| Birth Date: | 12 May 1928 |
| Birth Place: | Mansfield, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Death Place: | Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Alma Mater: | University of California, Los Angeles |
| Occupation: | Film director, screenwriter, producer |
| Years Active: | 1974–1997 |
James McCullough Sr. (May 12, 1928 – April 6, 2012) was an American film director and producer who wrote and directed several horror films in the 1980s.
McCullough was born in Mansfield, Louisiana, and raised in Lebanon, Missouri.[1]
He formed Jim McCullough Productions after graduating from the University of California, Los Angeles.[1] While a student, he appeared in CBS's live-action Playhouse 90 Theater. In 1974, he co-produced Where the Red Fern Grows (1974).[1] Prior to establishing his film company, McCullough had two minor acting credits in Teenage Monster (1958) and The Love Bug (1971).[2]
His directorial debut was Charge of the Model T's (1977), followed by the horror film Mountaintop Motel Massacre (1983), and the science-fiction film The Aurora Encounter (1986).[3] His last directorial credit was 1994's The St. Tammany Miracle, which he co-directed with Joy N. Houck Jr.
McCullough had two children: James Jr., and Cathy, with his wife Lel.[1]
| Year | Title | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | "The Shepherd of the Hills (1964 film)" | Producer | |
| 1974 | Where the Red Fern Grows | Associate producer | |
| 1976 | Creature from Black Lake | Producer | |
| 1977 | Charge of the Model T's | Director and producer | |
| 1981 | Soggy Bottom, U.S.A. | Associate producer | |
| 1983 | Mountaintop Motel Massacre | Director, writer, and producer | |
| 1986 | The Aurora Encounter | Director and producer | |
| 1988 | Video Murders | Director and producer | |
| 1994 | The St. Tammany Miracle | Director and producer | |
| 1997 | Renfroe's Christmas | Producer | |
| 2001 | Nacho Chihuahua | Director and producer |
Acting credits:
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | Teenage Monster | Jim Cannon | ||
| 1968 | The Love Bug | Driver #27 | (final film role) |