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Eric Red

Eric Red

Writer and director, also producer · Born February 16, 1961 (65) · Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Eric Red (born February 16, 1961) is an American screenwriter and director, best known for writing the horror classics The Hitcher and Near Dark.

Biography from TMDB.

Born
February 16, 1961 (65)
From
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Works as
Writer and director, also producer
Titles
11 on MovieCove · 16 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 10% in 30 days

What are Eric Red's films like?

Across their 11 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Self.

Genres

Horror5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 33rd percentile
: browse their Horror movies
Action4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 38th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action 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
52%
Self
18%
Morality
16%
Bonds
7%
Power
5%
Society
2%
Survival6 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeTrauma4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice2 titles, browse their movies with this themeViolence2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 11 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 10

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

Grounded 5 · Stylized 6 · Heightened 0

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

Gentle 0 · Charged 0 · Intense 11

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

Steady 2 · Shifting 6 · Whiplash 3

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

Straight-faced 10 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 0

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

Slow burn 1 · Even-paced 8 · 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 2 · Engaged 8 · Full focus 1

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

Resolved 8 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
11
Dread
10
Melancholic
1
Cold
1
Absurd
1
Other
1

How their films linger

Unsettling8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCathartic4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy3
  • Bittersweet5
  • Ambiguous3

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 Eric Red's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 6 of their 11 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (4).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Eric Red'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

16 credits, 11 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • Night of the Wild(2015)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 2nd percentile of all films

  • 100 Feet(2008)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • The Hitcher(2007)

    Original Film Writer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • The Hitcher II: I've Been Waiting(2003)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films

  • The Hitcher: How Do These Movies Get Made? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Actor

  • Bad Moon(1996)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Undertow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Director · Writer

  • The Last Outlaw(1993)

    Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Body Parts(1991)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Blue Steel(1990)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Cohen and Tate(1988)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Near Dark(1987)

    Co-Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • The Hitcher(1986)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Telephone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    Director · Editor · Writer

  • Gunmen's Blues (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    Director · Editor · Writer

  • White Knuckle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director · Novel · Screenplay

Career shape

A full career of 16 titles, 15 of them dated from 1981 to 2015.

Biggest box office

The Hitcher (2007)

$25M worldwide

Highest rated

The Hitcher (1986)

Midcredits 82nd

Most popular right now

The Hitcher (2007)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 16: 1 only acting, 0 with another roleDirecting9 of 16: 1 only directing, 8 with another role · typical Midcredits score33rdWriting14 of 16: 5 only writing, 9 with another role · typical Midcredits score37thProducing1 of 16: 0 only producing, 1 with another roleEditing2 of 16: 0 only editing, 2 with another role

16 titles, 9 with more than one role — writing and directing overlap on 8 of them.

By decade

1980s5 · crew1990s5 · crew2000s4 · 1 acting · 3 crew2010s1 · 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 Eric Red's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 33rd percentile, the median of all 11; across their 11 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 41st percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

41stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Approval · how many liked their films

30thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Reach · how many have seen their films

88thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Midcredits score across 11 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up2
  • 50th to 74th1
  • 25th to 49th6
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

5 of their 11 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Panned1
  • Crowd Pleaser3
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed5

Most divisive · director

Night of the Wild (2015)

67th percentile spread · 73% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer

The Hitcher (1986)

Midcredits 82nd · 76% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 37/100 and the plot and story 35/100 in their films, across 11 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 Eric Red's work okay for kids?

Across up to 6 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore5 titles76–89 · median 83 · severeheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity6 titles13–57 · median 30 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity5 titles44–84 · median 67 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs4 titlesmedian 26 · mildMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense5 titles58–82 · median 71 · 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 Eric Red work with?

People who share at least 2 of Eric Red's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Charles R. Meeker shares the most, 4.

Directors

Actors

Editors

Producers