Welcome to the award-winning Sunrise Studios, the world leader in cutting-edge entertainment for over thirty years.

The seeds of the studio were planted in 1959, when aspiring producer Don Crosby teamed up with young story editor Don Gordon to make their first film, It Walked From The Waves, for a mere $12,000. Released in 1960, the film became the first strange, scrappy, sea-soaked step toward what would become one of Hollywood’s most unpredictable success stories.

Over the next three decades, Crosby and the late Gordon, who passed away in 1996, became known throughout the industry as “The Two Dons.” Under their leadership, Sunrise Studios grew from a fledgling independent production company into a Hollywood institution. Today, with distribution in over 200 countries, a prolific production slate of more than 35 films per year, and a library of over 500 titles, Sunrise Studios stands as one of the most profitable film studios in cinematic history.

From the beginning, Sunrise built its name on risk. After It Walked From The Waves, the studio moved quickly into creature features, western curiosities, science-fiction oddities, action thrillers, and horror pictures with a pulse. In 1961, Sunrise released both The Creature With Seven Arms and Where Are You, Doc Holiday?, proving that the studio had no interest in staying in one lane. By 1963, The Bombshell-ter and Zombie Martians From Deep Outer Space pushed Sunrise further into the wild edges of genre filmmaking.

The studio’s early reputation only grew throughout the 1960s. Nightcrawlers arrived in 1964, followed by Cellblock of the Amazons and Revenge of Hell’s Belles in 1965. In 1967, the one and only Bronson Bohrer got his first break shooting the biker-thriller Angel Abduction for The Two Dons, the same year Sunrise released Tailpipe. By the end of the decade, Powder Alley had cemented the studio’s growing reputation for edgy, counter-culture cinema.

As an industry vanguard, Sunrise was never afraid to take risks in order to bring audiences the finest in action-adventure, science fiction, fantasy, comedy, drama, and horror. That fearless approach defined the 1970s, one of the studio’s most prolific and notorious eras.

The decade began with Opium Den and The Path to Gold in 1970, followed by Midnight Snacks in 1971. Then came Is Somebody There? in 1972, the cult hit scored by Dante Paltrow, the Oscar-winning composer who famously began his career working in the Sunrise mailroom. In 1973, Sunrise released Shutout!, before 1974 brought two of the studio’s most memorable productions: The First House on the Right and Who Said That?

And who could forget bombshell Mimi Patterson’s famous blood-curdling scream from the roof of The First House on the Right, a set that still exists today on the Sunrise back lot? It was also on Stage 4’s notorious hospital set that the lovely Sharon Vaughn found both a cure for her schizophrenia and love in Who Said That?

By the mid-1970s, Sunrise had become a full-blown factory of fearless genre filmmaking. In 1975 alone, the studio released Amazombies, Creature From The San Andreas Fault, and Frankenpimp. The madness continued with Space Psycho in 1976, Deathworld and Don’t Go Downstairs in 1977, I Peel Off Your Skin in 1978, and Don’t Go Downstairs Again in 1979.

Housed on the old Fox Studios lot on Western Boulevard, Sunrise Studios had established itself as a true force in the film industry with an impressive and wildly varied body of work. The studio’s back lot, sound stages, hospital sets, monster suits, fake blood rigs, and endless parade of screaming victims became the stuff of Hollywood legend.

The 1980s opened with Never Go Downstairs in 1980, continuing one of the studio’s most recognizable horror threads. Sunrise then released Leech Lake in 1982 and Electric Eel 2: The Slithering in 1983, before charging into adventure territory with Kentucky Barnes and The Lost Map of Machupichu in 1985. The following year brought Colombian Necktie and Gimme Some!, the debut film from Black filmmaker Lionel Washington, whose bold new voice reflected Sunrise’s continued interest in independent American filmmakers.

The decade continued with The Butcher, The Baker, and the Candlestick Killer and We’re Gonna Take A Ride in 1987, followed by Dr. Jugular in 1988. By then, “The Sunrise School” had evolved into an alternative filmmaking institute whose graduates were becoming powerful filmmakers with blockbuster credits throughout the industry.

Behind the scenes, Sunrise was becoming just as legendary as the films it produced. With Don Crosby serving as chairman and Don Gordon remembered as co-founder and former chairman, the studio’s leadership team expanded to include current president Bill Birch, President of Worldwide Productions Ira Krane, CFO and legal chief Roland F. Lake, Senior Vice President of Production Floyd Malone, Senior Vice President of Post Production Arnie Reisner, and Senior Vice President of Acquisitions and Distribution Heather Rice.

Sunrise’s creative engine was powered by a staff as colorful as its filmography. Steve Carter served as executive story editor, while Helen Combs worked as story editor and Virginia Grey as creative executive. Sandy Day oversaw production as Director of Production, Anita Dreyer led creative and media, and Natasha Lee kept the president’s office moving as assistant to Bill Birch. Lynn McKay served as assistant to Don Crosby, while Roberta Marquez handled administration and Gwen Moran managed human resources.

The studio lot itself became a living machine. James Kern oversaw studio operations, Karim Patel managed the sound stages, Frank Fenton handled props, Dave Greenfield kept transportation moving, Tony Slate worked in the woodshop, Martin Stevens ran the commissary, Ralph McGinnis handled maintenance, Vernon Duke served as head of security, and Bianca Burnette preserved the company’s long and bloody history as head of archives. Even Cody Carlson, Sunrise’s Intern of the Month, became part of the studio’s ever-expanding lore.

The 1990s brought a new wave of Sunrise titles, beginning with Bloodthirsty Vampires From Deep Outer Space and Erotic Illusions in 1991. The studio followed with Ice Scream Truck in 1992, Lethal Passion in 1993, Goin’ Postal in 1995, and both Real Estate Agent of Death and Special Ed in 1996. Hacker arrived in 1997, just as Sunrise was preparing for the film that would introduce the studio to an entirely new generation of horror fans.

In 1998, Sunrise Studios released Stab.

Based on Gale Weathers’ book The Woodsboro Murders, Stab became one of the studio’s defining modern horror properties. That same year, Sunrise also released The Boxcutter and There’s Something About Carrie, but it was Stab that carved its way into pop-culture immortality. In 1999, Stab 2 continued the phenomenon and pushed the franchise even further into horror history.

While many fans know Sunrise as the studio that brought the Stab series to the screen, the studio is much, much more. Still, there is no denying that Stab became one of its crown jewels, especially under the dynamic horror team of splatter producer extraordinaire John Milton and scream-inducing director Fred Rifkin. Milton, now deceased, remains one of Sunrise’s most infamous producers, and his work with Rifkin helped turn the Stab series into one of the studio’s signature achievements.

The 2000s began with one of Sunrise’s busiest release years. In 2000, the studio unleashed Apocalypse 2000, Mosquitoes Take Manhattan, Raise Da Roof, The Legend of Slim Carter, and Voodoo Club. That same year, production began on Stab 3: Return to Woodsboro, though the film was ultimately shut down after the cast was murdered during production.

That cancelled version of Stab 3 would eventually inspire a new film, Stab 3: Hollywood Horror, released in 2001 and based on the “actual” events surrounding the original failed production. From there, the Stab franchise continued with Stab 4 in 2004, Stab 5 in 2005, and Stab 6: Ghostface Returns in 2008.

Through the years, the maverick Sunrise Studios has changed with the times and redefined industry standards. Its upcoming slate of theatrical releases and direct-to-DVD films is no exception. With Stab 3 coming to theaters near you, and with Stab 2: Director’s Cut, Stab: Back In the Back, and Stab 2: Behind the Scenes hitting DVD shelves, the future is bright for Sunrise fans.

The next decade kept the Stab legacy alive with Stab 7: Knife of the Hunter in 2010, continuing the studio’s most infamous horror franchise. Then, in 2021, Sunrise returned to where the modern legend began with a new film simply titled Stab.

From It Walked From The Waves to Stab, Sunrise Studios has built a legacy out of monsters, killers, lost maps, back-lot screams, counter-culture shocks, strange experiments, and blockbuster nightmares. What began with two young filmmakers and $12,000 became a cinematic empire, run by executives, editors, craftspeople, archivists, guards, assistants, producers, and dreamers who helped turn Sunrise into one of Hollywood’s most enduring institutions.