CLIVE BARKER..."the future of horror."
- Stephen King
Deke
Anderson –
Mr. Anderson has worked in the entertainment business for nearly 30 
years.
He first earned his living as an actor with substantial roles on numerous
television shows. His many TV credits include series regular on Days of
our Lives; recurring roles on The Show and other episodic
productions; and guest star performances on Cheers, Webster, Brisco
County and the Dick Wolf-produced Nasty Boys.
He has acted in more than 30 feature films, including Army of
Darkness, The Hidden and The General’s Daughter.
Having directed more than 50 re-enactments for the No. 1 reality Cop
show, Mr. Anderson has a keen sense of what it takes to be successful
both in front of and behind the camera.
During a 15-year span at his own Next Level Studios, he has coached
thousands of actors, including Bruce Campbell, Shannon Elizabeth,
Christopher Judge and Sarah Foret.
Clive
Barker – Mr. Barker is one of the premiere contemporary
writers of horror novels, a 
best-selling
author of twenty books, including his first book for children,
The Thief of Always. He
splashed onto the literary scene in 1984 with the first of his Books of
Blood, marvelous collections of novellas and short stories which caused
Stephen King to say that Clive was “the future of horror.”
His novels including The Damnation Game, Weaveworld, and The
Great and Secret Show, have all been best sellers, and the first two
movies that he’s directed, HELLRAISER and NIGHTBREED, have firmly
established him as a star in his chosen field of fantasy and horror. Mr. Barker's singular talent which happens to encompasses many
media forms is actually the ability to excel in imagining, or as he puts it,
it’s an exploration of “the world between my ears.”
cancer patients at Texas Children’s Hospital. Inspired by the paintings
and literature of Clive Barker, works of Paul McCartney, and various early
20th century illustrators, he began his creative journey.
Being self-taught, he never dreamed that he would paint for anyone
except himself. When he was recognized and exhibited in a Houston gallery he
decided that he had been truly blessed and decided to contribute proceeds
from his art to a charity that used art as a healing tool. He decided to
work with the “Arts in Medicine” program at Texas Children’s Hospital.
Mr. Bertram is an art collector and represents “The Art of Clive
Barker’s Abarat.” His
association with Clive Barker and Luna7 (www.luna7.com)
has provided invaluable support to the early stages of Silver Screams Film
Festival.
Ron
Bertram – A
Houston art collector, Mr. Bertram exhibited featured items from
his H.R. 
Giger collection at the first Silver Screams Film
Festival in 2005 and returns this year with an even grander display. H.R.
Giger is the world-famous Swiss artist and surrealist whose work
includes the creation of the Academy Award-winning ALIEN design (www.hrgiger.com).
Both Ron and Don Bertram, continue as proud supporters of Silver
Screams Film Festival.
Frank Dello Stritto – an author known as one of the most eloquent chroniclers of horror films. His latest book, “Vampire Over London: Bela Lugosi in Britain,” written in collaboration with Andi Brooks, was met with critical acclaim. He is a regular columnist to “Cult Movies Magazine.” A writer/historian on “B” horror movies, Frank J. Dello Stritto presents a fascinating contention: That the monsters of the movies are preparing kids for the dark and scary adult world they soon inhabit. Mr. Dello Stritto was born in Hoboken, New Jersey, and though lived in Houston for many years, he and his wife Linda have recently moved to Jakarta, Indonesia, and he’ll be keeping tabs on Silver Screams from there, in hopes of getting back to SSFF from time-to-time.
Carolyn Farb
– Jack Valenti, long-time president of the Motion Picture Association of 
America
said, "Carolyn Farb is the
quintessential fundraiser--a woman with ultimate style, grace, intelligence,
and beauty, who truly knows how to put together amazing events that raise
money for good causes." Houston's
premier volunteer fundraiser and event creator, Carolyn Farb, exemplifies
the essence of public service and philanthropy. She is a native Texan whose
passion shines not only throughout the Lone Star State, but internationally.
No one can equal her passion for embracing a cause, living it, breathing it,
nurturing it and championing it until others become true believers as well.
Dr. Farb is an AFI board member. As the “Honorary Spirit” for
Silver Screams first film festival in 2005, she was instrumental to the
success of its beginning. Her
involvement with Silver Screams continues as it presents the classics of the
genre on the silver screen to audiences of all ages.
J.D.
Feigelson – Screenwriter
of DARK NIGHT OF THE SCARECROW, the closing night 
selection
for 2005’s Silver Screams Film Festival.
Mr. Feigelson is a Beaumont native, who spent his early years as head
of a Houston production studio. He wrote the original script for RED WATER,
starring Lou Diamond Phillips, and served as executive producer. The shark
saga, set along the Louisiana-Texas Gulf Coast, was actually shot in
South Africa. Mr.
Feigelson produced the Civil War drama, “One of the Missing.”
A mutual friend had introduced Mr. Feigelson to author Ray Bradbury
who saw that film. He was
impressed by the work and offered to mentor Feigelson in screenwriting.
The relationship exists to this day.
Mr. Bradbury later hosted the premiere of “One of the Missing”
when it appeared on PBS. The
success of DARK NIGHT OF THE SCARECROW led Mr. Feigelson to Los Angeles in
1981, and the production of DARK NIGHT OF THE SCARECROW, his first
commercial television network movie. It
has since become a cult classic.
Cynthia
Freeland, Ph.D. –
A tenured professor and Chair of the Department of 
Philosophy
at the University of Houston, Dr. Freeland is author of the book “The
Naked and the Undead.” She
loves horror movies, and many of her related lectures address the treatment
of women in horror films. She
was the founding director of Women’s Studies at the University of Houston.
One of her favorite horror films is David Cronenberg’s SCANNERS.
Brandon Jones - In 2006, Mr. Jones represented the sale of SHTICKMEN to Blockbuster stores nation-wide, Blockbuster Online, and Netflix and oversaw the independent theatrical release in Dallas and Chicago. He also represented the sale of the film NICE GUYS SLEEP ALONE to Blockbuster stores nation-wide and most recently represented the distribution deal for the film LOADED to Westlake Entertainment. LOADED will be released theatrically in October 2007 and hit rental and retail shelves in January 2008. Mr. Jones was a producer on KARMA POLICE, currently in post-production. It will hit the festival circuit in 2008.
Mr. Jones formed Film Frog Productions in 2003 as a vehicle to exhibit independent films. Hands on education and experience through operating a mid-size theatre chain in Chicago, marketing manager at Blockbuster, and Director of Sales/Marketing at Studio Movie Grill have given Mr. Jones the tools and know-how in the business of motion picture financing, marketing and distribution. His passion for independent film gives him the drive to make filmmaking in Texas a success.
Rob
McKinnon – Co-founder of
Pure Horror Films, Inc., in Houston, and director of MR. 
HELL
for an Austin production company, Rob McKinnon is a member of Horror
Writers’ Association, and has written two screenplays that he will direct
for Pure Horror Films, Inc. He
graduated cum laude from Boston University with a degree in film and
broadcasting in 1970. Following
his graduation, he headed up the writing department at the three TV networks
that Lyndon Baines Johnson owned in Austin, and has directed numerous
award-winning dramatic format films for television and industry.
Mr. McKinnon began his feature film career with partner Jolene
McMaster, co-director of Silver Screams Film Festival, with the formation of
Pure Horror Films in 2002. In
2008, they will produce the McKinnon scripted CREEK COUNTY, which Rob will
direct.
Steven
Peros – Writer
of both the stageplay and the screenplay of THE CAT’S MEOW, 
which
on screen (2001) starred Kirsten Dunst, Edward Hermann (as William Randolph
Hearst), Eddie Izzard, Jennifer Tilley and was directed by Peter Bogdanovich,
Mr. Peros came to Houston to attend the stage production at Country
Playhouse. He was also writer for the movie MURDERED
INNOCENCE (1995), and has written for the screen, THE UNDYING, a ghost story
which will begin principal photography in January 2008. He is
currently directing FOOTPRINTS, a mystery set entirely on Hollywood
Boulevard. He’s very knowledgeable on classic horror,
and looks forward to coming back to Houston whenever SSFF needs him.
He resides in Los Angeles.
Adam
Simon – Writer
of A HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT, starring Virginia Madsen, is 
currently
filming in Canada. It’s being produced by Gold Circle Films. Mr.
Simon also wrote BONES (2001), starring Snoop Dog and Pam Grier, and THE
AMERICAN NIGHTMARE, a documentary which he wrote and directed for the
Independent Film Channel, and screened by Women In Film & Television
Houston in a special Halloween program in 2002. Mr.
Simon attended the WIFT screening and spoke at length to the audience about
the making of THE AMERICAN NIGHTMARE. He was also
writer/director of CARNOSAUR, starring Diane Ladd in 1993.
He wrote and directed BRAIN DEAD in 1990, starring George Kennedy and
Bill Paxton. Mr. Simon
lives in Los Angeles.
Gordon
K. Smith
– (
a.k.a. "Mr. Weird", the producer/host of DCTV's "Weird
Theatre"), is 
an award-winning Dallas-based writer, filmmaker, film
historian and actor. Born in
Houston and reared in Lubbock, he is a graduate of Texas Tech University and
was one of the very first employees of Blockbuster Video (for whom he wrote
thousands of VHS box blurbs ). Smith
has appeared in bit parts in over 35 movies and TV episodes (including The Alamo and "Walker Texas Ranger").
In 1989 his research work led to the revival of the near-lost cult
classic Carnival of Souls, for
which he was interviewed on National Public Radio the following year.
Recently, he was the researcher for the AMC Channel series
"Movies 101", produced special video tributes for the AFI-Dallas and Fort
Lauderdale Film Festivals, and co-hosted, with WFAA's Gary Cogill,
"It Came From Dallas", an annual salute to pioneer Dallas
filmmakers.