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Overall, it was a good show and tons of fans turned out (too damn many for this hotel if ya ask me) for the 2nd annual event. It looks like a good thing is going down up in Baltimore and if evidenced by attendance, I'd say there will be more of these to come. The show was cool. The crowds sucked and the hotel needed enlarging. Let's break it down daily style through the eyes of yours truly, which honestly is gonna suck because I'm the lamest assed convention attendee of all times.
» Friday August 23rd
It became apparent upon arrival that my favorite thing about this show was the proximity of it to my area. It's good to drive less than 4 hours to a show for a change. Of course not having a room when you arrive is troublesome; so enter the Red Roof Inn at half the price of the Marriot where the show was held. Thanks to working for a living, I'm only 2 hours late. Luckily, all I've missed is standing in line to buy that weekend pass. First impression, it's very crowded, the hotel is nice, and everything looks packed already. Time to go walkabout mate. Dealers are everywhere. The celebrity/dealer room looks like a fairly safe place to start. The lines for autographs are too long for moi, so I'm scooping the merch. One problem with that though, I has no money to burn this weekend, at least not enough. All the usual big name vendors are here of course. I shoot the shit with the folks at the Witching Hour Video table for a few. Cool as always to talk to and they always have some crazy videos for sale. Met up with Dave Cook of Splatter Comics while goofing off on the way out of the dealer area. Dave was enjoyable to meet and thank for sending us some freebies a few months back. Keep an eye out (literally) for him and his comics at Dragoncon in Atlanta.
Finally, I found something to sit in on at the reading room as various publishers discussed the ins and outs (of screwing authors, hehehe!) of the industry. Some of the more influential people in the business end of the genre spoke out and answered questions. With the likes of Don D'Auria, Richard Chizmar, Dave Barnett, John Turi, & John DiDomenico present, this little pow wow ended up being informative and entertaining.
Nighttime is the right time they say, and what better way to end it all than to watch Evil Dead and Night of the Living Dead back-to-back. Surprisingly low turnout for this considering that it was the cast reunion. A major goof here also for not getting the whole cast together to comment on and bullshit around during the movie. Who knows why it wasn't part of the weekend? Does that not seem like something most people would wanna see and enjoy? Perhaps not having enough space to do it right shot that down like a three-legged race horse. Kyra Schon from N.O.T.L.D. was also there; she could have at least been made to watch it again. Oh well, so much for the live commentary portion of our show. It's 3 a.m., time for the long walk back to the motel and some damn sleep. Hell, I got up at 5:30 to go to work!
» Saturday August 24th
Damn it! Where's is that escort I rang for…just kidding. Overslept, oh well, no time for breakfast, gottta go! The show is in full force on Saturday and the crowds have arrived. Anchor Bay is having a showing of the new supplements for the release of To the Devil…a Daughter. This funny and informative documentary is worth the price of the DVD alone. The new Sleepaway Camp Survival Kits look incredible also. After the premier, it's time for a little giveaway action via the trivia question route. Mmmmm, winning that four disc Giallo Set sure was tasty. Next up was a screening of the video In the Dark based on Richard Laymon's book by the same title. Low budget, but this was a great movie thanks to the book it was based on. One of the few movies I've seen recently that I couldn't stop watching and wanted to see what would happen next. This movie is not being distributed yet, so keep a watchful eye ready. This is the shit! It looks way crowded after leaving the movie and nothing interests me at this point so adios mcsqueezesos. Time to go find some food and a package store.
Ahhh, sixteen ounce Pabst Blue Ribbons; guess Maryland is a good state after all. Break time is very good. No crowds to wade through; feels good to relax for a few hours. I want to see the horror authors Q & A session next, so better get back.
The author Q & A is a gathering of horror fiction's best. Forget King, Koontz, and Rice, these are the true cornerstones that are pushing the limits today. Take a gander at this impressive list of names that spoke that evening: Jack Ketchum, Edward Lee, Tom Piccirilli, Douglas Clegg, Karen Taylor, John Pelan, and Thomas Monteleone. Everyone was in good spirits (and some had enjoyed a few good spirits), informative, & happy to be here. It was very cool to hear these people speak on the different aspects of their careers, offer advice, and just shoot the shit. After it was over, they even signed a few books for the fans. Had to go shake Ed Lee's hand and tell him how much fun The Bighead was to read. Kinda weird having and uncle with the same name though. He said he'd had as much fun writing it as I had reading it; very good. This ended up being my favorite event of the show. Time to go grab a couple more beers before the costume ball begins.
As an adult I haven't been to a costume ball before that I can remember, so this should be interesting. Celebrity judges included Jack Ketchum, Doug Bradley, Dee Wallace Stone, and the man that held the shit up for too long and was the guest of honor…Bruce Campbell. Some wonderfully creative people broke out there best stuff. The winner was a guy dressed like a scarecrow. Did I mention his stilts made him about 15 feet tall? I kinda liked the three zombies dressed as "The Rat Pack" myself. On a scandalous note, Princess Leia was spotted out on the town with…Bobba Fett. Guess Han was home doing the Han Solo. The happy couple has left space and taken up residence in Raleigh, N.C. The contest was good, but the Black Sabbath tribute band After Forever was better. I wish more people had been into this because it was truly awesome. They had a great sound and were very loud. I'll put it like this; they were a great tribute band without trying to be clones. I tried to finish the nite off by watching The House on Haunted Hill. Sorry Vincent, got halfway through before needing to head back to bed. It's been a good show thus far.
» Sunday August 25th
It'll be time to head back home soon. Sunday didn't offer me much in events. Since the crowds had thinned a bit by the afternoon, it was a good time to meet a few people and converse. Michael Berryman is a super cool and intelligent fellow. It was a pleasure to meet and speak with him for a few minutes. The same can be said for Brinke Stevens, except she is certainly not a fellow. In speaking very briefly with Tom Savini, I was told to chuck my copy of Children of the Living Dead in the trash, hehehehehe! I did find out that the weapons used during the opening of the movie were his. Jasi Lanier, the stuntbabe, was a real treat to talk to. Horror hottie, stunt woman, and a very nice looking and smart young lady all rolled into a tight little package. I know what I want for X-mas now. See her impressiveness at stuntbabe.com. Talked very briefly with sci-fidiva.com's Alexxus Young; she was another great lady to meet. The Horror Host Underground was in the house at Horrorfind's weekend. Led by A. Ghastlee Ghoul from Dayton, Ohio and Dr.Creep; they were spreading the gospel on horror hosts past and present. Ghastlee is a riot wherever you see him. Some other hosts I spied were Halloween Jack from Jersey, Son of Ghoul from Ohio, and of course Count Gore from D.C.
Writer C.J. Henderson was on hand also. This guy has done everything from comics like Cherry and Tales of the Dark Knight to his current books and short stories. You can find more of his stuff through audiorealms.com. I don't want to forget the folks I spoke with from Shadow House Comics, Blood Moon Rising Magazine, Necro Publications, Bereshith Publishing right here in Va., author Jon F. Merz, and a few more I forget at this time. After picking up a couple trinkets, It's time to hit the road. Enjoyed the show and the stay in Baltimore. Thanks to Horrorfind for putting it all togther.
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