PROGRAMMERS AND JUDGES

Aaron Allen is a life-long devotee of genre film with over 15 years involvement in the horror media and Ontario film festival community. From 2012 to 2020, he was the director and lead programmer of the Hexploitation Film Festival in Hamilton, Ontario, for which he programmed numerous Canadian and regional premieres. He also organized the Hamilton Zombie Walk and Charity Food Drive (2012-2014) and was the founder and lead writer of The Zed Word Zombie Blog, a popular site for zombie movie news, reviews, and interviews from 2008-2014. 

Mike Alvarez created our AMAZING key art. He is an Illustrator, Author, Podcaster, and professional Insomniac from Niagara Falls, New York, where he lives with his wife Jessica and their son Caleb. Here is the link trees to all things Alvarez: https://linktr.ee/Zaracis 

Chris Cosgrave is a cinematographer, editor, special visual effects artist, graphic designer, thespian and family man. He was the recipient of NCCC Film and Animation Festival’s Filmmaker of the Year Award in 2023, and was a volunteer for Buffalo Dreams Fantastic Film Festival. Some of his film credits include Killer Rack, Dick Johnson & Tommygun vs. the Cannibal Cop, Johnny Gruesome, Widow’s Point, Guns of Eden and Heartbreak Falls.

Julian Dickman has supported Fantastic Cinema in Western New York since the very first Buffalo Screams Horror Film Festival back in 2010 and counts Isaac Ezban as his favorite director and Black Fawn Films as his favorite production company. He has probably screened 2,000 short film festival submissions and has appeared in such films as Killer Rack and Dick Johnson and Tommygun vs. the Cannibal Cop, and knows a thing or two hundred about wrestling.

Gregory Lamberson has produced and directed nine feature films of his own, including Slime City, Killer Rack, Johnny Gruesome, Widow’s Point and Guns of Eden. He is the author of fifteen books, including twelve horror novels and the filmmaking guide Cheap Scares: Low Budget Horror Filmmakers Share Their Secrets. He's a member of the Producers Guild of America, International Thriller Writers, and the Horror Writers Association. His previous film festivals include Buffalo Screams Horror Film Festival and Buffalo Dreams Fantastic Film Festival, and he currently teaches Screenwriting at University at Buffalo.  FANGORIA called him “the busiest man in horror.”

Tamar Gonzalez Lamberson is the co-founder of Valkyrie International Film Festival, a Western New York fest which spotlights films directed by women and runs every March (Women’s History Month). She co-produced Johnny Gruesome, Widow’s Point and Guns of Eden, and served as Production Manager/Supervisor on Slime City Massacre and Killer Rack. She also helped out on every edition of Buffalo Screams Horror Film Festival and Buffalo Dreams Fantastic Film Festival.

Paul McGinnis is a longtime actor in the Western New York worlds of theatre and film, but his claim to fame is penning the hilarious screenplay for Killer Rack, which won the award for Best Unproduced Screenplay at Buffalo Dreams Fantastic Film Festival (long before Greg amberson became invoved with it). He has appeared in Snow Shark: Ancient Snow Beast, Dry Bones, Killer Rack, Johnny Gruesome, Widow’s Point, Guns of Eden and Little Green People. He has also read hundreds of screenplay submissions.

Desmond Reddick is the creator and host of the horror genre podcast Dread Media and has produced its weekly programming for more than 16 years. He has previously been on the selection committee for Hamilton, Ontario’s Hexploitation Film Fest for the entirety of its run. He is an author and teacher somewhere on Vancouver Island. 

Amanda R. Woomer is an author, playwright, and actress from Buffalo, NY. She is currently the author of nearly 20 books on the subject of true crime, dark history, horror, the occult, and the paranormal. She's also written several screenplays and stage plays focusing on horror and reinterpreting gothic literature. Most recently, Amanda wrote, produced, directed, and starred in an original adaption of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.  Her website is www.spookeats.com