Another Fine Weekend of Convention-going Comes to a Close
Hey, Everyone! I just got back from HorrorHound Weekend Indianapolis with my good friend, Chad, of Chateau Grrr. It was a fun three days of meeting awesome people, soaking up the great energy of the horror-fan community, and, of course, collecting autographs (you can check out some con photos in the Stills gallery).
Some highlights:
Catriona Maccoll explained how the effects artists on City of the Living Dead pulled off the bleeding-eyes gag. A fine wire was glued in place directly under her lower eyelashes; these ran to small tubes running along her scalp (notice the way her hair falls near her eyes to conceal them) and off to the side, where someone pumped fake blood down her face. She said it wasn't painful at all, but me and her assistant cringed as she told the story. Catriona was such a pleasure to meet.
I told Diane Franklin from Better Off Dead that Darlena and I got married in a movie theatre, and that the theme of our special day was "Better Off Wed" (complete with sculpted clay hamburger people as cake toppers). She was really touched, and even dedicated a rare Icons of the 80s trading card to us. She's writing a book about her career, which should be out soon. Check back for updates!
Thanks to Ted White, I now need only one more signature to complete my Friday the 13th hockey mask! Over the past two years, I've collected all of the main actors to play Jason Voorhees on a nice, official replica mask, and I can't wait to display it someday. Ted's sweetheart; in addition to having worked on some of the most iconic movies of all time, he did stunts for John Wayne and Charleton Heston, and he was collecting money all weekend to support war veterans. It occurs to me that none of the three elements of that last sentence really go together; it may be time for more coffee.
Chad surprised me by presenting Sid Haig with a VHS copy of Underground Aces for him to sign--which he then gave to me. Sid was quite surprised to see the tape, and recalled the movie fondly. In the coming weeks, I plan to dig the VCR out of my basement and give it a whirl.
I've been dying to see Into the Pit: The Shocking Story of Deadpit.com for about two years. I'm a huge fan of Deadpit, which is a horror talk radio podcast out of Eastern Kentucky. The hosts, Uncle Bill and The Creepy Kentuckian, had a limited number of DVDs to sell at the show, and I snagged one of the last ten copies. These guys are hilarious and passionate about horror films, as well as cool, down-to-earth dudes. I'll have a review of the documentary up soon.
If you're a horror fan, or if you're just looking for something really different and fun to do on a weekend, I recommend attending one of the HorrorHound events (the next one's in Cincinatti this November). Aside from the lively convention floor and welcoming atmosphere (yes, the freaks with the half-machetes sticking out of their skulls are some of the nicest, smartest people you're likely to meet), the after-show parties are legendary. Of course, my being a lame dad now and not much of a partier to begin with, I've only heard stories of the debauchery. But they're great stories, especially if you're into bird feeders (no explanation there, just an end to this blog post).