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| Michael and I at the 2009 Stokers in Burbank, California. Nate Kenyon and Alexandra Sokoloff are on my left. |
As with many of my horror friends, I first got to know
Michael online. We first met in person at the 2008 World Horror Convention in
Salt Lake City. I was in a hurry to be somewhere when he stopped me in the hall
to introduce himself. In my haste, I shook hands with him and Michelle and then
stormed off to my destination. I felt rude and figured he must have felt that
I’d brushed him off. So, I joked with him about that story every time I saw him
since, and he always laughed and assured it that it was no big deal.
That was the first of many meetings in various cities across North America and Europe that I had with Michael. We noted and fancied the fact that we had hung out in so many different places, whether we had gone out for dinner or hung out in the hotel bar at a convention. This taught me the value of camaraderie among horror professionals.
His and Michelle’s 2009 visit to Buffalo is probably my favorite memory of him. He and Michelle had been in New York City and had taken the train to Buffalo to catch up with Greg Lamberson while he was shooting Slime City Massacre with the intention of flying back to California. So, we planned an evening out, and wouldn’t you know it, we actually made it happen. I picked them up at their hotel and took them into the city. Chicken wings had been brought up, so I took them to Buffalo’s landmark Anchor Bar. Michael picked up the bill, which he might have regretted after seeing my voracious appetite for chicken wings!
The Buffalo visit was special to me because it was the chance to see a good horror friend away from a convention. By that I mean that it was an additional visit with someone I see just once or twice a year.
That was the first of many meetings in various cities across North America and Europe that I had with Michael. We noted and fancied the fact that we had hung out in so many different places, whether we had gone out for dinner or hung out in the hotel bar at a convention. This taught me the value of camaraderie among horror professionals.
His and Michelle’s 2009 visit to Buffalo is probably my favorite memory of him. He and Michelle had been in New York City and had taken the train to Buffalo to catch up with Greg Lamberson while he was shooting Slime City Massacre with the intention of flying back to California. So, we planned an evening out, and wouldn’t you know it, we actually made it happen. I picked them up at their hotel and took them into the city. Chicken wings had been brought up, so I took them to Buffalo’s landmark Anchor Bar. Michael picked up the bill, which he might have regretted after seeing my voracious appetite for chicken wings!
The Buffalo visit was special to me because it was the chance to see a good horror friend away from a convention. By that I mean that it was an additional visit with someone I see just once or twice a year.
Another amusing memory came at the 2010
Word Horror Convention in Brighton, England. I’d attended a panel that Michael
was on and he approached me before it started with his camera and asked me to
take some pictures of him bestowing his wisdom to the masses. So, I took a
couple of normal ones and then signalled for him to flex his muscles and
pose-down Hulk Hogan style! And he did! In fact, he did it for so long that the
other panellists began to notice and had a What
the hell is this guy doing? look on their faces. I really wish I had that
picture otherwise I surely would’ve used it in this post. I looked for it
everywhere.
Horror people are a tightly-knit bunch, and I know we all took it hard when we learned that Michael was sick in December, 2010. I saw Michael at the Stokers in New York in June, 2011 and was thrilled that he had made the trek to the convention. My only hope was that he could walk away with the Stoker. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be.
During that same convention, Michael spoke of his pitch sessions with agents. I knew he was lucky to be alive and was amazed that he was still shooting for big publishing deals. Then it dawned on me that he was doing it because he hadn’t folded up his tent and that he wouldn’t allow things to be over until they were truly over. He offered inspiration to me that weekend that I’ll never forget.
I last saw Michael at the 2012 World Horror Convention in Salt Lake City—in the same building where we first met face-to-face. He’d had surgery and was again fortunate enough to have made the trip. I thought he looked better than he had the last time I’d seen him and I wondered if he would be a miracle.
Then came the evening in which I learned that Michael passed away. I encouraged others to honor Michael by picking up one of his books. I downloaded As Fate Would Have It for my Kindle. Reading it brings on some of the pain, but letting his words live on is one way of making the man himself live on for generations to come.
Horror people are a tightly-knit bunch, and I know we all took it hard when we learned that Michael was sick in December, 2010. I saw Michael at the Stokers in New York in June, 2011 and was thrilled that he had made the trek to the convention. My only hope was that he could walk away with the Stoker. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be.
During that same convention, Michael spoke of his pitch sessions with agents. I knew he was lucky to be alive and was amazed that he was still shooting for big publishing deals. Then it dawned on me that he was doing it because he hadn’t folded up his tent and that he wouldn’t allow things to be over until they were truly over. He offered inspiration to me that weekend that I’ll never forget.
I last saw Michael at the 2012 World Horror Convention in Salt Lake City—in the same building where we first met face-to-face. He’d had surgery and was again fortunate enough to have made the trip. I thought he looked better than he had the last time I’d seen him and I wondered if he would be a miracle.
Then came the evening in which I learned that Michael passed away. I encouraged others to honor Michael by picking up one of his books. I downloaded As Fate Would Have It for my Kindle. Reading it brings on some of the pain, but letting his words live on is one way of making the man himself live on for generations to come.
I’ll close by summing up some final
thoughts about Michael: I can say a ton of kind things about him with no
hesitation because they’re all true. I never heard him say anything bad about
someone. I never saw him in anything short of a pretty good mood, and that
includes the time he was sick and likely in a lot of pain. As cliché as it
sounds, the world needs more Michael Calvillos.
Peace out, Michael.
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