Career
John Fasano directed 6 films, produced 20 more and wrote screenplays for 18 others With novelist Roni Keller, he also wrote the book Evie and the Golem, published in 2011. A weapons expert, Fasano was a frequent writing contributor to such authoritative magazines as Combat Tactics, and American Handgunner.
A writer and producer at Shelf Life Unlimited Films, he was developing a contemporary remake of Chariots of the Gods at the time of his death.
In addition to his writing and film-making credentials, Fasano was also a prolific Halloween mask designer. After graduating State University of New York College at Purchase in 1984, Fasano used his artistic talents art directing for magazines such as Muscle and Beauty, Race Carolina & Driver, Wrestling Power and OUI. He also found work painting the one sheet posters for Grindhouse films such as Tenement (Slaughter in the South Bronx) for legendary exploitation film producers Roberta Findlay and Walter Sear.
Fasano rewrote and acted in their film Blood Sisters. His work impressed All in the Sex Family producer Jack Bravman who contracted Fasano to write and Assistant-Direct the infamous Zombie Nightmare, starring Adam West and a young Tia Carerre.
After that, Fasano directed solo on the cult classic rock-horror features, Rock "n" Roll Nightmare, Black Roses and The Jitters.
After "The Jitters", Fasano moved to Los Angeles in 1989, where he sold his first "spec script", Tailgunner, to Morgan Creek. He then co-wrote the screenplay for Another 48 Hrs. for director Walter Hill, which generated a series of script-writing offers from major studios. His first produced film, on which he was the assistant director and in which he also appeared as character "William Washington", was Zombie Nightmare.
He died at his home in Los Angeles on July 19, 2014, of heart failure.