John Hough

British director John Hough has an intriguing career that includes noteworthy horror movies and family films. As a young man Hough doggedly pursued his filmmaking ambitions with a number of low-ranking crew positions before landing his first door-opening job as a second assistant director on the British TV crime drama "The Baron" in 1966. Soon thereafter he snagged a crew position as second unit director on the iconic British spy series "The Avengers"; within the year, he stepped into the director's chair and helmed several episodes. Next, he took to film with a couple of low-budget productions before making his mark with the horror feature "Twins of Evil," a Hammer Films production that was full of gore and nudity. Hough's surprising follow-up was the family-friendly adventure "Treasure Island," which starred aging icon Orson Welles as Long John Silver. Hough has gone on to develop his yin for graphic violence along with his yang for family fare. Not long after debuting his best known horror feature, the haunting "The Legend of Hell House," Hough helmed the classic Disney adventure "Escape to Witch Mountain." Balancing these very different genres kept Hough busy throughout the 1970s and '80s, which proved to be his heyday. As the 1990s rolled around, Hough grew more selective in his directorial efforts and expanded into producing TV movies like the romantic drama "A Ghost in Monte Carlo," and documentaries like "The Backyard," which unveiled the untamed world of backyard wrestling.