Where in the Horror are they Now? Crispin Glover!

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

CRISPIN GLOVER

THEN:
Crispin Glover is kind of legendary. He was never a typical movie star, nor was he your average leading man, but what he was is sort of spectacular. His vast career led him to face off against Jason Voorhees, he was Michael J. Fox’s dad and he had an interesting relationship with cockroaches as David Lynch went WILD AT HEART on an insane road trip. This is just to name a few of his cinematic exploits. The guy is a wild man in the best of ways, and one that I was excited to find out exactly where in the horror he may be. The hard part is trying to break down his career in only a few paragraphs, but for us horror fans, there is only one place to start!

Let’s get it out there right now… Mr. Glover gives an epically awesome geeky performance in FRIDAY THE 13th: THE FINAL CHAPTER. The year of 1984 found the actor working with Sean Penn in RACING WITH THE MOON as well, but it was the fourth film in the F13 franchise that made him a horror flick staple. He is so good at being bizarre that he makes it all seem perfectly natural. This had to have been an indication that being a geek would one day become cool. When Jason Voorhees killed Glover’s ‘Jimmy Mortimer,’ it was a memorable death, but shockingly not the coolest part. The dance he does in this flick is beyond words in its awesomeness. I may just watch this flick again tonight just for that sequence alone.

After already having a pretty impressive teen filmography, it was BACK TO THE FUTURE in 1985 that helped further his geek perfection. The actor starred as Marty McFly’s clueless dad George and he is truly terrific here. Even though he was replaced by actor Jeffrey Weissman in the two sequels – check out my interview with the actor where he discussed this here – his work with Fox is unforgettable as his time-traveling son attempts to help him woo the girl of his dreams. And just as a side note, how amazingly gorgeous was Lea Thompson in that hugely successful franchise? Sorry, but that’s what happens when I think back in time to that particular Robert Zemeckis feature.

Now here is where it gets difficult. While BACK TO THE FUTURE is not really horror-centric, it is impossible to not talk about. Yet for me, breaking down Crispin’s remarkable resume without mentioning AT CLOSE RANGE and RIVER’S EDGE – both from 1986 – would be a disservice. He was great in the two films and while they are more on the dramatic side, there is a very dark streak running through each of them. And speaking of dark, while it is more of a cameo, his appearance in David Lynch’s superbly weird WILD AT HEART in 1990 is a must see. This strange concoction of Elvis Presley, WIZARD OF OZ and violent road flick is one of my favorite Lynch experiences and one that I could watch any damn time it’s on.

Let’s get back to full-fledged horror shall we? The 2003 remake WILLARD was a rarity in that it was just a really good horror movie. Even with its PG-13 rating, Mr. Glover’s performance and his pets made for a creepy little film. And while the actor had some fun with three little girls who went to the police academy with the big screen take on CHARLIE’S ANGELS – as well as its sequel CHARLIE’S ANGELS: FULL THROTTLE – it was nice to see the actor returning to the world of horror. It’s always fun to see Mr. Glover embrace his oddness, which he is certainly good at doing.

In 2006, the actor appeared as a raving maniac in the unexceptional SIMON SAYS. Yet he did have the opportunity to star opposite his character actor father Bruce Glover, so there is that. In 2007, he appeared as Grendel in Robert Zemeckis BEOWOLF. He also continued to experiment in gruesome horror in THE WIZARD OF GORE that same year. Call me crazy, but I kind of enjoyed this strange flick as Crispin once again revels in some depravity. It doesn’t hurt that this freaky little horror feature also stars the ‘Suicide Girls’ for a little gothic eye candy.

NOW:
As mentioned, it is damn near impossible to appropriately dissect all of Crispin Hellion Glover’s work in a short article. He is the master of the strange which includes memorable appearances on David Letterman. He is an author, a performer, a recording artist and a filmmaker who travels the country to present his work. His directorial debut was the 2005 surreal feature entitled WHAT IS IT? featuring a cast of actors with Down syndrome. The next project was 2007’s IT IS FINE! EVERYTHING IS FINE. And according to Wikipedia, he is currently developing other films as well as a third film to end the IT trilogy called IT IS MINE.

Other than his own work he recently appeared in the crime drama THE BAG MAN. And while the film didn’t quite grasp critical acclaim, it was certainly an impressive group of actors including John Cusack, Robert De Niro and Dominic Purcell. According to IMDB, Mr. Glover has three other projects due out in 2015 including BY THE RIVERS OF BABYLON, AIMY IN A CAGE as well as a TV mini-series “Texas Rising.” Personally, I have a strange feeling that we will continue to see Crispin Hellion Glover in a number of wild, weird and wonderful features. Thank you Crispin for helping pave the way for future geeks to discover their own coolness! If you’d like to find out what is up and coming with this versatile performer, you can check out his Twitter page, his Facebook page and of course his official website www.crispinglover.com.