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Ethan Phillips

Writer and actor · Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Ethan Phillips is an American screenwriter and actor. He is best known for writing the comedy horror films Desert Fiends (2024) and Skate to Hell (2026).

Biography from TMDB.

From
Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Works as
Writer and actor
Titles
4 on MovieCove · 9 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 17% in 30 days

What are Ethan Phillips' films like?

Across a limited sample of 4 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Ideas.

Themes

share of theme weight
Survival
69%
Ideas
15%
Power
9%
Self
7%
Violence3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 4 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 3 · Serious 0 · Dark 1

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

Grounded 1 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 1

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

Gentle 0 · Charged 1 · Intense 3

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

Steady 1 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 1

Funny: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their funny movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 0 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 3

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

Slow burn 0 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 1

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

Casual 3 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 3 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings shown from 5 titles

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Absurd
3
Tense
2
Dread
2
Manic
2
Joyful
1
Other
1

How their films linger

Fun4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

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 Ethan Phillips' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 3 of their 4 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (3).

Subscription and free streaming for Ethan Phillips' 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

9 credits, 4 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • Desert Fiends 2(2026)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all films

  • Pay to Die(2026)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • Skate to Hell (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    Writer

  • Desert Fiends(2024)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Treasure Chest of Horrors 3 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    as Dweebo (segment "I Dare You")

  • Treasure Chest of Horrors II(2013)

    as Son (segment "Trendish")

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films

  • Theatre of the Deranged (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    as Son / Swing Victim (segment "Lust for Blood")

  • Treasure Chest of Horrors (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    as Boy Scout (segment "Vampire's Lust"

  • Lost Media (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Writer

Career shape

A full career of 9 titles, 8 of them dated from 2012 to 2026.

Highest rated

Desert Fiends (2024)

Midcredits 40th

Most popular right now

Pay to Die (2026)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting4 of 9: 4 only acting, 0 with another roleWriting5 of 9: 5 only writing, 0 with another role

By decade

2010s4 · acting2020s4 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it.

How do Ethan Phillips' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 8th percentile, the median of all 4; across a limited sample of 4 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 6th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

6thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Approval · how many liked their films

13thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Reach · how many have seen their films

43rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Midcredits score across 4 titles, by percentile

  • 25th to 49th1
  • Below 25th3

Shape of the crowd

2 of their 4 titles are Divisive.

  • Divisive2
  • Mixed2

Most divisive · writer

Desert Fiends 2 (2026)

94th percentile spread · 63% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer

Desert Fiends (2024)

Midcredits 40th · 63% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 23/100 and the plot and story 19/100 in their films, across 3 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.

Who does Ethan Phillips work with?

People who share at least 2 of Ethan Phillips' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Shawn C. Phillips shares the most, 4.

Directors

Actors

Cinematographers

Producers