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Ken Kelsch

Ken Kelsch

Cinematographer and actor · Died December 11, 2023, aged 76 · Brooklyn, New York, USA

Kenneth Arthur Kelsch (July 8, 1947 – December 11, 2023) was an American cinematographer. He was best known for his guerilla filmmaking style and his career-spanning partnership with filmmaker Abel Ferrara, with whom he made more than a dozen films, including The Driller Killer (1979), Bad Lieutenant (1992), Dangerous Game (1993), The Addiction (1995), The Blackout (1997), and Welcome to New York (2014), as well as a segment of the HBO dark comedy drama anthology series Subway Stories (1997).

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
July 8, 1947
Died
December 11, 2023 (aged 76)
From
Brooklyn, New York, USA
Works as
Cinematographer and actor
Titles
34 on MovieCove · 45 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 21% in 30 days

What are Ken Kelsch's films like?

Across their 32 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Self.

Genres

Drama11 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 33rd percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy8 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 22nd percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Crime5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 38th percentile
: browse their Crime movies
Action3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 47th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Biography2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 70th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies
Documentary2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 45th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Survival
23%
Self
21%
Morality
21%
Bonds
17%
Society
9%
Power
6%
Ideas
3%
Obsession6 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival6 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds6 titles, browse their movies with this themeTrauma4 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love3 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice4 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty3 titles, browse their movies with this themeGuilt5 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 32 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 10 · Serious 4 · Dark 18

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 18 · Stylized 13 · Heightened 1

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 6 · Charged 9 · Intense 17

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 12 · Shifting 14 · Whiplash 6

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 22 · Some laughs 7 · Funny 3

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 18 · Even-paced 12 · Relentless 2

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 10 · Engaged 20 · Full focus 2

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 8 · Affecting 10 · Heavy 14

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

A split, not a type: Resolved 15 · Open-ended 7 · Ambiguous 10

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
24
Melancholic
16
Dread
12
Absurd
6
Warm
5
Other
22

How their films linger

Unsettling16 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 10 with a twist

  • Happy5
  • Bittersweet10
  • Tragic4
  • Ambiguous11
  • Cyclical1
  • Other1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Ken Kelsch's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 22 of their 34 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (13).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Ken Kelsch's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

45 credits, 34 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • The Projectionist(2019)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Talking with the Vampires (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    Cinematographer · Actor

  • The Brooklyn Banker(2016)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Welcome to New York(2014)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films

  • House of Last Things (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Cinematographer

  • 4:44 Last Day on Earth(2011)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • Desert Flower(2009)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Sıcak (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Cinematographer

  • Return to Sleepaway Camp(2008)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all films

  • 100 Feet(2008)

    Cinematographer · as Garbage Man

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • Chelsea on the Rocks(2008)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Before It Had a Name(2005)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films

  • Medium(2005)

    Show 32 episodes · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all shows

  • Missing in America (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Cinematographer

  • Happy End(2003)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Asmalı Konak: Hayat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Cinematographer

  • Testosterone(2003)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • 'R Xmas(2001)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • It Had to Be You(2000)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • New Rose Hotel(1998)

    Cinematographer · as The Expeditor

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Invisible Child(1999)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Rear Window(1998)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Susan's Plan(1998)

    Cinematographer · as Casino Pit Boss

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • The Impostors(1998)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Montana(1998)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • A Brooklyn State of Mind(1998)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • Every 9 Seconds (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Cinematographer

  • SubwayStories: Tales from the Underground(1997)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • The Blackout(1997)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • The Prosecutors (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Cinematographer

  • Big Night(1996)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Killer: A Journal of Murder(1995)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • The Funeral(1996)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Condition Red (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Cinematographer

  • The Addiction(1995)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Drop Squad (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Cinematographer

  • Assault at West Point: The Court-Martial of Johnson Whittaker(1994)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Dangerous Game(1993)

    Cinematographer · as Camera Operator (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Bad Lieutenant(1992)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Killer Dead(1992)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Spookies(1986)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • In Our Water (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Additional Camera

  • Don't Go in the House(1979)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • The Driller Killer(1979)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Manson Girls (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Cinematographer

Career shape

A full career of 45 titles, 44 of them dated from 1979 to 2019.

Biggest box office

Desert Flower (2009)

$15M worldwide

Highest rated

Big Night (1996)

Midcredits 90th

Most popular right now

Desert Flower (2009)

Film career

  • 1979Screen debut· Don't Go in the House

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting6 of 45: 1 only acting, 5 with another role · typical Midcredits score27thCinematography43 of 45: 38 only cinematography, 5 with another role · typical Midcredits score34thOther crew1 of 45: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

45 titles, 5 with more than one role — cinematography and acting overlap on 5 of them.

By decade

1970s2 · 1 acting · 1 crew1980s2 · crew1990s21 · 3 acting · 21 crew2000s13 · 1 acting · 13 crew2010s6 · 1 acting · 6 crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Ken Kelsch's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 33rd percentile, the median of all 33; across their 32 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 38th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

38thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 32

Approval · how many liked their films

31stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 32

Reach · how many have seen their films

73rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 32

Midcredits score across 34 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up3
  • 50th to 74th6
  • 25th to 49th16
  • Below 25th9

Shape of the crowd

24 of their 34 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser7
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed24

Most divisive · cinematographer

Invisible Child (1999)

83rd percentile spread · 41% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · cinematographer

Big Night (1996)

Midcredits 90th · 77% liked

Reviewers score the cinematography 54/100 in their films, across 27 reviewed titles; fans 65, detractors 35. The element that speaks to their work as a cinematographer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Ken Kelsch's work okay for kids?

Across up to 14 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, sex & nudity, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore9 titles30–82 · median 73 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity14 titles21–78 · median 51 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity8 titles36–85 · median 63 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs4 titlesmedian 51 · moderateMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense6 titles43–88 · median 72 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Ken Kelsch work with?

People who share at least 2 of Ken Kelsch's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Abel Ferrara shares the most, 12.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles