Norman J. Warren, a renowned cult horror movie director, was born on June 25, 1942, in London, England. His films are characterized by their distinctive cold, grim tones, modern-day settings, young adult main characters, and shocking outbursts of graphic violence, which was a significant departure from the traditional period Gothic horror movies made by Hammer.
Warren's early life was marked by a childhood struggle with polio, which resulted in him having only one functioning arm. Despite this challenge, he developed a passion for films from a young age and began his career in the industry as a runner on the 1960 film "The Millionairess". He later worked as an assistant director on the feature "Trial and Error" in 1962.
Warren made his directorial debut with the 15-minute short film "Fragment" in 1965. He then gained success with his softcore sex pictures "Her Private Hell" and "Loving Feeling" in 1968. He continued to make a name for himself in the film industry with his horror entries "Satan's Slave" in 1976, starring Michael Gough, and "Terror" in 1978, a supernatural shocker.
Warren's other notable films include the twisted sci-fi/horror item "Prey" in 1977, the smutty softcore sci-fi sex comedy romp "Spaced Out" in 1979, and the nasty sci-fi/horror cash-in "Inseminoid" in 1981. He took a break from the horror genre to direct the exciting spy action outing "Gunpowder" in 1986.
Warren's last feature film was the dreary horror clunker "Bloody New Year" in 1987. He went on to direct music videos and educational shorts, and worked as a cinematographer on retrospective documentary shorts "Corridor Gossip", "Haunted Memories", and "Making Space" in 2007. He was also interviewed in the documentary "Doing Rude Things" in 1995.
Warren was a regular guest at Manchester's Festival of Fantastic Films and passed away at the age of 78 on March 11, 2021.
