ABOUT THE CHAINSAW MAFIA

MISSION STATEMENT

The Mafia is family, much like the saw.

The Chainsaw Mafia is for you, the artist, to use while creating within the horror genre.

TCM is first and foremost a horror production company which specializes in film and splatter theater. The website also serves as a free networking tool for filmmakers everywhere and the Chainsaw Mafia Slaughter Shop, which holds everything and anything the horror filmmaker and lover could possibly want or need.

TCM promotes independent filmmakers through its internet-based networking, discounted equipment rental, live performance, and annual Film Festivals with monetary awards.

The Chainsaw Mafia was created and facilitated by women, who actively encourage progressive roles for women and men in all areas within the horror genre.

Increasing and expanding boundaries of the genre with interactive theater, film, photography, and dance, The Chainsaw Mafia assists the men and women who create the horror genre to produce their art and promote themselves.

BIOS

~Shannon Lark~

Dubbed by the press "San Francisco's Gore Gore Girl," Shannon Lark is a progressive professional scream queen and the CEO of The Chainsaw Mafia networking circuit and horror production company.

At the tender age of four, Lark attended a gruesome ballet rendition of "Romeo and Juliet." When it was time for the star-crossed lovers to die, gigantic red streamers burst out of their chests and exploded hundreds of feet into the air. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever witnessed and was her very first association with blood and the act of death. From that moment, she has been obsessed with the horror genre, not only in film, but in theater, dance, and photography.

A self-taught artist, Lark picked up how-to books and followed crew members around relentlessly on films she starred in, asking questions on what to do/not to do when making her own movies. Thus, thechainsawmafia.com was born, a networking system she wished she'd had when first diving into the world of horror.

Not only does she direct, produce, write, and star in horror films, but she is also manager, gore wrangler, and dancer for The Living Dead Girlz, a zombie dance troupe based in San Francisco.

Lark writes a column called The Master of Disaster for Pretty-Scary , a website created by female industry professionals for the women in horror. She throws annual short horror film festivals, and spearheaded Viscera , a collection and festival of horror art made completely by women.

Click HERE for Shannon's resume as an Adobe Acrobat PDF.

~Michelle Fatale~

Michelle Fatale is a woman of many occupations outside of assuming the position of Executive Assistant of The Chainsaw Mafia.  Primarily a producer/writer/director, she completed her first short film 'Dead Line' in 2004 which won official selection at the IFFNTX.com film festival, and the Pretty-Scary.net film festival as well as countless favorable online reviews.

Since then she has worked on a handful of short films including 'Paraphilia' and 'Closet Monster' which was produced through her newly formed production company Chopping Block Films.

Fatale has also been featured on screen in such films as 'Monkey V.S. Hooker,' and 'Werewolf in a Women's Prison.' She currently writes film reviews and articles for horror websites including choppingblockfilms.com, pretty-scary.net, and horror-fanatics.com.

Her latest short film 'The Cleaner' produced with partner Craig McGee is her most ambitious project to date, and has most recently been accepted into the Northern California Film Festival, and SiliCon Film Festival.

Along with McGee and Chopping Block Films, the pair have completed their first feature script and are currently working on their second. Their hope is to collaborate and begin production with an executive producer that shares a similar vision and love of horror.

~Craig McGee~

Craig McGee is a writer/producer born in Lynwood, CA, and raised in Kansas, where he is now based out of.  Craig owns the independent horror production company Chopping Block Films, alongside his partner Michelle Fatale.

The first Chopping Block Films short, CLOSET MONSTER, has gotten rave reviews on both YouTube and MySpace.  Their latest short film, THE CLEANER, won a Best Film award at the Northern California Film Festival, as well as getting a special screening at the Silicon Festival in San Jose, CA, and the CathARTic 3 Short Film & Art Show; all in October of 2007.  Currently, THE CLEANER is being submitted to more horror festivals all across America for 2008 showings.

Craig also runs the freight management company, SGLS, Inc, out of his house; and writes horror movie reviews for The Chainsaw Mafia.

~Necromagickal~

Welcome to the world of Necromagickal. It is a place where sex, blood, torture, and death form an emotive creative alchemy of forbidden perversion.

Who am I you ask? I am Necromagickal, high priest of knives on soft pale flesh, drunkard of blood between women's thighs, and sexual fiend upon dead flesh. I am an occultist of left hand path traditions, tarot card reader, and foremost a writer and poet.

My creative specialties are of necromantic, necrophilic, and murderous suicidal madness embodied in poetry and fiction. I have a forthcoming trilogy dealing with the occult aspects of the works of H.P Lovecraft soon to be published by independent press. Once upon a bloody time I worked for Red Scream Magazine. I am now a freelance correspondent and contributor for Girls and Corpses Magazine. As an endnote, I must add that I am a creative whore who will write for anyone that offers me free candy...

~Alicia Caldwell~

Alicia Caldwell is a budding writer/artist. She hales from her own personal pit of despair, Alamogordo, NM. She is an aspiring writer and will have her first collection of writing published at the end of 2009. Although her love for horror has been a constant in her life, she has never worked in any facet of the blood and gore commerce.

She has no formal experience nor proper exposure to the horror industry. Alicia prefers to liken her loose interpretations and contributions to that of a glorified "common fan." This attribute is what makes her writing such a unique and individual perspective

Within each new provision Alicia offers comes a small personal and relatable account of how this colossal entity known as "horror" has affected her and us all. Alicia has been a writer for The Chainsaw Mafia, as of May 2009. She is most notably quoted as saying, "Dude, my day is going so good, God must totally have a crush on me."

~el Rot~

el Rot (also known as LolliRot on asylums) is a quiet ghoul from Rotti Land, but resides in Chicago, IL. She is a writer or rather, a journalist having had her articles published on different independent Chicago newspapers. She is also a make-up and hair stylist when needed. For the most part, she is a young ghoul in school -- working towards getting into Mortuary School. Dream job? A funeral director/embalmer. Her fancy and love for the dead extends a long way down the road.

She is a definitely a novice to the horror world. She is interested in mask making and basically, making props and …just making stuff...creepy, bloody stuff. She's had some exposures to the latter, but never fully learned all that she wanted. She's definitely looking into working and learning from some of the artists around Chicago.

Other than that, she's always out boogey-ing at dinners, later at nights.

~Rick Danford~

Born in New York Rick moved to Florida when he was 8 years old. He began his filmmaking career with a company called, RENEGADE FILMS. There he wrote, directed and produced the feature film, 'THE WEB OF DARKNESS' that stars TOM SAVINI and BRINKE STEVENS. He's also written and directed the short films, 'BLOODY MARY' and 'BLOOD MONEY' as well as wrote and produced the short film, 'THE PLEDGE'. The short films, 'BLOODY MARY' and 'THE PLEDGE' are currently for sale on DVD through a company called Customflix.

A seasoned writer and filmmaker Rick has split from RENEGADE FILMS to create a new company more suited to his goals and vision. Thus, ENIGMA FILMS was born. While at Enigma Rick wrote and directed the short film, 'THE REAPER' which was accepted and screened at the famous NEW YORK CITY HORROR FILM FESTIVAL. .

Amoung his other accomplishments Rick helped rsurrect the SIRENS OF CINEMA magazine and served as writer and Editor in Chief. He's also a festival coordinator putting together and running the SAINTS AND SINNERS FILM FESTIVAL for 5 years and the more recent HALLOWEEN HORROR PICTURE SHOW and HALLOWEENAPALOOZA events the last 5 years.

~Greg B.~

Greg B. has been a horror fan since his mother took him to a Texas Chainsaw Massacre / Incredible Melting Man drive-in double feature in 1978 at the age of 4. Crouched down behind that bench seat, he knew that one day he would punch a hole in the fabric of terror and mayhem. As the years went by his life would change and he would flit about forgetting the love he once had for the macabre. On one fateful day some 25 years later, he would pick up an issue of Rue Morgue magazine and his love for the genre would begin anew. Searching out new and wonderful avenues like Euro-horror, Japanese gore, and American Grindhouse, Greg would begin to write his feelings and critiques down and the future would be changed forever!

After reading Nathaniel Thompson's DVD Delirium Vol. 1, Greg decided it was time to share his thoughts on his favorite genre with the rest of the sick, sick world. So after finding the right outlet, a horror and sleaze movie review blog called The Playground Movie Reviews, he embarked on a journey that has no foreseeable ending. After months of sending out emails and using Myspace as a tool, his readership multiplied and he started to establish a small but frenzied fan base. Still later, DVD companies decided to jump on board and use The Playground as a marketing tool for their products, all the while taking the financial strain off of Greg. After a while other larger websites like The Chainsaw Mafia started to take notice of the blog and Greg's unconventional style and have since started featuring its content.

 

Click HERE for contact information.

 

THANKS

The fantastic photographers featured on The Chainsaw Mafia are Sallie Smith, Niki Pretti Photography,  various photographers at the DNA Lounge , Diana Phan, Josh Cadwising, and Jeff Clinton.