Tragic news this morning – it’s been revealed that Bob Clark, the director of cult classic sex comedy Porky’s, has been killed in a car crash in LA’s Pacific Palisades. He was 67.
Clark was killed, along with his 22 year-old son Ariel, in the early hours of Wednesday morning after a GMC Yukon swerved into the path of Clark’s Infiniti sedan and hit them head-on. Both Clarks were declared dead at the scene.
The driver of the Yukon, 24 year-old Hector Velazquez-Nava, and his passenger, 29 year-old Lydia Mora, were taken to hospital and treated for minor injuries. Velazquez-Nava was later found to have been driving under the influence of alcohol, and operating without a motor vehicle licence.
After treatment, it is expected that he will be charged on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol and gross vehicular manslaughter.
Although Porky’s – the raucous coming-of-age sex comedy – was arguably Clark’s most famous movie (he also made the sequel, Porky’s II: The Next Day), Clark was a versatile director who actually began his career with a couple of under-rated horror movies, including the bleak and startlingly original zombie picture, Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things, **Dead Of Night **(aka Deathdream) – a zombie film that tackles American disillusion with the Vietnam War - and Black Christmas, which in many ways was the first true slasher movie.
Other credits include the high-concept Sherlock Holmes vs Jack The Ripper thriller, Murder By Decree, the Sylvester Stallone-Dolly Parton comedy, Rhinestone, and beloved Christmas movie, A Christmas Story.
Clark – who was born Benjamin Clark in 1941 - was still very much active on the Hollywood scene at the time of his death, albeit directing the likes of Baby Geniuses and its sequel. He wasn’t winding down either – his IMDbiography claims that he was in various stages of production on three movies, including pre-production on a remake of his very own Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things.
His death, and that of his son's, is a terrible, untimely tragedy. RIP, Bob and Ariel.