Who Directed The She-Devil Is Back And What Else Did They Direct?

I'm fascinated by the quirky corners of '80s and '90s cinema, and digging into who made 'The She-Devil Is Back' got me tracking down the director and their other work. The person behind it is Susan Seidelman — she’s best known for her energetic, offbeat films that capture a kind of gritty, feminist urban vibe. You might know her from 'Desperately Seeking Susan' (1985), which really put her on the map: that one’s a candy-colored, punk-meets-mainstream road movie that made Madonna a star and became a cult classic. Before that she made 'Smithereens' (1982), a raw, street-level indie about a desperate young woman in New York chasing a shot at fame; it’s scrappy and authentic in a way that clearly informed her later work.

Seidelman also directed 'Making Mr. Right' (1987), a satirical romantic sci-fi about a woman who falls for a robot scientist, and then 'She-Devil' (1989) — which is often the title people associate with the Roseanne Barr/Meryl Streep black-comedy revenge movie from that period. Later, she made 'Gaudi Afternoon' (2001), a lighter mystery with a travel-meets-detective feel, and she’s done a fair amount of television directing too, bringing her eye for character and style to episodic work. Her films often center on complicated women who break the mold, and she mixes humor with social commentary in a way I really respect.

If you like director-driven films that feature bold female leads and a slightly anarchic energy, Seidelman’s filmography is a fun rabbit hole. I love how she balances commercial sensibility with indie quirk — 'Desperately Seeking Susan' is glossy and mainstream but still full of weird choices, while 'Smithereens' is closer to a vérité snapshot of NYC youth. Watching her movies back-to-back gives you a nice view of a director who managed to cross from underground cred to broader recognition without losing her edge. For me, her work is a reminder that female filmmakers were making smart, funny, and strange movies well before it was fashionable to call them that — and that’s always exciting to revisit.

I’ll keep this short and punchy: the director connected to 'The She-Devil Is Back' is Susan Seidelman. She cut her teeth with the gritty indie 'Smithereens' and then hit a wider audience with the unforgettable 'Desperately Seeking Susan', which practically defined a slice of '80s pop-culture cool. After that she made 'Making Mr. Right' and the more comedic 'She-Devil' (the one with Roseanne Barr and Meryl Streep), and later went on to direct 'Gaudi Afternoon' among other projects.

Seidelman’s films usually blend humor with a bit of social critique, and she’s got a knack for charismatic, messy female protagonists. I always appreciate her work because it feels both personal and playful — like she’s having fun with genre while quietly nudging the audience to think. If you’re into female-forward cinema with personality, she’s someone I’d recommend checking out.

Looking across the career of the person who directed 'The She-Devil Is Back', I keep coming back to Susan Seidelman’s rhythm: she alternates between character-driven indie dramas and playful mainstream experiments. Her breakout, 'Desperately Seeking Susan', captured a neon, urban mood and helped establish her sensibility in the mid-'80s; earlier, 'Smithereens' had that scrappy, street-level realism. Later films like 'Making Mr. Right' show she enjoyed bending genres, and she’s also done television work that allowed her to explore episodic character arcs rather than single-film resolutions. What I appreciate most is how she centers women who are complicated and funny, refusing to flatten them into tropes. Watching her stuff now, you get both a time capsule of its era and choices that continue to feel modern — it’s the kind of filmography I keep coming back to when I want something smart but not precious.

Tiny trivia for movie-night chatter: 'The She-Devil Is Back' was directed by Susan Seidelman. She’s the one behind 'Desperately Seeking Susan' and the punky little 'Smithereens', and she enjoys meddling with genres, like in 'Making Mr. Right'. I always notice how her films put quirky, resilient people at the center and give them small flamboyant moments that stick. If you’re into oddball female-led stories that are equal parts heart and bite, her name popping up is a good sign. I still laugh thinking about some of the scenes she stages.

The film 'The She-Devil Is Back' was directed by Susan Seidelman, and you can totally see her fingerprints in the way the characters are stylized and the world feels slightly off-kilter. I love how she mixes quirky humor with real emotional weirdness — that’s her signature from early works. Seidelman came to wider attention with 'Desperately Seeking Susan', which famously helped launch Madonna into pop-culture stratosphere, and before that she made the gritty, punk-spirited 'Smithereens'.

She also made 'Making Mr. Right', which leans into rom-com sci-fi oddness, and over the years she’s hopped between indie cinema and television projects. If you like directors who let actors be oddly human and make pop culture feel like a small neighborhood, Seidelman’s filmography is a sweet rabbit hole to go down. I always walk away from her films feeling amused and a little seen, which is why I'm still recommending them to friends.