In 1985, I worked in a movie theater, that was lucky enough to have Re-Animator playing at it. That was my introduction to Stuart Gordon. It would be another 17 years before I actually meet the man, but by that time, I had seen all of his feature films and more than a few of them, seeing them multiple times. Seeing Re-Animator back then was amazing because I had never seen anything like it before. The gore, the nudity, the humor, was all so over the top, but still effective all the way around. This film was definitely a fluke either, because Gordon continued to create more and more pictures that were just as entertaining and effective, each and every time.

But as we all know already, we have lost this great talent, when he passed away yesterday, at the age of 72. The first time I got to meet him, it was at the Gateway Theater in Chicago for a small movie convention/film fest. They were screening Gordon’s latest film Dagon (2001) on the big screen. In his introduction, he was so happy and thankful for this screening because he used to come to this very same theater as a kid and watch movies, so to be able to see his own film on the same screen just thrilled the hell out of him. But he was so friendly, talkative, and just a nice guy, not the kind you’d think would be responsible for the horrors that he directed on screen! I had met him a few times over the years, and he was always just as kind and approachable. He definitely is a talent that is going to be missed. But thankfully, we can all bust our From Beyond (1986), or Dagon, the wacky Space Truckers (1996) or even Stuck (2007) and see the wonderful art he has left for us to continue to enjoy.

Our thoughts go out to his friends and family during this difficult time.