Douglas Schulze is an award-winning independent filmmaker with over three decades of experience in features. He is also the founder and president of an accredited Midwest film institute responsible for training and launching the careers of countless notable industry professionals (www.motionpicture.edu).

Fresh out of film school, Schulze directed screen icons John Saxon and David Emge in Hellmaster. Schulze has also directed Sid Haig in Mimesis and Lance Henriksen in its sequel, Mimesis: Nosferatu. Schulze’s fright flicks have aired on major cable and streaming platforms including HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, The Movie Channel, Shudder and more. His movies (which also include The Dark Below, Dark Fields and Dark Heaven) have been invited and won awards at notable film festivals including Fantasia, Sitges, London FrightFest, Cinequest and the New York City Horror Film Festival, just to name a few. Schulze’s latest chiller THORNS is wrapping up its successful worldwide fest run right here at the NYC Horror Film Festival and will be receiving a major theatrical release in 2024.