Tom DeSimone, Director of ‘Chatterbox,’ ‘Hell Night’ and ‘Reform School Girls,’ Dies at 87
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.
In short
- 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*.
Explained simply
Tom DeSimone worked across several kinds of film and television, from gay adult cinema to horror and women-in-prison films. Early in his career, he directed gay adult films using the name Lancer Brooks, before moving into other genres.
His work included the horror film Hell Night and the prison drama Reform School Girls, as well as television episodes such as Freddy’s Nightmares. He also directed the telenovela Acapulco Bay, a long-running form of serial television popular in Latin America.
His career linked independent films made for specialist audiences with television and better-known genre productions. That range helps explain why his work is remembered across different parts of screen culture.