Gabriel Bartalos

Director & actor

Filmmaker Gabe Bartalos is the writer and director of two feature films, "Skinned Deep" (2004) and his latest film "Saint Bernard" (2013). Both films are celebrated for their high-energy surrealist quality, giving Bartalos a reputation for reality-bending, enigmatic themes. Gabe also brings his ripe imagination and artistic vision to the world of music. He has worked with bands such as "The Damned" (2003), "Street Dogs" (2006), "The Briggs" (2008) and "David Byrne and St. Vincent" (2013).

Early in his special make-up effects career, Bartalos left his mark on the horror genre by teaming up with director Frank Henenlotter on horror classics such as "Brain Damage" (1988), "Frankenhooker" (1990) and "Basket Case 2" (1990). In 2008, Bartalos was executive producer for Henenlotter's "Bad Biology". Gabe has handled the prosthetic make-up effects for renowned artist/filmmaker Matthew Barney since 1991 with works including "The Cremaster Cycle" (spanning 1994-2002), "March of the Anal Sadistic Warrior" (1998), "De Lama Lamina" (2007), "Drawing Restraint 9" (2005) and on the 2008 Los Angeles live performance of "Ren".

Where to start: Day of the Dead (1985).