Canadian mega-producer Peter Simpson (not to be confused with the American actor of the same name) built a career for himself by turning out exploitative and lurid grinders, such as Prom Night (1980) and its two sequels; the abominable Curtains (1983); and Bullies (1986) -- many produced at a point when the Canadian government was offering massive tax breaks to filmmakers. Though Simpson's box-office fodder seldom demonstrated any substance or taste, and often catered to the lowest common denominator, it did demonstrate an outstanding fiscal instinct, grossing whopping sums at the Canadian and U.S. box offices and making Simpson a very wealthy man. By all accounts an extremely colorful and convivial person, Simpson demonstrated a cutting sense of humor and loved to skewer pretentiousness within the film industry.
From 1997 onward, Simpson changed directions slightly, partnering up with British producer Allan Scott and reorienting himself and his production output toward a more highbrow audience, with a series of prestigious art films. These included Regeneration (1998) and The Fourth Angel (2001). At the time of his death at age 64, Simpson was reportedly developing a biopic of John Candy.
