Our Team
Heidi Honeycutt
Writer/Producer
Heidi Honeycutt is an esteemed film historian, journalist, and author with a deep expertise in the horror genre. As the co-founder of the Etheria Film Festival, she has been instrumental in promoting and celebrating the contributions of women directors in horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and thriller films. With a focus on elevating female filmmakers, Heidi has established herself as a significant voice in genre cinema, advocating for representation and diversity behind the camera.
Heidi is also the author of Stoker-nominated I Spit on Your Celluloid (Headpress), a critical exploration of women directors in the horror film industry, published in 2024. Her work as a writer spans numerous influential publications, including Fangoria, Rue Morgue, Famous Monsters of Filmland, and Moviemaker Magazine. Her writings reflect a passionate commitment to examining and preserving the legacy of genre films, with an emphasis on marginalized voices. A recognized expert in film history, Heidi’s scholarly work also extends to exploring cultural and historical narratives within the genre.
Her contributions to the academic and public understanding of horror, both through her writing and her role as a festival programmer, have earned her a respected place in film circles globally.
Elle Schneider
Director/Writer
Elle is a director and Local 600 cinematographer whose work has been featured in Vanity Fair, NPR, Rolling Stone, and Fangoria. An avid cinephile with a passion for genre films, who cites Roger Corman, David Lean, Fritz Lang, Ken Russell, and Robert Wise as her biggest influences, she typically selects projects that feature dark or unconventional stories.
Elle’s extensive work as a cinematographer includes two seasons of History’s The Food That Built America, four narrative features, numerous short films, and documentary feature That Guy Dick Miller, which premiered at the SXSW Film Festival. 2nd Unit shoots as DP include Gamemaster (#1 Doc iTunes), I Am Divine (SXSW), Half The Picture (Sundance), Woodlands Dark And Days Bewitched (SXSW), and Return To Class Of Nuke ’Em High (San Sebastian). She also directs music videos (Speedy Ortiz, Isla June, Allie Goertz) and branded pieces for clients like Atomos, Sigma, and Panasonic, for whom she directed horror western Near To Superstition.
She co-produced Joey Soma’s horror short /HAAW/, which played at BeyondFest and Tribeca and others, and Toy Lei’s surreal drama Women In Media-finalist Moon.
Kelly Ryan
Executive Producer
Kelly is an award-winning producer based in Philadelphia. Currently a Partner at Stage 3 Productions, Kelly has developed and helmed over 25 series for networks that include A&E, Bio, Discovery, TLC, HGTV, GAC, WEtv and the Travel Channel. She produced the feature length television documentaries Homeward Bound: John Mellencamp and Caddy for Life: The Bruce Edwards Story, as well as documentaries on the films Silence of the Lambs; Saturday Night Fever; Dances with Wolves; Fatal Attraction and Halloween.
She recently served as Executive Producer for the critically and commercially acclaimed feature length documentary film, Horror Noire for AMC’s Shudder, which was named on the top ten horror films for 2019 by Entertainment Weekly as well as the Shudder original documentary Queer for Fear presently in production, and the 6-episode Shudder original series, Behind the Monsters.
She was an Executive Producer on the HBO Films documentary, 40 Years a Prisoner, as well the feature length documentary, Ghost in America’s Kitchen, winner of the Roxbury Film Festival’s award for Best Documentary and an official selection of the Pavillon Afrique at the 2021 Cannes International Film Festival.