Scott Spiegel was born on 24 December 1957.
I’m a fan of Spiegel. But he just died (1 September 2025). Otherwise, I probably would have highlighted Michael Curtiz (1886-1962) or David F. Friedman (1923-2011).
Spiegel was part of that whole greater-Sam Raimi film ecosystem. He acted in the ur-Evil Dead film, Within the Woods.
He also appeared in JR Bookwalter’s first two films. Notably, he was the centerpiece of the best scene in all of The Dead Next Door.
Spiegel co-wrote Evil Dead II. Sadly, we remember him for it. I’m on record as more a fan of The Evil Dead. Fans overrate this “sequel.” But it’s also a great film. And Spiegel was the one pushing for it to be a comedy — the reason most people love the film.
Spiegel is like Trent Haaga (director of the criminally under-watched Chop). He was very talented but he did a lot of different things. So people don’t tend to know who he is. but toward the end, he directed a number of reasonable-budget films. These include action (My Name Is Modesty), sex comedy (Spring Break), and horror (Hostel: Part III).
But I want to highlight From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money. Critics hated this film. It is the same old thing. It wasn’t a clone of the first film, so obviously it was bad. I think it is better than the original. Regardless, you can generally depend upon critics hating a film as a good sign that it’s worth watching.
I don’t know what happened to Scott Spiegel. He was only 67. And there was no cause of death mentioned in the one obituary I found. It looks like he retired a couple of years ago, which makes me think he may have had a long illness. It’s sad that he is gone, regardless.
Scott Spiegel via Wikipedia under Fair Use.
