Gary Miller

Gary Miller, born in Kansas City, MO and raised in Wichita, KS, remembers having a love for monsters as early as three years old. He clearly recalls being nine when he saw The Empire Strikes Back with a group of friends, and afterward, explaining to them in detail how stop-motion animation works and trying to convince them to help him make their own movie. Miller did experiment making short films, both live action and animation, by the age of 12. He continued his interest in monsters as well, creating masks and make-ups. In high school, Miller got the chance to design his own Frankenstein's monster make-up for a play, in which he starred as the Dr. At age 17, Miller was working in a video rental store when he met Leif Jonker. Jonker gave him the opportunity to create a variety of gory make-ups and creatures for the film Leif Jonker's Darkness. Miller was also asked to take on a leading role, acting in the film. This is something he had dreamed of, following in the footsteps of one of his childhood heroes, Tom Savini. Leif Jonker's Darkness took several years of work for both Jonker and Miller, but was eventually completed and has been released worldwide on VHS and DVD. Miller has received much praise from horror fans over the years for his grotesque contributions to the film. In the years since, Miller has collaborated with Jonker on several projects, including the trailers for Demon Machine and Skull Full. He has also supplied make-up and special effects for four films (Fearsome, 20 Funerals, Dinner-No Movie, and The Mark) and an episode of One Tree Hill, while living in North Carolina between 2003 and 2004. Once Miller moved back to Wichita, KS he would begin working with Jonker on Leif Jonker's Darkness all over again, aiding in the creation of a special edition, two-disc DVD. This work did pay off in seeing Leif Jonker's Darkness getting a limited theatrical run, that became a week long party for everyone who had been involved years ago.