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Tom DeSimone, a filmmaker who built a distinctive career spanning adult cinema, cult B-movies and television, died on October 17 in Cathedral City, California. He was 87 years old. His brother Bob confirmed the death and said DeSimone chose to end his life through medically assisted dying after receiving a terminal cancer diagnosis.
From Adult Films to Cult Classics
DeSimone was born in Revere, Massachusetts and grew up in Newton and Weston. He earned a master’s degree in film at UCLA and directed his first feature, the low-budget adventure film Terror in the Jungle, in 1968. Early in his career, he directed numerous adult films, including Lust in the Afternoon, Gay Guide to Hawaii and Prison Girls. He often worked under pseudonyms, including Lancer Brooks.
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In 1977, DeSimone moved toward mainstream filmmaking with the comedy Chatterbox. The film starred Candice Rialson as Penny, a beautician who discovers her vagina can talk. Film blog The Passionate Moviegoer described it as “a genuinely funny comedy” about a vagina that “spouts the most politically incorrect things at the most inopportune times.” The review noted the film was “much to the chagrin of the dubious assortment of men who want to bed Penny.”
Horror, Action and a Women-in-Prison Classic
DeSimone later directed two films starring Linda Blair. He helmed the horror film Hell Night and began work on the action film Savage Streets, though he departed that project early. He then directed Angel III: The Final Chapter before moving on to Concrete Jungle, which starred Jill St. John and Tracey E. Bregman.
His 1986 film Reform School Girls became his most enduring work. The campy production earned cult classic status within the women-behind-bars genre. Also during the late 1980s, DeSimone directed four episodes of the horror anthology series Freddy’s Nightmares.
A Long Career in Television
Beyond film, DeSimone maintained an active television directing career. His credits included episodes of Swamp Thing, Super Force, Dark Justice and The Big Easy. He also directed every episode of the soap opera Acapulco Bay.
DeSimone is survived by his brother Bob, sister-in-law Lisa DeSimone, nieces Amanda and Gianna DeSimone, and grandnephew Ori DeSimone.
