David A. Prior (October 24, 1955 – August 16, 2015) was an American director, screenwriter, and producer.[1] Prior started his career with the horror film Sledgehammer (1983), and the action film Killzone (1985). Shortly after, he co-founded Action International Pictures (AIP),[2] his first directorial effort with this enterprise were Deadly Prey, Aerobicide, and Mankillers released in 1987. Subsequently, Prior made action films until the late 1990s.
Many of these films would star his bodybuilder brother Ted, and many of their collaborations became cult films.
From 2000 to 2006, Prior went on a hiatus. From 2007 to his death in 2015, he continued directing films including Lost at War (2007), Zombie Wars (2008), Night Claws (2012), Deadliest Prey (2013), and Relentless Justice (2015).
Career
1983-1985: Early films
In 1983, Prior made his directorial debut with the horror film Sledgehammer. Katie Rife of The A.V. Club said the film "has the distinction of being the first shot-on-video slasher movie. That film established patterns that would persist throughout Prior’s career, namely, extremely low budgets, hammy dialogue, outrageous action, and, most importantly, the presence of his brother Ted".[3]
Around this time Prior met with veteran producer and director David Winters, and with him he founded Action International Pictures also known as AIP. In 1987, Prior's directorial efforts that AIP released were the horror film Killer Workout,[4] the action films Deadly Prey, and Mankillers. The made for VHS film gained a second audience two decades later as cult film that found its way on the internet.[5][6]
In 1990, he is credited as the director of following films White Fury,Invasion Force, The Lost Platoon,Lock 'n' Load, Invasion Force, Future Zone,(Future Force's sequel) and The Final Sanction. That year, he was credited with the screenplays for Born Killer and Deadly Dancer.[9][10]
In 1991, he produced Dark Rider and The Last Ride. That year, he wrote and directed Raw Nerve.
In 1993, AIP was rebranded West Side Studios, to signal that the company would work with bigger budgets and become more mainstream.[14] With the advancements of the company, Prior directed two films. One of them is Double Threat, with Sally Kirkland and Andrew Stevens.[15] The other horror-thriller film Night Trap (which won a Gold Award at the WorldFest Houston for best Fantasy/Horror), starring Robert Davi.[16][17]
He also wrote the screenplay of The One Warrior released in 2011.
In 2012, he directed the bigfoot horror film Night Claws, starring Reb Brown.[22]
In 2013, he wrote and directed Deadliest Prey, a sequel to Deadly Prey.[23][24] On making a sequel, Ted said that he and David "decided to do a sequel based on fan mail, screenings, and all that stuff. I’ve talked to lot of fans of the movie, and after having all kinds of ideas thrown at us, Dave and I have decided to stick to the basic formula as the original. Fast pace and hard hitting."[25]
Uncredited executive producer and also editor Postmothusly released
TBA
Assassin's Fury
Yes
Yes
Yes
Uncompleted; Also editor Shot in 2015 before his death with post-production being stopped cause of that.
Executive producer only
The Last Ride (1991)
Presumed Guilty (1991) (Co-executive; Uncredited)
Dark Rider (1991)
Armed for Action (1992)
Blood on the Badge (1992)
Assistant director
Space Mutiny (1988) (Uncredited director: BellerIan Sequences)
The Hostage (1998)
References
^Massaccesi, Francesco (March 31, 2011). "Intervista a David A. Prior" (in Italian). www.nocturno.it. Archived from the original on January 18, 2013. Retrieved November 1, 2012.
^Budnik, Daniel R. (2017). "Operation Warzone". '80s Action Movies on the Cheap. North Carolina: McFarland & Company Inc. p. 190. ISBN978-0-7864-9741-6.
^Budnik, Daniel R. (2017). "Future Force". '80s Action Movies on the Cheap. North Carolina: McFarland & Company Inc. p. 220. ISBN978-0-7864-9741-6.
^Now and Then We Time Travel: Visiting Pasts and Futures in Film and Television, By Fraser A. Sherman - Page 208 Future Zone (1990)