John Clayton (Legacy Notice)
(January 28, 1960 - January 28, 2010)

John was a founding, original member of ICS.

Michael Schilling says that, "John Clayton was one of the smartest, yet unassuming guys I've ever known. I knew him from the first day I went to a meeting of the old Horror and Fantasy Film Society of Baltimore (as it was known then). In watching him talk with other friends, I got the impression that he knew more about sci-fi and fantasy and other genre elements than a lot of us put together. Still, he never flaunted that...he never made anybody feel less of a fan just because of that.

He was always willing to share his knowledge, friendship, and confidence with any of us..and that always made me feel good. He was "one of us", one of the "originals" who formed the basis for what ICS is today.

I've always felt a special kinship with those of us who came from the original club..so losing him, especially so suddenly and so young (he literally had JUST celebrated his 50th birthday!) was a tremendous shock to all of us."

Mitch Klein worked with John on the short film "Monster Planet" (see photo below and see the official website), with a group of horror/sci-fi fans who filmed a short that parodies everything from Star Trek to classic Universal monster movies.



In a scene from the unfinished masterpiece, "Monster Planet".

Dave Henderson remembers, "John was a true film geek. He loved to write, and dreamed of writing a movie script that would be made into a film. He was the editor of a newsletter entitled "Bits and Pieces" that ran for a short time. He helped us lay the foundations of the ICS, and every July he gave a thoughtful and fascinating talk to our members, followed by a great movie. His death was so unexpected, and a great loss to us all.

"I met John in 1992 when I joined the Horror and Fantasy Film Society." Mitch remembers, "We worked together on a sci-fi spoof (see VIDEO), and loved talking about writing, particularly screenwriting. I have a lot of fond memories of hanging out with John."

Charlie Wittig, a close friend of John's says, "He was a mild mannered, gentle soul who just happened to love wrestling, Lovecraft, writing, and all thing movies.  He had a dry, cutting wry sense of humor and he was part of the ICS's heart and soul.