Peter Hurd

Peter Hurd is a self-taught Writer/Producer/Director with an interest in socially conscious horror films. Initially intending to be a novelist, Peter pursued degrees in English and Philosophy at the University of Minnesota, Morris. While there, he developed an interest in film production and decided to change paths. During his senior year, Peter wrote, produced, and directed his first feature (for which he was also an actor, editor, cameraman, and sound designer), shooting on nights and weekends in his dorm, with his friends working as cast and crew. The resulting erotic vampire horror film, "The Urge," screened on campus and encouraged Peter to pursue a professional filmmaking career. While still finishing college, Peter began to develop his first professional feature. "The Control Group" began shooting just three months after he graduated. This genre-bending mash-up was a love letter to the grindhouse horror of the 70s and 80s and featured the acting talents of Oscar-nominee Brad Dourif (Lord of the Rings, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Child's Play) alongside Luce Rains (No Country For Old Men, 3:10 to Yuma, Hostiles) and Taso Stavrakis (whose combined stunt and acting work for George Romero's zombie classics Hurd emulated for his own feature, even renaming Taso's character after his role in Romero's Day of the Dead). Stepping onto a professional film set for the first time ever while working as both Producer and Director, Peter led his talented cast and crew through an arduous but memorable 30-day shoot in the abandoned Kirkbride insane asylum in Fergus Falls, Minnesota. The film premiered at the Twin Cities Film Fest and was released to Redbox, Amazon Video, and on-demand. International sales began at the 2018 Cannes Film Market. Peter is currently (2020) in development on "The Strippers and the Vampire's Daughter," a sexy horror comedy which features the acting talents of major adult stars including Jayden Cole, Jazy Berlin, Veronica Avluv, and Priya Rai, many of them in their mainstream debuts. Other projects in development include "Red Sand," about a white supremacist cannibal cult who feed on illegal immigrants, and "Nemesis," a thrilling action-horror in the vein of "Predator," which follows a black-ops mercenary team on a rescue mission in an ancient Sumerian temple, where they discover that terrorist bombings have unleashed an ancient avenging demon. Peter is also developing his first TV series, a serialized horror-drama inspired by his time at Morris. In addition to film, Peter has kept up his love for prose writing, publishing his short story "Anna's Video" on Trigger Warning Short Fiction, with a full collection of stories and his debut novel on the way.