Photo by Miikko Oikkonen

With 30 years of experience in the industry, Finnish writer/director MARKO MÄKILAAKSO is recognized for his high-energy visual style and passion for cinema. He has built an international career specializing in action, horror, and cult comedies, while also working on high-end drama thriller series for major international networks and streaming platforms such as Netflix and Arte. Bill Pullman, Stephen King, Gwyneth Paltrow, Eric Idle, and Mick Garris are among the fans of the series for which Marko has directed episodes. He is also part of Masters of Horror, an informal annual gathering of the biggest names in the horror genre. He has had the pleasure of directing talent such as Christopher Lambert, Adrian Paul, Zach Galligan, William Daniels, Callum McGowan, Peter Franzén, Sean Teale, and Chuck Campbell, just to name a few.

Marko began making short films at an early age and won his first national award at just 14, launching him into the world of commercials before moving on to directing commercials and music videos, and eventually transitioning into television and feature films. In 2004, he worked as second unit director on Nightbeasts, feature film and in 2007 shot his feature debut with War of the Dead (2011), an international English-language action-horror co-production between the USA, Lithuania, and Italy, which he also wrote and co-produced. War of the Dead ranked at #6 on Collider’s "10 Great Zombie Movies That Take Place in Wartime" list, as well as at #5 on IDN Times’ "7 Recommended Zombie Horror Films" list.

He went on to direct the Syfy original movie Deadly Descent (2013), a globally released action film that premiered in the US to strong viewership (1.54 million viewers), followed by Ella and Friends 2 (2013), a successful family comedy based on a popular children’s book. In 2017, It Came from the Desert, based on the classic ’80s video game, premiered at Fantasy Filmfest and became a festival hit around the world. It later achieved wide release and long-running popularity on Hulu. TheWrap ranked the movie #5 on its list of "The Best Horror Movies Based on a Video Game." David Gelmini of Dread Central also praised the movie, saying, "It Came from the Desert could also be the best film based on a video game ever made."

In television, Marko directed episodes of the award-winning crime drama Bordertown, released globally on Netflix, as well as the Nordic thriller Helsinki Syndrome (2022) and its second season (2024), both of which received high international praise from critics and viewers. His fifth feature film, The Creeps, an action-horror-comedy shot in Finland during lockdown, premiered at the prestigious BIFFF and Sitges Film Festivals in 2025 and became an instant cult hit.  Alongside his film work, Marko has developed projects with notable industry figures, including Stan Lee, Lloyd Kaufman, Mick Garris, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Kris Van Damme, and his work has been distributed through major platforms such as Netflix, Hulu, Universal, Syfy, Canal+, and FOX.

His music videos have earned three Emma Award nominations (the Finnish Grammys) for Best Domestic Music Video, winning once. They include Robin’s "Frontside Ollie," which became the most-watched domestic music video on YouTube in Finland at the time of its release and a pop culture phenomenon. In 2025, he was honored to attend the prestigious Masters of Horror dinners in Los Angeles and London, which were a dream come true for him. Currently, Marko is developing the noir crime thriller Salome, co-written with Mick Garris (the script was praised by John Carpenter), which Marko is producing with Garris, who is also directing the film. Marko is also attached to direct The Scout, Viking: Rise of the Warrior, The Killdren, and the series Arrowhead.

He lives between Germany and the Netherlands and continues to work internationally.

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Photo by Kimmo Korhonen

Masters of Horror Dinner 2025