emily Rose, which was loosely based on a true story about Anneliese Michel.[7] The film won the 2005 Saturn Award for Best Horror or Thriller Film and in 2006 was named in the Chicago Film Critics Association's list of the "Top 100 Scariest Films Ever Made." Theatrical box office gross for The Exorcism of Emily Rose was over $144 million worldwide.[8] It received the award for Best Horror Film at the 32nd Saturn Awards.

Derrickson with star Keanu Reeves in 2008

Derrickson next directed a remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still, starring Keanu Reeves and Jennifer Connelly, written by David Scarpa. The film was released in late 2008 and earned over $233 million worldwide.[9]

In August 2011, Derrickson teamed up with producer Jason Blum to write and direct Sinister, a mystery-horror film starring Ethan Hawke.[10] The $3 million picture was released in theaters by Summit Entertainment on October 12, 2012, and received generally positive critical reviews.[11] Sinister earned over $48 million at the U.S. box office and over $78 million worldwide. Derrickson co-wrote but did not direct the film's sequel.[11]

Deliver Us from Evil (2014) was produced by Jerry Bruckheimer,[12] and is based on a 2001 non-fiction book entitled Beware the Night by former police Sergeant Ralph Sarchie and Lisa Collier Cool; its marketing campaign highlighted that it was "inspired by actual accounts". It was released on July 2, 2014,[13] and grossed $87.9 million against a $30 million budget.

Derrickson at the 2015 WonderCon

Derrickson next directed the film Doctor Strange, based on the Marvel Comics property and part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It was released in November 2016.[14] The film was a commercial and critical success. It received the award for Best Comic-To-Film Motion Picture at the 43rd Saturn Awards.

In December 2018, it was announced that Derrickson would direct the Doctor Strange sequel entitled Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness which was planned for a May 2021 release.[15] In January 2020, Derrickson announced that he had stepped away from directing duties as a result of unspecified creative differences, after which Sam Raimi took over. Derrickson remained involved with the film as an executive producer.[16] Derrickson's departure from the film allowed him to put more focus on The Black Phone.[17]

In 2021, Derrickson directed an adaptation of Joe Hill's short story "The Black Phone", from a script he co-wrote with C. Robert Cargill.[18] Produced by Blumhouse Productions and Universal Pictures, The Black Phone re-teamed Derrickson with Ethan Hawke and James Ransone, and was theatrically released to positive reviews on June 24, 2022. The film was very personal to Derrickson, as he claimed it had grown out of three years of therapy. He also said that it was a way for him to explore "the traumatic nature of [his] own childhood".[17] It received the awards for Best Horror Film and Best Adapted Screenplay at the 47th Saturn Awards, Best Wide Release Movie and Best Screenplay at the 2023 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards, and the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a Screenplay.[19][20]

In June 2024, Derrickson completed his next film, The Gorge for Skydance Media. Apple TV+ acquired the rights for the film.[21] The film is set to feature Anya Taylor-Joy, Miles Teller and Sigourney Weaver.[22]

Derrickson's next film following The Gorge will be The Black Phone 2, slated for release on October 17, 2025.

Filmography

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Short film

[edit]
Year Title Director Writer Producer Notes
1995 Love in the Ruins Yes Yes Yes Also editor
2021 Shadowprowler Yes Yes Executive
2023 Dreamkill Yes Yes No Segment of V/H/S/85

Feature film

[edit]
Year Title Director Writer Producer Notes
2000 Urban Legends: Final Cut No Yes No
Hellraiser: Inferno Yes Yes No Direct-to-DVD
2004 Land of Plenty No Story No
2005 The Exorcism of Emily Rose Yes Yes No
2008 The Day the Earth Stood Still Yes No No
2012 Sinister Yes Yes Executive
2013 Devil's Knot No Yes Executive
2014 Deliver Us from Evil Yes Yes No
2015 Sinister 2 No Yes Yes
2016 Doctor Strange Yes Yes No
2021 The Black Phone Yes Yes Yes
2025 The Gorge Yes No Yes
The Black Phone 2 Yes Yes Yes Filming

Uncredited script revisions

Executive producer only

Co-producer

Television

[edit]
Year Title Director Executive
producer 		Notes
2020 Into the Dark No Yes Episode: "My Valentine"
Snowpiercer Uncredited Yes Unused TV pilot
Shot in 2017[26]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Interview With Scott Derrickson". Biola University. December 31, 2005. Archived from the original on June 16, 2023. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  2. ^ "Maggie Levin and Scott Derrickson's Wedding Registry on Zola - Zola". Archived from the original on June 15, 2023. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  3. ^ Saavedra, John (September 21, 2021). "Guillermo del Toro, James Gunn, and Edgar Wright Reveal Secrets About Their Unmade Movie Scripts". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on July 7, 2023. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  4. ^ Cox, Dan (March 15, 1999). "Phoenix going 'Urban' again with sequel deal". Variety. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  5. ^ Torres, Vanessa (August 3, 1999). "Tyro filmmakers ink 3-Dimension pact". Variety. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  6. ^ Lyons, Charles (April 17, 2001). "Duo sells 'Tense' sci-fi pitch". Variety. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
  7. ^ Hansen, Eric T. (September 4, 2005). "What in God's Name?!". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 6, 2020. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
  8. ^ "The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005) - Box Office Mojo". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on June 7, 2016. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
  9. ^ "The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on August 20, 2019. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
  10. ^ "The scary minds behind 'Insidious' and 'Emily Rose' team up for more horror". latimesblogs.latimes.com. May 3, 2011. Archived from the original on May 7, 2011. Retrieved June 23, 2012.
  11. ^ a b "Scott Derrickson - Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Archived from the original on March 30, 2023. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  12. ^ Foreman, Liza (September 4, 2013). "Scott Derrickson Signs On to Direct 'Beware the Night'". thewrap.com. Archived from the original on January 9, 2014. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
  13. ^ Pictures, Sony (November 13, 2013). "Sony Pictures Moves Sex Tape and Beware the Night". comingsoon.net. Archived from the original on November 16, 2013. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
  14. ^ Han, Angie (April 8, 2015). "'Star Wars: Rogue One', 'Captain America: Civil War', and More Get IMAX Releases". /Film. Archived from the original on April 10, 2015. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  15. ^ Lussier, Germain (December 11, 2018). "Director Scott Derrickson Is Coming Back for More Doctor Strange". Gizmodo. Archived from the original on December 12, 2018. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
  16. ^ "'Doctor Strange 2' Loses Director Scott Derrickson – Variety". Variety. January 10, 2020. Archived from the original on January 10, 2020. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  17. ^ a b "Scott Derrickson Reveals Leaving Doctor Strange 2 Was "Hardest Decision of his Career" - FandomWire". fandomwire.com. May 18, 2022. Archived from the original on March 30, 2023. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  18. ^ McNary, Dave (October 30, 2020). "'Doctor Strange' Director Scott Derrickson Boards Blumhouse Horror Movie 'Black Phone'". Variety. Archived from the original on February 12, 2021. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  19. ^ "FANGORIA 2023 Chainsaw Awards Winners!". May 23, 2023. Archived from the original on May 25, 2023. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  20. ^ "Winners & Nominees – the Bram Stoker Awards". Archived from the original on June 19, 2022. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  21. ^ Kroll, Justin (March 17, 2022). "Scott Derrickson To Direct 'The Gorge' For Skydance". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 29, 2023. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  22. ^ The Gorge - IMDb, archived from the original on March 22, 2023, retrieved March 30, 2023
  23. ^ Seibold, Witney (March 2, 2022). "Scott Derrickson Reveals One Of The Most Upsetting Moments Of His Filmmaking Career". Slashfilm. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  24. ^ "The Devil Is Real. Therefore". Books and Culture. Archived from the original on January 4, 2017. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  25. ^ "Patheos, Interview; Derrickson, Scott". August 30, 2005. Archived from the original on December 22, 2016.
  26. ^ Goldberg, Leslie (June 29, 2018). "Snowpiercer Director Quits After Blasting New Showrunner's "Radically Different Vision"". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on June 19, 2023. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
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