For more than two decades Robert Kurtzman has been an icon in the world of special make-up, creature effects, and genre filmmaking. His award winning, photorealistic effects work can be seen in hundreds of movies including Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters, franchises and television series.
As the director of such genre hits and fan favorites as Wishmaster, The Rage, and Buried Alive, and as the creator of the modern horror classic From Dusk Till Dawn, his films and amazing special effects have won him legions of fans around the globe. As a director, producer, and story writer, his films have generated more than 100 million in worldwide revenue, making Robert one of the most successful Filmmakers / FX Creators in the business. (See filmography.)
Robert began his career in 1984 when at the age of 19 he moved from Ohio to Hollywood and quickly began working for many of the industry’s top special effects creators. His early credits include genre classics: Predator, Evil Dead II, From Beyond, The Hidden, Phantasm II, Invaders From Mars, Night of the Creeps, and Re-Animator.
As the director of such genre hits and fan favorites as Wishmaster, The Rage, and Buried Alive, and as the creator of the modern horror classic From Dusk Till Dawn, his films and amazing special effects have won him legions of fans around the globe. As a director, producer, and story writer, his films have generated more than 100 million in worldwide revenue, making Robert one of the most successful Filmmakers / FX Creators in the business. (See filmography.)
Robert began his career in 1984 when at the age of 19 he moved from Ohio to Hollywood and quickly began working for many of the industry’s top special effects creators. His early credits include genre classics: Predator, Evil Dead II, From Beyond, The Hidden, Phantasm II, Invaders From Mars, Night of the Creeps, and Re-Animator.
In 1988 Robert Co-founded the award winning K.N.B. EFX Group Inc. (Kurtzman, Nicotero, Berger.) Over the next 15 years K.N.B. became one of the most prolific effects studios in Hollywood with hundreds of feature film and television credits including From Dusk Till Dawn, Spy Kids 1, II, & III, Dances With Wolves, Jingle All The Way, Austin Powers: Gold-Member, Rat Race, The Cell, Unbreakable, House on Haunted Hill, Spawn, Casino, The Faculty, Sam Raimi’s Army of Darkness, 13 Ghosts, City Slickers, The Green Mile, The Time Machine, The Hulk, Ghost Ship, Evolution, Bubba Ho Tep, Wyatt Earp, John Carpenter’s Vampires and In The Mouth of Madness, Stephen King’s Misery, Steven Spielberg’s Minority Report and Amistad, Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill Volume 1 & 2, Wes Craven’s Scream 1, 2 , 3 and New Nightmare as well as the television series Hercules, Xena, Picket Fences, Outer Limits, ER, Chicago Hope and many more.
After years of designing ground breaking effects for many of the industries top directors, Robert began to develop his own film projects with his eye toward directing / producing.
Robert wrote the original story, co-produced, and designed the eye popping creature effects for the box office hit From Dusk Till Dawn, starring George Clooney and Harvey Keitel. Robert secured then unknown writer Quentin Tarantino to adapt his story of killer thieves on the run south of the border who hide out in an all night strip club run by vampires. Produced by Dimension Films and directed by Robert Rodriquez, the film became a worldwide success and spawned two sequels.
After years of designing ground breaking effects for many of the industries top directors, Robert began to develop his own film projects with his eye toward directing / producing.
Robert wrote the original story, co-produced, and designed the eye popping creature effects for the box office hit From Dusk Till Dawn, starring George Clooney and Harvey Keitel. Robert secured then unknown writer Quentin Tarantino to adapt his story of killer thieves on the run south of the border who hide out in an all night strip club run by vampires. Produced by Dimension Films and directed by Robert Rodriquez, the film became a worldwide success and spawned two sequels.
Robert made his directorial debut with the successful cult, sci-fi, action film The Demolitionist, and quickly followed with the horror hit Wishmaster, which he directed for Artisan Entertainment and Executive Producer Wes Craven. Wishmaster opened as the # 1 horror film and went on to become the year’s most successful independent release. It also introduced the Djinn, a new horror icon, and generated three sequels.
Robert served as Executive Producer on My First Mister which starred Albert Brooks and Leelee Sobieski. Academy Award winning director Christine Lahti helmed the film, which was released by Paramount Classics.
After 15 years as the FX Designer and Supervisor of K.N.B. EFX Group, Robert broke out on his own forming Precinct 13 Entertainment / Creature Corps in 2003. P13/ Creature Corps offers high quality creature and make-up fx as well as visual effects, film, commercial, and music video production. Robert directed, produced, and served as director of photography P13’s first in house feature film production, the new cult classic The Rage.
The production was shot and edited entirely at his Precinct 13 Entertainment production facility. The Rage stars Andrew Divoff, Erin Brown and Reggie Bannister, and is a throwback to 70’s and 80’s drive-in movies. The film received rave reviews and toured film festivals around the world. Robert and P13 produced the upcoming independent film The Dead Matter for director Ed Douglas of Midnight Syndicate fame which is due for release July 30, 2010.
Robert also directed Dimension Extreme’s Buried Alive starring Saw’s Tobin Bell and the MGM action thriller Deadly Impact starring Sean Patrick Flannery and Joe Pantoliano. Deadly Impact re-teamed Robert with Buried Alive producer David Greathouse.
Since its launch, Robert and his Creature Corps have worked on a wide array of projects with credits that include the effects design and supervision on The Spirit, Hostel, The Devil’s Rejects, Buried Alive, Living Hell (aka Organizm), Undead or Alive, 2001 Maniacs, Mad TV, Deadly Impact, The Rage, The Dead Matter, Children of the Corn (2009). Robert recently served as Creature-Visual Effects Producer / Designer on the first Bollywood / Hollywood horror production Hisss, an FX laden film about the Nagin Snake Women legend. The film directed by Jennifer Lynch was shot on location in Mumbai, India and stars Bollywood superstars Mallika Sherawat, and Slumdog Millionaire’s Irrfan Kahn. Robert also created and supervised the special superhero suits for upcoming Bollywood production RA-One starring Shahrukh Khan.
Robert produced three music videos for the band Mushroomhead including Damage Done, 12 Hundred, and Your Soul Is Mine which was featured on the Saw 6 DVD. The video for 12 Hundred directed by P13’s David (House) Greathouse won “Best Video of 2007” on MTV’s HeadBangers Ball.
