Gary Smart

Born in Birmingham, West Midlands UK in 1982, Gary Smart has always been a fan of all things horror. From lending out VHS copies of 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' to his fellow 5 year old classmates to building models of Dr Channard from 'Hellbound: Hellraiser II' at the age of 12 Smart has always had a fascination with the macabre. Smart has been a lifelong fan of 'The Return of the Living Dead' and spent his youth playing zombies with neighborhood friends. Smart was always Ernie Kaltenbrunner. A lifelong dream finally came true in 2007 when Smart became friends with actor Don Calfa. Smart organized Calfa's first UK convention appearance at the NEC Birmingham in 2007 and also the following year in 2008. Since their first meeting in 2007 Smart and Calfa have become close friends and are in weekly contact. Smart also became close friends with actress Beverly Randolph. It was through these friendships that Smart first came up with the concept of a retrospective book on the Return of the Living Dead franchise. After meeting Gorezone Deputy Editor Christian Sellers in 2007 the pair embarked on their first book now titled 'The Complete History of the Return of the Living Dead'. After two painstakingly stressful years 'The Complete History of the Return of the Living Dead' was finally released in January 2011 by Plexus Books UK. Featuring interviews with over 100 cast members and over 300 exclusive interviews 'The Complete History of the Return of the Living Dead' became an instant success with fans of the franchise. Smart and Sellers were then approached to write the documentary 'More Brains! A Return to the Living Dead' in 2011. Smart will also provide exclusive artwork for the documentary slated for an October 2011 release. In his 'real' life Smart works at a UK High School as a School Manager, but spends his spare time supporting, promoting and celebrating all things horror. Smart and Sellers are working on their second book charting the history of Slasher films set to be released in 2012