Sheridan Monkhouse: Director and new Screen Idle columnist

Film director sheridan monkhouse in front of his swimming pool

An updated version of this biography is available here

Links to his podcasts can be found here

Legendary director Sheridan Monkhouse is best known for his 13 Interceptors films. However, it’s his versatility that consistently surprises, from the terrifying Hellmare to the steamy Platinum Desire, no genre is out of his command.

First making his name for himself as the director of iconic British seventies adverts with characters such as the sexy Spangles girl and the post-apocalyptic Grifter man that still resonate today.

He worked briefly with Stephen Spielberg on Jaws, but sadly they fell out.

“My first job was Jaws,” explains Sheridan in his biography – Sheridan Monkhouse: My Direction

“I was just out of film school and I wanted to get some onset experience. I only spoke to Stephen once. I said he should make it about a tiger, not a shark, so it could terrorise people on land. He said he wanted it to be set in the sea. I said make it a tiger that can swim. He said tigers wouldn’t swim in the ocean. I said make it a genetically altered sea-going tiger. He fired me.

“Outstanding man, Steven, but no imagination.”

He really broke through with the gritty action classic -The Interceptors, a film described by the Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw as ‘a film.’

Since then, there’s been a stream of cinematic classics that have re-defined the way we think about the movies. The staggering vision of the Canine Dimension which convincingly portrays a parallel dimension of intelligent dogs is landmark sci-fi and it’s influence can be seen in everything from Rise of the Planet of the Apes to Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.

Many people considered it a tragedy that Snowflake, his harrowing 2010 tale of a devastating bout of swimmer’s ear was overlooked for the Best Picture Oscar in favour of The Hurt Locker. Whilst Sheridan has only ever had kind words for Kathryn Bigelow’s picture, many people find it a mediocre experience when compared to transcendental Snowflake.

Sheridan continues to direct today and is currently working on a revolutionary 4D movie about a gang of roller skating ninjas from the future who return through time to do battle with demonic Vikings from the past

Sheridan’s fascinating podcasts, in which he gives insight into the making of some of his best loved pictures are available on iTunes here