Michael Varrati

[3] Some of Varrati's notable works include Tales of Poe, the screenlife horror Unusual Attachment, episodes of the podcasts Darkest Night and Deadly Manners, and serving as a writer/director of the series The Boulet Brothers' Dragula.

The Dreams segment, written by Varrati was noted for casting past scream queens Adrienne King, Amy Steel, and Caroline Williams.

[19] While making Tales of Poe, Varrati began collaborating with Richard Griffin on a short about gay aliens titled Crash Site, and later worked on a feature film: The Sins of Dracula.

[1] That same year, Varrati would also create the original story for Broadcasting Christmas, which was adapted by playwright Topher Payne for the Hallmark Channel and starred Melissa Joan Hart and Dean Cain.

[26] In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Varrati spoke about the fact that he was able to write both horror and holiday fare, saying that he felt both kinds of story were important, as they catered to different needs of the audience.

[1] Varrati has also written a number of thrillers and genre adjacent pieces for TV networks, including the Lifetime original movie The Wrong Stepmother, produced by Vivica A.

[28] In 2021, Varrati also provided the original story for the Vivica Fox-starring horror movie Aquarium of the Dead, which was adapted to screen by writer Marc Gottleib.

[30] Through June Gloom, Varrati has written and directedThe Office is Mine,[31] queer slasher A Halloween Trick,[32] and the isolation horror film What’s Left Inside, which made its North American Premiere at Outfest in 2021.

[33] Fairly early into the COVID-19 pandemic, Varrati released Unusual Attachment, shot entirely remotely as a screenlife/found footage narrative about a man who runs into unspeakable horrors while using online dating sites.

[34] Later in the pandemic, Brandon Kirby and Michael Varrati would use this remote shooting technique to co-create a queer drama miniseries titled So Far, So Close for the Dekkoo streaming platform.

The panel has garnered attention over the years for its in-depth discussion of LGBTQ+ issues and its high-profile guests (which have included Bryan Fuller, Jeffrey Reddick, Guinevere Turner, and more).

[5] In 2017, Varrati joined the writing team of the narrative horror podcast Darkest Night starring Lee Pace, Denis O’Hare, and RuPaul.

[60] As an actor, Varrati has appeared in numerous independent horror films and has worked with such notable filmmakers as Lloyd Kaufman, Mike Mendez, and Stuart Gordon.