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Michael Varrati

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Michael Varrati

Michael Varrati is an American filmmaker, screenwriter, columnist, and actor known primarily for his work within the horror genre and the world of TV movies.[1] Outside of his film work, Varrati writes and speaks about pop culture and the horror genre as it relates to the LGBTQ experience, including at San Diego Comic-Con,[2] and as the host of the queer horror discussion podcast Dead for Filth.[3]

Some of Varrati's notable works include Tales of Poe, the screenlife horror Unusual Attachment, episodes of the podcasts Darkest Night and Deadly Manners, and serving as a writer/director of the series The Boulet Brothers' Dragula. In 2014, Agents of Geek named Varrati one of the "9 Must-Follow Geeks on Twitter."[4]

Early career, column work, and Peaches Christ

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Born in New Mexico, Varrati was interested in writing fairly early on in his life.[5] Citing exposure to the works of Stephen King and the films shown on USA Up All Night as early influences, Varrati has stated he always knew some aspect of his work would be geared toward the horror genre.[6]

While attending Kent State University in Ohio, Varrati studied acting for the camera under Rohn Thomas. Although primarily identifying as a writer, Varrati would cite this and influencing him to act.[7] Shortly after his time at Kent, Varrati began writing and conducting interviews for the horror film magazine Ultra Violent.[8]

In 2008, while working on a now defunct book project, Varrati connected with San Francisco–based drag performer Peaches Christ (stage name for Joshua Grannell), hoping to interview her for the book. Instead, the two became friends, and when Christ took her directorial debut movie All About Evil on the road, she invited Varrati along to help document the experience.[9] Writing a travelogue from the road for Peaches’ site, Varrati eventually began doing a regular column.[10] In 2016, the two reunited to co-produce an event for the 25th Anniversary of Vegas in Space for the Frameline Film Festival.[11]

Varrati has also been a contributor to The Huffington Post,[12] Tubefilter,[13] and Vice.[14]

Tales of Poe

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While acting on the film, Razor Days,[15] Varrati reconnected with the film's director of photography, Bart Mastronardi, whom he had previously met. The duo decided to collaborate on a segment for an anthology of modern adaptations of Edgar Allan Poe stories.[10] Shot over the course of several years, Tales of Poe featured three adaptations of Poe stories: The Tell-Tale Heart (written & directed by Mastronardi), The Cask of Amontillado (written & directed by Alan Rowe Kelly), and Dreams, which was written by Varrati and directed by Mastronardi.

The Dreams segment, written by Varrati was noted for casting past scream queens Adrienne King, Amy Steel, and Caroline Williams.[16] The segment was reviewed positively by Decay magazine as "an excellent exhibition of experimental Horror filmmaking."[17] Varrati has said that the segment allowed him "give life to an existential crisis" on film and cites filmmakers Derek Jarman and Jean Cocteau as influential.[18] Tales of Poe premiered on August 20, 2014 at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood.[19]

The Sins of Dracula and Flesh for the Inferno

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While making Tales of Poe, Varrati began collaborating with Richard Griffin on a short about gay aliens titled Crash Site, and later worked on a feature film: The Sins of Dracula. The Sins of Dracula is a horror comedy about a community theater troupe who must stop the newly risen Count Dracula. The film satirizes Christian scare films of the early 80s. Released on October 26th, 2014, The Sins of Dracula was called a "modern classic" by Horror Society.[20]

Griffin and Varrati would collaborate again a year later on Flesh for the Inferno, an Italian horror homage about demon nuns who attack a church youth group. Praised as a "dark, gory horror film with edge,"[21] Flesh for the Inferno was named "Best Independent Horror Film of 2015" by Horror Society.[22] Griffin and Varrati have also collaborated on the short film Hearty Treats and a faux-trailer They Stole the Pope’s Blood.[23] Additionally, Varrati contributed writing to Griffin's horror comedy Seven Dorms of Death.

Christmas movies & TV thrillers

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In 2015, Varrati co-wrote the script for A Christmas Reunion, a holiday film starring Denise Richards and Patrick Muldoon that debuted on the Ion Network.[5] In 2016, Varrati wrote another holiday film, A Christmas in Vermont, starring Chevy Chase, Morgan Fairchild, and Howard Hesseman that also appeared on Ion.[1] That same year, Varrati would also create the original story for Broadcasting Christmas, which was adapted by playwright Topher Payne for the Hallmark Channel and starred Melissa Joan Hart and Dean Cain.[24] In 2020, Varrati returned to the genre, writing the original script for the Canadian-produced Christmas with a Crown[25] and co-writing the Mar Vista Entertainment produced A Christmas Mission.[26]

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Varrati spoke about the fact that he was able to write both horror and holiday fare, saying that he felt both kinds of story were important, as they catered to different needs of the audience.[1]

Varrati has also written a number of thrillers and genre adjacent pieces for TV networks, including the Lifetime original movie The Wrong Stepmother, produced by Vivica A. Fox,[27] the 2019 Lifetime thriller The Twisted Nanny (alternatively titled in some markets as The Nightmare House), and the disaster movie End of the World.[28] In 2021, Varrati also provided the original story for the Vivica Fox-starring horror movie Aquarium of the Dead, which was adapted to screen by writer Marc Gottleib.[29]

Directorial work and June Gloom Productions

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While working as a producer and writer on the series I’m Fine, Varrati met series creator Brandon Kirby and together started June Gloom Productions to produce their own work and that of queer filmmakers.[30] Through June Gloom, Varrati has written and directedThe Office is Mine,[31] queer slasher A Halloween Trick,[32] and the isolation horror film What’s Left Inside, which made its North American Premiere at Outfest in 2021.[33]

Fairly early into the COVID-19 pandemic, Varrati released Unusual Attachment, shot entirely remotely as a screenlife/found footage narrative about a man who runs into unspeakable horrors while using online dating sites.[34] Later in the pandemic, Brandon Kirby and Michael Varrati would use this remote shooting technique to co-create a queer drama miniseries titled So Far, So Close for the Dekkoo streaming platform.[35] Outside of June Gloom, Varrati wrote and directed a segment of the international holiday horror anthology film Deathcember[36] and wrote and directed on the series The Boulet Brothers' Dragula.[37]

The LGBTQ+ Horror Panel

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Since 2013, Varrati has served as the host and curator of the "Queer Fear" panel at San Diego Comic Con. The panel has garnered attention over the years for its in-depth discussion of LGBTQ+ issues and its high-profile guests (which have included Bryan Fuller, Jeffrey Reddick, Guinevere Turner, and more).[38][2][39][40][41] Throughout the year, Varrati will also host variants on the panel and has written numerous pieces pertaining to its topic.[42][43]

In 2021, Varrati hosted a virtual version of the Queer Horror panel due to Comic-Con's in-person events being postponed by the ongoing COVID pandemic.[44][45]

Dead for Filth and Midnight Mass

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Motivated by the annual discussions being had at the LGBTQ+ Horror Panel at Comic-Con, Varrati created Dead for Filth, a streaming audio series that debuted in August 2017.[46] Originally produced by Revry Dead for Filth was a weekly, in-depth interview podcast.[47][48] During its run, Dead for Filth was named by The Advocate as one of "12 LGBTQ Podcasts You Should Be Listening To"[49] and by NBC as an LGBTQ Podcast "To Know."[48]

In 2021, Varrati returned to the podcast space to co-host a new series, Midnight Mass, with Peaches Christ. Inspired and named for Peaches Christ's long-running cult movie series in San Francisco, Midnight Mass is weekly discussion into the nature and devoted fanbase of cult cinema.[47]

Other work

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Varrati has twice collaborated with filmmaker JT Seaton on short film projects that have played at various festivals. The first of which was a comedic time travel short titled Then and Again that starred Sleepaway Camp’s Jonathan Tiersten,[50] and the second was a dark fairy tale titled In Darkest Slumber.[51]

Varrati reunited with his Tales of Poe collaborators Bart Mastronardi and Alan Rowe Kelly in 2015 to work with filmmaker Billy Clift on a short film biopic about the life of Hollywood actor Montgomery Clift, titled Monty.[52] With an original script by Varrati, the film was shot by Mastronardi, directed by Clift, and premiered at the Cinema Diverse Film Festival in Palm Springs in 2016.[53]

In late 2016, Nightmarish Conjurings named Mystery Phone, a short written by Varrati and directed by Ama Lea,[54] as one of the best horror shorts of the year.[55] Varrati and Ama Lea would later work together again on the lesbian vampire short From Hell, She Rises, which was also directed by Lea.[56]

Also in 2016, Varrati wrote a number of pop culture oriented videos for Frederator Studios’ (creators of Adventure Time) YouTube channel.[5]

In 2017, Varrati joined the writing team of the narrative horror podcast Darkest Night starring Lee Pace, Denis O’Hare, and RuPaul.[57] Shortly thereafter, he also became one of the writers for the murder mystery audio series Deadly Manners, starring Kristen Bell, Anna Chlumsky, and LeVar Burton.[58]

In October 2018, Varrati wrote and served as the on-camera host of Skybound's History of Fright, a multi-part digital series about the history of horror icons and subgenres. The series ran on Skybound's GammaRay Channel.[59]

In October 2020, Varrati wrote and directed the Halloween Special episode of the narrative audio series It Listens from the Radio.[60]

As an actor, Varrati has appeared in numerous independent horror films and has worked with such notable filmmakers as Lloyd Kaufman, Mike Mendez, and Stuart Gordon.[5][7][61]

Current and upcoming work

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Peaches Christ has revealed in several interviews that she and Varrati are currently co-writing a feature film script together, which will serve as a follow-up to her directorial debut.[62][63]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Schwartzel, Erich (27 December 2016). "Ho, Ho, Horror! The People Who Make Christmas Movies Also Produce the Gory Ones". Wall Street Journal – via www.wsj.com.
  2. ^ a b "Horror Offers 'Escape' For Queer Film Fans, Says Comic-Con Speaker". 22 July 2016.
  3. ^ Gidney, Norman (4 July 2017). "Dead for Filth Hosted by Michael Varrati Coming to REVRY". Horrorbuzz.com. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
  4. ^ "9 Must-Follow Geeks on Twitter for 2014". 1 January 2014.
  5. ^ a b c d DeFellipo, Michael (1 March 2016). "Writer, Actor Michael Varrati Talks Career Ahead of "Flesh for the Inferno" DVD Release". Horror Society. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
  6. ^ "Michael Varrati". This is Horror. 19 December 2011.
  7. ^ a b "Gay of the Dead – MICHAEL VARRATI, Part Two". Archived from the original on 2017-08-19. Retrieved 2017-05-31.
  8. ^ Lefebvre, Scott (14 October 2013). "You Are Entitled To My Opinion: Interview with Michael Varrati".
  9. ^ Development, PodBean. "Episode 24: Peaches Christ!".
  10. ^ a b "Gay of the Dead – Michael Varrati, Part One". Archived from the original on 2017-08-19. Retrieved 2017-05-31.
  11. ^ "Peaches Christ, Troma Entertainment & Michael Varrati to Host 25th Anniversary Screening of Vegas in Space". Horror Society. 22 May 2016.
  12. ^ "Michael Varrati - HuffPost". www.huffingtonpost.com.
  13. ^ "Michael Varrati - Tubefilter". Tubefilter.
  14. ^ "Michael Varrati". Vice.
  15. ^ "Razor Days - grossmoviereviews". grossmoviereviews.com. 13 December 2015.
  16. ^ Sorel, Lynn (12 September 2016). "Wild Eye's 'Tales of Poe' Features Horror Scream Queens - Horror News Network - Complete Coverage of all Things Horror!".
  17. ^ Artuz, Ken (15 September 2016). "Tales of Poe, Anthology Accents Poe's Horror -Film Review". Archived from the original on 23 October 2016. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
  18. ^ "So Dreamy: Q&A With 'Tales of Poe' Co-Writer Michael Varrati - Signature Reads". 27 August 2014.
  19. ^ "Exclusive: genre-star-studded "TALES OF POE" to premiere in LA". Archived from the original on 2017-08-19. Retrieved 2017-05-31.
  20. ^ "The Sins of Dracula (Review)". Horror Society. 27 October 2014.
  21. ^ "FLESH FOR THE INFERNO Offers Bloody Vengeance Via Pissed Off Undead Nuns – Film Thrills". filmthrills.com. 19 January 2016. Archived from the original on 19 August 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
  22. ^ "2016 Awards". Horror Society. 23 January 2016.
  23. ^ "'The Sins Of Dracula' Review: Plenty of Sinful Satire". bloody-disgusting.com. 27 April 2015.
  24. ^ "Hallmark Broadcasting Christmas, Melissa Joan Hart., 'Did I Let the Right One Go'". Archived from the original on 2018-12-05. Retrieved 2017-05-31.
  25. ^ "Christmas with a Crown | Dove Family Friendly Movie Reviews".
  26. ^ "A Christmas Mission". Archived from the original on 2021-08-26. Retrieved 2021-08-26.
  27. ^ Vivica A. Fox Talks the Future of the Wrong Lifetime Movie Series
  28. ^ The End of the World (2018) - FilmAffinity
  29. ^ AQUARIUM OF THE DEAD Trailer: Zombie Starfish & Octopi, Oh My!
  30. ^ Meet Michael Varrati of June Gloom Productions in Studio City - Voyage LA Magazine | LA City Guide
  31. ^ Gidney, Norman (21 March 2019). "Queer Horror THE OFFICE IS MINE Short Reveals Workplace Politics Can be Killer". Horrorbuzz.com. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
  32. ^ Review: Michael Varrati’s “A Halloween Trick” (Basically Horror Will & Grace) - Horror Society
  33. ^ "What's Left Inside". 22 July 2021.
  34. ^ DeFellipo, Michael (2020-04-22). "June Gloom Productions' remotely shot horror-comedy debuts on Vimeo. Watch inside!". Horror Society. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
  35. ^ "What to Watch: A Jamie Dornan threesome, another torrid 'Threesome' & Angelica Ross serving "Fierce"". 11 February 2021.
  36. ^ bloodyflicksblog (2020-06-16). "Michael Varrati talks 'Deathcember' and 'Unusual Attachment'". Bloody Flicks. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
  37. ^ "Season 3 of "The Boulet Brothers Dragula" Makes the Jump to Amazon Prime Next Week!". 23 August 2019.
  38. ^ "Michael Varrati and the Gay Agenda in Horror". 9 July 2016.[permanent dead link]
  39. ^ "Check out the LGBT-inclusive panels at this year's Comic-Con!". 12 July 2016.
  40. ^ "BYSO Podcast 48: Interview with Screenwriter Michael Varrati". 15 April 2017.
  41. ^ "Ira Madison III's Comic-Con Diary, Days 3 And 4: Synchronized Swimmers And Joe's Crab Shack". MTV. Archived from the original on July 26, 2016.
  42. ^ Varrati, Michael (20 April 2012). "Unfairly Maligned Monsters: Why Horror Matters". HuffPost.
  43. ^ Varrati, Michael (17 April 2012). "Lights, Camera, Action !". HuffPost.
  44. ^ "Prism Comics Presents: Comic-Con@Home Queer Horror Panel Hosted by Michael Varrati".
  45. ^ "Syndicated Comics". 24 July 2021.
  46. ^ Dead For Filth: A New Queer Horror Podcast Hosted by Acclaimed Writer Michael Varrati. - Horror Society
  47. ^ a b Michael Varrati talks new Midnight Mass podcast with Peaches Christ – Bloody Flicks
  48. ^ a b "11 LGBTQ-Inclusive Podcasts You Should Know". NBC News. September 2017.
  49. ^ "12 LGBTQ Podcasts You Should be Listening to". 17 May 2019.
  50. ^ "Then and Again". 10 February 2017.
  51. ^ "In Darkest Slumber to Haunt Your Dreams after Film Quest International Premiere". Horror Society. 31 May 2016.
  52. ^ "NYFA Cinematography Instructor Showcases "Tales of Poe" at Comic-Con". 9 August 2016.
  53. ^ "2016 Schedule". cinemadiverse.org. Archived from the original on 2015-08-07. Retrieved 2017-05-31.
  54. ^ "Open the Link For Your Mystery Phone Date!". horrorbuzz.com.[permanent dead link]
  55. ^ "Nightmarish Conjurings Share Their Favorite Horror Shorts of 2016". Archived from the original on 2017-06-08. Retrieved 2017-05-31.
  56. ^ Exclusive: Ama Lea’s Award-Winning Short FROM HELL, SHE RISES Debuts Online!
  57. ^ "Essential Feature: The Lair 10th Anniversary". 30 May 2017. Archived from the original on 18 June 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
  58. ^ "We're Obsessed With This Murder Mystery Podcast Starring RuPaul, Kristen Bell, and Michelle Visage". 6 October 2017.
  59. ^ GammaRay’s HISTORY OF FRIGHT Explores George A. Romero’s Incalculable Contribution to the Zombie Genre
  60. ^ "IT LISTENS FROM THE RADIO Debuts on Anchor, Spotify, and Stitcher". 11 May 2020.
  61. ^ "GAY OF THE DEAD – Michael Varrati, Part Three". Archived from the original on 2017-08-19. Retrieved 2017-05-31.
  62. ^ Kelly, Alan (10 October 2016). "Peaches Christ: International Drag Superstar and Cult-Movie Maven". Blumhouse.com. Archived from the original on 20 August 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
  63. ^ "SGN - Seattle Gay News - Page 23 - SGN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Peaches Christ and Latrice Royale present 'Mister Act' at the Egyptian Jan. 12 - Friday, January 6, 2017 - Volume 45 Issue 01". www.sgn.org. Archived from the original on July 12, 2017. Retrieved May 31, 2017.
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