# Tom DeSimone, Director of ‘Chatterbox,’ ‘Hell Night’ and ‘Reform School Girls,’ Dies at 87

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/tom-desimone-director-of-chatterbox-hell-night-and-reform-school-girls-dies-at-87/
- Published: 2026-10-26T17:47:14+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-27T01:35:07+00:00
- Original publisher: The Hollywood Reporter
- Original article: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/tom-desimone-dead-hell-night-reform-school-girls-chatterbox-1236740133/
- Topics: Art, Culture

## Key points

- Cult film director Tom DeSimone has died aged 87.
- His work spanned adult cinema, horror and television.
- He directed about 60 episodes of *Acapulco Bay*.

## Summary

Tom DeSimone, the director of cult films including *Hell Night*, *Chatterbox* and *Reform School Girls*, has died aged 87. His career crossed gay adult cinema, horror and women-in-prison films, before he went on to direct television, reflecting a varied path through independent film and mainstream genre work.

DeSimone died on 17 October at a senior care facility in Palm Springs after terminal cancer; his brother said he chose to end his life with medical assistance. Born in Massachusetts in 1939, he studied at Emerson College and UCLA, and directed early gay adult films under the name Lancer Brooks, including *The Collection* (1970). His later credits included four episodes of *Freddy’s Nightmares* and every episode of the telenovela *Acapulco Bay*, believed to total about 60.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.