Fred Olen Ray

American filmmaker

Fred Olen Ray

Born|  (1954-09-10) September 10, 1954 (age 69)

Wellston, Ohio, U.S.

Occupation(s)| Film producer, director, screenwriter, actor
Years active| 1971–present
Spouses|

* Dawn Wildsmith

Kimberly A. Ray

(m. 1997)​

Fred Olen Ray (born September 10, 1954) is an American film producer, director, and screenwriter of more than 200 low-to-medium-quality feature films in many genres,[1] including horror, science fiction, action/adventure, erotic thrillers, crime dramas, and holiday films.[2]

Ray is the head of Retromedia, which releases DVDs of both his own productions and archival films.[3] He has also worked for other well-known independent studios and on a few occasions for major Hollywood studios. He has been cited as an inspiration for many independent filmmakers. He loaned a 16 mm camera to Quentin Tarantino so he could make My Best Friend's Birthday.[4]

Aside from his work in the film industry, Ray was also a professional wrestler. His wrestling name was Fabulous Freddie Valentine.[5]

## Early life

[edit]

Ray was born September 10, 1954, in Wellston, Ohio, to a family originally from West Virginia. As a teenager, he regularly read Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine. Being a fan of horror and science fiction films such as Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein and the AIP movies of the 1950s and 1960s, Ray started making his own movies at the age of fourteen.[6] At age seventeen, he self-published three issues of the amateur fantasy-film fanzine, Dagon in 1972.

## Career

[edit]

### Early work and The Brain Leeches (1970s)

[edit]

After serving in the United States Navy, Ray began working at a local television station in Orlando, Florida. He first appeared in a small role in the 1975 film Shock Waves, which starred Peter Cushing and John Carradine.[7] Ray then began directing independent films during his free time using station equipment, starting with The Brain Leeches (1978) produced on a budget of $298.[8][9] Ray also co-wrote the screenplay with political essayist Brad Linaweaver, and the two later collaborated on additional films.[10]

### 1980s

[edit]

Ray's next film was shot on a budget of $15,000. Lessons learned from The Brain Leeches allowed Ray to keep production cost to a minimum, while using the bulk of the budget to attract a recognized Hollywood name to the project. Alien Dead was shot featuring an elderly Buster Crabbe, cinema action hero of the 1930s and 1940s, and star of three Flash Gordon serials from 1936 to 1940. With the success of that film, Ray decided to move to Hollywood to be close to the film industry. He was interested in working in make-up and special effects, "probably from all of those years of reading Famous Monsters magazine", he later said. He found out "it soon became apparent that you would always be between jobs and I was looking for something that would actually earn me a living. I think I became a director because that was the fastest way to get a film made on the independent side of things."[6]

Ray succeeded in raising money for a low-budget horror film, Scalps (1983), which featured cameos from Carroll Borland and Forrest J. Ackerman. The Tomb (1986) starred Cameron Mitchell and John Carradine. Ray switched to action films with Armed Response (1986), which starred David Carradine and Lee Van Cleef. Ray had affection for this movie because "it had a great cast and was one of the first times I had more than two nickels to rub together."[6] He then turned to science fiction: Deep Space (1987) and Cyclone (1987). Beverly Hills Vamp (1988) was a horror comedy with Eddie Deezen. Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers (1988) was made in only a few days and turned out to be a big hit.[5] Less popular was The Phantom Empire (1988).

### 1990s

[edit]

Ray during the filming of Operation Cobra in 1996

After Alienator (1989) he was reunited with Deezen for Mob Boss (1990), another comedy. He entered sword and sorcery movies with Wizards of the Demon Sword (1991) and made the more popular Bad Girls from Mars (1991). During this time he published a book he had written, The New Poverty Row: Independent Filmmakers as Distributors (1991).[11]

Ray co-directed Scream Queen Hot Tub Party (1991) with Jim Wynorski, shot in one day.[12] Ray moved into erotic thrillers with Inner Sanctum (1991) starring Tanya Roberts. It was a hit and Ray would make others in that genre, including Inner Sanctum 2, Mind Twister (1994) and Possessed by the Night (1994).

Evil Toons (1992) was a comedy-horror, then he co-directed another with Wynorski, Dinosaur Island (1994). Witch Academy (1994) was the last of his "scream queen" movies.[12] After Attack of the 60 Foot Centerfold (1995), he made Fugitive Rage (1996), Friend of the Family II (1996), Inferno (1997), Hybrid (1997), and The Shooter, which has been referred to as Ray's best film.[5] Dear Santa (1998) was a family film and Billy Frankenstein (1998) was a comedy.

### 2000s to present

[edit]

In 2001, he made the film, Critical Mass. He later said he was a "Critical Mass kind of guy. I like to shoot things and blow stuff up. I also like comedies. Don't like erotic thrillers."[6][13]

He established a DVD company called Retromedia. Ray made a film called Bikini Airways "on a lark and it did really well", said Ray. This led to a series of Bikini films.[12][14]

In 2007, he reflected on his career:

> Money is always a barrier. The more they give you, the more they expect, so you're always caught short, regardless. I don't think anything I've done was ever budgeted properly for what was expected of me, but that's just the nature of the business, I guess. There certainly are films I did because there was a paycheck attached. It's a working man's world and it doesn't pay to get too idealistic about things like directing low-budget movies if you have a family to think about. I usually try to find something that interests me in each and every project. It's not really possible to phone it in. Making a film with no money or schedule is ten times harder than it is to make a big-budget show where you're surrounded by a gang of super-talented people.[6]

Budgetary constraints notwithstanding, Ray has, on occasion, been able to attract A-list actors to appear in his films. Two-time Academy Award nominee Peter Fonda played Marshal Kane in the 2010 Ray film, American Bandits: Frank and Jesse James.[5] While Golden Globe Awards winner Christian Slater appeared in Ray's 2012 film Hatfields and McCoys: Bad Blood.[15] One reviewer described American Bandits as perhaps "the most boring Jesse James film ever made".[5]

In 2017, he received a "Living Legend Award" at the Buffalo Dreams Fantastic Film Festival.[16]

In 2019, he produced and released, Boggy Creek: The Series with director Henrique Couto at the helm.[17]

## Books

[edit]

* Grind Show - Weirdness as Entertainment (1993)
* The New Poverty Row: Independent Filmmakers as Distributors (2011), ISBN 978-0786467556
* Hell-Bent for Hollywood: A Director's Journey (2024), ISBN 979-8986521589

## Filmography

[edit]

### Film

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Director  | Writer  | Producer  | Notes

|
|
|
|
|

2022  | Piranha Women | Yes  | Yes  | No  |
2020  | Dying for a Daughter | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  |
2016  | Trial | Yes  | No  | No  |
Sniper: Special Ops | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  |
Accidental Switch | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  |
2014  | After Midnight | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  |
Christmas in Palm Springs | Yes  | No  | Yes  |
House of Secrets | Yes  | No  | Yes  |
2013  | All I Want for Christmas | Yes  | No  | Yes  |
Abner, the Invisible Dog | Yes  | No  | Yes  |
2012  | Collision Course | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  |
Baby Dolls Behind Bars | Yes  | No  | No  |
Hatfields and McCoys: Bad Blood | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  |
Busty Housewives of Beverly Hills | Yes  | No  | No  | as Nicholas Medina
2011  | Super Shark | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  |
Together We Can Find a Cure | Yes  | No  | No  |
Little Witches | Yes  | Yes  | Executive  | as Nicholas Medina
Lady Chatterly's Ghost | Yes  | Yes  | Executive
Knock Outs | Yes  | Yes  | Executive
2010  | Housewives from Another World | Yes  | Yes  | No
Twilight Vamps[18] | Yes  | Yes  | Executive  |
Bikini Frankenstein[19] | Yes  | Yes  | Executive  | as Nicholas Medina
Bikini Royale 2 | Yes  | Yes  | No
American Bandits: Frank and Jesse James[5] | Yes  | Yes  | Yes
2009  | Silent Venom | Yes  | No  | No  |
Dire Wolf | Yes  | No  | No  |
2008  | Solar Flare | Yes  | No  | No  |
| Bikini Royale | Yes  | Yes  | No  |
2007  | The Girl from B.I.K.I.N.I. | Yes  | Yes  | No  |
2006  | Bikini Pirates aka Ghost of the Pirate Queen[20] | Yes  | Yes  | No  | as Nicholas Medina
2005  | Glass Trap | Yes  | No  | No  | as Ed Raymond
Bikini Round-Up | Yes  | Yes  | No  | as Nicholas Medina
2004  | Tomb of the Werewolf[5] | Yes  | Yes  | No  | as Sherman Scott
Bikini a Go-Go | Yes  | Yes  | No  | as Nicholas Medina
Sherman Scott
The Bikini Escort Company | Yes  | Yes  | Associate  | as Bill Carson
Nicholas Medina
Sherman Scott
Genie in a String Bikini | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | as Nicholas Medina
Bikini Chain Gang[5] | Yes  | Yes  | Associate
Bikini Cavegirl (also known as Teenage Cavegirl)[5] | Yes  | Yes  | No  | as Nicholas Medina
Sherman Scott
2003  | Final Examination | Yes  | No  | No  | Ed Raymond
Bikini Airways | Yes  | No  | No  |
2002  | Southern Discomfort: Wrestling on the Indie Circuit | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | as Freddy Valentine
Venomous | Yes  | No  | No  | as Ed Raymond
13 Erotic Ghosts | Yes  | Yes  | Executive  | as Roger Collins
Nicholas Medina
Peter Stewart
2001  | Air Rage | Yes  | No  | No  | as Ed Raymond
Mach 2 | Yes  | No  | No  |
ACW Wrestling's Wildest Matches | Yes  | No  | Yes  | as Sherman Scott
Freddie Valentine
Kept | Yes  | No  | No  | Uncredited
Stranded | Yes  | No  | No  |
2000  | Submerged | Yes  | No  | No  |
Sideshow | Yes  | No  | No  |
Critical Mass | Yes  | No  | No  | as Ed Raymond
Special Envoys | Yes  | No  | No  |
1999  | Invisible Mom II | Yes  | No  | Yes  |
Fugitive Mind | Yes  | No  | Yes  |
The Kid with X-ray Eyes | Yes  | No  | No  |
Counter Measures | Yes  | No  | Yes  |
Active Stealth | Yes  | No  | No  |
Scandal: On the Other Side | Yes  | No  | No  | as Nick Medina
1998  | The Prophet | Yes  | No  | No  | as Sherman Scott
Mom, Can I Keep Her? | Yes  | No  | Yes  |
Illicit Dreams 2 | Yes  | No  | Yes  | as Roger Collins
Billy Frankenstein | Yes  | No  | No  |
Dear Santa | Yes  | No  | No  | as Peter Stewart
Mom's Outta Sight | Yes  | No  | No
1997  | The Shooter[5] | Yes  | No  | No  | as Ed Raymond
Inferno | Yes  | No  | No  |
Bikini Hoe-Down | Yes  | No  | Yes  | as Roger Collins
Nicholas Medina
Hybrid | Yes  | No  | Yes  |
Invisible Dad | Yes  | Yes  | No  |
Little Miss Magic | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  |
Masseuse 2 | Yes  | Yes  | No  | as Peter Daniels
Maximum Revenge | Yes  | No  | No  | as Bill Carson
Night Shade | Yes  | No  | Yes  | as Nicholas Medina
Rapid Assault | Yes  | No  | No  | as Sherman Scot
1996  | Invisible Mom | Yes  | No  | Yes  |
Friend of the Family II | Yes  | No  | No  | as Nicholas Medina
Fugitive Rage | Yes  | No  | Yes  |
Over the Wire | Yes  | No  | No  | as Nicholas Medina
Masseuse | Yes  | No  | No  | as Peter Daniels
1995  | Sorceress | No  | No  | Yes  |
Droid Gunner | Yes  | No  | Yes  |
Bikini Drive-In | Yes  | No  | Yes  | as Randy Rocket
Attack of the 60 Foot Centerfold | Yes  | No  | Yes  |
Star Hunter | Yes  | No  | Yes  | as Sam Newfield
The Wasp Woman | No  | No  | No  | as Tex
Witch Academy | Yes  | No  | Yes  |
1994  | Inner Sanctum II | Yes  | No  | Yes  |
Possessed by the Night | Yes  | Yes  | No  |
Dinosaur Island | Yes  | No  | Yes  |
Mind Twister | Yes  | No  | No  |
1993  | Dinosaur Girls | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  |
1992  | Evil Toons | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  |
1991  | Haunting Fear | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  |
Spirits | Yes  | No  | No  |
Inner Sanctum | Yes  | No  | Co-producer  |
Scream Queen Hot Tub Party | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | as Bill Carson
Bad Girls from Mars | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | as Sherman Scott
Wizards of the Demon Sword | Yes  | No  | Yes  |
1990  | Mob Boss | Yes  | No  | Yes  |
1989  | Terminal Force | Yes  | No  | Yes  |
Alienator | Yes  | No  | No  |
1988  | Warlords | Yes  | No  | Yes  |
The Phantom Empire | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  |
Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers[5] | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | as Dr. S. Carver
Beverly Hills Vamp | Yes  | No  | Yes  |
1987  | Commando Squad | Yes  | No  | Co-producer  |
Cyclone | Yes  | Uncredited  | No  |
Deep Space | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  |
Evil Spawn | Uncredited  | No  | Yes  |
1986  | Armed Response | Yes  | Yes  | Co-producer  |
Prison Ship | Yes  | Co-writer  | Co-producer  |
The Tomb | Yes  | No  | Yes  |
1985  | Biohazard | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  |
1983  | Scalps | Yes  | Yes  | No  |
1980  | Alien Dead | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | as Fred Ray
1978  | The Brain Leeches | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | as Fred Ray
Brian Wolfe
1971  | Demented Death Farm Massacre | Yes  | No  | Yes  | Reshoots

### Television

[edit]

TV Movies

Year  | Title  | Director  | Writer  | Producer  | Notes

|
|
|
|
|

2004  | Haunting Desires | Yes  | Yes  | No  | as Nicholas Medina and Sherman Scott
2007  | Nuclear Hurricane | Yes  | No  | No  | n/a
Bewitched Housewives | Yes  | Yes  | No  | as Nicholas Medina
Super Ninja Doll | Yes  | No  | No  | as Nicholas Medina and Sherman Scott
Girl with the Sex-Ray Eyes | Yes  | Yes  | No  | as Nicholas Medina and Sherman Scott
An Accidental Christmas | Yes  | No  | No  | n/a
2008  | Polar Opposites | Yes  | No  | No
Bikini Royale | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | as Nicholas Medina
Voodoo Dollz | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | as Nicholas Medina
Tarzeena, Queen of Kong Island | Yes  | No  | No  | as Nicholas Medina
2009  | Reptisaurus | No  | No  | Yes  | n/a
2010  | Turbulent Skies | Yes  | Yes  | Yes
Bikini Jones and the Temple of Eros | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | as Nicholas Medina
2011  | Bikini Warriors | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | as Nicholas Juan Medina
Lady Chatterley's Daughter | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | as Nicholas Juan Medina and Mark Reynolds
Bikini Time Machine | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | as Nicholas Juan Medina
Sexual Witchcraft | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | as Nicholas Juan Medina
2012  | Dirty Blondes from Beyond | Yes  | No  | No  | as Nicholas Medina
Jersey Shore Shark Attack | No  | No  | Yes  | n/a
A Christmas Wedding Date | Yes  | Yes  | Yes
2013  | Holiday Road Trip | Yes  | No  | Yes
All I Want For Christmas | Yes  | No  | Yes
2014  | A Perfect Christmas List | Yes  | Yes  | Yes
2015  | Eyewitness | Yes  | Yes  | Yes
A Prince for Christmas | Yes  | Yes  | Yes
The Christmas Gift | Yes  | Yes  | Yes
2016  | A Mother's Revenge | Yes  | Yes  | Yes
Unwanted Guests | Yes  | No  | No
A Christmas in Vermont | Yes  | Yes  | Yes
2017  | The Twin | Yes  | No  | Yes
Stage Fright | Yes  | No  | No
Deadly Vows | Yes  | No  | No
Framed by My Fiancé  | Yes  | No  | Yes
2018  | Witness Unprotected | Yes  | Yes  | Yes
Fiancé Killer | Yes  | No  | No
Deadly Shores | Yes  | No  | Yes
A Wedding For Christmas | Yes  | No  | Yes
A Christmas In Royal Fashion | Yes  | Yes  | Yes
2019  | Sister of the Bride | Yes  | No  | No  | Uncredited
One Fine Christmas | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | n/a
Baking Christmas | Yes  | No  | Yes
A Christmas Princess | Yes  | Yes  | Yes
2020  | A Mother's Secret  | Yes  | Yes  | Yes
A Royal Christmas Engagement | Yes  | No  | No
2021  | The Killer in My Backyard | Yes  | No  | Yes
2022  | A Royal Christmas on Ice | Yes  | Yes  | Yes
Dognapped: Hound for the Holidays | Yes  | No  | Yes

TV Series

Year  | Title  | Director  | Writer  | Producer  | Notes

|
|
|
|
|

2000  | Emmanuelle 2000 | Yes  | No  | No  | as Nicholas Medina, Episode: Emmanuelle's Sensual Pleasures
2002  | Sexy Urban Legends | Yes  | No  | No  | 2 Episodes
2006–2007  | Dante's Cove | No  | No  | Yes  | Supervising Producer
2007–2009  | The Lair | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | Creator, Executive Producer
2018–2020  | The Bay | No  | No  | Yes  | Co-executive producer
2019  | Boggy Creek - The Bigfoot Series | No  | Yes  | Yes  | Executive Producer

## See also

[edit]

* Sam Newfield, a filmmaker who uses the "Sherman Scott" and "Peter Stewart" pseudonyms.
* Brad Linaweaver, science fiction writer, publisher, and frequent Ray collaborator.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Campopiano, John (June 27, 2016). "Cult Film Legend Fred Olen Ray Talks the Birth of His Stepmonster". Dread Central.
2. ^ "Understanding the Holiday TV Movie Market with Fred Olen Ray and Christopher Ray". Final Draft. December 19, 2017.
3. ^ "Meet Fred Olen Ray of Retromedia Entertainment Group in Studio City". VoyageLA.
4. ^ Gaydos, Steve (March 14, 2007). "Q&A with Tarantino…when he was Mr. Green". Variety.
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Johnny D. Boggs (January 10, 2014). Jesse James and the Movies. McFarland. pp. 223–226. ISBN 978-0-7864-8496-6.
6. ^ a b c d e "Interview Fred Olen Ray". Bad Movies. October 12, 2007.
7. ^ "Interview with Fred Olen Ray". Reddit.
8. ^ Fred Olen Ray (January 1, 1991). The New Poverty Row: Independent Filmmakers as Distributors. McFarland. p. 176\. ISBN 978-0-89950-628-9.
9. ^ Mike Quarles (June 21, 2010). Down and Dirty: Hollywood's Exploitation Filmmakers and Their Movies. McFarland. p. 80\. ISBN 978-0-7864-6257-5.
10. ^ "Libertarian Screenwriter Brad Linaweaver Slams Neocons". Hollywood Investigator. August 12, 2007. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
11. ^ 2007 Audio Interview at Your Video Store Shelf Archived March 30, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
12. ^ a b c Topel, Fred (October 27, 2014). "AFTER MIDNIGHT: FRED OLEN RAY ON STRIP CLUBS & CHAINSAW HOOKERS". Crave.
13. ^ "INTERVIEW WITH FRED OLEN RAY". Bad Movies.
14. ^ "After Midnight: Fred Olen Ray on Strip Clubs & Chainsaw Hookers". Mandatory. October 28, 2014.
15. ^ Millinocket, Sue. "Bad Blood: The Hatfields and McCoys". Movie Rewind. Archived from the original on August 5, 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
16. ^ "Buffalo Dreams 2017 Dreamer Awards". Archived from the original on October 11, 2018. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
17. ^ "Fred Olen Ray presents Boggy Creek: The Series, now on Amazon". JoBlo. October 31, 2019. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
18. ^ "Sexy Good Time in Twilight Vamps, Bikini Frankenstein".
19. ^ "Twilight Vamps and Bikini Frankenstein Ring in 2010". July 3, 2012.
20. ^ Nanarland. "Fred Olen Ray - la biographie par Nanarland". www.nanarland.com (in French). Retrieved January 6, 2024.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website
* Fred Olen Ray at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

Films directed by Fred Olen Ray

1970s|

* Demented Death Farm Massacre (1971)
* The Brain Leeches (1978)

1980s|

* Alien Dead (1980)
* Scalps (1983)
* Biohazard (1985)
* The Tomb (1986)
* Armed Response (1986)
* Prison Ship (1986)
* Deep Space (1987)
* Cyclone (1987)
* Beverly Hills Vamp (1988)
* Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers (1988)
* The Phantom Empire (1988)
* Warlords (1988)

1990s|

* Alienator (1990)
* Mob Boss (1990)
* Bad Girls from Mars (1991)
* Wizards of the Demon Sword (1991)
* Scream Queen Hot Tub Party (1991)
* Inner Sanctum (1991)
* Evil Toons (1992)
* Dinosaur Island (1994)
* Mind Twister (1994)
* Possessed by the Night (1994)
* Witch Academy (1995)
* Bikini Drive-In (1995)
* Attack of the 60 Foot Centerfold (1995)
* Star Hunter (1995)
* Fugitive Rage (1996)
* Invisible Mom (1996)
* Friend of the Family II (1996)
* Inferno (1997)
* Hybrid (1997)
* The Shooter (1997)
* Illicit Dreams 2 (1997)
* Dear Santa (1998)
* Mom's Outta Sight (1998)
* Billy Frankenstein (1998)
* The Prophet (1998)
* Active Stealth (1999)
* Fugitive Mind (1999)

2000s|

* Critical Mass (2000)
* Sideshow (2000)
* Submerged (2000)
* Air Rage (2001)
* Mach 2 (2001)
* Venomous (2002)
* Bikini Airways (2003)
* Final Examination (2003)
* Bikini Cavegirl (2004)
* Bikini Chain Gang (2004)
* Bikini a Go-Go (2004)
* Tomb of the Werewolf (2004)
* Glass Trap (2005)
* The Lair (2007–09, TV series)
* Voodoo Dollz (2008)
* Tarzeena, Queen of Kong Island (2008)

2010s|

* Bikini Frankenstein (2010)
* Bikini Jones and the Temple of Eros (2010)
* Super Shark (2011)
* Abner, the Invisible Dog (2013)
* After Midnight (2014)
* A Prince for Christmas (2015)
* Sniper Special Ops (2016)
* The Twin (2017)

Authority control databases

International|

* FAST
* ISNI
* VIAF
* WorldCat

National|

* Spain
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* BnF data
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* United States
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Other|

* IdRef

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