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Jack Sholder

Jack Sholder

Director, editor and writer, also actor · Born June 8, 1945 (81) · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

​From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.   Jack Sholder (born June 8, 1945 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is a director, best known for his work in the horror film genre, notably Alone in the Dark, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge, The Hidden, and Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies. In the DVD commentary of The Hidden Jack Sholder states that his favorite film director is Jean Renoir. He currently works as a teacher at Western Carolina University in the department of stage and screen. Description above from the Wikipedia article Jack Sholder, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
June 8, 1945 (81)
From
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Works as
Director, editor and writer, also actor
Titles
22 on MovieCove · 32 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 16% in 30 days

What are Jack Sholder's films like?

Across their 17 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Morality.

Genres

Action5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 20th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Drama4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 28th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Horror3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 25th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Horror 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
35%
Morality
29%
Self
13%
Society
10%
Power
9%
Bonds
4%
Survival9 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity5 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice6 titles, browse their movies with this themeTrauma5 titles, browse their movies with this themeRevenge3 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeCorruption2 titles, browse their movies with this themePower2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 17 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 10 · Stylized 7 · Heightened 0

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

A split, not a type: Gentle 1 · Charged 6 · Intense 10

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

Steady 4 · Shifting 9 · Whiplash 4

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

Straight-faced 13 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 0

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 5 · Even-paced 6 · Relentless 6

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

Casual 5 · Engaged 10 · Full focus 2

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 12 · Open-ended 5 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
15
Dread
11
Thrilling
6
Melancholic
4
Bittersweet
1
Other
5

How their films linger

Unsettling7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCathartic5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 4 with a twist

  • Happy5
  • Bittersweet6
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous5

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 Jack Sholder's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 15 of their 22 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (9).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Jack Sholder'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

32 credits, 22 with a MovieCove page; 5 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Game of Death: The Six Doors to Hell(2024)

    as Man on screen

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • 12 Days of Terror(2004)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Tremors (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Beeper(2002)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • Arachnid(2001)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films

  • Supernova(2000)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films

  • Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies(1999)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • Mortal Kombat: Scorpion vs. Sub-Zero (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Director

  • Mortal Kombat: Conquest(1998)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all shows

  • Pensacola: Wings of Gold(1997)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all shows

  • Runaway Car (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Director

  • Generation X(1996)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • The Omen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Director

  • The Omen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Sketch Artist II: Hands That See(1995)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Natural Selection (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Director

  • 12:01(1993)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • By Dawn's Early Light(1990)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Tales from the Crypt(1989)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows

  • Renegades(1989)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • The Hidden(1987)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Where Are the Children?(1985)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge(1985)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • Alone in the Dark(1982)

    Director · Screenplay · Story

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films

  • The Burning(1981)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • The Street Fighter(1974)

    Title Designer

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Profile: Dr. Ricardo Alegria (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Director · Editor

  • The Tattooed Hitman(1974)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films

  • The Garden Party (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Director · Screenplay

  • The Best of the New York Erotic Film Festival (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Editor

  • Martin Luther King, Jr.: Legacy of a Dream (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Editor

  • King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis(1969)

    Assistant Editor

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

Career shape

A full career of 30 titles from 1970 to 2024.

Biggest box office

A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985)

$30M worldwide

Highest rated

Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street (2019)

Midcredits 83rd

Most popular right now

A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 30: 1 only acting, 0 with another roleDirecting23 of 30: 19 only directing, 4 with another role · typical Midcredits score25thWriting4 of 30: 1 only writing, 3 with another roleEditing4 of 30: 3 only editing, 1 with another roleOther crew2 of 30: 2 only other crew, 0 with another role

30 titles, 4 with more than one role — directing and editing overlap on 1 of them.

By decade

1970s6 · crew1980s7 · crew1990s12 · crew2000s4 · crew2020s1 · acting

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 Jack Sholder's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 29th percentile, the median of all 19; across their 17 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 33rd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

33rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 17

Approval · how many liked their films

23rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 17

Reach · how many have seen their films

75thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 17

Midcredits score across 22 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up5
  • 50th to 74th2
  • 25th to 49th8
  • Below 25th7

Shape of the crowd

11 of their 22 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Panned1
  • Divisive1
  • Crowd Pleaser6
  • Broadly Agreed3
  • Mixed11

Most divisive · actor

Game of Death: The Six Doors to Hell (2024)

98th percentile spread · 40% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director

Tales from the Crypt (1989)

Midcredits 90th · 88% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 54/100 and the pacing 46/100 in their films, across 16 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

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 Jack Sholder's work okay for kids?

Across up to 7 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 & Gore6 titles64–87 · median 74 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity7 titles30–60 · median 46 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity7 titles36–74 · median 55 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs6 titles12–60 · median 39 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense6 titles54–85 · median 68 · 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 Jack Sholder work with?

People who share at least 2 of Jack Sholder's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Michael Schweitzer shares the most, 5.

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles