Rick Bota

Cinematographer Rick Bota must have a strong stomach. Over the course of his two-plus decade career, he's lensed all matter of spine-tingling and stomach-churning horror fare, beginning in the '80s with the small screen lycanthropic thriller "Werewolf." HBO's "Tales from the Crypt" proved a perfect fit for Bota, who shot 23 episodes of the darkly comedic cable series and worked in tandem with guest director Robert Zemeckis for the sixth season closer, "You, Murderer." Bota also photographed the series' stand-alone installment, "Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight." In 1996, Bota turned his lens on "Baywatch" star Pamela Anderson for "Barb Wire," a B-movie remake of "Casablanca" set in a futuristic strip club. Anderson received the dubious distinction of Worst New Star at the subsequent Razzie Awards for her performance. Bota shot another shameless remake in 1999: the Geoffrey Rush and Famke Janssen-led update of "House on Haunted Hill." Reviled by critics, the film was nonetheless a modest box office success among horror-starved Halloween weekend crowds. Bota put on his director's beret in 2002, helming a trio of straight-to-video sequels to Clive Barker's "Hellraiser." "Hellraiser: Hellseeker," the first of the three, received recognition for Best Visual Effects at the 2003 DVD Exclusive Awards. In 2010, Bota directed an episode of the CW's paranormal drama "Supernatural."