John Hough(I)

Talented and versatile director John Hough has had a long and eclectic career that encompasses everything from a sexy "Hammer" horror feature to more wholesome "Disney" family fare. Hough was born on November 21st, 1941 in London, England. Hough began his career in his early twenties, working odd jobs on the sets of various London TV productions. Hough eventually secured himself a steady gig as an assistant director on the immensely popular cult TV series, The Avengers (1961), and directed his first episode in 1968. Hough made his feature debut as director with the obscure "Robin Hood" item, Wolfshead: The Legend of Robin Hood (1973). He followed this picture with the stylish and suspenseful thriller, Eyewitness (1970), and the fine "Hammer" chiller, Twins of Evil (1971). Hough maintained his stride with the spooky supernatural shocker, The Legend of Hell House (1973), and the exciting drive-in car chase hit, Dirty Mary Crazy Larry (1974). He demonstrated his considerable range and skill with the delightful Disney sci-fi adventure, Escape to Witch Mountain (1975), and its equally enjoyable sequel, Return from Witch Mountain (1978). Alas, Hough's consistently solid track record faltered in the 80s, starting with the uneven, The Watcher in the Woods (1980). Hough bounced back with the creepy Incubus (1981), and the amusing American Gothic (1987), although the tepid Biggles (1986) and the cruddy Howling IV: The Original Nightmare (1988) were both lackluster offerings. Hough's last credit as a director to date was the gory "Jack the Ripper" tale, Bad Karma (2001). Outside of his film work, Hough has directed several made-for-TV pictures and episodes of the TV shows Dempsey and Makepeace (1985), The Wonderful World of Disney (1997), My God, It's the New Avengers (1976), The Protectors (1972), The Zoo Gang (1974) and Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense (1984). His son, Paul Hough, is a writer, director, editor and cinematographer.