Nicholas Nicastro
- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Nicholas Nicastro is an author, director and producer. Born in Astoria, New York, he received a BA in English from Cornell University (1985), an MFA in filmmaking from New York University (1991), an M.A. in archaeology and a Ph.D. in psychology from Cornell (1996 and 2003). He has worked as a film critic, a hospital orderly, a newspaper reporter, a library archivist, a college lecturer in anthropology and psychology, an animal behaviorist, and an advertising salesman. Nicastro taught anthropology, psychology and writing at Cornell University and Hobart & William Smith Colleges. While active in research, he published scholarly papers in "Journal of Comparative Psychology", "Evolutionary Anthropology", "Behavioral & Brain Sciences", and "American Journal of Archaeology". In 2005, he left academia to pursue writing full-time.
Nicastro's writings include novels, book-length non-fiction, short fiction, travel and science articles in such publications as "The New York Times", "The New York Observer", "Film Comment", and the "International Herald Tribune". In 1996, he wrote and directed the documentary "Science or Sacrilege: Native Americans, Archaeology & the Law", an examination of the conflict between scientists and native people for control of ancient remains. The video was honored by the American Anthropological Association, the Northwest Anthropological Conference, and the American Society for Ethnohistory, and is distributed by Berkeley Media LLC. It is currently held by more than 500 libraries and tribes across the nation, and is still shown in college courses on this subject. His books have been translated and published in seven languages worldwide.
Nicastro wrote a regular film review column for "The New York Observer" from 1988 to 1990. From 2006 to 2015, Nicastro served as film critic for "Tompkins Weekly", a newspaper serving the greater Ithaca, NY area.
Nicastro's ancient fiction, including "Empire of Ashes" and "The Isle of Stone", is marked by a willingness to explore the dark underside of popular historical exploits. In "Ashes", he presents the career of Alexander the Great from the angle of a skeptical Athenian soldier/historian who must debunk Alexander's official divinity to save himself from a charge of sacrilege. In "Isle of Stone", Nicastro presents a portrait of ancient Sparta during the Peloponnesian War that departs from what classical historian Paul Cartledge calls "the Spartan mirage".
His published historical crime novels include "Passion of the Ripper", "Hell's Half-Acre", and "Ella Maud". In 2025, Nicastro began production of a feature-length film adaptation of "Hell's Half-Acre" under the aegis of Goblin Market LLC. He has also been active in producing and directing music videos.
Nicastro's writings include novels, book-length non-fiction, short fiction, travel and science articles in such publications as "The New York Times", "The New York Observer", "Film Comment", and the "International Herald Tribune". In 1996, he wrote and directed the documentary "Science or Sacrilege: Native Americans, Archaeology & the Law", an examination of the conflict between scientists and native people for control of ancient remains. The video was honored by the American Anthropological Association, the Northwest Anthropological Conference, and the American Society for Ethnohistory, and is distributed by Berkeley Media LLC. It is currently held by more than 500 libraries and tribes across the nation, and is still shown in college courses on this subject. His books have been translated and published in seven languages worldwide.
Nicastro wrote a regular film review column for "The New York Observer" from 1988 to 1990. From 2006 to 2015, Nicastro served as film critic for "Tompkins Weekly", a newspaper serving the greater Ithaca, NY area.
Nicastro's ancient fiction, including "Empire of Ashes" and "The Isle of Stone", is marked by a willingness to explore the dark underside of popular historical exploits. In "Ashes", he presents the career of Alexander the Great from the angle of a skeptical Athenian soldier/historian who must debunk Alexander's official divinity to save himself from a charge of sacrilege. In "Isle of Stone", Nicastro presents a portrait of ancient Sparta during the Peloponnesian War that departs from what classical historian Paul Cartledge calls "the Spartan mirage".
His published historical crime novels include "Passion of the Ripper", "Hell's Half-Acre", and "Ella Maud". In 2025, Nicastro began production of a feature-length film adaptation of "Hell's Half-Acre" under the aegis of Goblin Market LLC. He has also been active in producing and directing music videos.
