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Chris Sparling

Chris Sparling

Writer, producer and director · Born March 21, 1977 (49) · Providence, Rhode Island, USA

Christopher Sparling (born March 21, 1977) is an American filmmaker and actor.

Biography from TMDB.

Born
March 21, 1977 (49)
From
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
Works as
Writer, producer and director
Titles
12 on MovieCove · 17 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 155 days to Oct 26Down 24% in 30 days

What are Chris Sparling's films like?

Across their 12 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Bonds.

Genres

Drama5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 20th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Action4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 16th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Horror2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 20th 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
43%
Bonds
18%
Self
13%
Ideas
11%
Morality
10%
Power
3%
Society
2%
Survival8 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds3 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief3 titles, browse their movies with this themeParenthood2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFate2 titles, browse their movies with this themeTrauma2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 12 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 0 · Serious 1 · Dark 11

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

Grounded 10 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 0

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

Gentle 0 · Charged 3 · Intense 9

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

Steady 0 · Shifting 11 · Whiplash 1

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

Straight-faced 12 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 0

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

Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 7 · Relentless 3

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

Casual 0 · Engaged 9 · Full focus 3

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

Easy watch 0 · Affecting 4 · Heavy 8

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

A split, not a type: Resolved 5 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 3

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
12
Dread
10
Melancholic
5
Contemplative
3
Hopeful
3
Other
1

How their films linger

Hopeful5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCathartic2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 7 with a twist

  • Happy3
  • Bittersweet3
  • 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 Chris Sparling's films?

As of October 24, 2026, all 12 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (7).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Chris Sparling'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

17 credits, 12 with a MovieCove page.

  • Greenland 2: Migration(2026)

    Characters · Executive Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • Bed Rest(2022)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • The Desperate Hour(2021)

    Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • Intrusion(2021)

    Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Greenland(2020)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Down a Dark Hall(2018)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • The Warning(2018)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Mercy(2016)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films

  • The Sea of Trees(2015)

    Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films

  • The Atticus Institute(2015)

    Director · Co-Producer · Writer · as Corporal Gorder

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • ATM(2012)

    Screenplay · Story

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films

  • Buried(2010)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • One Fast Move or I'm Gone: Kerouac's Big Sur (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Associate Producer

  • An Uzi at the Alamo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Director · Producer · Writer · as Alec Thames

  • Black Tides (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Writer

  • Burn Night (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Writer

  • The Punishing (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director · Writer

Career shape

A full career of 17 titles, 14 of them dated from 2005 to 2026.

Biggest box office

Greenland (2020)

$52M worldwide

Highest rated

Buried (2010)

Midcredits 76th

Most popular right now

Greenland 2: Migration (2026)

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting2 of 17: 0 only acting, 2 with another roleDirecting4 of 17: 0 only directing, 4 with another roleWriting15 of 17: 7 only writing, 8 with another role · typical Midcredits score20thProducing8 of 17: 2 only producing, 6 with another role · typical Midcredits score18th

17 titles, 8 with more than one role — writing and producing overlap on 6 of them.

By decade

2000s2 · 1 acting · 2 crew2010s7 · 1 acting · 7 crew2020s5 · 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 Chris Sparling's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 20th percentile, the median of all 12; across their 12 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 25th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

25thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 12

Approval · how many liked their films

19thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 12

Reach · how many have seen their films

93rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 12

Midcredits score across 12 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up1
  • 50th to 74th1
  • 25th to 49th3
  • Below 25th7

Shape of the crowd

6 of their 12 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Panned1
  • Crowd Pleaser3
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed6

Most divisive · writer, producer

The Desperate Hour (2021)

51st percentile spread · 40% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer

Buried (2010)

Midcredits 76th · 69% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 42/100 and the plot and story 37/100 in their films, across 12 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

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 Chris Sparling's work okay for kids?

Across up to 10 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore and frightening / intense run heavier than most films and sex & nudity and alcohol & drugs lighter.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore9 titles31–65 · median 62 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity10 titles3–17 · median 8 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity8 titles33–64 · median 41 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs8 titles7–36 · median 23 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense10 titles50–80 · median 66 · 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 Chris Sparling work with?

People who share at least 2 of Chris Sparling's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; David Buckley shares the most, 3.

Directors

Actors

Composers

Producers