CON REPORT: Monster-Mania 47

I was definitely a little reluctant to return to Monster-Mania this year, when a pandemic is still on-going. This was clearly not a concern for everyone else, as Monster-Mania 47 is probably the busiest I've ever seen this convention. The hallways were so crowded at times on Saturday afternoon, I could barely move. I guess people were eager to get back to the convention scene after over a year away. I'd say more people than not were masked today but there were a number of exposed faces. (Especially Friday night.)  Yet I'm still going to agonize about breakthrough cases for a few weeks. That's just my neurotic personality.

This was far from the only weirdness this weekend. I won't go into too much specifics but check-in Friday was a fiasco. There were some issues with JD and I's rooms. I don't know if this is all because of COVID regulations but it seems to me that the quality of the hotel services have declined some since it went from being the Hunt Valley Inn to a Delta Merriot. 

Not to mention, Friday afternoon while still loitering around the hotel while they got our rooms ready, we witnessed an old man fall to the concrete, splitting a huge gash on his forehead. Me and several other people did what we could to tend to this clearly disoriented fellow, before some hotel employees arrived. Definitely unexpected to see so much blood before the horror convention actually started! In-between the frustration with checking-in and seeing someone injury themselves so seriously, I pretty much remember nothing between that and standing in line for Joe Bob Briggs.

Anyway, despite all that, Monster-Mania 47 itself was a great convention. The first guest I actually saw was Alex Winter. I just had to tell him how much I love "Freaked" and "Death Wish 3." How "Bill and Ted" was one of the films JD and I bonded over when we first met, way back in the seventh grade. I also asked about what happened to the remake of "The Gate" he was attached to direct ten years ago or so. He said it fell apart for the reasons these things usually do: Money. Alex definitely seemed pretty chill.

Joe Bob Briggs and Darcy the Mail  Girl happened to arrive at their table just a few minutes later, so we immediately got in line. JBB is clearly someone who takes his time with each person at his table, which I definitely respect. When I got to the table, I asked him – as the drive-in movie expert – his recommendations for the best exploitation movie made or set in my home state of West Virginia. He first mentioned Mothman before Darcy brought up the "Wrong Turn" series, which she apparently loves. (I had to tell her that it really does make my day when she gives me a retweet or fave during the Last Drive-In live-tweets, which she said was "sweet.") Joe Bob then mentioned "The Barn," which is apparently made by a filmmaker stationed out of Wheeling. Coincidentally, this filmmaker also had a table here at Monster-Mania, selling his own films! Anyway, it was a really nice interaction. Clearly, these two value the experience of meeting fans a lot.

The last signature I sprung for Friday night was Richard Dreyfuss. At first, I wasn't sure if I was going to make that purchase, as his asking price was a bit expensive but I decided to go through with it. "Jaws" is a pretty big movie for me, after all. And since I figured most of the questions he'd get this weekend we're about "Jaws" or "Close Encounters," I asked him about his method behind playing Dick Cheney in "W." Dreyfuss explained that all he really had to do to get into character was scowl. His handler then recommended a film where he played Bernie Madoff, which does sound pretty interesting. Anyway, I can now say I had a conversation with an Oscar winner.

As always, the dealers room at Monster-Mania is a big attraction. This year had a pretty interesting selection, a mixture of the DVDs, toys, and shirts you expect but also some quirkier stuff. Here's just the rundown of the coolest shit I got this weekend:

From the good folks at Vinegar Syndrome, I picked up the Blu-Rays of "Silent Madness" and "WNUF Halloween Special." (The latter of which had a bad-ass, VHS box style slipcase.) I then mossied over to the Severin table and got the new 4K box set of "Santa Sangre." Finally, I had to make my yearly visit to the VHSPS booth. I purchased "Meet the Applegates," which may be the subject of an upcoming Director Report Card essay.

On the toy front, I picked up the Morlock and Crate Monster figures from the Amok Time booth. I also grabbed a loose Dr. Caligari Silent Screamers figure, which is one I've been looking for a couple of years now.

One of my favorite purchases I've ever made at Monster-Mania is a pennant depicting David Bowie's different personas as Halloween costumes. The good people at Big Purple Glasses/M. Lineham returned this year. I picked up a shirt depicting Bowie's Halloween Jack persona leaping from a Jack-o'-lantern, in the same style as the aforementioned banner. I also got a second banner devoted to the McBoo trick-or-treat pails, as well as a Kate Bush Christmas ornament, part of their series of New Wave themed ornaments. If you ever happen to see these guys at a con, say hi. Their stuff is great. (I also picked up a Last Drive-In shirt while in line for Joe Bob as well as a shirt featuring "The Burning's" Cropsey.) 

I also picked up some quirkier stuff this year. Itzy Bitzy's sells candles inspired by movies. I'm not normally a candle guy but I'm impressed by the creativity involved in assigning a scent to a character or film. I had to grab a "Pulp Fiction" candle with an I intoxicating espresso scent, obviously inspired by the "serious gourmet shit" scene.

We saw Trick or Treat Studios' Universal Monsters cardboard Halloween decorations, inspired by the old Beistle cut-outs, at multiple booths. I just couldn't resist those. I also found an old cardboard standee from the '90s Universal Monsters Pepsi/Doritos advertising campaign. As I'm obsessed with that particular string of advertising, I had to grab that

Lastly, there's two booths I always have to stop at. First, there's the artwork of Cine Tredici. I just love talking with this guy, because he has artwork inspired by movies you never see merchandise for, even at conventions like this. I bought prints based on "Four Flies on Grey Velvet," "Carnival of Souls," and "A Bucket of Blood." But I could've gotten a dozen different ones. I pointed out paintings inspired by "Wake in Fright" and "Garth Marenghi's Darkplace," and I was apparently the first person to recognize them. We ended up talking about Mario Bava, Brian DePalma, Hammer horror, spaghetti westerns, Barbara Steel and other stuff. He's really cool, check out his stuff

And then there's the movie poster guy. I don't know his name and he doesn't have business cards or an eBay store or anything. I just know he used to own a movie theater and has forty years of posters and memorabilia to move. I always come home with multiple posters from this guy, because he prices to sell. (As opposed to "priced to carry around for fifty years," as he puts it.) He didn't have his giant box of folded poster this year but I still snagged some beauties. Such as original one-sheets for "Near Dark," "Last Action Hero," "Don't Answer the Phone," and the infamous "Slam Evil!" poster for "The Phantom," which I got for free because it had some water damage on it. What a stand-up guy.

Because the convention was so ridiculously packed on Saturday, we did a little less shopping and more looking around. However, we did drop in briefly to snag a signature from Christopher Lloyd. Unfortunately, Lloyd is one of those guests that doesn't personalize his glossies and doesn't say much to you. I guess because his agent or whoever wants you to spring for the professional photo ops. Which I refuse to do as a matter of principal. So JD and I paid way too much just to have Mr. Lloyd sign some glossies nod at us. Granted, we caught him after the line died down, literally right before he left for the day. So maybe he was just tired. But it was disappointing nevertheless.

The second half of Saturday was largely devoted to panels. I knew we had to see the Joe Bob Briggs panel, because he's obviously a guy with some stories. And he was, as the prestigious Mr. John Bloom only needs limited prompting to deliver anecdotes from his years of experience. He talked about weekly spaghetti dinners were exploitation directors like Larry Cohen would meet with stars like Fred Williamson or Henry Silva. He talked about how he actually knew Bill Mosely before his cameo in "Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2," as both used to write for Andy Warhol's Interview magazine. He mentioned, during his MonsterVision days, meeting Ted Turner... Who apparently has hearing loss and shouts a lot. It was an enlightening, entertaining and highly informative hour

JD and I got a seat during the Adrienne King/Amy Steel to prepare for the Robert Englund panel. But we still got the tail end of some touching anecdotes about Betsy Palmer. But the best part was, following an answer to a fan questions, JD:s ringtone – an obnoxious sad trombone sound that I'm always telling him to get rid of – went off. And everybody in the room, including King and Steel, heard it. The chorus of laughter followed and it was amazing. This, somehow, will convince JD to keep the ringtone, I'm betting

So anyway, Robert Englund, Ronee Blakeney and Brooke Bundy showed up shortly after that. He shared some great stories about smoking pot with Scott Wilson on Jan-Michael Vincent’s ranch. Or, during a dinner party while they were making “Nightmare Café,” seeing Wes Craven crack up at the “Headwound Harry” SNL sketch. As I’ve observed in past conventions, Englund often encourages his co-stars to answer questions. Probably because he realizes that he could happily dominate these panels and fans wouldn’t care. Yet it definitely felt, to me anyway, that the last Englund panel I attended several years back had a much more upbeat, funny energy to it. Maybe I was just tired. Also, I had an amazing question about the time Englund appeared as Freddy on a Japanese variety show and the moderator never called on me. 

Of course, JD and I also ate at the Iron Rooster and got Spartacus Pizza, which are traditions of their own by this point. I’m still nervous about doing this kind of shit, especially when rooms can be as crowded as they were today. Hopefully I don’t catch the Delta Variant or some shit in two weeks! And the trouble with the hotel aside, I still managed to have a pretty great time. It definitely feels good to be doing this shit again. Hopefully by the next Monster-Mania, things will be a little closer to normal.

CON REPORT: Monster-Mania 41

Going into Monster-Mania 41, I knew it was going to be a significant one. Without piling on the personal information, my best bud and con companion JD has some new life responsibilities coming his way. Money will be a little leaner for him in the near future. (All for very good reasons.) So, as we hit the road Friday morning, it was with the knowledge that this very well may be the last Monster-Mania the two of us go to for a while. Yet the stars seemed to line up for this very occasion. Among the many guests attending the con this year was Cassandra Patterson, none other than Elvira herself. Elvira has been JD’s number one most requested guest ever since we started going to these things. Getting to meet the Queen of Halloween was a big deal for him.

I’m obviously a huge fan of Elvira myself. Yet I couldn’t help but find myself feeling more excited for him all weekend. The guest list for Monster-Mania 41 was by no means poor. Cult icons like Sid Haig, Kane Hodder, Bill Mosely and Robert Englund were in attendance, along with well-known character actors like Robert Patrick and Lou Diamond Philips. However, the only other guests I was really excited for was Sheryl Lee, Laura Palmer herself, and she cancelled at the last minute. It kind of went that way all weekend. JD was having the time of his life and I was trying hard not to be too much of a wet blanket.

The convention weekend began on an incredibly pleasant note. A relative lack of traffic meant we got to the hotel way too early. So early, they hadn’t actually finished setting our room up. The hotel was practically empty when we arrived. So we messed around at some local shops and got our traditional steak and lobster lunch. By the time we returned, the hotel lobby was full. And we all knew why. Horror fans can be pretty easy to spot. The horror shirts, tattoos, and punk rock haircuts tend to give them away. Soon, we checked into our rooms, unwinded for a bit, and headed down to the convention floor.

Stepping into any convention can be an overwhelming experience at first. Even after doing this for several years, I’m still not quite use to it. There’s hundreds of dealers, each one selling many different types of items. It’s a very noisy experience, the hallways being crowded even on the first day. Maybe that contributed to the slight sense of disorientation I felt throughout Friday evening and Saturday morning. I don’t know if this con was busier than usual or if my mental health has been more ragged lately, but I was feeling very anxious and uncomfortable for long stretches of the last two days.

But you don’t want to hear about that. After scooping around a bit, we headed down to the main ball room, where the guests would be signing. JD got a quick autograph from Mick Foley, a very gregarious figure who didn’t seem to have too much to say at that moment. Afterwards, we hit the dealer’s room. That’s when JD discovered something else he’s been searching for: A Coor’s Light standee of Elvira. He immediately grabbed it and we got back in line to meet Miss Peterson, which a decent sized line was forming for.

I assure you, Cassandra Peterson is an absolute sweetheart. JD chatted with her for a while, asking all the questions he wanted. When she asked where he wanted her signature on the standee, he sheepishly pointed towards the infamous cleavage. She laughed, jokingly called him “a pervert.” Naturally, we immediately set the standee up in his room that night, where it remained for the rest of the weekend.

I, sadly, did not witness any of this first-hand. Multiple people had asked me to grab Elvira signatures for them. The woman handling the money kept giving me conflicting information and I got confused. In order to prevent holding the line up, JD went ahead. By the time I sort things out, I was pretty frustrated so I just said a few kind things to Miss Peterson and posed for a photo. That was freak-out number one of the weekend.

The next signatures we headed for were mostly in the ballroom upstairs. Jonathan Ke Quan is, depending on your age and fandom, best known as either “The Goonies’” Data or Indiana Jones’ sidekick Shortround. For those that crow about Ke Quan’s Asian accent in those films is some sort of racially insensitive exaggeration: I can confirm that he really sounds like that. Figuring all the questions would be about “The Goonies” or “Temple of Doom,” I asked Jonathan about that pretty good episode of “Tales from the Crypt” he did. This conversation still ended up segueing towards the topic of Spielberg and Richard Donner. But I like to think convention guests enjoy hearing a question or compliment about things other than there best known projects.

I pulled a similar trick with Robert Patrick, who was situated across the room. I asked him about his early days as an action star in low budget Filipino films. He got really excited at just the mention, so that was cool. Patrick, by the way, projects a friendly and avuncular presence at odds with his tough guy appearance.

I also went down stairs to get Sid Haig’s signature. Despite having just filmed a new movie with Rob Zombie, a direct sequel to a film they made ten years ago, Mr. Haig did look pretty frail Friday evening. Nevertheless, he answered my questions in a detailed way. Of course, I had to ask about “Spider Baby,” a real fave of mine, and the process he used to get into such a bizarre character’s head. Apparently, Haig based Ralph Meryl on observations made of monkeys and young kids. JD, meanwhile, asked about the two episodes of “Batman” he did.

This preceded the second freak-out of the day. At some point after getting Haig’s signature, I realized I no longer had those three glossies in my hand. I searched around, re-tracing my steps, stopping at every table I could remember stopping at, to no avail. I straight up lost those three glossies. All I can figure is I put them down while picking up something else and they were either grabbed by someone else or tossed out. When I went back to Haig’s table, asking his handler if I had left the glossies there, Haig offered to give me a free replacement. (He then, in perfect Captain Spalding cadence, said “if you loose that one, I’ll break your fucking legs.”) I decided to try the same thing with Patrick and Quan. Each one understood and gave me a free replacement. So all three of those guys are super-duper cool in my book.

I had also promised my mom I’d pick up Lou Diamond Philip’s signature if he wasn’t asking for a ridiculous price. She’s a big fan of “Longmire” and that Imagine Dragons music video. Anyway, while getting that, I asked about his experiences working with Errol Morris on “The Dark Wind” and Larry Clark on “Another Day in Paradise.” Lou suggested Morris hasn’t made another narrative film because he’s so used to documentary directing. As for Clark, he said the director’s “entire life” is controversial while giving high props to Melanie Griffin and James Woods.

You’ll notice I mostly have pictures of my glossies in this post, instead of photos with the actual guests. In the years since I started attending Monster-Mania, it’s no longer customary for photos to be included with the price of the autograph. In fact, the photos are usually the same price as the autograph. Meaning you’ll have to spend double to get the complete package. I find it hard to justify spending so much and usually opt for just the signature. I guess some would consider a photo more personalized but I just prefer the autographs. This, of course, is not the fault of anyone at Monster-Mania.

So how about that shopping? On Friday, I grabbed some Blu-Rays from the Vinegar Syndrome table: “The Mutilator” and “Madman,” both of which I should’ve owned already. (I begged the company salesman to give “The Prey” a release but he seemed dismissive and stand-offish.) There were a few really cool, if small purchases. One booth was selling collectable pins of the Puppy-piller from “House II: The Second Story,” a movie JD and I love that is rarely merchandised. I picked up a signed, if admittedly somewhat rough, first printing of Richard Matheson’s “The Shrinking Man.” (One of the nicest things anyone said to me all weekend was that dealer saying I was obviously someone who loved and respected books.) I got a loose “Army of Darkness” Pit Bitch figure and an old McDonalds McNugget buddy.

Honestly, perhaps my favorite purchase is a really cool banner that combines two of my favorite passions: Halloween trick-or-treaters dressed as David Bowie’s various personas. That’s the kind of totally unexpected and super cool shit you find at conventions. Saturday, we made our required stop at the VHSPS, where I grabbed “The Supernaturals” and “Spookies.” I’ve only seen the latter and plan on reviewing both later in the month.

When I first step into the dealer’s room at Monster-Mania, I usually find an expensive item I really want. I then spend anywhere from the next few hours to the rest of the weekend deliberating if I want to spend that much money on said thing. Usually I crack by the end of Friday. I’ve learned that, if I don’t get it, someone else might. Last year, it was a table full of original theatrical one-sheets being sold dirt cheap. That guy was back this year but his prices had gone up considerably. Seems he realized the worth of what he had. Yet the poster for the very obscure, very strange documentary “The Hellstrom Chronicles” he had up captured my eye. After managing to talk him down on the price some – maybe the first time I’ve ever really haggled at one of these cons and, yes, it is exciting – I bought it. No, I still haven’t found wall space for all the posters I bought last year.

The second big purchase was a the eighteen scale action figure of Bruce Campbell’s Ash that McFarlane Toys made around Movie Maniacs Series 4. This is the same figure that sat in the long gone Suncoast I’ve written about before, that I spent many years envious over. You don’t always see these toys at conventions that often and, as the years have gone on, they are becoming rarer. So I went ahead and bit the bullet on the hundred dollar price tag.

JD’s main big purchase was Elvira’s signature but he did get some other cool shit. One of which is a very elaborate latex mask of some sort of skinless demon. He also got some toys of his own, including the Queen Alien NECA put out awhile ago. That’s another thing he’s been wanting for some time but never had the chance to pick up.

Something that did disappoint me about Monster-Mania 41 was the lack of solid panels. Instead of assembling, say, Bill Moseley and Sid Haig into a “Devil’s Rejects” panel, “Halloween” bit-player Nancy Kyes got her own panel. Or there was the guy who sang the “Lost Boys” theme song got a concert. And that’s cool and all, and probably a big deal for some people, but not of much interest to me. The only panel we caught was Cassandra Peterson’s. This, of course, was a delight. The crowd was engaged and Peterson was her usually bubbly, self-effacing, charming self. Sadly, that was pretty much ti for Saturday. For whatever reason, the dealer’s room closed at seven that night, when it’s usually open until ten on weekends. I don’t know what that was all about.

Last year, we stayed over into Sunday for the first time, expecting to get some good deals on stuff. We were disappointed to find that most vendors will still selling stuff at full price. This year, however, we managed to get a lot more bargains. I went home with two more posters from the same guy as before – beautiful one-sheets of “Thief” and “Damnation Alley” – and the guy literally gave me a poster of “A.I.” for free after that. Next, I grabbed some series one “Tortured Souls” figures for a decent price, as they are getting harder to find.

On Friday, I chatted with a painter promoting a locally produced anthology film called “The Black Hills Night Hike,” inspired by urban legends in and around Maryland. Aside form talking about Bava, Argento, and Soavi – all of which he had paintings inspired by – one smaller painting called my eye. It's of the Bunnyman, an urban legend from near-by Clifton, Virginia that I'm fascinated with. I couldn't quite justify the prices he was asking on Friday but he gave me a good deal today, so I went home with it. After that, JD and I got a magnificent brunch at the Iron Rooster and then headed home.

When I was experiencing Monster-Mania 41, I felt a little sour. There were some little annoyances and general changes that are systematic to the entirety of convention culture. But most of my problems, I think, had to do with my general mood.

Now, I’m finding myself looking back on some of the little moments, some of the neater things we found, and smiling. If nothing else, this convention was absolutely worth it just to see one of my closest friends fanboy out over a celeb he’s loved his whole life. If this does end up being our last convention for a while, that’s a pretty good note to take things out on.

CON REPORT: Monster-Mania 38

As September drew to a close, the time had come once again to journey to Monster-Mania in Hunt Valley, Maryland. This was, somehow, my seventh year visiting this horror convention. By now, it's a yearly tradition. However, I was a little apprehensive about things this year. Not only because I was driving for the first time in a while, as my podcast co-host and ever-true movie pal JD was in the passenger seat. But because of the fiasco last year, where an errant nail and a flat tire conspired to ruin our whole weekend. Luckily, we arrived in Baltimore without incident. Even then, it took a while for me to feel really good about the trip. It wasn't until lunch that day, at a local steakhouse (another tradition), that I truly began to relax.

On the various Monster-Mania social media accounts, show runner Dave Hagan has promised that Monster-Mania 38 would be the convention's biggest Maryland show. The dealer's room had been expanded to two floors, people selling stuff both on the lower level and outside the ballrooms. Yet this development didn't come without some growing pains. Val Kilmer, the big guest lined up for Monster-Mania 38, dropped out a few weeks before his scheduled appearance. According to those who attended Val's previous convention appearances, he is still actively fighting cancer. Even closer to the end of September, Barbara Steele would also drop out. This was especially frustrating for me. Steele was supposed to be at two other shows I previously went too. At this point, I've given up on meeting her at all.

Still, as four o'clock drew closer Friday afternoon, I became excited. In a change from the previous seasons, JD and I would be staying until Sunday at the convention, giving us a chance to really take everything in. The air inside the Hunt Valley Inn smells different than it does, just a state over in my home. As I slipped the weekend pass onto my wrist, I became more excited. By the time I was riding the escalator down to the convention floor, my personal Monster-Mania had begun. Convention fever had overtaken me and I was ready to fanboy out.

Having done a few of these already, I know that Friday is really the day to get signatures from guests. It tends to be the least busy day of the convention. So, after a quick look around the dealer's room, JD and I headed to the ball room where  most of the guests were located. From way back in my first Monster-Mania in 2011, this the same place they've always been. As usual, we started with one of the least intimidating stars. JD and I were unusually excited to meet Curtis Armstrong. “Jingle All the Way” has increasingly become an in-joke between the two of us. Anyone who has seen that flick knows Armstrong – probably best known as Booger from the “Revenge of the Nerds” franchise – played Booster, Turbo-Man's much loathed sidekick in that flick. When we mentioned this fandom to Armstrong, he told us we were “two of five people” to ask him about the film since it came out. That shows Armstrong obvious sense of humor about his career. He was pretty cool and took the time to tell us that he's recently written a book.

Adrienne Barbeau is a regular at horror conventions but, somehow, this was the first chance I've had to meet her. As sometimes happens, I found myself a little nervous. That deluded soon as Barbeau revealed herself as a really sweet, easy to talk to person. I knew, a few years ago, that she wrote a memoir. Apparently, she's also written a couple of novels since then, in the vampire romance genre no less. I have no idea if they're worth reading but it's still sort of neat.

Since Barbara Steele dropped out, the guest I was probably most excited to meet was Wilford Brimley. I mean, that's the kind of oddball guest I never expected to meet at one of these things. Brimley acts exactly like how I imagined he would. He was short-spoken, slightly grouchy, but displaying an obvious sense of humor about himself. He even played along when JD asked him a really stupid question about whether the alien in “The Thing” was real. Brimley's extremely dry response – “It was real in the sense that something was physically there” – got us both laughing.

Also at Monster-Mania 38 was Sharni Vinson, the star of “You're Next.” Vinson has apparently just begun doing conventions. She struck me as a really enthusiastic person. She was yelling compliments to the various cosplayers on the floor and more than happy to strike up conversation with anyone. JD, meanwhile, got a signature from Andrew Divoff, famous for the “Wish Master” films. Divoff was a really well-spoken guy, giving thoughtful answers to questions about the make-up process, why he didn't appear in the later “Wish Master” films (The scripts sucked), and posing for multiple photos.

Out of all the guests we meet, we only had to really wait in line for one. Michael Biehn had about a half-hour line. I had heard rumors that Biehn could be rude but he struck me as a pretty laid back guy. He's very frank about his career's current status, talking about how it might've been a mistake not to take the conventional leading man roles he was offered after “The Terminator.” He was cool with us, giving a surprisingly thought-out answer to JD's goofy question of who would win in a fight between Kyle Reese or Hicks. (Biehn backs Reese, citing how the character has spent his whole life in a war.) Biehn's cool in my book.

At first glance, despite being spread over two floors, the dealer's room seemed a little weaker than usual. Seems like the focus this year was on pricier original art items. Such as someone who specialized in making lightswitch covers and wall art composed of fake flesh, a guy selling gorgeous (but expensive) music box versions of the Hellraiser boxes, or a vendor selling skulls – some of them real – carved into artwork. That's not to say we didn't find some cool stuff. One artist was selling horror artwork in a 1930s cartoon style. I bought some neat stickers from him and commented on a piece of art he was selling, based on the final episode of “Tales from the Crypt.” The guy said I was the first person to recognize it.

Naturally, I bought plenty of toys too. I grabbed a few new releases. Such as the “Alien: Covenant” Neomorph figure from NECA or Diamond Select's new figure of the Taxi Driver Zombie from “Ghostbusters.” That's a character I've always loved and never once thought we'd get a toy of, considering he's on-screen for all of five seconds. An especially neat find was a guy selling custom Lego mini-figs, many of which were of eighties horror characters. I grabbed Jason, Michael Myers, Leatherface, Chucky, Carrie, Chuck Norris for my mom, and RoboCop, just to mix things up.

By far the strangest vendor at the convention this year was a group selling what they claimed to be “human flesh.” The guy was dressed in a butcher's apron, accompanied by some scantily clad female assistants, and stored his cash in an old-timey cash register. Naturally, JD and I couldn't resist grabbing two pieces of this so-called human jerky. A look at the label reveals that it's actually made of pork and veal. Though “human remains” is ominously listed last on the ingredients, in what I hope is a morbid joke. If it isn't, I guess I'm a cannibal now. The jerky was really tender and tasty.

Even with the neat stuff we grabbed, I was still slightly disappointed in the dealer's room. I guess we've been to this convention enough that we've seen many of the vendors before. Yet I did find one amazing surprise. Last year, I grabbed an original “Students Bodies” poster, which gave me a fever for old movie posters. That vendor wasn't around this year. However, I did find a man selling various theater memorabilia. When I asked him if he had one-sheets, he pulled out a milk crate filled with posters. The man said he's been in the theater business since the seventies and, this year, his wife told him to start selling stuff. While going through the pile of posters, I found a dozen or more I wanted. Even with the twenty dollar asking price – extremely reasonable for original one-sheets – I still had to narrow it down to five. I grabbed the posters for “Magic,” “Ghost Story,” “Escape from New York,” “Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence,” and “When a Stranger Calls.” The next day, I went back and got the “Death Wish” poster. Like I said, that represents a small portion of the man's collection. I know for a fact that many of his posters were worth far more than he was selling them for. I really hope he comes back to Monster-Mania next year.

On the second day, JD had an idea. In order to spice up the podcast episode about the convention – which should be out tomorrow – he suggested we get some interviews with cosplayers and vendors. I wasn't so sure about this plan but it ended up being a fun idea. We managed to interview a few cosplayers. Two women were dressed as Billy the Puppet from “Saw” and the brand new Pennywise. They happily chatted with us for a minute. We met a man dressed as Captain Marvel, otherwise known as Shazam. He proceeded to describe, in great detail, his enthusiasm for this character and how much work he put into the costume. I also chatted with one of the guys from the VHS Preservation Society, a dealer I must stop at every Monster-Mania. He gave us a nice interview and, afterwards, I bought “Night Warning” and “Grim Prairie Tales.” Over all, the interviews were a fun way for me to feel a little more connected with my fellow convention goers.

We hit some panels on Saturday afternoon. First up were the Soska Sisters, the directors behind “American Mary” and “Dead Hooker in the Truck.” They gave an incredibly energetic panel, giving lengthy answers to each question. They joked around with each other and the audience. Apparently, both sisters are huge pro-wrestling fans and the panel quickly became devoted to that topic. That lost me a little but it was still a really fun panel.

Afterwards was the Rose McGowan panel. As far as horror convention Q&As go, it was pretty dour. McGowan is obviously extremely passionate about feminism and social justice, devoting much of the panel to these topics. I more-or-less agree with these beliefs and do not doubt that McGowan has dealt with plenty of assholes and abuse during her years in the business. But it clearly brought the mood down a little. One neat tidbit that came out during the panel was that McGowan's directorial debut, “Dawn,” will be coming to the Criterion Collection soon. She also apparently has a book, an album, and an art show all coming soon. So Rose is certainly keeping busy.

For all the years we've been going to Monster-Mania, JD and I have been curious about the costume contest, always held late on Saturday. Since we were staying two days this year, we decided to check it out. The results were underwhelming, to say the least. I guess none of the cool cosplayers stayed through Saturday night. The contest is separated into four categories: Kids, scariest, most original, and sexiest. The kids category was cute but not that memorable. Scariest featured some impressive make-up, such as a guy in a full “Jason Lives” get-up. My favorite was a guy in Freddy Krueger make-up and a suit, calling himself President Freddy. Most original proved forgettable, though the rightful winner was a woman in an impressive Dias de Los Mortos outfit. The sexiest category was truly a wash. One woman wore one of those “Saw” pig masks in her underwear, which represents the general amount of effort most of the contestants put into their costumes. Dave Hagan emceed the event and was visibly as bored as the audience was. We'll be skipping the costume contest next year.

Outside the convention, JD and I ate extremely well this weekend. Even though both of us are attempting to loose weight, we ate whatever we want on these trip. “We're on vacation” is our mantra during these weekend. We've made a tradition, Friday afternoon before the con starts, of heading across the street from the hotel to the Hunt Valley Grille. Both of us always get steak and lobster, price and choleric intake be damned. Also across the street from the hotel is a Weggman's, a massive grocery store. For lunch Saturday, we both got lobster rolls, a local delicacy composed of chunky lobster salad on a crunchy, buttery, and somewhat sweet roll. That night, we went to the near-by Iron Rooster. A local chain specializing in Southern seafood and Maryland crab meat, the Hunt Valley location was new to us. The food there was so delicious that we went back Sunday morning to get breakfast. The Iron Rooster's specialty is what they call a home-made pop-tart. It's better described as a massive, decadent cross between a strudel and a pie, covered in powdered sugar and whipped cream.

By the time Sunday rolled around, JD and I were ready to go home. We hung around Monster-Mania for a bit longer, looking for any good deals. Disappointingly, we only found a few. I grabbed the Blu-Rays of “Burial Grounds” and “Santa Sangre” from the Severin Films booth – which was occupied by nice guys, by the way – and JD grabbed a pillow printed with Marvel superheroes for his young nephew. After that, we called it a weekend and decided to head home. I had a lot of fun at Monster-Mania 38 but, after two nights in a hotel, was ready to sleep in my own bed again. Over all, it was a really fantastic con. If the dealer's room had been slightly better, and the guest list hadn't seen any cancellations, it probably would be my all time favorite experience at a convention. As of now, I'd still rank it pretty highly.

Obligatory Podcast Catch-Up Post

Christ, have I really not posted the last THREE Bangers n' Mash episodes to the blog? That should give you an idea of how busy I've been the last two months. During the Halloween Horror-Fest Blog-a-Thon, I was working up to the end of the day during most of the six weeks. Throughout all of this, I've been forgetting to post these. I have, if you also haven't noticed, not updated the series in a while. That shit is forthcoming, I assure you. Anyway, here's the episodes.

Episode 96 was about many of the films adapted from the work of Stephen King. There's a hilarious lightning round.




In the later half of September, JD and I made a loose episode about why we love Halloween. This was my attempt to emulate the Purple Stuff Podcast and... I don't know how successful I was. Anyway, listen to it.



Lastly, here's our audio con report for Monster-Mania 35, which includes the Kristy Swanson panel in full if you care about that kind of thing.




Anyway, there's a new single review coming tomorrow and a new Director Report Card coming sometime next week. As you'd expect, I'll be taking a little time off throughout this month because of the post-Halloween hangover.

CON REPORT: Monster-Mania 35

JD, my podcast co-host and close friend, have been going to our local horror convention, Monster-Mania in Baltimore, for five years now. That’s enough time that a ritual – which is like a routine but you only do it once a year – to set in. He usually crashes at my place the night before, so we can get an early start Friday morning. We try to be out of the house around ten. Before hitting the highway, we always grab breakfast from the local McDonalds. Now, I avoid fast food in general and almost never eat at the house Ronald built. Yet I’ll admit the sausage biscuit and hash brown are guilty pleasures of mine. (I have, thus far, resisted the temptation of the company’s recent all day breakfast policy.)

Anyway, we usually get to our hotel around noon. Since the convention floor doesn’t open until four, we unwind for a while and follow up with a leisurely lunch. That way we’re nice and relaxed by the time comes to experience long lines and crowded vendor’s room.

That didn’t happen this year. We were cruising down the freeway, about an hour from our destination, listening to a playlist of Halloween related songs I prepared, and generally enjoying ourselves as much as we could. Until we heard an odd clattering sound underneath the car. About two minutes later, we heard a grinding noise on the car’s left side followed by a vibration. Pulling over to the side of the road, JD realized we had a flat tire. After attempting to refill the rubber tube, we noticed an errant nail protruding from the wheel. As a further insult, JD realized he didn’t have a spare tire. We were stuck.

After struggling to get a hold of JD’s road side assistance, we finally contacted a tow company and made them understand where we were. We waited two hours for the tow to arrive and take us to the nearest auto shop. This was actually the least trying part of the experience, as the mechanics at the shop were as speedy as possible. Next to the garage was a retro gaming store that had an original “Turtles in Time” arcade machine. The only lucky thing to happen that day were the two quarters in my pocket. We got about half way through the second stage before running out of lives. Those games were designed to eat quarters, after all.

Finally, after what had been a fairly stressful day, we arrived at the Hunt Valley Inn minutes before four. This left us little time to get to our rooms, unpacked, and unwind before the convention floor open. Maybe, considering our hungry and stressed moods, going straight to the ballroom, where the celebrity guests were waiting, wasn’t the best idea. There’s always one guests asking for too much and several long lines. Yet we always hit that area first, figuring the lines will be shorter on Friday evening. This proved true this Monster-Mania as well.

So who were the guests this year? Robert Englund, Amanda Wyss, and Ronee Blakley returned to Hunt Valley, after last being there only two years ago. David Arquette was originally meant to be the other headliner but he dropped out at the last minute, due to Alexis Arquette’s recent passing. Chris Sarandon, William Ragsdale, and Stephen Geoffreys were there, forming a “Fright Night” reunion. Shannon Elizabeth, Kristy Swanson, William Katt, Danielle Harris, and Bill Moseley were the other notable names.

We ended up at Chris Sarandon’s table first. I had agreed to grab his signature for my sister, who is a huge fan of both “Nightmare Before Christmas” and “The Princess Bride.” Sarandon’s prices were high. His handler was asking forty for a signature and an additional thirty for a photograph. Since I was getting two glossies signed, that equaled 110 dollars. Probably due to the still lingering stress from the tire incident, I couldn’t think of any good questions. Sarandon seemed slightly aloof. JD thought he was a jerk but that’s probably just because of the price. Notably, he didn’t shake hands, only fist-bumped, and frequently used Purell. Come to your own conclusions about that.

We next walked over to Kristy Swanson’s table. This was a big deal for me. I watched “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” a lot as a kid and am fascinated with “Deadly Friend,” a movie that so very nearly works. Swanson, meanwhile, has barely aged since the nineties. So I was nervous, something that almost never happens anymore at these events. Swanson is really nice, by the way, and happily answered my questions which were probably mumbled and scattered. I get the impression that her actual personality is not too different from Buffy’s. JD told me he stopped me from embarrassing myself but I don’t know if I believe him.

William Katt was at the corner booth and was easily one of the most gregarious guests we met that weekend. Katt has an easy going attitude. When I asked about working with Reb Brown on “White Ghost,” he happily shared several anecdotes about South Africa and surfing with Reb. JD and Katt discussed “Greatest American Hero” their mutual memories about the show. And I apparently surprised Katt that a theatrical remake of the show, potentially starring Adam Sandler, was in development at one point. (Katt's preferred pick for a big budget remake is Owen Wilson, which I can see working.) I imagine Katt would’ve been happy to chat even longer.

Continuing the “Fright Night” reunion, we next stopped at Stephen Geoffreys table. Obviously, I wasn’t going to ask the question I was really curious about. Namely, why he cut his promising Hollywood career short and spent ten years starring in hardcore gay porn. Instead, JD suggested the gleefully stupid question of whether he really thought Brewster was cool. Geoffreys seemed more confused then anything else by the statement. So we steered the conversation towards “976-Evil”  and "Sick Girl," both of which Geoffreys was interested in discussing. Over all, he strikes me as a down to Earth guy uncertain of what to make of his cult following.

Danielle Harris genuinely had the longest line in the room. Like Englund, she seems to be one of those horror/cult entertainers that always attract a big crowd. (Among the people in line was a family wearing shirts expressing their dual appreciation for Karen Carpenter and Harris. Because it takes all types to form a fandom.) The glossies on Harris’ table played up her status as a horror sex symbol. In four of the seven options, she was semi-nude. Figuring everyone would be asking about her “Halloween” appearances, I asked about working with Sylvester Stallone in “Daylight.” She said he was very nice. Harris is accommodating but generally nice. And apparently her hotel room was on the same floor as our’s, as we passed her several times over the weekend. (That’s not the only casual encounter we had with a guest. We passed Shannon Elizabeth in the lobby and said hi to her. Later, Englund, Moseley, and Geoffreys were all behind us in the morning coffee line at the hotel's Starbucks.)

After getting all the signatures we desired, we got dinner and headed to the dealer’s room. Being the kind of nerd I am, I mostly bought lots of toys. I grabbed the new Janine figure from DST’s “Ghostbusters Select” line, fulfilling my life long ambition to own an action figure of Annie Potts. I bought NECA’s Vasquez, Weird Al, and 8-Bit Freddy figures. After mulling it over all weekend, I grabbed the old Headless Horseman box set from McFarlane’s “Sleepy Hollow” line. These are just some select choices among the ton of goofy shit I bought this past weekend.

It wasn’t just toys either! One vendor was handing out pop corn and has bright blue hair moosed up into a wave shape. He was promoting a card game called “Movie Buff.” While not ordinarily my thing, his demonstration won over JD and I. I made my annual visit to the VHSPS’ booth, grabbing several titles I intend on reviewing over the next three weeks. As always, I had a blast talking with the booth’s owner, about topics varying from Doris Wishman and David Bradley. My favorite acquisition of the night was an original one-sheet poster of “Student Bodies.” Honestly, the guy had several posters I would’ve loved to go home with but the price and interest was right for that one.

I also ran into an old acquaintance. Dionne, the owner of Things2Fear, briefly ran a Halloween shop in my home town several years back. Her booth was filled with home made decorations, like a pie with a human face which JD had to go home with. She’s really nice and you should give her site a visit. Friendly encounters like that characterized the dealer’s room this year. I ended up having several lengthy conversations with a Universal Monsters enthusiast selling customized monster kits. I don’t get to discuss my love of classic monster movies with real people that often so that was nice. He ended up selling JD a cardboard box full of loose Sideshow figures, giving him a great deal.

We only visited two panels on Saturday. Kristy Swanson’s panel had its moments. Such as when she talked about how her nine year old son doesn’t entirely understand her job. When she told him she had to kick down a door, he asked if she had to pay for it. Over all, too often her questions boiled down uncertainty. The “Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2” panel, featuring Bill Moseley and Bob “Leatherface” Elmone, was better. Moseley likes to talk. Only about four questions were asked during the hour because Bill talks so much. Yet his anecdotes – about hiding during lunch breaks so he’d get paid more, how he became a “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” fan in the first place, and got the part of Chop Top – were priceless.

After catching a few photos with cosplayers, we more-or-less wrapped up the trip. JD was visibly disappointed in Monster-Mania 35. The three specific items he was looking for – a DVD of Full Moon’s “Dark Angel,” an Elvira standee, and a home-made mask vendor who was there last year – weren’t present. He was annoyed by the prices the guests were asking for and complained about them all weekend. I’ll admit, the dealer’s room was slightly disappointing. As much fun as we had at Monster-Mania 35, the tire incident on Saturday still cast a shadow over the entire weekend. We were both kind of grouchy throughout the entire visit and it seemed like every restaurant we visited was packed, with long waits. We cut the vacation early and went home after dinner on Saturday.

In conclusion, Monster-Mania 35 is unlikely to go down in history as my favorite convention trip. Not just because I spent a portion of the journey stuck on the side of the road, though that’s certainly a factor. However, I still had a lot of fun and came home with some really cool loot. Let’s call it even. Maybe next year will be better. Either way, visiting a hotel full of other horror freaks and some people who were in movies I like is still a fine way to kick off October.

CON REPORT: Monster-Mania 32

I’ve been going to horror conventions for about five years now, having been to seven events in that time. I don’t know if I’d consider myself a veteran of these sort of things but I figured I was at least experienced. While JD and I were waiting in line to meet Matthew Lillard Friday evening, five convention goers I definitely recognized from prior years were in front of us. We couldn’t help but listen in on their conversation. One declared that he drove all the way from Ohio. One came from Connecticut. Listening to the guys discuss conventions they’ve been to in the past, they mentioned driving as far south as Georgia and as far west as Indiana. Further on, they mentioned driving out to the remains of the “Evil Dead” cabin and stealing some rocks. Or seeing vehicles betting towed away from the actual camp “Friday the 13th” was shot at. At this point, I became aware of how inexperienced I was as a con goer. Even as a horror fan, I’m now wondering about my credentials. I’ve never been kicked off of any property!

Anyway, we arrived at the Hunt Valley Inn on a cold, drizzly morning. Thanks to Hurricane Joaquin, it rained all weekend. Autumn has arrived, I suppose. In the last year, the Hunt Valley Inn completely refurbished. The whole hotel now has this weird equestrian theme. Photos of horses adorn all the walls, their eyes and flanks in extreme close-ups. The tables in the rooms are held together with leather straps. The entire wall of the main lobby is covered with small, horse statues. Nothing else has changed. There’s still the giant escalator leading down to the vendor’s area. Only now, the wall facing it is decorated with saddles. Am I the only one who thought this was slightly weird? It’s still a really nice place but the interior decorator’s horse fetish was strangely specific.

I honestly didn’t know what to expect from Monster-Mania 32. Last year, the convention didn’t leave me with the best impression. The guest list had seen some fluctuation. Roddy Piper was one the earliest guests added and he, sadly, passed away earlier in the summer. I’ve always been a big Keith David fan and was excited to see him added. So imagine my disappointment when he canceled days before the event. The “Pet Sematery,” “The Thing,” and “Halloween” reunions left few names that grabbed my attention. George A. Romero and Matthew Lillard were the headliners. Yeah, I was definitely springing for Romero and JD felt the same about Lillard. Still, when guests you’ve seen in years past – Zach Galligan, Meg Foster, Dee Wallace, Tom Atkins – start showing up again, you wonder if it’s time to find a new convention.

These concerns were unfounded, with a few exceptions. Monster-Mania 32 is maybe the most fun con I’ve ever been to. After checking in, having a relaxing lunch, and chilling for a while, JD and I went down to the floor. Last year, the con had to awkwardly, hilarious share the hotel with a wedding. This year, it was back to the traditional set-up, with the vendors in one room, guests in another, and the panels in the up-stairs ballroom. This made the convention easy to navigate. We were even lucky enough to get rooms right next to a staircase and elevator.

On Friday nights, we usually get the signatures we want, as lines are shorter on the first day. We still ended up waiting a surprising ninety minutes for Matthew Lillard. However, this was because he took his time with each guests, sometimes chatting for ten or fifteen minutes. While waiting, I jumped out of line fast enough to meet Jordan Ladd. I was a fan of Ladd’s performance in “Grace” and told her such. She leaped up in excitement, saying “I love people who love “Grace!”” We talk a while about the genre, our share preference for more psychological films (We both love “May,” by the way), and she kept repeating I “made her day.” Before the photo was snapped, she gave me a big hug. That was fun.

While waiting in line for Lillard, I looked up his IMDb page and was surprised to see that his first credit was in “Ghoulies III.” Well, I had to ask about that! Lillard told an interesting story about how he was hired on as a non-union extra, sneaked in the five lines necessary to get a SAG card, and badgered the production into not cutting the scene. JD had brought along his doll of Ghostface and asked Lillard to sign it with the line, “I’m feeling a little woozy here.” Funny enough, Matthew didn’t want to sign the box at first, as he didn’t want to devalue its collectability! He also noted this was the first time anyone ever asked him for the line of dialogue. He joked around with us a lot, keeping the mood jovial and light. I’ve never been a huge fan of the actor or anything but he definitely seems like a good guy.

As something of a mini-“Scream” reunion, another guest at the convention was Roger L.Jackson, who provided the famous Ghostface voice. After getting Robert Englund to record a blurb for our podcast last year, I couldn’t pass up an oppretunity to get Jackson to do the same. And he was cool, commenting on the Universal Monsters shirt JD had on and sharing his love of “The Mummy.” He also shared his Christopher Lee impersonation. He was more then willing to record a bit for the show.

My only complaint was the price. It was forty dollars for a recording and that didn’t include a photograph. It was like that all weekend. Lillard wanted 60 for a signature and photo. Romero wanted 55. Even Denise Crosby, who I’d consider a perennial B-lister and whose signature I only got because my Trekkie mom wanted it, was asking 40 to sign and an extra 20 to photograph. Prices go up every year and it’s starting to get ridiculous. One of these days, I’m going to hit a ceiling and stop going to these things. I’ll be priced out of my own hobby.

The high prices still didn’t stop me from getting some other signatures. Nick Castle was asking a relatively reasonable 30. The guy is the original Michael Myers after all, which made his signage a hard thing for this horror fan to pass up. I always thought it was a fun bit of trivia that the first actor to play the Shape also directed nostalgic favorites like “The Boy Who Could Fly” and “The Last Starfighter.” He was amiable enough, cracking jokes and making small chat. In the same room was Tom Atkins, who was somehow still charging the same 20 dollar fee he was asking five years ago. I talked JD into going over to his table. He asked Tom about the ambiguous ending to “Halloween III.” “We stopped the signal in time and saved all the kids,” Atkins said before noting that he is an optimist. I always assumed “Season of the Witch” had a downbeat, apocalyptic ending. But you know what? Atkins was actually in the film. His opinion outranks mine.

Surprisingly, Lillard was the longest we waited Friday night. We only stood in George A. Romero’s line for about fifteen minutes. It has been a while since I’ve gotten nervous at one of these things. However, I’ve been such an admirer of Romero, and for so long, I had a slight case of the jitters. Upon meeting George, it really dawns on you that he’s 75 years old. His hand shook when writing the signature and he seemed slightly shatterebrained when talking with me. Or maybe that was just from chatting with a hundred people in one day. Either way, I’m still pretty excited that I got to meet him. Years ago, I saw an interview with Romero where he said that he believes the best horror stories have some sort of moral or social relevance. It’s a message I took to heart. When talking about writing my own fiction, I’ve always told people I come from the “George Romero School of Horror.” It’s an anecdote I shared with him and he seemed flattered, I suppose.

Aside from spending too much money on guests at these things, I also spend too much money on junk in the dealor’s room. I grabbed a number of newer toys: new NECA releases like “Aliens” Ripley, John Matrix, or Leatherface, as well as the ReAction “Jaws” shark. However, what really caught my eye was a booth manned by an older gentlemen, selling old board games. Vintage board game collecting is something I’ve been wanting to get into for a while now. Among his shelves was “I Vant to Bite Your Finger” and “The Godzilla Game.” I was hesitant but when I heard the deal he was offering – both for fifty – I couldn’t pass them up. They both still work too! (I really wanted the Monster Mansion game he had but bulked at the price tag.) I also went home with a gorgeous print of the “When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth” poster, an old Fangoria that had Stan Winston on the cover, and even some cheap paperback books, including the novelization of “Red Heat.”

A presence at every single Monster-Mania I’ve ever gone to is the VHS Preservation Society. Over the years, I’ve seen the number of tables selling bootleg discs shrink. These guys have stunk around and I think it’s because they really take care of their product. Aimed at replicating the VHS watching experience, their disc feature vintage trailers and logos, musical menus, and even MST3k-style “stingers” at the end. I always make sure to come home with something from their booth every year. This year, I got into a long conversation with the guys. I asked them to recommend anything old or weird. I ended up going home with “Hellgate” and “The Witching,” two I’ve never heard of. I also picked up something called “Nocturna,” a disco(!) horror/musical about Dracula’s granddaughter. How was I supposed to pass that up? JD, meanwhile, grabbed “Psycho Cop,” “Grandmother’s House,” and “Return of the Swamp Thing.” Our conversation circled around flicks as divergent as “A Polish Vampire in Burbank” and “Rocktober Blood.” Another booth provided me with “Death Kappa” and golden age obscurities “Murder in the Blue Room” – which I grabbed for my Universal Horror collection – and “Island of Doomed Men.”

Usually, we spend Saturday going to panel but time was seemingly against us. Lunch ran late so we only caught the last ten minutes of the Meg Foster and Dee Wallace panel. This is a bummer, as you know they both have some stories to tell. We only saw half of the “Halloween” reunion panel. We still got to hear a great story from Tom Atkins, talking about how much the original “Thing from Another World” scared him as a teenager. Or how Don Shanks, Michael Myers in part 5, fell in love with pirate movies as a kid and would swing around on ropes inside his family barn. We had expected to see the “Scream” panel but it was moved at the last minute to 9.

So the only full panel we ended up at was the George Romero Q&A. However, it was a good one. Maybe it was just his mood because George was spry and full of stories at the Q&A. He talked about how the monkey in “Monkey Shines” was in heat and basically fell in love with the star of the movie. He discussed the difficulty of working with cockroaches in “Creepshow,” unrealized projects like “Diamond Dead,” his friendship with Stephen King, how easy it was to round up zombie extras on “Night of the Living Dead,” and his less then harmonious relationship with studio producers. And for the record: He thought the “Dawn of the Dead” remake was okay but hates running zombies, wasn’t impressed with “The Crazies” remake, and loves “Shaun of the Dead.”

Driving home from Monster-Mania 32 last night, mostly I thought about how jovial every seemed. Maybe it was some reverse reaction to the lousy weather outside. I can’t tell you how many times this weekend strangers striked up conversations with us. The couple across the hall from our rooms started chatted without us throughout the weekend, and even invited us to go drinking with them Friday night. All the guests were in good moods, being friendly and telling jokes. I bought lots of cool stuff and still didn’t spend too much. Overall, the convention was a total blast and probably one of my favorite events I’ve ever gone to.

Also, I was briefly possessed by Nyarlathotep