To the casual observer, Sacramento doesn't exactly jump to mind when it comes to iconic horror names & places ,but the state capital of California actually has a rich history of supporting the genre. For over a decade spanning the early 1970's -1980's, one of the most fondly remembered Horror TV shows in history, CREATURE FEATURES, helped to raise a generation of "Monster Grandkids," myself included. The Sac-based show was hosted by the ever lovable Bob Wilkins, and later by John Stanley.

Let us not forget Sacramento's contribution to real world horror: Convicted necrophile Karen Greenlee who confessed to having had sexual relations with over 40 male corpses, or Sacramento's contribution to the to Surreal Killer population in the form off Richard Trenton Chase, "The Vampire Killer" who killed and drank the blood of no less than 6 people in the 1970's.

Let me direct our attentions to the here and now, and to a man who is doing his best to keep Sacramento spooky. Tim Meuiner is a man on a mission, and with each year he comes closer to meeting his ghoulish vision of hosting the perfect Horror film event.


MARS: Let's go back in time a bit. What were your initial motivations for wanting to set up a dedicated HORROR film event in Sacramento?

TIM: My initial motivation was to give back to the art form that inspired me within a genre I felt most connected to. I walk with a "give it away to keep it" mentality. I became a filmmaker because film lit a fire under my ass creatively but in time I felt a strong desire to help others by providing a platform for their art. I found inspiration within a movie theatre and I did not want to waste anytime and deprive a patron of that same experience. Horror is my first love and Sacramento already had several multi-genre festival but no single genre fest like a horror related one. I didn't know how good or bad I'd pull off a horror festival but i was willing to try.


MARS: Most every Horror fan I know has been one a very long time. It isn't really a genre that lends itself to casual flirtation. Tell us a bit about your back story with the horror genre.

TIM: As a child I recall pretending to be a werewolf, pretending to live in a haunted house, watching Monsters and Tales from the Dark Side on late night TV, and my daily movie of choice was Nightmare on Elm Street 1,2,&3. Halloween was my favorite holiday and favorite movie for that fact. I engulfed myself in horror at a young age and it never tapered off. I found it fascinating, exhilarating, and comforting at the same time. As I've grown, I appreciate the nuances, intricacies, psychology, and effect of the horror film even more. As a kid it was like a fun ride at the carnival and now as an adult i see it as a legitimate art form.


MARS: This was your 3rd year; and to my eyes, the smoothest running, biggest drawing event thus far. Are you finding that you've got the "machine" running a bit more smoothly as time goes on? Also, your amount of help seems to have increased. I still get the impression that you're overseeing everything, but you certainly seemed more at ease this year.

TIM: I have a very dedicated staff and they are wonderful. Most tell me they can only stay a day to help and end up staying all weekend long. When I started this festival I had a vision that it needed to be an event that I would enjoy going to as patron. So every aspect of it is something I've carefully evaluated at one point. So my attention to planning and execution is year round and non stop during the festival itself. Call it anal, meticulous, i don't care. I just know if a problem pops up i want to be the first to see it so i can take care of it and move on. As the years have progressed I've done nothing but learn from my mistakes. I still am learning and that is whats important to me.


MARS: I must say, your efforts to show GOOD films from the independent scene has been outstanding. I enjoyed every film I saw in both the shorts blocks, and the feature length films were outstanding as well. It is obvious you're not
just filling in a quota, but you're really only putting stuff that passes your personal Quality Control on the screen. Tell us about this process.

TIM: I appreciate that. It goes back to me wanting to throw the type of event and visualizing what I, the patron, would feel great about paying my hard earned money for entry. I LOVE horror. I LOVE film. I love all the sub genres within horror from the schlock campy guts and gore to the slasher film, zombie tale, hard edged thriller, the 2 dollar budget piece and the multi-million dollar extravaganza. As long as each film has a great story to tell and I feel it needs to be seen by an audience it will get play at the Sacramento Horror Film Festival.


MARS: Any favorite stories about Guests, or Filmmakers and/or warnings that you'd want to share with the Fear Zone readers?

TIM: Chris Jericho's impromptu guest judging of our inaugural Zombie Beauty Contest this last event was a bonus for the fest and fans alike. My favorite moment was this last fest when REPO! co-creator Darren Smith reprized his 'Band Leader' role and joined my shadow cast, Amber's Sweets, during the REPO! screening. Makes me smile just reminiscing about it.

MARS: Mr Lobo is certainly a genre favorite, as well as another proud Sacramento home boy. How did you get him and the illustrious Queen Of Trash on board?

TIM: They are amazing! They love hosting, the fans, and horror. I am very lucky and honored to have the talent of Mr. Lobo and The Queen of Trash on board for the Sacramento Horror Film Festival. I met them in a dark alley while humming the title song to Suspiria. I supposed they liked me enough. We got to chatting about the fest and normally they don't host shows that aren't established. They gave year 1 a shot and have been back ever since. I am lucky to have them and fans are always in for a treat when Mr. Lobo & The Queen of Trash take the stage.

MARS: Any last thoughts?

TIM: Stay tuned to www.SacHorrorFilmFest.com for all our future events such as our REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA performance cast, our inaugural Sac Paranormal Con, and more. Thank you to all the filmmakers, performers, hosts, sponsors, staff, and special guests who made the 3rd Annual event one to remember.


WEBSITE: www.SacHorrorFilmFest.com
MYSPACE: http://www.myspace.com/sachorrorfilmfest