Guests
Featured Guests
Aaron Scott Moorhead is a filmmaker, who works with his filmmaking partner Justin Benson. Alongside Benson, he has served in directing, producing, editing, and acting roles in their projects, while Moorhead is also a cinematographer and Benson is a writer.
Their first film, the 2012 horror film Resolution, was screened at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival. They described their partnership as purely collaborative and cast the lead actors after working with them on previous commercials they had worked on. Their follow-up, the 2014 romantic body horror film Spring, premiered at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival. The film was publicly praised by both Richard Linklater and Guillermo del Toro. The pair's work can also be found in the horror anthology film V/H/S: Viral, in the segment entitled "Bonestorm." Their film, The Endless, premiered in competition at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2017 and was theatrically released in 2018 by Well Go USA Entertainment. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the duo created and starred in Something in the Dirt, which was shot in Benson's apartment due to restrictions on the film industry at the time.
In television, Benson and Moorhead have contributed to multiple Marvel Cinematic Universe television series. After directing two episodes of Moon Knight, the duo were recruited as lead directors of the second season of Loki. After a significant creative reshuffle on Daredevil: Born Again, the two were hired to direct most of the episodes.
Guests
In 1998 Scott Glancy left a perfectly functional career as an attorney to join up with the role-playing game publisher Pagan Publishing, the nerd equivalent of running away to join the Foreign Legion. Today Scott is the man in charge of Pagan Publishing (much in the same sense that the last surviving legionnaire can be said to be in command of Fort Zinderhoff). Pagan’s most recent project is “Horrors of War,” an anthology of scenarios set during the Great War for the Call of Cthulhu role-playing game. Scott is a contributing author on the award-winning Delta Green series of Call of Cthulhu rpg supplements and has had Lovecraftian fiction published in several short story collections including the recent "Book of Cthulhu II," "Shotguns v. Cthulhu," and the upcoming “Swords v. Cthulhu.” You can hear his recorded games sessions on Role-Playing Public Radio, and listen to him bloviate on the Unspeakable Podcast and Podcast at Ground Zero.
Andrew Leman is one of the founding members of the H. P. Lovecraft Historical Society, and has produced a number of literary, film, theatrical, music, prop and gaming projects there over the decades with his longtime friend and collaborator Sean Branney. He has written and produced more than 20 live-action Lovecraftian role-playing games. He wrote and directed the first HPLHS film, "The Testimony of Randolph Carter", directed "The Call of Cthulhu", and co-wrote and co-produced The Whisperer in Darkness. He co-wrote, produced, and appears in the "Dark Adventure Radio Theatre" series of Lovecraft adaptations. Leman earned his MFA in acting from the University of Illinois, and has been seen on professional stages in Chicago and Los Angeles. He greatly enjoys reading for The H. P. Lovecraft Literary Podcast and being an occasional guest host. When not pursuing any of these many other occupations, Leman is a graphic and type designer, and his typographical work has been seen in books and on movie screens, Trader Joe’s products, and billboards nationwide.
Cody Goodfellow has written ten novels and five collections of short stories, and has won three Wonderland Book Awards. His comics work has been featured in Mystery Meat, Creepy, Slow Death Zero and Skin Crawl. As an actor, he has appeared in numerous short films, TV shows, music videos by Anthrax and Beck, and a Days Inn commercial. He wrote, co-produced and scored the Lovecraftian hygiene films "Baby Got Bass" and "Stay At Home Dad," which can be viewed on YouTube.
Kenneth Hite has designed, written, or co-authored 100+ roleplaying works, including Trail of Cthulhu, Bookhounds of London, The Dracula Dossier, the Delta Green RPG, Night’s Black Agents, The Fall of Delta Green, and Vampire: the Masquerade 5th Edition. His other works include the two-volume Tour de Lovecraft, Cthulhu 101, The Cthulhu Wars for Osprey, the “Lost in Lovecraft” column for Weird Tales, an annotated edition of Chambers’ The King in Yellow, and four Lovecraftian children’s books. Half of the Ken and Robin Talk About Stuff podcast and an Artistic Associate at Chicago’s WildClaw Theatre, he lives in Chicago with two Lovecraftian cats and his non-Lovecraftian wife, Sheila.
Sean is a producer, actor, director and writer with the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society which he runs with his nefarious colleague, Andrew Leman. He was intimately involved in the creation of the motion pictures The Call of Cthulhu and The Whisperer in Darkness, nineteen episodes of Dark Adventure Radio Theatre, and many other Lovecraftian projects. With his work at the HPLHS, he's created many other Lovecraftian entertainments. Sean also produces and directs live theatre in Los Angeles. He plays ice hockey and has four chinchillas.
Molly Tanzer is the author of the weird western Vermilion (Word Horde, 2015) and the forthcoming historical novel The Pleasure Merchant (Lazy Fascist, 2015). Her debut collection, the Lovecraftian mosaic novel A Pretty Mouth, was nominated Sydney J. Bounds and Wonderland Book Award. Her other Lovecraftian short fiction has appeared in Nightmare Magazine was well as on the Lovecraft eZine, and in such anthologies as the forthcoming Cthulhu Fthagn!, The Book(s) of Cthulhu, Future Lovecraft, and The Book of the Dead. Her forthcoming Lovecraftian stories include "The Thing on the Cheerleading Squad" (She Walks in Shadows) and "But Only Because I Love You" (Dreams From the Witch House). She is also the co-editor of the forthcoming Swords v. Cthulhu, with Jesse Bullington. Molly lives in Boulder, Colorado with her husband and a very bad cat. She tweets @molly_the_tanz, and blogs — infrequently — at http://mollytanzer.com.
Frances Lu-Pai Ippolito (she/her) is a Chinese American writer in Portland, Oregon. Her writing has appeared or is forthcoming in Nailed Magazine, Buckman Journal, Flame Tree Press's Asian Ghost Stories, Strangehouse's Chromophobia, Startling Stories, Not a Pipe's Stories Within, Mother: Tales of Love and Terror, Death’s Garden Revisited, and Unquiet Spirits: Essays by Asian Women in Horror. Frances also co-chairs the Young Willamette Writers program that provides free writing classes for high school and middle school students. You can find her on IG @paippolito, Twitter @frances_pai, and at www.francesippolito.com
Michelle had been making costumes for herself and for friends for a few years when she had the crazy idea to try to create for herself a Cthulhu costume. After a journey to the fabric temple with only a vague idea she returned home with some green, mottled, scaled stretch velour and a bodysuit pattern. After reusing some old fairy wings and some stuffing she managed to create a costume that was looked upon with horror when Cthulhu Girl ventured out into Portland one Halloween. A brief appearance at Orycon won her some awards and much more favorable looks than the previous appearance but Cthulhu Girl went back into the closet soon after. Michelle has been attending the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival since some students took her along shortly after she moved to Portland, OR to work at Reed College in 2000. But it was a few years and festivals before she was brave enough to don the costume at the HPLFF and once again become Cthulhu Girl. She has since made many appearances at the HPLFF, welcoming the crowds, posing for pictures, and handing out awards. The first year Cthulhu Girl appeared at the festival was immortalized in the documentary Lovecraft: Fear of the Unknown.
John Shirley is an author, screenwriter, television writer, comics writer, singer, and songwriter. With over 40 novels and 8 short story collections to his name, he won the Bram Stoker Award from the Horror Writers Association for his collection, Black Butterflies: A Flock on the Dark Side. His novels include Demons, Stormland, Cellars, A Sorcerer of Atlantis, and Wetbones. He is co-screenwriter of The Crow, and has written for television and animation. He performs with his band, THE SCREAMING GEEZERS, and his newest story collection is The Feverish Stars.
Nicole Merat is an American actress based in Seattle, WA, where she attended Cornish College of the Arts (2008-2012) and received her BFA in Acting. Best known for her co-starring role in Mountainside as Stella. Nicole loves sci-fi, documentaries, and creature features, and is a sucker for good cinematography and soundtracks. She is also a yoga teacher and sound bath practitioner. Nicole is represented by TC Talent in Seattle, WA.
Wendy N. Wagner is a Shirley Jackson award-nominated writer and Hugo award-winning editor of short fiction. Her work includes the forthcoming novel The Creek Girl (2025, Tor Nightfire), the gothic novella The Secret Skin, the horror novel The Deer Kings, and more than seventy short stories, poems, and essays. She serves as the editor-in-chief of Nightmare Magazine and lives in Oregon.
Aaron Vanek’s student film The Outsider was the first movie to play at the first H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival®. Subsequent movies screening at the HPLFF include My Necronomicon, Return to Innsmouth, The Yellow Sign, and Call of Tutu. He was awarded the “Howie” in 2001 for contributions to Lovecraft Cinema, and he founded and co-hosted the HPLFF in San Pedro (Los Angeles) from 2010-2016. Upcoming projects include contributions to the Dreamlands RPG by Jason Bradley Thompson, and a crowdfund to remaster and re-release a compilation of his weird tale movies. See also: AaronVanek.com and SpectacularDisasterFactory.com
Adam Bolivar is a formal poet of folkloric fantasy, a weird fiction writer and a playwright for marionettes with a particular interest in alliterative verse, balladry and Jack tales. He is the author of THE LAY OF OLD HEX (Hippocampus Press, 2017), THE ETTINFELL OF BEACON HILL (Jackanapes Press, 2021), BALLADS FOR THE WITCHING HOUR (Hippocampus Press 2022) and A WHEEL OF RAVENS (Jackanapes Press, 2023). Discover more at https://adambolivar.com
As a child, I was afraid of the dark, dolls, and monsters. Surprisingly, as I grew older, these very fears became the inspiration for my greatest passion: filmmaking. I feel incredibly fortunate to be able to turn my childhood terrors into captivating stories on screen. It's a journey from fear to fascination that I'm grateful to share with audiences everywhere.
Andrew S. Fuller writes dark and strange stories. His fiction appears in several magazines, anthologies, short films, and the new collection Constellations of Ruin (2023, Trepidatio Publishing). Since 1999, he’s been editor-in-chief of Three-Lobed Burning Eye magazine. He lives in Portland, OR near two rivers, several extinct(?) volcanoes, and is friends with several crows and spiders. Visit him online at andrewsfuller.com.
Brandon Seifert is a comics writer from Fairbanks, Alaska, based in Portland, Oregon. Brandon's debut original series "Witch Doctor" was hand-picked by Robert Kirkman as the launch title for Kirkman's Skybound Entertainment at Image Comics. Brandon's Marvel Comics series "Disney Kingdoms: Seekers of the Weird" has received acclaim for its urban fantasy take on the 'lost' real-life Disneyland attraction the Museum of the Weird. Brandon and Clive Barker co-wrote the 12 issue "Hellraiser: The Dark Watch" series from BOOM! Studios. He is currently hard at work on his first novel. Brandon can be found online at Brandon-Seifert.com, on Twitter (@BrandonTSeifert), and on Facebook http://facebook.com/brandontseifert.
Brian Hauser is a screenwriter, filmmaker, novelist, and scholar of weird fiction. He has won the HPLFF screenwriting award three times. Better Like This (2024) is his first film to screen at the festival.
Brice Brown is a stop-motion animator from West Linn Oregon, a 2022 CalArts alumnus of the Experimental Animation program. Here, he developed a custom modeling clay formula for his films, which he continues to sell to fellow animators. His first film, Thomas And The Extraordinary Bathroom Incident, premiered at the Hollywood Theater in 2017 receiving first prize for the International Youth Silent Film Festival. This year, he was the lead animator for a Nounsfest submission directed by Lee Peffer. Currently, he is working with animator Jesse Korson to develop an animated horror series based on the film Scarecrow Alley.
Christina Acevedo is a multifaceted artist based in Philadelphia. Her directorial and screenwriting path took off in 2008 with her debut short film ‘Wild Idle’ premiering in Canne’s Courts Métrages program and ICA Philadelphia. Since then, Christina has produced experimental music, created video art, short films, music videos and is founder of ProForce Sport, a martial arts athleisure brand. Christina is now researching her next horror film, and will release a new EP this winter for her project T I N A.
Christopher Greenslate is an award-winning writer/director whose directorial debut SAVIORS, a gritty indie thriller following a woman embedded in a white power group (and shot in one continuous take) garnered awards and praise during its festival run, taking home the jury prize in Madrid before going on to be one of two US films nominated at RAINDANCE for best feature. The film also earned him a directing nod at St. Louis International and was subsequently acquired by Cinedigm. In television, Christopher sold his first original pilot VILLAGE PARK to Universal Cable Productions, with Gary Dauberman (IT, Annabelle, Salem’s Lot) on to direct. In addition to "BANANAHEAD," he recently wrapped production on another short film entitled "DRAINOMANIA" which will premiere next year.
Danger Slater is the Wonderland Award-winning author of I Will Rot Without You, He Digs a Hole, Moonfellows, House of Rot and others. He writes gross horror stories that are both funny and sad. He has a cat named Bubbles.
David Heath is a podcaster and blogger who has hosted shows such as Dave's Underground Goat Shenanigans,and Radio Free Oleander. He is currently the co-host of The People's Guide to the Cthulhu Mythos. He lives with his extended family in northern Oregon on a working goat farm.
Adventurer/Occult Investigator/Illustrator/Writer/Game Designer/Media Critic/Podcaster from Portland,Oregon. I like soda water, good game design, clever cosmic horror.
Praise to Tsathoggua!! They/Them
Alex Lee Williams and Jay Drakulic have won numerous awards during their ten year journey together including TIFF’s Most Promising Filmmaker. They’re the co-writers and co-directors of the feature film Hellmington. In 2018, Mallory Drumm joined their collective which gave the trio an exciting new voice. Mallory brings a fresh perspective as the trio looks to take the genre space by storm with their debut collaboration, Dream Eater.
Erik Grove is a writer, writing teacher, long distance runner, and little dog wrangler living and doing things in Portland, OR. You can find his work in places like NIGHTMARE, ESCAPE POD, and upcoming in the COZY COSIC and the WINDING PATHS anthologies. Visit www.erikgrove.com for links to his published work, information on editorial and mentoring services, and updates on readings and appearances.
Ethan Messecar is an award-winning filmmaker based in Ventura, CA. He focuses on tackling genres through the horror lens, with an emphasis on trauma and in-depth character studies. His shorts, “Rewind” won Best '80s Retro Short at the 2020 Vault Film Festival, and “Midnight Broadcast” won Best Short Horror Screenplay at the 13 Horror Contest. He graduated from the University of California, Irvine with a BA in Film & Media Studies. HIs short film "Innsmouth Blvd" makes its World Premiere at the H. P. Lovecraft Film Festival.
Evan J. Peterson is the author of Drag Star! (Choice of Games), the world’s first drag RPG, as well as The PrEP Diaries: A Safe(r) Sex Memoir (Lethe Press). He is a Clarion West alum and author of the horror poetry chapbooks Skin Job and The Midnight Channel as well as editor of the Lambda Literary finalist Ghosts in Gaslight, Monsters in Steam: Gay City 5. His writing has also appeared in Weird Tales, Unspeakable Horror 2, Queers Destroy Horror, Boing Boing, and Best Gay Stories 2015. He is the founder of the now-concluded Seattle programs Minor Arcana Press and SHRIEK: Women of Horror Film. Evanjpeterson.com can tell you more.
Garrett Cook is an author with Deadite Press and an editor with Eraserhead Press. His work has appeared in A Breath from the Sky, DOA III, Giallo Fantastique, Best Bizarro Fiction of the Decade and more. His next book Crisis Boy comes out October 15th.
Gretchen has volunteered at Portland Horror Film Festival and the H. P. Lovecraft Film Festival since 2016, and helps judge films for both. As a lifelong fan of horror movies, she loves found footage films and exorcism movies. She is a co-host for the People's Guide to the Cthulhu Mythos podcast, co-hosted the Kaijucast podcast, and was a frequent guest on Horror Brew podcast. Her new podcast, Gwen & Gretchen Watch Movies launches this Halloween.
J.B. Kish is the co-chair of the Oregon Horror Writer’s Association and the winner of the 2020 Ooligan Press Write to Publish Award for Fiction. His writing has been featured in The Cozy Cosmic and Even Cozier Cosmic (Underland Press), Metaphorosis Magazine's Best of '22, Cosmic Horror Monthly, and Still of Winter: An Anthology (Unsettling Reads).
Jason Bradley Thompson is the author of the upcoming tabletop RPG Dreamland: Fairytale Portal Fantasy Beyond the Wall of Sleep (dreamrpg.com) and artist of the graphic novel H.P. Lovecraft's The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath and Other Stories. As a story artist and illustrator, his work has appeared in games like Dungeons & Dragons and Call of Cthulhu and movies like The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Minions: The Rise of Gru. He lives in San Francisco with his spouse and children.
K.L. Young is an award-winning filmmaker, podcaster, and publisher. He is the author of The Secret Language of Spiders. He lives in a pop-culture museum in Washington State.
Luke Elliott is a writer whose speculative fiction has appeared in Reckoning, Metaphorosis, and the Buckman Journal, among other magazines and podcasts. He's also the co-host of the “Ink to Film” podcast where he discusses books and their film adaptations from a craft perspective with a filmmaker co-host and industry guests. He has an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University and is a graduate of the Viable Paradise writer’s workshop. Originally from Central Florida, Luke now lives with his wife and the dogs he spoils like children in Portland, Oregon.
Matt & David are the Directors of THE DÆMON.
David Yohe is a Writer, Director, and Producer, born on the freeways of California in a classic burnt-orange Camaro. He is known for his unique storytelling, viewer engagement, and imagination. Dave is a dog lover, sports enthusiast and a proud member of the LGBTQ community.
Matt Devino, a New Hampshire native, began his filmmaking journey at 13, armed with a mini DV camera and Final Cut Pro V1. Inspired by New England's eerie landscapes and dark history, he cultivated a passion for genre storytelling. His work has spanned narratives, commercials, and documentaries.
Matthew Hardesty, born in Houston, Texas, has been described as having a ‘very special talent for taking figurative demons and making them real and terrifying’. He started his career in independent film in Austin at age 18. His education at the Austin School of Film showed him the importance of experimental cinema, and of not viewing the world through the obvious perspective. After moving to Los Angeles, Matthew continued to push boundaries on projects that the press have penned as ‘all orgiastic mayhem’ with ‘stunning visuals’.
Maximilian Weiland is a writer/director based in Los Angeles. After studying philosophy in the mountains of Colorado, he left to pursue his dreams as a filmmaker. Spending years as a cameraman and screenwriter in narrative, commercial, and corporate film production, he's set to release his first professional short film, "Visions of Sonya Greene". Already preparing his next short and two features, Max's thematic interests remain in genre filmmaking, with a focus in weird Science Fiction, cosmic horror and existential drama.
Monstark is an award-winning filmmaker and monster artist living in Portland, Oregon as a human cat dad. His work is enjoyed all over the world. His latest film "The Outsider" (co-produced with Portland artist Mark Schneider) evolves the puppet-focused storytelling honed in his 2023 short "Night-Gaunts," enriching his handcrafted worlds with greater craft to bring more depth, emotion and impact to the story of the sympathetic monster.
Nathan Carson is a musician, writer, and Moth StorySlam champion from Portland, OR. He is widely known as co-founder and drummer of the internationally touring doom metal band Witch Mountain, host of the XRAY FM radio show The Heavy Metal Sewïng Cïrcle, and owner of the boutique music booking agency Nanotear. His byline can be found in the Willamette Week and the Oregonian. A regular on the weird fiction convention circuit, he has published many short stories and novelettes in critically acclaimed horror anthologies. His first standalone novella, Starr Creek, was recently released by Lazy Fascist Press and currently sits at #1 on the Goodreads list of “Books Like Stranger Things.”
Nolen Sternkopf is a Pacific Northwest based writer/director. He is constantly feeding his passion for storytelling with exciting filmmaking projects, many of which deal with the supernatural and twisting genre elements in creative new ways. Nolen loves working with small, passionate crews to create something ambitious on a small budget. He often utilizes a mixture of old-school and current filmmaking techniques, employing past methods in tandem with current technologies.
Patrick Murphy is an adjunct professor at Weber State University in Ogden Utah, teaching in the communication department. He has a Master's of Arts in English and a Master's of Professional Communication. Murphy incorporates comic books, science fiction (including Lovecraft) and all things nerdy into his curriculum. He has participated in numerous pop-culture conventions and academic conferences discussing his approach to education. Murphy founded Chupacabra Productions with Mike Terrell, Blaine Taggart, and the elusive Midnight Vanburen; they have spent the past two decades making comedy shorts and entering festivals.
Robert Flowers is a Mexican American award winning Writer/director from Phoenix AZ. He's The son of a combat marine and special needs teacher. He's an author, and unreal engine 3D artist. When he's not writing or making movies, Robert shoots operating room procedures all over North America. He has never fainted at the sight of blood except his own. He currently lives in LA and is in post on his latest short film, "God Hunter".
Sarah Walker is an artist, anthropologist, and writer of horror living in the Pacific Northwest. Her work appears in publications such as Audient Void, Lovecraft Ezine Press, Vastarien, and many more. She co-edited the Folk Horror anthology, A Walk in A Darker Wood with Gordon White, Phil Breach, and Duane Pesice, and A Walk in a City of Shadows: Tales of Urban Legendry, with Nora B. Peevy, Jill Hand, Gordon White, and Phil Breach.
Shane Day is a Settler-Canadian of English/Irish Heritage from Peterborough, Ontario. A graduate from the Creative Writing Program at Concordia University in Montreal, and an alumni of the Cinema Studies program at Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, the Netherlands, Shane is first and foremost a story-teller whose heart belongs to Cinema. He is the co-founder of Skinner Street Films as well as a writer, director and producer. His latest short film, "The Neighbourhood at the End of the World," is currently making its rounds at festivals across the world.
Tobias was born 1978 in Copenhagen, Denmark, but spent his childhood among woodland fairytale creatures in a small rural village. He brought his backwood country superstitions back to the Danish capital as an adult. He has spent most of his life with storytelling, trained as a comic book artist at The Joe Kubert School in New Jersey, made comic books few people read and played folk music few people heard. He turned to microbudget DIY filmmaking as a way of dealing with turning 40.