Scott Derrickson | |
|---|---|
 Derrickson at the 2019San Diego Comic-Con | |
| Born | (1966-07-16)July 16, 1966 (age 59) |
| Education | Biola University (BA) University of Southern California (MFA) |
| Occupations | |
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 2 |
Scott Derrickson (born July 16, 1966) is an American filmmaker. He is known for his work in the horror genre, directing films such asThe Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005),Sinister (2012),The Black Phone (2021), and its sequel,Black Phone 2 (2025). He is also known for the superhero filmDoctor Strange (2016), based on theMarvel Comics character.
Scott Derrickson grew up inDenver, Colorado. He graduated fromBiola University with aBA inHumanities with an emphasis in philosophy and literature and a B.A. incommunications with an emphasis in film and a minor in theology.[1] He completed his graduate studies atUSC School of Cinema-Television.
Derrickson's debut feature wasHellraiser: Inferno, the fifth installment in thelong-runningHellraiser film series. It was releasedstraight to video in 2000. Following this, Derrickson and co-writerPaul Harris Boardman spent several years doingscript-doctoring work for studios. "I was paid to write or rewrite 13 screenplays," Derrickson said, "None of them got made. I was earning a good living but all of my creativity would be read by just a handful of executives. It caused a kind of soul sickness in me."[3] Some of Derrickson and Boardman's unproduced scripts includeFuture Tense,The Mystic,Ghosting andMindbender.[4]
Derrickson co-wrote and directedThe Exorcism of Emily Rose, which was loosely based on a true story aboutAnneliese Michel.[5] The film was named in the Chicago Film Critics Association's list of the "Top 100 Scariest Films Ever Made." Theatrical box office gross forThe Exorcism of Emily Rose was over $144 million worldwide.[6] It received the award for Best Horror Film at the32nd Saturn Awards.
Derrickson next directed aremake ofThe Day the Earth Stood Still, starringKeanu Reeves andJennifer Connelly, written byDavid Scarpa. The film was released in late 2008 and earned over $233 million worldwide.[7]
In August 2011, Derrickson teamed up with producerJason Blum to write and directSinister, a mystery-horror film starringEthan Hawke.[8] The $3 million picture was released in theaters by Summit Entertainment on October 12, 2012, and received generally positive critical reviews.[9]Sinister earned over $48 million at the U.S. box office and over $78 million worldwide. Derrickson co-wrote but did not directthe film's sequel.[9]Sinister has repeatedly been named “The Scariest Movie of All Time According to Science” by the Science of Scare project, which measures the heart rates and heart rate variences of audience members as the they watch 50 of the scariest horror films ever made.
Deliver Us from Evil (2014) was produced byJerry Bruckheimer,[10] and is based on a 2001 non-fiction book entitledBeware the Night by former police SergeantRalph Sarchie andLisa Collier Cool; its marketing campaign highlighted that it was "inspired by actual accounts". It was released on July 2, 2014,[11] and grossed $87.9 million against a $30 million budget.
Derrickson next directed the filmDoctor Strange, based on theMarvel Comicsproperty and part of theMarvel Cinematic Universe. It was released in November 2016.[12] The film was a commercial and critical success. It received the award for Best Comic-To-Film Motion Picture at the43rd Saturn Awards, and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Visual Effects.
In December 2018, it was announced that Derrickson would direct theDoctor Strange sequel entitledDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness which was planned for a May 2021 release.[13] In January 2020, Derrickson announced that he had stepped away from directing duties as a result of unspecified creative differences, after whichSam Raimi took over. Derrickson remained involved with the film as an executive producer.[14] Derrickson's departure from the film allowed him to put more focus onThe Black Phone.[15]
In 2021, Derrickson directed an adaptation ofJoe Hill's short story "The Black Phone", from a script he co-wrote withC. Robert Cargill.[16] Produced byBlumhouse Productions andUniversal Pictures,The Black Phone re-teamed Derrickson with Ethan Hawke andJames Ransone, and was theatrically released to positive reviews on June 24, 2022. The film was very personal to Derrickson, as he claimed it had grown out of three years of therapy. He also said that it was a way for him to explore "the traumatic nature of [his] own childhood".[15] It received the awards for Best Horror Film and Best Adapted Screenplay at the47th Saturn Awards, Best Wide Release Movie and Best Screenplay at the 2023Fangoria Chainsaw Awards, and theBram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a Screenplay.[17][18]
In 2023, Derrickson co-wrote and directed the segmentDreamkill for the horror anthology filmV/H/S/85. The film won the Fangoria Chainsaw Award for Best Streaming Premiere.
In June 2024, Derrickson completed his next film,The Gorge, forSkydance Media.Apple TV+ acquired the rights for the film.[19] It starsAnya Taylor-Joy,Miles Teller andSigourney Weaver.[20]The Gorge received two Emmy Nominations: Outstanding Television Movie and Outstanding Sound Editing for a Limited or Anthology Series, Movie or Special. It became Apple TV+'s most-watched film premiere, surpassing previous records and boosting global viewership by 80% over its debut weekend in February 2025.
Derrickson next directedBlack Phone 2 from his own co-written script. Released on October 27th, 2025, the film was received generally positive reviews according to review aggregators Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic, and grossed over 130 million dollars against a 30 million dollar budget.
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Love in the Ruins | Yes | Yes | Yes | Also editor |
| 2021 | Shadowprowler | Yes | Yes | Executive | |
| 2023 | Dreamkill | Yes | Yes | No | Segment ofV/H/S/85 |
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Urban Legends: Final Cut | No | Yes | No | |
| Hellraiser: Inferno | Yes | Yes | No | Direct-to-video | |
| 2004 | Land of Plenty | No | Story | No | |
| 2005 | The Exorcism of Emily Rose | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 2008 | The Day the Earth Stood Still | Yes | No | No | |
| 2012 | Sinister | Yes | Yes | Executive | |
| 2013 | Devil's Knot | No | Yes | Executive | |
| 2014 | Deliver Us from Evil | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 2015 | Sinister 2 | No | Yes | Yes | |
| 2016 | Doctor Strange | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 2021 | The Black Phone | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2025 | The Gorge | Yes | No | Yes | |
| Black Phone 2 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Uncredited script revisions
Executive producer only
Co-producer
| Year | Title | Director | Executive producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Into the Dark | No | Yes | Episode "My Valentine" |
| Snowpiercer | Uncredited | Yes | Unused TV pilot Shot in 2017[25] |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
Films directed byScott Derrickson | |
|---|---|
| |
