Steven C. Miller is an American screenwriter, editor, and director. His feature film debut, Automaton Transfusion, became an instant cult classic and catapulted his career into Hollywood. He directed the remake of Silent Night, Deadly Night in 2012 and then shifted from horror to action. He has directed films starring notable actors such as Bruce Willis, Sylvester Stallone, Nicolas Cage, John Cusack, Aaron Eckhart, Giancarlo Esposito, and Dave Bautista.[1]
Steven C. Miller | |
|---|---|
 Miller on set of his feature film First Kill | |
| Born | March 8, 1981 Decatur, Georgia, US |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Full Sail University |
| Occupation(s) | Film director, screenwriter, editor |
| Years active | 2005–present |
Education
editMiller attended Full Sail University where he majored in film and television production.[2]
Career
editHis feature film debut, Automaton Transfusion (2006), was made for under $15,000; it was purchased and released worldwide by Dimension Films after premiering at the 2007 Screamfest Horror Film Festival. After signing with Aperture Entertainment and United Talent Agency, Miller was attached to direct several studio films, including a cancelled MGM remake of Motel Hell (1980).[3][4]
In 2011, Miller embarked on directing three more independent features. The first was the thriller The Aggression Scale (2012), described by IndieWire as "Home Alone with more death".[5] After premiering at South by Southwest, the film was purchased by Anchor Bay Entertainment for worldwide distribution.[6] His second project was Under the Bed (2012), referred to by JoBlo.com as "a blood-soaked horror extravaganza"; the film premiered at Fantasia Festival[7] and was acquired for release by XLrator Media. Miller's next film was the Christmas slasher film Silent Night (2012), a remake of Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984).[8] Fearnet stated "this straightforward and scrappy little remake is somehow more entertaining than half of what passes for 'wide release' horror movies these days."[9] Silent Night, like The Aggression Scale, was released by Anchor Bay.
In 2015, Miller made a shift to mainstream filmmaking with four films produced by Emmett/Furla/Oasis and released by Lionsgate Premiere: Extraction (2015), Marauders (2016), Arsenal (2017) and First Kill (2017). Miller had his fifth collaboration with EFO and Lionsgate through the sequel Escape Plan 2: Hades (2018).[10][11] Through these titles, Miller has collaborated several times with Bruce Willis, Nicolas Cage, John Cusack, Dave Bautista, Adrian Grenier and Johnathan Schaech. In 2019 his most well received action-thriller, Line of Duty (2019) starring Aaron Eckhart, Courtney Eaton, Ben McKenzie, and Giancarlo Esposito.[12][13] The film was released with a limited theatrical run by Saban Films.
In 2022, Miller returned to horror with the smart home thriller Margaux (2022) from Paramount Pictures. Rob Hunter of Film School Rejects gave the film a positive review and wrote, "You’ll laugh, you’ll chortle, you’ll wonder why characters aren’t simply leaving out a broken window, and you won’t regret your stay."[14]
Millers latest is the action-horror film, Werewolves, starring Frank Grillo, Lou Diamond Phillips, Ilfenesh Hadera, and Katrina Law. The film hits theaters December 6, 2024.[15]
Filmography
edit| Year | Film | Details | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Distributor(s) | Budget(s) | Gross | RT | Details | ||||
| 2006 | Automaton Transfusion | Dimension Extreme | TBA | $30,000 | 50%[16] | Directorial debut also writer and actor. | ||
| 2012 | The Aggression Scale | Anchor Bay Films | TBA | TBA | Also editor. | |||
| Under the Bed | XLrator Media | TBA | 40%[17] | |||||
| Silent Night | Anchor Bay Films | TBA | $114,633 | 64%[18] | Remake of Silent Night, Deadly Night. | |||
| 2015 | Extraction | Lionsgate Premiere | $988,548 | 6%[19] | ||||
| 2016 | Submerged | IFC Films | TBA | 29%[20] | ||||
| Marauders | Lionsgate Premiere | TBA | $1 million | 25%[21] | ||||
| 2017 | Arsenal | $41,037 | 3%[22] | |||||
| First Kill | $347,343 | 13%[23] | ||||||
| 2018 | Escape Plan 2: Hades | Summit Entertainment | $20 million | $16.7 million | 9%[24] | Sequel to 2013's Escape Plan. | ||
| 2019 | Line of Duty | Saban Films, Lionsgate | TBA | $640,363[25] | 59%[26] | |||
| 2022 | Margaux | Paramount Pictures | TBA | 59%[27] | ||||
| 2024 | Werewolves | Briarcliff Entertainment | TBA | |||||
Other credits
- H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds (2005) – art department: second unit; direct-to-video
- Penance (2009) – special thanks
- Pernicious (2014) – thanks
Music videos
editMiller has directed music videos for the bands Blinded Black and Tokyo Rose.[28]
References
edit- ^ "Steven C. Miller - Film Director, Writer, and Editor". FullSail.edu. Full Sail University. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
- ^ Rizzo, Stephanie. "Energy and Motion: The Kinetics of Steven C. Miller". FullSailBlog.com. Full Sail University. Retrieved 4 February 2018.[dead link]
- ^ "Who I Am". TheStevenCMiller.com. Retrieved 4 February 2018.[self-published source]
- ^ Gencarelli, Mike. "Interview with Steven C. Miller". MovieMikes.com. Retrieved 4 February 2018.[dead link]
- ^ Willmore, Alison (March 11, 2012). "SXSW '12 Review: 'The Aggression Scale' Is Like 'Home Alone' With More Death (But Not As Fun As That Sounds)". Indiewire. Retrieved February 26, 2015.
- ^ Kit, Borys (10 February 2012). "Anchor Bay Preemptively Picks Up 'Aggression Scale' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Billboard-Hollywood Reporter Media Group. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
- ^ UNDER THE BED is an all-out assault on the senses[dead link]
- ^ Barton, Steve (2012-04-24). "Exclusive: Filming Begins on Silent Night; Director Steven C. Miller Speaks!". Dread Central. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
- ^ Scott Weinberg (November 30, 2012). "FEARnet Movie Review: Silent Night". Silent Night. Fearnet. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
- ^ Zinski, Dan (February 8, 2017). "Sylvester Stallone's Escape Plan 2 Finds a Director". Screen Rant. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
- ^ Evry, Max (8 February 2017). "Escape Plan 2 Director Confirmed as Steven C. Miller". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
- ^ Varner, Brandon (5 May 2018). "Movie starring Aaron Eckhart filming in Birmingham, looking for extras". CBS42.com. WIAT. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
- ^ Colurso, Mary (14 May 2018). "Streets, places closed for 'Live' movie filming in Birmingham". AL.com. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
- ^ Hunter, Rob (September 8, 2022). "'Margaux' Has Silly Fun with the Terrors of Technology". Film School Rejects. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
- ^ "Frank Grillo Horror-Thriller 'Werewolves' Set For December U.S. Release Via Briarcliff & The Solution". deadline.com. 2024-06-11.
- ^ "Automaton Transfusion (2006)". Rotten Tomatoes. 4 March 2008. Retrieved 2015-02-26.
- ^ "Under the Bed (2013)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
- ^ "Silent Night". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
- ^ "Extraction". Rotten Tomatoes/Flixster. 18 December 2015. Retrieved 2015-12-22.
- ^ "Submerged". Rotten Tomatoes. 27 November 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
- ^ "Marauders (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. July 2016. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
- ^ "Arsenal (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes. 2017-01-08. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
- ^ "First Kill (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. 21 July 2017. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
- ^ "Escape Plan 2: Hades (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. 29 June 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
- ^ "Line of Duty (2019)". The Numbers. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
- ^ "Line of Duty (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
- ^ "Margaux (2022)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
- ^ Interview at MovieThunder.com Archived 2007-10-11 at the Wayback Machine