Chuck Russell, director of The Mask and The Blob, dies aged 74

Director Chuck Russell, who helped propel actors such as Jim Carrey, Cameron Diaz and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to the Hollywood A-list, was found dead in his San Diego, California, home on Wednesday. He was 74.Russell directed several box office hits in his decades-long career including A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, The Blob and The Mask. In 2002, his film The Scorpion King featured The Rock in his first leading role.The local fire department was called to Russell’s home on Wednesday afternoon with reports of an unconscious male, the director’s family said in a statement to TMZ. His death was confirmed by his attorney to Variety; a cause of death has not been confirmed.Born in Park Ridge, Illinois, Russell first entered the film industry as an executive producer on the cult 1981 slasher Hell Night, starring Linda Blair, before co-writing 1984’s Dreamscape, a sci-fi adventure led by Dennis Quaid.His directorial debut came with A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors in 1987, which Russell also wrote. The film which was hailed as a return to form for the horror franchise after mixed notices for 1985’s A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge.After the 1988 remake of the cult B-movie The Blob, Russell hit the Hollywood big time with The Mask, the 1994 blockbuster that made global stars of Carrey and Diaz. Collaborating with George Lucas’s Industrial Light & Magic company brought the film acclaim for its practical effects, which were nominated for an Academy Award.The Mask was originally envisioned as a horror flick. “New Line wanted another shocking horror film,” Russell said in 2024. “There was a comic book of The Mask that was quite terrifying. I said it’s going to be too much like Freddy Krueger. It’s going to be horrible.” Russell won his argument with the studio and the film grossed more than $350m on an $18m production budget.Russell followed by working with Arnold Schwarzenegger on the 1996 action film Eraser and 2000 horror Bless the Child starring Kim Basinger and Christina Ricci. In 2002, he directed The Scorpion King, a spin-off to the popular The Mummy adventure films.The director’s final film was 2024’s Witchboard, a remake of the 1986 horror starring Tawny Kitaen.