Making his debut in 1990 with the thriller, Horseplayer, David Birke is a screenwriter. His debut movie as a writer was directed by Kurt Voss and has developed a cult following over the years. Birke next worked on TV movies like The Fear Inside (1992), Kiss and Tell (1996), and A Kidnapping in the Family (1996). His other works as a writer include Gacy (2003), Dark Town (2004), Freeway Killer (2010), and 13 Sins (2014). Perhaps Birke's best known work came in 2016 when he worked on the screenplay of the crime-thriller, Elle. The movie directed by veteran director Paul Verhoeven, was based on the novel Oh... by Philippe Djian. Isabelle Huppert was nominated for an Academy award in the Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for her role in the movie, at the 89th Academy Awards. In 2018 Birke served as the writer on director Sylvain White's horror movie, Slender Man. The movie is based on the creepypasta Internet meme created by Eric Knudsen, who is also serving as the writer and creator of the character.