Victor Salva
Salva in 2000
Born
Victor Ronald Salva[1]

(1958-03-29) March 29, 1958
Martinez, California, U.S.
Occupations
  • Film director
  • screenwriter
Years active1986–present
AwardsMoxie! Award for Best Feature – Santa Monica Film Festival
1999 Rites of Passage

Victor Ronald Salva (born March 29, 1958)[1] is an American filmmaker. The self-described protégé of Francis Ford Coppola, he has primarily worked in the horror genre, most notably as the writer-director of the commercially successful Jeepers Creepers (2001) and its sequels Jeepers Creepers 2 (2003) and Jeepers Creepers 3 (2017). Outside of horror, Salva wrote and directed the fantasy-drama film Powder (1995).

Salva's filmmaking career has been controversial due to his 1988 conviction for sexually abusing a 12-year-old actor who starred in his feature film debut Clownhouse (1989) and videotaping the encounter, along with possessing child pornography, having been publicised in 2006. This has led to protests against his films, including a boycott of Powder organized by his victim.

Early life

Born in Martinez, California, Salva was raised as a Roman Catholic.[2] His biological father abandoned the family and Salva stated that his stepfather was an alcoholic and physically abusive.[2]

The adolescent Salva was very interested in horror and sci-fi; his favorite monster movie was Creature from the Black Lagoon and, in 1975, the local newspaper reported that Salva had sat through Jaws 55 times.[3] By the time he graduated from high school, Salva had written and directed more than 20 short and feature films. To finance his filmmaking hobby, he often held two jobs during the week.[4] Salva's family disowned him at 18 when he came out as gay to his mother and stepfather.[2] Salva was a child-care worker at some point before becoming a filmmaker.[5]

Early career

In the mid-1980s, his 37-minute short film Something in the Basement (1986) took first place in the fiction category at the Sony/AFI Home Video Competition. A horror allegory about a young boy awaiting his brother's return from a bloody war, the highly acclaimed film went on to win several national awards (including a Bronze Plaque at the Chicago International Film Festival) and brought Salva to the attention of Francis Ford Coppola, who then produced Salva's first theatrical feature, Clownhouse (1989), which Salva again wrote and directed, with Salva becoming Coppola's protégé.[6][7][8]

Child sexual abuse and child pornography

In 1988, Salva was convicted of sexual misconduct with one of Clownhouse's underage stars, who was 12 years old at the time, and videotaping one of the encounters in which he forced the victim to perform oral sex on him.[5] Commercial videotapes and magazines containing child pornography were also found in his home.[5] Salva pleaded guilty to lewd and lascivious conduct, oral sex with a person under fourteen, and procuring a child for pornography.[5][9] He was sentenced to three years in state prison, of which he served 15 months, and lifetime registration as a sex offender.[3] He completed his parole in 1992.[9]

Later career

Salva's career took a hiatus after his release – he did not make another film for two and a half years. He worked as a telemarketer during the week and wrote scripts during the weekend, supposedly delivering them to well-known producers while posing as a delivery boy.[2]

His next film was The Nature of the Beast (1995), a direct-to-video mystery horror film which Salva wrote and directed. It starred Lance Henriksen and Eric Roberts. Salva based the film's characters on people he met in prison.

Salva next made his first big-studio picture, Powder (1995), the tale of an albino boy with special powers that make him an outcast. At the time of the film's release, Salva's conviction became known to the public when his victim came forward, calling for the film's boycott. Disney officials stated that they had been informed of Salva's crime only after production of Powder had begun.[5] When asked about the controversy surrounding Powder, Salva said, "This has followed me around ever since it happened, but once people meet me the phantoms go away and they realize I made a stupid mistake, years ago. ... My past is going to follow me around for as long as people want to talk about it."[10] His victim, Nathan Forrest Winters, later released a documentary detailing the sexual abuse by Salva, which began when Winters was 7 years old following a year of grooming.[11]

Salva next made Rites of Passage (1999), a coming-of-age thriller. The film depicts a homophobic father who unwittingly pushes his gay son into the arms of a psychotic killer.

In 2001, Salva wrote and directed Jeepers Creepers, executive produced by his mentor Francis Ford Coppola, which was a breakout hit and set a record for the largest Labor Day box-office ever,[12] followed in 2003 by Jeepers Creepers 2, again executive produced by Coppola.

Salva's next film after Jeepers Creepers 2 was Peaceful Warrior (2006), an adaptation of the semi-autobiographical book Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman. The film depicts the emotional and physical trials of a young gymnast and his awakening under the tutelage of a mysterious spiritual guide portrayed by Nick Nolte. He then returned to the horror-thriller and supernatural powers themes for his films Rosewood Lane (2011) and Dark House (2014).

In 2017, Salva wrote, directed, and produced the third installment of the Jeepers Creepers franchise, Jeepers Creepers 3, again executive produced by Coppola. The release drew controversy for incorporating a character who was the victim of child molestation.[13] Dialogue that suggested justification for the molestation was later cut from the film.[14]

Salva described his films in 2001 as "atmospheric and macabre, with no happy endings, but not to be taken totally seriously".[10]

Filmography

Year Title Director Writer Producer Notes
1986 Something in the Basement Yes Yes Yes Short film
1989 Clownhouse Yes Yes Yes
1995 The Nature of the Beast Yes Yes No
1995 Powder Yes Yes No
1999 Rites of Passage Yes Yes No
2001 Jeepers Creepers Yes Yes No
2003 Jeepers Creepers 2 Yes Yes No
2006 Peaceful Warrior Yes No No
2011 Rosewood Lane Yes Yes Yes
2014 Dark House Yes Yes Yes
2017 Jeepers Creepers 3 Yes Yes Yes

References

  1. 1 2 "Sexual Offenders and Predators Search". Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Goldstein, Patrick (June 11, 2006). "Victor Salva's horror stories". Los Angeles Times. p. 3. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  3. 1 2 Pierce, Nev. "Getting Direct With Directors... No.12: Victor Salva". BBC. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Victor Salva biography". Tribute Entertainment Media Group. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Welkos, Robert (October 25, 1995). "Disney Movie's Director a Convicted Child Molester: Hollywood: He says, 'I paid for my mistakes dearly', but victim of incident several years ago urges boycott of 'Powder'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  6. ↑ Goldstein, Patrick (June 11, 2006). "Victor Salva's horror stories". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 11, 2006. Just before Salva went to prison, he spoke to [his mentor] Coppola, who told him the experience would have value. "Francis said, 'It will make you a better artist,'" Salva recalls. "He left out one important part –– if you survive it."
  7. ↑ Child, Ben (March 29, 2016). "Actors warned to avoid new horror film from convicted paedophile director Victor Salva". TheGuardian.com. Retrieved March 29, 2016.
  8. ↑ Kamal, Nathan (August 12, 2022). "A Controversial Jeff Goldblum Sci-Fi Film Is Streaming Now". Giant Freakin Robot. Retrieved August 12, 2022. Powder was written and directed by Victor Salva, who had once been a burgeoning filmmaking talent hand-picked by Francis Ford Coppola as a protégé. Salva caught Coppola's eye with the horror short Something in the Basement; the Godfather director would produce his first theatrical film Clownhouse, reportedly even giving him the same camera George Lucas had shot American Graffiti with.
  9. 1 2 Gallagher, John (November 28, 1995). "A fairy-tale ending". The Advocate. p. 25. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  10. 1 2 Young, Neil (March 23, 2004). "Neil Young's Film Lounge - Victor Salva Interview". Neil Young's Film Lounge. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  11. ↑ Former Child Actor Nathan Forrest Winters - Full Interview (Youtube).
  12. ↑ All Time Box Office – Top 4-Day Labor Day Opening Weekends: 1982–Present. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
  13. ↑ "Jeepers Creepers 3". IndieWire. 2017.
  14. ↑ "Jeepers Creepers 3 Review". IGN. 2017.
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