HEY TO ALL MY KREEPS,

FIRST OF ALL, FELIZ DIA DE LOS MUERTOS

NOW, I'M NOT AN AVID BLOGER SO HERE'S A BUNCHASHIT-

FILM FESTIVALS WITH THE LETTER 'S'

SHRIEKFEST - OCT. 5TH - SUNDAY OCT. 7TH
THIS YEAR I HELPED OUT BY TAKING ALL THE BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO AS WELL AS INTERVIEWING FILMMAKERS; NOT A BAD WAY TO MEET NEW TALENT, CATCH UP WITH THE (UN)USUAL SUPSECTS, AND MAKE NEW AMIGOS. SPEAKING OF, ARMANDO NORTE DID THE ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE PROGRAM (HIS CONTRIBUTION TO THE CAUSE); AS USUAL, A STELLAR FEST (CONGRATULATIONS DENISE)

SACRAMENTO HORROR FILM FESTIVAL - OCT. 19TH- 21ST
MY BUDDIES, JOHN GONSALES, SLAVA SIDERMAN, AND JASON FENTON, THE CREATIVE TYPES BEHIND 'ROADSIDE KILLER' WERE INVITED TO SCREEN AS THIS FLEDGLING FEST, SO IT WAS TIME FOR A ROAD TRIP, AND WHAT A ROAD TRIP IT WAS (SOMEONE SHOULD WRITE A MOVIE ABOUT IT). SUFFICE IT TO SAY, WE ARRIVED IN SAC TOWN AT THE 'HISTORIC' COLONIAL THEATER TO FIND NONE OTHER THAN TONY TODD (YES, THE 'CANDYMAN' HIMSELF) HANDING OUT BARF BAGS FOR THE VOMIT SHOW SCREENINGS, IF THIS WAS AN INDICATION OF THINGS TO COME, I WAS READY FOR IT.
I MUST BE GETTING AROUND AS I HAD SEEN MANY OF THE SELECTIONS ALREADY (AT THE AFORMENTIONED SHRIEKFEST). TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES ASIDE, LET'S JUST SAY I WAS GLAD MY BUDS HAD A SUCCESSFUL SCREENING WITH A Q & A., WHICH I DOCUMENTED (SENSING A PATERN?) I'M THE (UN)OFFICIAL 'ROADSIDE KILLER' ROADIE. WATCH OUT FOLKS. HE'S COMIN' TO GET YA!
THE HOSPITALITY SHOWN TO US WAS AWESOME. WE HUNG OUT WITH A FEMALE ROLLER DERBY TEAM, AND MADE THE AFTER PARTY ROUNDS WITH OUR MATE FROM ACROSS THE POND, JAMES 'ENGLISH' PONCE, DIRECTOR OF THE EXCEPTIONAL SHORT, 'SUMMER JOB'. WE EVEN DROVE HIM BACK TO L.A. -AND I DROPED HIM OFF AT THE 'HOSTEL' (BEING HORROR MOVIE FOLK, WHERE ELSE WOULD HE STAY? THE YMCA? WAIT, THAT IS SCARY)...

THE 'LATE SHIFT' WEEKEND OF OCT. 26TH- 28TH
OH, YEAH, I DIRECTED A SHORT FILM! (WHICH I ALSO WROTE) FOR MY FRIEND, ACTRESS ELINA MADISON. STORY REVOLVES AROUND A WOMAN WORKING THE TITULAR (?) 'LATE SHIFT' AND TRAPPED IN THE BUILDING. IS SHE BEING STALKED BY THE CREEPY JANITOR OR HER LOVE-LORN ASSISTANT? THERE'S A TWIST!
HAD A GREAT TIME DOING THIS (WILL POST SOME PICS IN THE GALLERY SOON) AND LOOK FORWARD TO MAKING THE FILM FESTIVAL ROUNDS (EVEN THOSE THAT DON'T START WITH AN 'S')

ADVENTURES AT THE A.F.M. NOV. 2ND
DECIDED TO DO MY ANNUAL TREK OUT TO SANTA MONICA TO THE LOWES HOTEL FOR THE AMERICAN FILM MARKET. THERE'S ALWAYS A BUZZ IN THE AIR AND I LIKE TO PICK UP THE PRODUCT GUIDE (A HEFTY TOME THAT LISTS ALL THE MOVIES FOR SALE)...
I WAS THERE TO SUPPORT MY PAL, RICK SPALLA OF H.I.P FILMS, WHO WAS THERE WITH CINEMA ARTS DISPLAYING SOME OF HIS HORROR FLICKS, 'DRAIN BABY', AND 'THE VINEYARD' (STUFF I'VE WORKED ON IN VARIOUS CAPACITES). RAN INTO JASON WHO WAS HAPPY WITH HIS SALES FOR 'DRILLER' ('WAY TO GO, JASON'!)...
BUT I WAS KNOCKED OVER TO SEE THAT MY LATEST MOVIE, 'REVAMPED' HAD A FULL PAGE AD IN THE GUIDE AND THAT IT WAS BEING BROKERED BY ARTIST VIEW! (WHICH HANDELED MY FIRST FILM, 'MINER'S MASSACRE', SINCE ON THE SHELVES AT BLOCKBUSTER, HOLLYWOOD VID, AND CABLE, CINEMAX AND SCI-FI) SO I HAD A GOOD FEELING ABOUT IT GETTING OUT. NOT TOO SHABBY...
THEN IT WAS DOWN TO HANG OUT AT THE BAR (WHERE MANY A DEAL WAS BEING BROKERED OVER BOOZE) AND RAN INTO TRACY WILCOX, THE PRODUCER OF 'DEVIL GIRL' (SEEN AT THE AFOREMENTIONED SHRIEKFEST) WHO BOUGHT ME A BEER ('THANKS TRACE'!) AND WE CHATTED ABOUT THE JOURNEY OF SELLING THE FILM (SOMETHING I'VE UNDERTAKEN BEFORE. UGHH)...
IF YOU STAND AT THE BAR LONG ENOUGH, EVERYONE PASSES BY SOONER OR LATER. SPOTTED ON THE FLOOR (AND LATER THEREABOUTS), ACTION STAR OLIVER GRUNNIER ('THE CIRCUIT, PT. 2'- WHICH I WAS IN AS WELL- DOING SOME FIGHTING!), MICHAEL PARE ('STREETS OF FIRE'), AND REPRESENTING 'REVAMPED' THE LOVELY LADIES: TANE MC CLURE AND SPICE WILLIAMS. IT DOESN'T SEEM LIKE AFM WITHOUT FRED 'THE HAMMER' WILLIAMSON- ALSO IN 'REVAMPED'- BUT THERE'S STILL THE WEEKEND...
FILMMAKERS THERE: DAVE STERLING, DON GLUT, ROGER MENDE, SCREENWRITER WILLIAM C. MARTEL; I MET C. COURTNEY JOYNER (DIR. OF FULL MOON'S 'PUPPET MASTERS', 'TRANCERS', AND 'LURKING FEAR' (I LOVE THESE MOVIES); AND BRIAN YUZNA ('RE-ANIMATOR'!!)
THE LATINOS WERE IN THE HOUSE: CESAR ALLEJANDRO ('JUAREZ: STAGES OF FEAR'), FANNY VELEZ ('WASSUP ROCKERS'; I HUNG WITH HER ON HALLOWEEN- THE SEXIEST 5O's GIRL EVER), DAMIAN CHAPPA ('BLOOD IN, BLOOD OUT') WITH HIS NEW MOVIE, 'FUEGO', AND FRANK REYES ('ILLEGAL TENDER')...
AT THE END OF THE DAY I RAN INTO DOUG SCHWAB, FOUNDER OF MAVERICK ENTERTAINMENT WHICH RELEASED MY MOVIE, 'FRIGHT CLUB'. WE CAUGHT UP AND HE GAVE ME THE INSIDE SCOOP: CREATURE FEATURES ARE 'IN'. GUESS I BETTER START WRITING THAT MOVIE ABOUT THE GUY IN THE RUBBER SUIT TERRORIZING STARLETS...

AND LASTLY, MY THOUGHTS ON THE WRITER'S STRIKE:
GET OVER IT AND GET BACK TO WORK

AND, THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKIN ABOUT

UR B'CZAR1