Confirmed Guests for Flashback Weekend’s Seventh Annual Chicago Horror Convention
Celebrating the TITANS OF HORROR
40th Anniversary Night of the Living Dead World Tour - Exclusive Midwest Engagement!
George Romero | Judith O’Dea | Marilyn Eastman | Russell Streiner
John Russo | Kyra Schon | Bill Hinzman | George Kosana | Charles Craig
PLEASE NOTE : Marilyn Eastman regrets that she will be unable to attend
PHANTASM Reunion
Don Coscarelli | Angus Scrimm | Reggie Bannister | Michael Baldwin | Bill Thornberry | Kathy Lester
Michael Baldwin appearing Saturday and Sunday only
Reggie Bannister appearing Saturday and Sunday only
Rob Zombie's HALLOWEEN (2007) Babysitter Reunion
Danielle Harris (L), Scout Taylor-Compton, Kristina Kelbe
Elvira!
Appearing Saturday June 28
And
CASSANDRA PETERSON
Appearing Sunday June 29
SVENGOOLIE
Appearing Saturday June 28, 2008
Every year at Flashback Weekend we look forward to the annual visit from Chicago Television Legend "SVENGOOLIE". Rich Koz portrays the popular character each week on "The U!" with his cast of "Doug Graves" the laid back musical sidekick, and Tombstone the talking skull. In addition to the popular musical numbers and commercial parodies Svengoolie has always been known for, each show features a segment of the movie produced in Svensurround with added sound effects, dubbed-in dialogue and visuals. This technique was first done by both Koz and Bishop in the 1970's - before the advent of "Mystery Science Theatre 3000."
Svengoolie's hard work and comic genius continued to pay off and "Svengoolie - The First Year" a look back at Svengoolie's first year on WCIU was rewarded with a Chicago Emmy for Best Entertainment Program - Special. He currently has received 7 regional Emmy Awards, and was inducted into the prestigious Chicago Television Academy's 2004 "Silver Circle" for outstanding contributions to Chicago television.
Svengoolie will be signing autographs, posing for photos, and will take to the Flashback Stage for a Q & A and to MC a costume contest on Saturday 6/28/08. Get your costumes ready!
EILEEN DIETZ
THE EXORCIST
Posessed Regan
The Face of Death
HELTER SKELTER
From the Oscar winning film THE EXORCIST to the Emmy winning movie-of-the-week HELTER SKELTER, Eileen Dietz has been involved in some of the best and most exciting projects in the motion picture and television industry.
Eileen's most recent projects include the independent film, SIN-JIN SMYTH in which Eileen plays a receptionist at a County Jail. Eileen's scene is set at a pivotal point in the film where she acts alongside Roddy Piper (They Live), Richard Tyson (Kindergarten Cop), Charles Cyphers (Halloween) and Sin-jin Smyth himself.
Eileen is also playing the lead in an upcoming indie film called THE QUEEN OF SCREAMS. The film is about a former scream queen who terrorizes a group of high school kids by locking them in the local theater where she proceeds to act out her favorite roles from the silver screen.
Eileen lives in an old monastery not far from the ocean in California. Many spirits reside with Eileen and her husband, Thomas Albany.
TONY MORAN
The face of Michael Myers, Moran is most recognized for his role as the original Michael Myers in "Halloween" and "Halloween II." It is his face that is revealed during the unmasking in the finale of the first movie. He was only 21 and 23 at the time he played the character. The only adult actor to be recognized as "Michael Myers," Moran fills the role with pride and enjoys meeting his fans. He also made guest television appearances on "CHiPs" and "The Walton’s" and many other television shows. Moran will be appearing in “Beg”, “Lucky Break”, “Happy Birthday,” “Do You Got A Minute” and 2 other new films in 2008. Moran loves his fans and is humbled by the support and encouragement that they give him. It’s not everyday that an actor receives a role that place’s him in the status of Icon.
BRIAN UDOVICH
(PRODUCER)
“ALL THE BOYS LOVE MANDY LANE”
“THE WACKNESS”
Brian Udovich's first feature film (with Occupant films) ALL THE BOYS LOVE MANDY LANE (2006) debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival and was bought by The Weinstein Company. His second feature, THE WACKNESS (2007) (Ben Kingsley, Josh Peck) debuted at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and won the Audience Award. A NECESSARY DEATH (2008) recently made it’s world premiere at the 2008 SXSW film festival in Austin, Texas. SOUTH OF HEAVEN (2008) recently made it’s world premiere at Cinevegas 2008. THE KEY MAN (2008) (Hugo Weaving, Brian Cox) is currently completing post-production.
Udovich is a native of Joliet, Illinois. He has his bachelor’s degree from Illinois Wesleyan University and his Masters degree in Producing from the American Film Institute (AFI). His AFI thesis won an Emmy for best dramatic student film in 2004. In 2007 he was awarded the Robert M. Montgomery Outstanding Young Alumnus Award from Wesleyan. From 1998-2001 Udovich traveled the world working as a senior business consultant for the French firm Cap Gemini. He currently lives in Los Angeles and runs BIG HANDSOME FILMS a film financing and production company.
ROY FRUMKES
Filmmaker
DOCUMENT OF THE DEAD
STREET TRASH
DREAM OF THE DEAD
(Appearance Co-Sponsored by Synapse Films)
Filmmaker Roy Frumkes is the definitive George A. Romero documentarian. In 1978, Roy Frumkes gained access to the production of “DAWN OF THE DEAD” and shot what was to be the first feature-length documentary on the making of a feature film. Not only was it the first, but his work has yet to be equaled. “DOCUMENT OF THE DEAD” covers the process of the art of filmmaking, from the writing, filming, marketing, and release of an independent film in a groundbreaking style.
“DOCUMENT” features interviews with all of the key talent on the set of “DAWN OF THE DEAD” (in my personal favorite, actor David Emgee conducts a serious interview while having his “Dead Flyboy” zombie make-up applied); as well as rare deleted scenes from a three hour cut of “DAWN OF THE DEAD” (many of which can only be seen in “DOCUMENT”). “DOCUMENT OF THE DEAD” is not only a very entertaining true-life story of an independent filmmaker that beat the system (sort of a real life filmmaking version of “ROCKY”), but it is also essential viewing for fans of “DAWN OF THE DEAD” and anyone interested in a career in filmmaking, or the artistic, creative process.
A special edition of the award-winning documentary was released on DVD by Synapse Films in 1998, and again in 2004, as part of the Deluxe Anchor Bay Entertainment/A Starz Company amazing 4-disc “DAWN OF THE DEAD” DVD release. Roy is currently at work on an expansion of the feature doc entitled “THE DEFINITIVE DOCUMENT OF THE DEAD”, with a planned release in 2008.
Roy also wrote and produced the cult classic “STREET TRASH” which enjoyed wide theatrical and video exposure both here in the states and abroad. (We look forward to screening “STREET TRASH” at a future Flashback Weekend Dusk to Dawn Horror film Festival at the Midway Drive-In located in Sterling, Illinois). Roy’s new feature-length documentary, “THE MELTDOWN MEMOIRS” – four years in production - is double-billed with “STREET TRASH” on a double-disc DVD.
Roy also created and co-authored the action-adventure hit “THE SUBSTITUTE”, starring Tom Berenger and Ernie Hudson. The film opened number two on the domestic box office charts. Roy later co-authored two sequels starring Treat Williams – “THE SUBSTITUTE 2: SCHOOL’S OUT” and “THE SUBSTITUTE 3: WINNER TAKES ALL”.
In 2005, Roy wrote, directed and hosted the TV special “DREAM OF THE DEAD”-a documentary on the making of George A. Romero’s “LAND OF THE DEAD”, which premiered simultaneously on The Independent Film Channel and Monsters HD. Not available on DVD, Roy will be screening an expanded version of “DREAM OF THE DEAD” at Flashback Weekend 2008.
Since assuming ownership of “FILMS IN REVIEW”, America’s oldest and most prestigious film publication in 1997, Roy has brought the magazine into cyberspace as www.filmsinreview.com, where it currently garners thousands of hits a day.
HEDY SPEAKER
Editor of "The Definitive Document of the Dead"
WORLD OF THE WEIRD MONSTER SHOW PLAYERS
The World of the Weird Monster Show Players have been scaring laughs out of nearly 50 suburbs in Northern Chicagoland for almost 5 years now and are making their 4th appearance at Flashback Weekend. After finishing a 52 episode run of the horror host program, "The World of the Weird Monster Show," the WOWMS Players are back with their show's new incarnation, "The Channel 666 Primetime Movie" which features classic--and not so classic--horror and other genre films combined with sketch comedy. Come meet the crew who have brought you such Channel 666 characters as Undead Johnny, Dementia, Ilsa Kronos, Igor, Burgermeister Gunderschloss, Zontar and many others! And of course, the most popular members of the WOWMS Players will also be in attendance...the Girls of the World of the Weird Monster Show. See www.wowmonstershow.com for more info!
DANN GIRE
Flashback Weekend Master of Ceremonies
Daily Herald film critic Dann Gire has been a member of the Flashback Weekend cult since the very beginning. He serves as the president and founding director of the Chicago Film Critics Association, and has won the prestigious Peter Lisagor Award for Arts Criticism six times. (His mentor/rival Roger Ebert has won it only four times.) Gire has also been an adjunct faculty member in William Rainey Harper College’s English and Journalism departments since 1984, teaching courses in drama, film & literature, journalism, short stories & novels, mass communications and feature writing. He put both Zack Snyder's remake of "Dawn of the Dead" and the family feature "The Incredibles" on his top 10 list of best movies of 2004.
NICK DIGILIO
Flashback Weekend Co-Host
Talk Show Host/Film Critic for WGN Radio. Nick has been reviewing movies for over 23 years on WGN Radio in Chicago. He also hosts a highly-rated weekend talk show on 720am that covers everything pop culture and news related. He has also written, acted in and directed over thrity plays in and around the Chicago area including the horror classics "Among the Dead" (in which he played an insane?redneck who killed zombies) and "Operation Infiltration: An Experiment in Terror" (which was a salute to great genre films like Romero's "The Crazies" and Philip Kaufman's "Invasion of the Body Snatchers"). He has LOVED horror films for his entire life and is incredibly excited to be co-hosting the Flashback Convention for yet another exciting year.
Top Five Horror Movies of All Time:
- John Carpenter's HALLOWEEN
- George A. Romero's DAWN OF THE DEAD
- Dario Argento's SUSPIRIA
- Don Coscarelli's PHANTASM
- Tobe Hooper's THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE
(but, of course, this list changes constantly depending on his mood).
STEVE (CAPONE) PROKOPY
Flashback Weekend Co-Host
Steve Prokopy is the Chicago Editor for Ain't It Cool News (www.aintitcool.com), where he has contributed film reviews and filmmaker and actor interviews under the name "Capone" since 1997. In 2005, he also joined the staff of the Chicago-based media outlet GapersBlock.com as the site's Friday film critic with his Steve@theMovies column. Steve has been a horror fanatic since he was a youngster, and was even suspended from high school for a day after a presentation he gave his classmates on his hero, make-up master Tom Savini. He has been a Flashback Weekend co-host since it began in 2002 and is thrilled to be back again this year.
Top Five Horror Movies:
- Sam Raimi's THE EVIL DEAD
- George A Romero's DAWN OF THE DEAD
- John Carpenter's THE THING
- Wes Craven's A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET
- Herschell Gordon Lewis' BLOOD FEAST
CHAD SAVAGE
Chad Savage has been drawing and painting disturbingly beautiful things his entire life, and his love of all things dark & spooky has become a career unto itself. His dark visual design company Sinister Visions inc. has spawned a series of genre sites including ZombiePinups.com, ChicagoHorror.com, ChicagoZombie.com and EverythingSinister.com. Savage has run art shows for Convergence, the World Horror Convention, Flashback Weekend and HorrorFind Weekend, is a Board Member of and the Web Committee Chairman for the International Association of Haunted Attractions and the Marketing Director of the annual Halloween Art Exhibit.
Savage has created art, graphic branding and websites for hundreds of genre notables, including HorrorFind.com, HauntedHouse.com (2005), HauntedAttraction.com, Van Helsing's Curse, Fangoria, Anne Rice's Vampire Lestat Fan Club, authors David J. Schow, Poppy Z. Brite, Douglas Clegg and Brian Keene, the International Association of Haunted Attractions, HAuNTcon, the Midwest Haunters Convention, over 50 haunted attractions and too many more to list here. Savage also created the logo, zombie art and website for Flashback Weekend!
SInister Visions inc. is an official sponsor of Flashback Weekend, and will host/sponsor the Costume Contest and Zombie Pinups Beauty Pageant on Saturday at 2008's Flashback Weekend - details HERE!
To learn more about Chad Savage and his work, visit SinisterVisions.com.
Celebrity guests subject to change without notice due to unforseeable filming/scheduling conflicts.
Custom Search
