Adam Rifkin

Writing

Adam Rifkin

Born

1966-12-31 (59)

Place of birth

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Known for

Writing

Credits

80 titles

Adam Rifkin sometimes credited as Rif Coogan, is an American film director, producer, actor and writer. Rifkin is claimed to belong to a rare breed of film directors that transited from public access television to Hollywood. Adam Rifkin is a writer/director/producer/actor whose eclectic career ranges from broad family comedies to cult classics to dark and gritty urban dramas. Rifkin is best known in Hollywood circles for writing family-friendly comedies like Mousehunt and 2007's Underdog. Most recently Rifkin wrote, executive produced and directed all 11 episodes of Look for Showtime. Based on his award winning film of the same name, LOOK is a drama that takes the viewer into the foreboding …

Known for

Small Soldiers poster
6.6

When missile technology is used to enhance toy action figures, the toys soon begin to take their battle programming too seriously.

Small Soldiers

1998

MouseHunt poster
6.6

Down-on-their luck brothers, Lars and Ernie Smuntz, aren't happy with the crumbling old mansion they inherit... until they discover the estate is worth millions. Before they can cash in, they have to rid the house of its single, stubborn occupant—a tiny and tenacious mouse.

MouseHunt

1997

Sixteen Candles poster
6.7

With the occasion all but overshadowed by her sister's upcoming wedding, angst-ridden Samantha faces her 16th birthday with typical adolescent dread. Samantha pines for studly older boy Jake, but worries that her chastity will be a turnoff for the popular senior. Meanwhile, she must constantly rebuff the affections of nerdy Ted, who is unfortunately the only boy in school who seems to take an interest in her.

Sixteen Candles

1984

Detroit Rock City poster
6.8

In 1978, a Kiss concert was an epoch-making event. For the four teen fans in Detroit Rock City getting tickets to the sold-out show becomes the focal point of their existence. They'll do anything for tickets -- compete in a strip club's amateur-night contest, take on religious protesters, even rob a convenience store!

Detroit Rock City

1999

Zoom poster
5.3

Jack Shepard is an out-of-shape auto shop owner, far removed from the man who once protected the world's freedom. Reluctantly called back into action by the government, Jack is tasked with turning a ragtag group of kids with special powers into a new generation of superheroes to save the world from certain destruction.

Zoom

2006

The Chase poster
5.8

Jack Hammond is sentenced to life in prison, but manages to escape. To get away from the police he takes a girl as hostage and drives off in her car. The girl happens to be the only daughter of one of the richest men in the state. In a while the car chase is being broadcast live on every TV-channel.

The Chase

1994

Film credits

2020s · 6 titles

2010s · 9 titles

X-Rated 2: The Greatest Adult Stars of All Time poster
6.8

Documentary sequel that offers a close-up look into the personal lives of the legendary porn stars who've survived the test of time and influenced popular culture. Blends rare interviews with erotic clips and additional appearances by Whoopi Goldberg, Steven Soderbergh and a host of adult stars, directors and trendsetters.

X-Rated 2: The Greatest Adult Stars of All Time

2016

Chillerama poster
5.7

It's the closing night at the last drive-in theater in America and Cecil B. Kaufman has planned the ultimate marathon of lost film prints to unleash upon his faithful cinephile patrons. Four films so rare that they have never been exhibited publicly on American soil until this very night! With titles like Wadzilla, I Was a Teenage Werebear, The Diary of Anne Frankenstein, and Zom-B-Movie, Chillerama not only celebrates the golden age of drive-in B horror shlock but also spans over four decades of cinema with something for every bad taste.

Chillerama

2011

Director's Cut poster
6.0

Herbert Blount is a crowdfunding contributor for the new Adam Rifkin feature KNOCKED OFF. Unhappy with the film, he steals the footage and kidnaps actress Missi Pyle to star in his own "director's cut!"

Director's Cut

2016

To Hell and Back: The Kane Hodder Story poster
7.9

To Hell and Back: The Kane Hodder Story is the harrowing story of a stuntman overcoming a dehumanizing childhood filled with torment and bullying in Sparks, Nevada. After surviving a near-death burn accident, he worked his way up through Hollywood, leading to his ultimate rise as Jason Voorhees in the Friday the 13th series and making countless moviegoers forever terrified of hockey masks and summer camp. Featuring interviews with cinema legends, including Bruce Campbell (Ash vs. Evil Dead), Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger), and Cassandra Peterson (Elvira: Mistress of the Dark), To Hell and Back peels off the mask of Kane Hodder, cinema's most prolific killer, in a gut-wrenching, but inspiring, documentary. After decades of watching Kane Hodder on screen, get ready to meet the man behind the mask in To Hell and Back - an uniquely human story about one of cinema's most vicious monsters.

To Hell and Back: The Kane Hodder Story

2017

Wrestling Isn't Wrestling poster
8.0

Filmmaker Max Landis explains why wrestling isn't wrestling by breaking down his love for his favorite wrestler, Triple H.

Wrestling Isn't Wrestling

2015

A Taboo Identity poster
2.0

Sociologist David W. Wahl explores the identity work involved in Kay Parker shifting from being a legend of the adult film industry to her current occupation as a metaphysical counselor.

A Taboo Identity

2017

The Intervention poster
8.0

All good things must come to an end. Or do they? Adam Green comes face to face(s) with one of his worst nightmares in the 20th annual ArieScope Halloween short film.

The Intervention

2018

Habeas Corpus: The Making of 'Psycho Cop Returns' poster
2.2

Retrospective documentary on the making of the low-budget horror slasher film Psycho Cop Returns (1993).

Habeas Corpus: The Making of 'Psycho Cop Returns'

2017

Shooting the Warwicks poster
4.5

The Warwick family are unknowingly being filmed for a new reality show. Problem is, they're boring. So the producer must add conflict and drama to their lives. Their lives begin to unravel with shocking consequences.

Shooting the Warwicks

2015

2000s · 8 titles

Porn Star: The Legend of Ron Jeremy poster
5.9

Porn Star: The Legend of Ron Jeremy offers audiences a penetrating look inside the world of Ron Jeremy, America's most unlikely sex star and hero to millions. With nearly 25 years in the adult film industry and over 1,600 films to his credit, Ron Jeremy is huge. In his world, Ron reigns supreme-he's made millions of dollars and slept with thousands of beautiful women, and is indisputably the industry's biggest star. And everyone who's anyone knows Ron-a pop icon to millions, he is a beacon of hope for many American male, since he stands as living proof that pretty much anyone can get some. So how did such a classically unhandsome, big and hairy guy ever get to be suchia super stud? In one of the most fascinating and entertaining comedies of the last year, audiences finally get a chance to get inside the life and times of Ron Jeremy, and find out what's really behind the hardest working man in show business.

Porn Star: The Legend of Ron Jeremy

2001

Homo Erectus poster
4.0

Ishbo is a caveman living in the prehistoric age who thinks there's more to life than hunting and gathering. He tries to better the lives of those in his tribe by inventing things like spoons and the toothbrush, which leave everyone, including his parents, unimpressed. He also has a thing for cavewoman Fardart, but she only has eyes for his brother Thudnik. Can Ishbo prove his worth when a rival clan attacks?

Homo Erectus

2007

Welcome to Hollywood poster
4.2

A film director decides to chart the course of a young actor as he tries to make it in Hollywood...

Welcome to Hollywood

2000

Night at the Golden Eagle poster
4.8

Two elderly criminals spend their final night in Los Angeles, California at the Golden Eagle Hotel prior to their departure to Las Vegas, Nevada, to lead a life without crime. Unfortunately, on the hottest night of the summer, these two ex-criminals seemingly get caught in the malice of prostitutes, pimps, drunken bums, fighting monkeys, and young runaways.

Night at the Golden Eagle

2002

Tales from the Script poster
6.6

Shane Black ("Lethal Weapon"), John Carpenter ("Halloween"), Frank Darabont ("The Shawshank Redemption"), William Goldman ("The Princess Bride"), Paul Schrader ("Taxi Driver"), and dozens of other Hollywood screenwriters share hilarious anecdotes and penetrating insights in "Tales from the Script," the most comprehensive documentary ever made about screenwriting. By analyzing their triumphs and recalling their failures, the participants explain how successful writers develop the skills necessary for toughing out careers in one of the world's most competitive industries. They also reveal the untold stories behind some of the greatest screenplays ever written, describing their adventures with luminaries including Harrison Ford, Stanley Kubrick, Joel Silver, Martin Scorsese, and Steven Spielberg. The film was produced in tandem with the upcoming HarperCollins book of the same name.

Tales from the Script

2009

Starz Inside: Sex and the Cinema poster
4.5

Unzips america’s obsession with sex and takes us on a steamy trip through the milesones of erotic cinema. Discover how movies have reflected our changing attitudes towards sex over the decades, and how they inspire our own sexual liberation.

Starz Inside: Sex and the Cinema

2009

Starz Inside: In the Gutter poster
4.5

From the moment Shakespeare wrote his first fart joke, audiences have loved gross-out humor. In this 'Starz Inside' documentary, take a trip through the history of taboo-busting comedy that began with slapstick and led to the most notorious Internet video in history, with stops at every infamous penis, poo, puke and pie gag in-between. It’s a totally uncensored look at the scenes that make you want to look away.

Starz Inside: In the Gutter

2008

No artwork available
4.5

A young woman deals with her first heartbreak after a relationship ends.

Without Charlie

2001

1990s · 10 titles

Detroit Rock City poster
6.8

In 1978, a Kiss concert was an epoch-making event. For the four teen fans in Detroit Rock City getting tickets to the sold-out show becomes the focal point of their existence. They'll do anything for tickets -- compete in a strip club's amateur-night contest, take on religious protesters, even rob a convenience store!

Detroit Rock City

1999

Susan's Plan poster
4.8

Susan wants her reprehensible ex-husband dead and, in several bungled attempts by henchmen, tries to accomplish the deed.

Susan's Plan

1998

The Dark Backward poster
5.7

A man pursues stand-up comedy encouraged by his fellow garbage man. Though his friend, who accompanies him on accordion, continues to tell him how great he is, he actually stinks. When the "comedian" grows a third arm out of his back, the friend uses this twist to get him signed up with a sleazy talent agent, and it begins to look like his career is on the move, even though his girlfriend has left him.

The Dark Backward

1991

Bikini Squad poster
2.9

A woman director is hired to finish the season of "Bikini Squad", a popular TV series about California beach lifeguards. A more than obvious lack of talent and basic intelligence among the crew make her contemplate leaving the set.

Bikini Squad

1993

Psycho Cop Returns poster
5.2

A group of office workers decide to have a party in the office building. Among other things, they want to have some drugs there. Their conversation on the subject is overheard by Joe Vickers, which is rather unfortunate for them, since Joe Vickers is a policeman. Even more unfortunate is the fact that Vickers is also an undead psychotic satanist, and instead of arresting them, he will make sure that nobody leaves the party alive...

Psycho Cop Returns

1993

Denial poster
4.6

Couples split up after a comment at an LA dinner party sets up arguments about how truthful partners are in their relationships.

Denial

1998

Disturbed poster
4.5

10 years ago the perverse Dr. Russell couldn't resist the beauty of a young patient in his mental clinic and raped her one night. When she plunged herself from the roof shortly after, he described it as consequence of her heavy depressions. Now the same urge overcomes him with his new patient Sandy. He doesn't know that she's the daughter of his previous victim and that she's come for revenge.

Disturbed

1990

The Flesh Merchant poster
5.0

A team of L.A. detectives hunt down the ringleaders of a sex-slave operation.

The Flesh Merchant

1993

Bikini Island poster
3.3

"Swimwear Illustrated" is approaching its fifteenth anniversary issue. From a group of eager and beautiful young women, five are chosen for a photo shoot on an island off the California coast. One of the five will be the cover girl, and she'll get an extra $100,000. On the island, the group stays at an isolated inn, staffed by the odd Frab. There's him, the five models, and four magazine staff: photographer, make-up man, ambitious assistant Anesa, and Jack Denton, the playboy in charge of production. One by one, models and staff disappear.

Bikini Island

1991

Last Dance poster
4.7

Someone is killing off contestants of a skimpy dance off.

Last Dance

1992

1980s · 3 titles

Series credits

Behind the camera

Small Soldiers poster
6.6

When missile technology is used to enhance toy action figures, the toys soon begin to take their battle programming too seriously.

Small Soldiers

1998

MouseHunt poster
6.6

Down-on-their luck brothers, Lars and Ernie Smuntz, aren't happy with the crumbling old mansion they inherit... until they discover the estate is worth millions. Before they can cash in, they have to rid the house of its single, stubborn occupant—a tiny and tenacious mouse.

MouseHunt

1997

Detroit Rock City poster
6.8

In 1978, a Kiss concert was an epoch-making event. For the four teen fans in Detroit Rock City getting tickets to the sold-out show becomes the focal point of their existence. They'll do anything for tickets -- compete in a strip club's amateur-night contest, take on religious protesters, even rob a convenience store!

Detroit Rock City

1999

Zoom poster
5.3

Jack Shepard is an out-of-shape auto shop owner, far removed from the man who once protected the world's freedom. Reluctantly called back into action by the government, Jack is tasked with turning a ragtag group of kids with special powers into a new generation of superheroes to save the world from certain destruction.

Zoom

2006

The Chase poster
5.8

Jack Hammond is sentenced to life in prison, but manages to escape. To get away from the police he takes a girl as hostage and drives off in her car. The girl happens to be the only daughter of one of the richest men in the state. In a while the car chase is being broadcast live on every TV-channel.

The Chase

1994

The Chase poster
5.8

Jack Hammond is sentenced to life in prison, but manages to escape. To get away from the police he takes a girl as hostage and drives off in her car. The girl happens to be the only daughter of one of the richest men in the state. In a while the car chase is being broadcast live on every TV-channel.

The Chase

1994

Underdog poster
5.6

A lab accident gives a beagle named Shoeshine some serious superpowers -- a secret that the dog eventually shares with the young boy who becomes his owner and friend.

Underdog

2007

Last Train to Fortune poster
10.0

When schoolteacher Cecil Peachtree misses the last train to Fortune, he strikes a deal with outlaw Dooley to secure safe and timely travel. On the journey, the two develop an odd friendship through the power of knowledge.

Last Train to Fortune

2026

Last Train to Fortune poster
10.0

When schoolteacher Cecil Peachtree misses the last train to Fortune, he strikes a deal with outlaw Dooley to secure safe and timely travel. On the journey, the two develop an odd friendship through the power of knowledge.

Last Train to Fortune

2026

Chillerama poster
5.7

It's the closing night at the last drive-in theater in America and Cecil B. Kaufman has planned the ultimate marathon of lost film prints to unleash upon his faithful cinephile patrons. Four films so rare that they have never been exhibited publicly on American soil until this very night! With titles like Wadzilla, I Was a Teenage Werebear, The Diary of Anne Frankenstein, and Zom-B-Movie, Chillerama not only celebrates the golden age of drive-in B horror shlock but also spans over four decades of cinema with something for every bad taste.

Chillerama

2011

Chillerama poster
5.7

It's the closing night at the last drive-in theater in America and Cecil B. Kaufman has planned the ultimate marathon of lost film prints to unleash upon his faithful cinephile patrons. Four films so rare that they have never been exhibited publicly on American soil until this very night! With titles like Wadzilla, I Was a Teenage Werebear, The Diary of Anne Frankenstein, and Zom-B-Movie, Chillerama not only celebrates the golden age of drive-in B horror shlock but also spans over four decades of cinema with something for every bad taste.

Chillerama

2011

Homo Erectus poster
4.0

Ishbo is a caveman living in the prehistoric age who thinks there's more to life than hunting and gathering. He tries to better the lives of those in his tribe by inventing things like spoons and the toothbrush, which leave everyone, including his parents, unimpressed. He also has a thing for cavewoman Fardart, but she only has eyes for his brother Thudnik. Can Ishbo prove his worth when a rival clan attacks?

Homo Erectus

2007

Homo Erectus poster
4.0

Ishbo is a caveman living in the prehistoric age who thinks there's more to life than hunting and gathering. He tries to better the lives of those in his tribe by inventing things like spoons and the toothbrush, which leave everyone, including his parents, unimpressed. He also has a thing for cavewoman Fardart, but she only has eyes for his brother Thudnik. Can Ishbo prove his worth when a rival clan attacks?

Homo Erectus

2007

The Invisible Maniac poster
4.4

An invisible scientist escapes from an asylum and teaches high-school physics to nubile teens.

The Invisible Maniac

1990

The Invisible Maniac poster
4.4

An invisible scientist escapes from an asylum and teaches high-school physics to nubile teens.

The Invisible Maniac

1990

Knucklehead poster
5.6

A fight promoter deeply in debt to his crooked rival and desperate for a new fighter catches a break when a 450 pound church handyman who has spent his entire life in an orphanage agrees to wrestle on behalf of his fellow orphans.

Knucklehead

2010

Welcome to Hollywood poster
4.2

A film director decides to chart the course of a young actor as he tries to make it in Hollywood...

Welcome to Hollywood

2000

Welcome to Hollywood poster
4.2

A film director decides to chart the course of a young actor as he tries to make it in Hollywood...

Welcome to Hollywood

2000

The Last Movie Star poster
6.5

An aging screen icon gets lured into accepting an award at a rinky-dink film festival in Nashville, Tenn., sending him on a hilarious fish-out-of-water adventure and an unexpectedly poignant journey into his past.

The Last Movie Star

2018

The Last Movie Star poster
6.5

An aging screen icon gets lured into accepting an award at a rinky-dink film festival in Nashville, Tenn., sending him on a hilarious fish-out-of-water adventure and an unexpectedly poignant journey into his past.

The Last Movie Star

2018

The Last Movie Star poster
6.5

An aging screen icon gets lured into accepting an award at a rinky-dink film festival in Nashville, Tenn., sending him on a hilarious fish-out-of-water adventure and an unexpectedly poignant journey into his past.

The Last Movie Star

2018

Director's Cut poster
6.0

Herbert Blount is a crowdfunding contributor for the new Adam Rifkin feature KNOCKED OFF. Unhappy with the film, he steals the footage and kidnaps actress Missi Pyle to star in his own "director's cut!"

Director's Cut

2016

Director's Cut poster
6.0

Herbert Blount is a crowdfunding contributor for the new Adam Rifkin feature KNOCKED OFF. Unhappy with the film, he steals the footage and kidnaps actress Missi Pyle to star in his own "director's cut!"

Director's Cut

2016

The Dark Backward poster
5.7

A man pursues stand-up comedy encouraged by his fellow garbage man. Though his friend, who accompanies him on accordion, continues to tell him how great he is, he actually stinks. When the "comedian" grows a third arm out of his back, the friend uses this twist to get him signed up with a sleazy talent agent, and it begins to look like his career is on the move, even though his girlfriend has left him.

The Dark Backward

1991

The Dark Backward poster
5.7

A man pursues stand-up comedy encouraged by his fellow garbage man. Though his friend, who accompanies him on accordion, continues to tell him how great he is, he actually stinks. When the "comedian" grows a third arm out of his back, the friend uses this twist to get him signed up with a sleazy talent agent, and it begins to look like his career is on the move, even though his girlfriend has left him.

The Dark Backward

1991

Night at the Golden Eagle poster
4.8

Two elderly criminals spend their final night in Los Angeles, California at the Golden Eagle Hotel prior to their departure to Las Vegas, Nevada, to lead a life without crime. Unfortunately, on the hottest night of the summer, these two ex-criminals seemingly get caught in the malice of prostitutes, pimps, drunken bums, fighting monkeys, and young runaways.

Night at the Golden Eagle

2002

Night at the Golden Eagle poster
4.8

Two elderly criminals spend their final night in Los Angeles, California at the Golden Eagle Hotel prior to their departure to Las Vegas, Nevada, to lead a life without crime. Unfortunately, on the hottest night of the summer, these two ex-criminals seemingly get caught in the malice of prostitutes, pimps, drunken bums, fighting monkeys, and young runaways.

Night at the Golden Eagle

2002

Night at the Golden Eagle poster
4.8

Two elderly criminals spend their final night in Los Angeles, California at the Golden Eagle Hotel prior to their departure to Las Vegas, Nevada, to lead a life without crime. Unfortunately, on the hottest night of the summer, these two ex-criminals seemingly get caught in the malice of prostitutes, pimps, drunken bums, fighting monkeys, and young runaways.

Night at the Golden Eagle

2002

The Nutt House poster
3.1

Two identical twins, separated since infancy, meet after 30 years causing a series of mistaken identity and crisis for all involved.

The Nutt House

1992

Tale of Two Sisters poster
3.7

Two sisters reunite after not having seen each other for five years. While catching up on each others' lives, they relive childhood experiences, both good and bad.

Tale of Two Sisters

1989

Never on Tuesday poster
3.9

Matt and Eddie are two young men from the mid-west travelling to California to see the sights - primarily semi-clad women on beaches. They hop into their car and head off through the desert...

Never on Tuesday

1989

Never on Tuesday poster
3.9

Matt and Eddie are two young men from the mid-west travelling to California to see the sights - primarily semi-clad women on beaches. They hop into their car and head off through the desert...

Never on Tuesday

1989

Psycho Cop Returns poster
5.2

A group of office workers decide to have a party in the office building. Among other things, they want to have some drugs there. Their conversation on the subject is overheard by Joe Vickers, which is rather unfortunate for them, since Joe Vickers is a policeman. Even more unfortunate is the fact that Vickers is also an undead psychotic satanist, and instead of arresting them, he will make sure that nobody leaves the party alive...

Psycho Cop Returns

1993

Denial poster
4.6

Couples split up after a comment at an LA dinner party sets up arguments about how truthful partners are in their relationships.

Denial

1998

Denial poster
4.6

Couples split up after a comment at an LA dinner party sets up arguments about how truthful partners are in their relationships.

Denial

1998

Bone Chillers: Frankenturkey poster
NR

Fitz and Brian are supposed to stuff the school turkey so it will be a good meal for the school's Thanksgiving. They don't want it to suffer, so they develop a decoy that is struck by lightning. It comes to life and becomes Frankenturkey. Can Fitz, Brian, Sarah, and Lexi outsmart him before he makes a meal out of them?

Bone Chillers: Frankenturkey

1996

Bone Chillers: Frankenturkey poster
NR

Fitz and Brian are supposed to stuff the school turkey so it will be a good meal for the school's Thanksgiving. They don't want it to suffer, so they develop a decoy that is struck by lightning. It comes to life and becomes Frankenturkey. Can Fitz, Brian, Sarah, and Lexi outsmart him before he makes a meal out of them?

Bone Chillers: Frankenturkey

1996

Giuseppe Makes a Movie poster
7.8

While the rest of America slept, DIY filmmaker/musician Giuseppe Andrews has made over 30 experimental features. Set in some demented alternate universe (i.e. Ventura, California), they are populated by real-life alcoholics and drug addicts, trash-talking senior citizens and trailer park residents dressed in cow outfits and costume-shop wigs. Director Adam Rifkin creates a wildly surreal, outrageously funny and strangely touching portrait of a truly Outsider Artist inhabiting a world few of us even know exists.

Giuseppe Makes a Movie

2014

Giuseppe Makes a Movie poster
7.8

While the rest of America slept, DIY filmmaker/musician Giuseppe Andrews has made over 30 experimental features. Set in some demented alternate universe (i.e. Ventura, California), they are populated by real-life alcoholics and drug addicts, trash-talking senior citizens and trailer park residents dressed in cow outfits and costume-shop wigs. Director Adam Rifkin creates a wildly surreal, outrageously funny and strangely touching portrait of a truly Outsider Artist inhabiting a world few of us even know exists.

Giuseppe Makes a Movie

2014

Giuseppe Makes a Movie poster
7.8

While the rest of America slept, DIY filmmaker/musician Giuseppe Andrews has made over 30 experimental features. Set in some demented alternate universe (i.e. Ventura, California), they are populated by real-life alcoholics and drug addicts, trash-talking senior citizens and trailer park residents dressed in cow outfits and costume-shop wigs. Director Adam Rifkin creates a wildly surreal, outrageously funny and strangely touching portrait of a truly Outsider Artist inhabiting a world few of us even know exists.

Giuseppe Makes a Movie

2014