David A. Prior (October 5, 1955 – August 16, 2015) was an American director, screenwriter, producer and co-founder of the Action International Pictures (AIP). Prior started his career with the horror film Sledgehammer (1983), and the action film Killzone (1985), both of them with his brother Ted in lead roles. Shortly after he went into a partnership with veteran producer David Winters, and started directing film many of them with his brother as the star, some of these cult classics includes Deadly Prey, Aerobicide, and Mankillers.
Prior continued working with Winters producing until the mid 1990s. Some these efforts include the David Carradine futuristic action vehicle’ Future Zone and its sequel, Raw Nerve, starring Glenn Ford, Jan-Michael Vincent, Sandahl Bergman and Traci Lords, Night Trap Gold Award winner at the WorldFest Houston for best Fantasy/Horror), starring Robert Davi, Michael Ironside, Lesley-Anne Down, Margaret Avery, John Amos, Lydie Denier, and Mike Starr, Raw Justice (Bronze Award winner at the WorldFest Charleston for best Theatrical Feature Film – Dramatic), starring Pamela Anderson, David Keith, Robert Hays, and Stacy Keach, and many more films with an important cast.
From 2000 on, Prior continued directing action and horror films. He reunited with Winters to pen his 2015 directorial effort Dancin’: It’s On!. He died on August 16, 2015 at the age of 59. His death was described by his brother on Facebook as “a long battle of failing health.”
Each review will be linked to the title below.
(*seen originally in theaters)
(**seen rereleased in theaters)
Writer/Director (unless otherwise noted)
- Sledgehammer (1983)
- Killzone (1985)
- Killer Workout (1987)
- Deadly Prey (1987)
- Mankillers (1987)
- Death Chase (1988)
- Night Wars (1988)
- Operation Warzone (1988)
- Hell on the Battleground (1988)
- Jungle Assault (1989)
- Rapid Fire (1989)
- White Fury (1989)
- Future Force (1989)
- Born Killer (1989) – co-writer
- The Last Platoon (1990)
- Future Zone (1990)
- Invasion Force (1990)
- That’s Action (1990) – documentary
- The Final Sanction (1990)
- Lock ‘n’ Load (1990)
- Deadly Dancer (1990) – story
- Raw Nerve (1991)
- Center of the Web (1992)
- Double Threat (1992)
- Night Trap (1993)
- Raw Justice (1994)
- Felony (1994)
- Mutant Species (1995)
- Body Count (1995) – story
- The P.A.C.K. (1997) – co-writer
- Hostile Environment (1999)
- Lost at War (2007)
- Zombie Wars (2007)
- The Dragon Warrior (2011) – writer
- Night Claws (2012)
- Deadliest Prey (2013)
- Dancin’: It’s On! (2015) – co-writer
- Relentless Justice (2015)
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