Film & TV.

1985Blackout

Blackout is a psychological thriller produced for HBO and starring Keith Carradine, Richard Widmark, and Kathleen Quinlan. After surviving a fiery car accident, a disfigured man with amnesia undergoes reconstructive surgery and begins a new life with the nurse who cared for him. Years later, a retired homicide detective becomes convinced that the man may actually be a fugitive suspected of murdering his family. The investigation raises a terrifying question: Is he an innocent man with no memory of his past, or a killer hiding behind a new face? Richard Dana Smith co-produced Blackout with Les Alexander and Richard Parks through their production company, Alexander Smith & Parks Inc. He also co-developed the film’s original story with Alexander, Parks, and screenwriter David Ambrose. Directed by Douglas Hickox, the film premiered on HBO on July 28, 1985.

1986Apology

Apology is a psychological thriller produced for HBO and starring Lesley Ann Warren, Peter Weller, John Glover, Chris Noth, Charles S. Dutton, and Harvey Fierstein. The film follows Lily McGuire, an avant-garde artist who creates an interactive installation inviting strangers to anonymously record their confessions. When a caller begins confessing to a series of murders, her provocative art project draws her into the path of a serial killer. Richard Dana Smith co-produced Apology with Les Alexander and Richard Parks. Together, they developed the film’s concept from a similarly themed New York art project. Directed by Robert Bierman, Apology was the first film produced under the HBO Pictures banner and premiered on HBO on July 27, 1986.

1998The Dentist Part 2

The Dentist 2 is a psychological horror film starring Corbin Bernsen as the murderous Dr. Alan Feinstone. After escaping from a maximum-security psychiatric hospital, Feinstone assumes a new identity and settles in the small town of Paradise, Missouri. When he takes over the local dental practice and becomes romantically involved with a resident, his obsessive jealousy and violent compulsions begin to resurface. Richard Dana Smith wrote the screenplay for The Dentist 2, continuing the characters and story established in the 1996 film The Dentist. Directed by Brian Yuzna, the sequel premiered at the Fantasia Film Festival on July 10, 1998, and debuted on HBO on December 11, 1998.

2000 · On Tubi ↗Alone with a Stranger

Alone with a Stranger is a psychological thriller starring William R. Moses, Barbara Niven, Nia Peeples, Priscilla Barnes, and Mindy Cohn. When struggling ex-con Max discovers that he has a wealthy identical twin, he kidnaps his brother and assumes his identity. As Max takes control of his brother’s business, home, and family, his carefully constructed deception grows increasingly dangerous—especially when he develops feelings for his brother’s wife. Richard Dana Smith co-wrote the screenplay for Alone with a Stranger with director Peter Liapis. Produced by Pierre David, Ken Sanders, and Noël A. Zanitsch, the film was released in the United States in 2000.

2007Framed for Murder

Framed for Murder is a psychological thriller starring Elisa Donovan, Susan Walters, and Perry King. After serving eight years in prison for a crime she did not commit, June Baldwin is released and sets out to uncover who murdered her husband and framed her. As she reconnects with her son and begins investigating the past, June unknowingly places herself back in the path of the real killer. Richard Dana Smith co-wrote the teleplay for Framed for Murder with Christine Conradt. Directed by Douglas Jackson and produced by Neil Bregman and Stefan Wodoslawsky, the film premiered on Lifetime on March 18, 2007.