John Hough

Talented and versatile director 'John Hough' (qv) has had a long and eclectic career that encompasses everything from a sexy "Hammer" horror feature to more wholesome "Disney" family fare. Hough was born on November 21st, 1941 in London, England. Hough began his career in his early twenties, working odd jobs on the sets of various London TV productions. Hough eventually secured himself a steady gig as an assistant director on the immensely popular cult TV series, _The Avengers (1961)_ (qv), and directed his first episode in 1968. Hough made his feature debut as director with the obscure "Robin Hood" item, _Wolfshead: The Legend of Robin Hood (1973)_ (qv). He followed this picture with the stylish and suspenseful thriller, _Sudden Terror (1970)_ (qv), and the fine "Hammer" chiller, _Twins of Evil (1971)_ (qv). Hough maintained his stride with the spooky supernatural shocker, _The Legend of Hell House (1973)_ (qv), and the exciting drive-in car chase hit, _Dirty Mary Crazy Larry (1974)_ (qv). He demonstrated his considerable range and skill with the delightful Disney sci-fi adventure, _Escape to Witch Mountain (1975)_ (qv), and its equally enjoyable sequel, _Return from Witch Mountain (1978)_ (qv). Alas, Hough's consistently solid track record faltered in the 80s, starting with the uneven, _The Watcher in the Woods (1980)_ (qv). Hough bounced back with the creepy _The Incubus (1981)_ (qv), and the amusing _American Gothic (1987)_ (qv), although the tepid _Biggles: Adventures in Time (1986)_ (qv) and the cruddy _Howling IV: The Original Nightmare (1988)_ (qv) were both lackluster offerings. Hough's last credit as a director to date was the gory "Jack the Ripper" tale, _Bad Karma (2001)_ (qv). Outside of his film work, Hough has directed several made-for-TV pictures and episodes of the TV shows _Dempsey and Makepeace (1985)_ (qv), _The Wonderful World of Disney (1995)_ (qv), _The New Avengers (1976)_ (qv), _The Protectors (1972)_ (qv), _The Zoo Gang (1974)_ (qv) and _Fox Mystery Theater (1984)_ (qv). His son, 'Paul Hough' (qv), is a writer, director, editor and cinematographer.::woodyanders