Jamie Blanks, 1971 – 2026

Australian horror-film director Jamie Blanks, 54, died on March 20 at his home in Melbourne; he had recently been in poor health. Blanks directed such successful horror films as Urban Legend, Valentine, Storm Warning, and Nature’s Grave; he also composed music for some 30 films, including his own. Blanks was married to assistant director Simone Chin. Film historian Brian W. Collins wrote that Blanks “was a genuine film fan . . . despite his career, he still had the same geek passion a lot of us do; in fact, this morning a mutual friend from Massachusetts noted that Jamie was excited to visit him this summer and check out the nearby Jaws shooting locations. Some genre film makers kind of lose their love for it after being on the other side for a while, but not Jamie.”