Dan O'Bannon work was primarily science fiction and horror, serving as a screenwriter and director.
Daniel Thomas `` Dan '' O'Bannon ( September 30 , 1946 -- December 17 , 2009 ) was an American film screenwriter , director , visual effects supervisor , and occasional actor , usually in the science fiction and horror genres . He also contributed computer animation to Star Wars , worked on cult classics such as Dark Star , Heavy Metal and Total Recall , and both wrote and directed the horror comedy The Return of the Living Dead . Invaders from Mars is a 1986 science fiction horror film , directed by Tobe Hooper from a screenplay by Dan O'Bannon and Don Jakoby .