Ulli Lommel

A German-born actor and filmmaker whose oeuvres meet at the corner of art-house imagery and lurid subject-matter, Ulli Lommel made one of his first onscreen appearances in the Russ-Meyer-directed erotic comedy "Fanny Hill: Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure." In 1969, Lommel co-starred in the celebrated new-wave director Rainer Werner Fassbinder's assassin drama, "Love is Colder Than Death," kicking off a fruitful partnership that lasted for over 20 films in less than 15 years. After directing "Tenderness of the Wolves," a Fassbinder-produced drama about a real-life serial killer, Lommel relocated to America, where he found backing for his ensuing films "Cocaine Cowboys" and "Blank Generation" in the form of pop artist Andy Warhol. Lomell's 1980 shocker "The Boogeyman" was a recipient of the 'Video Nasty' moniker reserved for films deemed excessively violent, setting the mold for the director's subsequent dozens of low-budget and oft-shlocky horror films, including "BrainWaves," "Bloodsuckers," and "Zombie Nation." Lommel often acts in and writes, shoots, produces, and composes the music for his own projects. He is particularly recognized for his line of 2000s true-crime horror films, a sub-genre that includes "Son of Sam," "Zodiac Killer," "Dungeon Girl," and "Green River Killer."