Bob Clark, Director of 'Porky's' and 'A Christmas Story,' Killed by DUI Driver

Early Wednesday morning, versatile filmmaker Bob Clark was killed in a car crash that also killed his 22-year-old son, Ariel. According to investigators, the accident, which occurred on the Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades, California, was caused by the driver of the other vehicle, who was under the influence of alcohol and had no license. That man survived the crash with minor injuries, as did his passenger, and he will be arrested on DUI and vehicular manslaughter charges once he is released from the hospital.

Depending on who you ask, Clark was best known for any one of his varied classic films. Most people probably associate him first with A Christmas Story, though some would remember him more for Porky's, which is apparently being remade by Howard Stern, or Black Christmas, a horror film which was just recently remade. He was twice-nominated for the Razzie for worst director (for Rhinestone and Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2) and his most recent pictures, The Karate Dog for instance, were anything but great, but he was at the time of his death attached to a few pics that might have brought him back into favor, including a remake of his Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things.

Even if he hadn't made any more classics, though, Clark would be forever thought of as a terrific storyteller with a talent for writing and directing in different genres, including horror, teen sex comedy, mystery, holiday and family films. Also, for those of us who like to praise Joe Dante's Homecoming episode of the Masters of Horror series, it seems that Clark may have been the first to come up with the idea with the Vietnam zombie pic Deathdream (a.k.a. Dead of Night).