Michael Lee Stever recently shared with me his Mini-Doc Resurrecting Carrie and his Q and A with Actress Piper Laurie (which took place this past July at the 2nd Annual Scares That Care Weekend in Williamsburg, VA). What follows is the press release from the event as well as the Mini-Doc and Q and A, in addition to links to the Scares That Care Organization. Enjoy!
“Actor-turned-filmmaker Michael Lee Stever, (Super Force, Broadway; The Golden Age) and revered stage actress and Academy Award nominee Piper Laurie (The Hustler, Twin Peaks, Carrie) recently joined Scares That Care founder Joe Ripple and his entire team this coming July 24th, 25th and 26th in Williamsburg, Virginia for the second annual Scares That Care Weekend film festival and convention.
Scares That Care is changing the face of the American film festival, and you can bet things are starting to heat up in a major way. With hundreds of film festivals and genre events scattered from coast to coast, it’s not unreasonable to maintain that the ‘festival scene’ could use a serious cage shaking and Scares That Care is doing just that. To date they are one of the only festivals in the United States that are donating all net proceeds to the families of their 2015 Campaign. Additionally, with this year’s convention, the Heritage Humane Society will have a booth setup to collect money and items for the animals under their care. A gauntlet hopefully more festivals, and horror conventions might be inspired to pick up.
All of this because Joe Ripple, a retired police detective, was motivated to find a way to raise money for families experiencing medical hardship after witnessing first hand the financial and emotional struggle his partner faced when his 4-year-old-daughter was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor.
Beloved actress and horror icon Piper Laurie was on hand for a screening of Michael Stever’s 2012 documentary short film, ‘Resurrecting Carrie.’ The doc features Laurie herself as well as a host of other industry professionals who share thoughts on how Stephen King’s classic novel, Brian DePalma’s legendary film, and Dean Pitchford and Michael Gore’s cult hit musical influenced, inspired and helped steer their paths. A fascinating Q&A with Stever and Laurie followed immediately after the screening.
Laurie (born Rosetta Jacobs) has become one of the most celebrated, respected actors of our time and is the recipient of numerous awards. Originally a product of the early studio contract player system, she finally broke free from stringent, limiting contractual obligations and has proudly helmed a career that has spawned countless iconic roles on stage, in film and on television. In 2012 she published her much anticipated personal memoir, ‘Learning To Live Out Loud’ which has garnered raves for its insightful eloquence, wit and blistering candor.
Michael Lee Stever has worked steadily in the business for nearly thirty years. First as an actor, singer and dancer and now as full time filmmaker, cameraman, editor and writer. His first foray into indie film was as UPM on the critically acclaimed documentary, ‘Broadway; The Golden Age.’ He’s since produced a handful of engaging documentaries all focusing on various facets of the thriller/horror genre; ‘Saturday Nightmares; The Ultimate Horror Expo,’ featuring George Romero, Tom Savini & Adrienne Barbeau, ‘Jan Broberg’s Guide To Thespians, Sociopaths & Scream Queens’ featuring Elijah Wood, and most recently ‘Heather’s Freddy Cut Nightmare’ featuring iconic ‘Nightmare On Elm Street’ heroine, Heather Langencamp.
Other celebs that appeared at this year’s Scares That Care were David Naughton, (American Werewolf in London) Kim Coates, (Sons of Anarchy) Sid Haig, (Jackie Brown) Larry Drake, (Dark man) Ginger Lynn, (The Devil’s Rejects) and many more.
Be sure and visit www.scaresthatcareweekend.com to get tickets and learn more about the convention. Visit www.scaresthatcare.org to learn more about the charity itself. “
