Michael Varrati

@michaelvarrati.bsky.social

3862 Followers 1506 Following

Filmmaker/screenwriter of a bunch of indie horror flicks and some made-for-TV movies your mom likes. Co-host of Midnight Mass. Co-Founder of June Gloom Productions.

Nestled among an assortment of glowing Jack o’lanterns, a binder is open to the title page of a script, which reads “2026 FANGORIA CHAINSAW AWARDS, Written by Michael Varrati”
Key art for the original 2001 film THE BROTHERHOOD, featuring the cast members set against a dramatic red background and staring at the camera.
A person in Jimothy cosplay
A panel advertisement for the Queer Horror panel at San Diego Comic-Con, featuring panelists Drusilla Adeline, Daniel Montgomery, William O. Tyler, Casey Gilly, C.J. Arellano, Vander Von Odd, and host Michael Varrati. Details: Friday, July 24th at the San Diego Convention Center, 6:30-7:00PM, Room 10. A Prism Comics Panel.
A dog at Comic-Con walking. The dog is dressed in a cloak and carrying a toy lightsaber in their mouth
A still from 1990's TROLL 2, featuring the character of Joshua being surrounded by goblins
Bill Cardille on hi CHILLER THEATER laboratory set.
A film still of Angel Melanson from an undisclosed project.
A stacked image featuring a still frame of Bill and Ted from the live action television series over a promo still advertising the animated series.
A schedule graphic that depicts Michael Varrati standing in front of a hypnotic swirl. Text lists his appearances at San Diego Comic-Con International, which include: Thursday, July 23rd Signing at Prism Comics Booth (#2144), 1:00PM - 2:00PM Friday, July 24th Queer Horror Panel - 6:30PM, Room 10 Fangoria Panel - 8:00PM, Room 23ABC Saturday, July 25th Signing at Prism Comics Booth (#2144), 12:00PM - 1:00PM Troma Panel - 9:00PM, Room 25ABC
A graphic advertising the Queer Horror panel happening at this year's San Diego Comic-Con International. The graphic has a red-splattered background and features bubbles promoting each panelist. They include: Drusilla Adeline, Daniel Montgomery, William O. Tyler, Casey Gilly, C.J. Arellano, and Vander Von Odd. Panel details: Friday, July 24th, 6:30 PM, Room 10!
Sam Neill sitting at his vineyard Two Paddocks.
A photo of Michael Varrati, Peaches Christ, and Felissa Rose!
A promotional still from ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN, featuring Abbott and Costello looking on as the Frankenstein Monster, the Wolfman, and Dracula leer at them.
Mel Brooks with David Lynch on the set of The Elephant Man
A stylized image of a man holding a bloody stapler. Text reads "The Films of Michael Varrati"
A still from THE NAKED KISS, featuring Constance Towers as lead character Kelly, swinging a shoe toward camera.
A promotional still from THE ADVENTURES OF BRISCO COUNTY JR. featuring Bruce Campbell as the titular Brisco County Jr. laying across a bar.
A illustration of me by Christian Cimoroni, done in the SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK style.
A screen capture from Eating Raoul of Paul Bartel's screen credit, featuring a stylized illustration of Bartel holding a bottle of wine.
A man in a driver's seat turns around in terror as the rearview mirror shows us a zombified face in the backseat.
A series of repeating images of Paul Lynde in rows of threes that gradually change all the colors of the rainbow.
Gene Scallop reads the news on SPONGEBOB
A black-and-white portrait of Holly Woodlawn. Her face is ensconced in a feather boa.
A READ poster featuring actor Michael J. Fox standing in front of a window full of cobwebs. In his hands, Fox holds a copy of the book SKELETON CREW by Stephen King.
Poster display outside a theater for The Black Cat Cinema Series event screening of KILLER CONDOM.
A frame from BACKROOMS featuring a pile of chairs.
A still frame from THE ADVENTURES OF PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT, depicting the film's trio of drag queens standing at the edge of a canyon, backs to the camera, and gazing to the horizon.
A promotional image for the TV movie THE BIRDS II: LAND'S END, featuring a family running away from a farm house that's being swarmed by seagulls.
A poster for 1990's HOUSE PARTY, featuring hip-hop duo Kid 'N Play in the foreground. Play has his hand over Kid's mouth...and Play is making a shhh gesture. Behind,them, the cast looks through the window of the house. A tagline reads: "If they get caught it's all over. If they don't, it's just the beginning!"
Daniel Day-Lewis as a blonde Dracula, baring his fangs.
A promo image for Filmmation's 1986 cartoon series Ghostbusters, featuring characters Jake Kong Jr. and Eddie Spenser Jr. standing in front of Tracy the Gorilla, as they all seemingly look about for ghosts.
A screencap of the DEADLINE article with the headline: ‘Jawbreaker’ Musical Workshop Coming To L.A.; Rebecca Gayheart Reuniting With 1999 Cult Classic Writer-Director Darren Stein. The image also includes the new poster art from Brendan Haley, which features a pair of red lips parted by a jawbreaker candy. the tagline reads "Learn it. Live it. Love it."
An E-Mail from Cinema Wasteland: We'd like to thank you, the vendors that have made the Cinema Wasteland Movie and Memorabilia Expo Vendors Room the last convention vendor room worth shopping in for over 25 years, but the April 2026 Cinema Wasteland Movie and Memorabilia Expo was our last show. We never made a dime on our vendors and were able to remain one of the most affordable shows to do because all you did was cover the rent we paid for all of the event space at the hotel. We were able to keep the space rent down thanks to selling out rooms and bringing business to the hotel, so CW vendor tables only went up once in the last 25 years. As somebody who's set up as a vendor all around the country for 38 years and counting, we're kind of proud of that and hope it translated into keeping a little more in your pocket after expenses. So many of you have been with us so long that we just wanted to thank you for supporting the show all these years. A more detailed explanation as to why we've decided to call this the end of an era will be posted tomorrow on the website and our Facebook page if you care to know. Thanks again for sticking with us and supporting the show. Hope we were able to give you a record breaking weekend over your time with us, and with any luck we'll see you on the road in some other convention vendor's room in the near future. All our best, Ken and Pam Kish CW
An Email from Cinema Wasteland: We'd like to thank you, the vendors that have made the Cinema Wasteland Movie and Memorabilia Expo Vendors Room the last convention vendor room worth shopping in for over 25 years, but the April 2026 Cinema Wasteland Movie and Memorabilia Expo was our last show. We never made a dime on our vendors and were able to remain one of the most affordable shows to do because all you did was cover the rent we paid for all of the event space at the hotel. We were able to keep the space rent down thanks to selling out rooms and bringing business to the hotel, so CW vendor tables only went up once in the last 25 years. As somebody who's set up as a vendor all around the country for 38 years and counting, we're kind of proud of that and hope it translated into keeping a little more in your pocket after expenses. So many of you have been with us so long that we just wanted to thank you for supporting the show all these years. A more detailed explanation as to why we've decided to call this the end of an era will be posted tomorrow on the website and our Facebook page if you care to know. Thanks again for sticking with us and supporting the show. Hope we were able to give you a record breaking weekend over your time with us, and with any luck we'll see you on the road in some other convention vendor's room in the near future. All our best, Ken and Pam Kish CW
A small assortment of Michael Varrati's badges from the Cinema Wasteland convention. Most feature images from horror movies like ZOMBIE and THRILLER.
In a black-and-white still from 2006's CREATURES FROM THE PINK LAGOON, the film's ensemble...a cast of gay men on vacation...stand on a porch and catch their first glimpse of gay zombies.
A can of green enchilada sauce prominently displayed among flowers for sale at a store
Repeating brick arch ways inside a "holy space" from Ken Russell's THE DEVILS. The sparseness creates an almost surreal like quality.
A close up of the character of Kelly, as played by Liam Sullivan in the viral SHOES video.
A painted poster for BATTLE BEYOND THE STARS, featuring the primary characters super-imposed of a grand image of a space battle.
A still from 1997's TOWER OF TERROR, featuring young Kirsten Dunst and Steve Guttenberg being backlit by a glowing hotel elevator.
A film still from 1987's MANNEQUIN featuring Andrew McCarthy peering into a store window at a mannequin dressed in a red long coat and matching wide-brimmed hat.
A publicity photo of William Castle sitting in his director's chair and looking over his shoulder at the camera.
John Waters wearing a bright red suit in a blue room. He is blowing into a party noisemaker and next to him is a cake with an "80" candle on top for his birthday
A door that reads “My heart will go on,” but due to spacing issues, appears to say “my heart will goon.”
A portrait of Patrick Muldoon
A duology of posters side-by-side for 1977's OUTRAGEOUS and 1987's TOO OUTRAGEOUS. The OUTRAGEOUS poster depicts star Craig Russell as Carol Channing in four different pastel-colored panels behind the film's title. The poster of TOO OUTRAGEOUS show cases Russell in drag as Mae West against a black background. The tagline reads: "When the going gets tough, the tough get GORGEOUS!"
Text: G-0.0
A dog treat bag labeled “Porky Meat Hunks”
A photo of Roger Corman sitting among film canisters.
A film still from 1960's TALL STORY, featuring Anthony Perkins in the foreground and Jane Fonda standing behind him staring adoringly.
A screencap from the 1989 DUCKTALES nintendo game featuring an 8-bit, side-scrolling Scrooge McDuck on the surface of the moon as a red squid alien looks on.
Debbie Reynolds as Grandma Aggie Cromwell in HALLOWEENTOWN. In this film still, Aggie poses in front of the Halloweentown pumpkin in the middle of the town square.
A still from SHOWGIRLS wherein Cristal Conners (Gina Gershon) sensuously grips the throat of Nomi Malone (Elizabeth Berkley) on stage during rehearsal.
A photo of the trans pride flag waving against the sky.
A scary lady with exaggerated makeup lying on a pillow on her side MONSTROUS MUSINGS "Camp" Is Not A Dirty Word By Michael Varrati (Editor's note: This week I'm passing the Monstrous Musings mic to my friend and colleague, filmmaker Michael Varrati. We've been commenting on the state of the industry via text and phone calls for years, and a piece of news this week sparked an interesting dialogue, so l encouraged Michael to write down his thoughts about it. He did not disappoint! - PN)
Richard Kiel as Jaws, the assassin with metal teeth, in the James Bond movie THE SPY WHO LOVED ME. Beneath his image is the phrase “Braces of Death” in the FACES OF DEATH font.
A painting from Sam Kieth of his creations, The Maxx and Julie, sitting on a cliffside and contemplating.
A still frame close-up from FASTER PUSSYCAT KILL KILL of Tura Satana holding a switch blade. The steel glints in the sun.