Chuck Russell, director of The Mask and Eraser, dies unexpectedly
The filmmaker behind The Mask and Eraser has died unexpectedly, with his family confirming the news to TMZ.
News that Chuck Russell has died at the age of 74 is bound to hit film fans — especially those who love their cult classics — right in the nostalgia. The director behind such wild cinematic swings as The Mask and Eraser passed away quite suddenly, according to reports from TMZ, at his home near San Diego on Wednesday, 23 July.
Russell made his directorial debut with A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors in 1987.
His family told the press that the loss came out of the blue. Apparently, the local fire department got a call in the afternoon for a medical emergency involving an unconscious man and turned up at Russell's place. Right now, no one's publicly saying what caused his death and his family are reportedly en route to California to get some answers.
One of Horror and Comedy's Key Directors
Born as Charles Raymond Russell, he racked up credits as both a writer and producer, but he’ll probably be immortalised for the way he went completely for broke genre-wise. After tackling what many reckon is the best of the Elm Street sequels, he immediately shifted gears and wrote and directed The Blob remake in 1988 — genuinely one of the biggest shockers of the '80s horror cycle. Then came The Mask, a proper one-off blend of cartoon mayhem and Jim Carrey flexing every facial muscle known to man. All three landed with both critics and audiences at the time, so much so that they've been re-evaluated again and again since.
Blockbusters, Cult Favourites, and Wrestlers-Turned-Movie-Stars
Russell seemed to have knack for launching things: he got Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson his first headline movie gig on The Scorpion King, that Mad Max-lite bit of ancient action spawned from The Mummy films. Call it what you like, but that film turned Johnson from WWE showman to Hollywood leading man overnight. There was also Eraser, with Arnold Schwarzenegger being all guns, gadgets, and one-liners a couple of years after The Mask. The man was nothing if not versatile.
Russell’s IMDb page still lists three upcoming projects: White House Down, Hyperia, and b.
Between tentpole flicks, Russell dipped back into horror, action, and crime. There was a 14-year gap before he returned to directing with John Travolta’s I Am Wrath and then Paradise City. His fingerprints were on all sorts: Witchboard, Fringe, Bless the Child, Dreamscape, and even Girls Just Want to Have Fun. Surprisingly, he also turned up as an actor in three films — Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw, Shot, and The Blob.
As of his death, Russell had not one but three films in pre-production — White House Down (not the 2013 Channing Tatum one, apparently), Hyperia, and something charmingly titled simply b. Fans and film geeks will be waiting to see what happens to those projects now.