Urban Legend director Jamie Blanks dies aged 54

Australian film-maker behind cult horror films including Valentine and 2008’s Long Weekend was known for his pulpy take on hack’n’slash

Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox

The cult Australian film-maker Jamie Blanks has died aged 54. He was best known for Urban Legend, the 1998 horror starring Jared Leto, Alicia Witt and Joshua Jackson.

On Friday morning, Blanks’ family issued a statement on X announcing his death: