Saturday morning seemed to smack me in the face. Did I even sleep? I have no idea. Our second day of Comic Con was at hand. With a hop, skip, and a jump in the shower, we were quickly out of the door and checked out of the hotel. Ryan and I bypassed the stroll through Old Town to the train station for a more desirable drive in my car. We reached Downtown fairly quickly and soon found reasonably priced parking a mile from the Convention Center. Why a mile? The parking lots that were blocks from the Convention Center charged roughly $50. With cheaper parking found, we were on our next mission to find coffee. We achieved Comic Con entry at roughly 9:50 am and found a quick photo opportunity with Gandalf.

This was just enough time to make it to Room 25ABC for the Panel Of The Living Dead.  I was ready for the zombie video game themed event.  There was a sign outside of the room saying the panel had moved to a room on the other side of the building which was a walk we didn’t want to take.   Already, our itinerary for the day was being left by the wayside.  I decided then and there that Saturday was the day of walking the Convention floor.  So much for making plans.

Lucky for me, two booths that dictate some huge obsessions for me were right next to each other: AMC's THE WALKING DEAD and TRON LEGACY.  I had recently downloaded the TRON app for the iPhone and upon checking into the TRON LEGACY booth, I received what they called a “golden ticket” which was a graphic on my phone that was to be shown to one of the booth workers at the top of each hour to receive my front of the line ticket to visit Flynn’s Arcade.  Ryan and I decided the Recognizer was the meeting place and he’d be back by the top of the hour.

Continue reading "Not Quite Fear And Loathing At San Diego Comic Con (Part 2)" »

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We had two bags of grass, seventy-five pellets of mescaline, five sheets of high-powered blotter acid, a saltshaker half-full of cocaine, and a whole galaxy of multi-colored uppers, downers, screamers, laughers...

Oh who am I kidding?  We had two cups of coffee, a pen, two pads of paper, a camera, and our stuff in the trunk.  It was Friday morning, 6 am to be exact, and I pulled up to my friend Ryan’s house.  I was greeted by his camera flash.

Continue reading "Not Quite Fear And Loathing At The San Diego Comic Con (Part 1)" »

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CONVENTION REPORT:
MONSTER-MANIA 14, March 12-14

 

The End of Days is Well Nigh

Waking up that Friday morning of Monster-Mania 14, I was convinced the End of Days was here.  The skies had opened in truly Biblical form the night before, and as I drove into work, it felt as if the world were going to perish in the flood.  I got soaked going out to the bank during my lunch break, and the deluge showed no signs of stopping as I headed to Mike Cucinotta’s.  I was going on my first convention trip with my friend and founder of Icons of Fright, and had been looking forward to meeting up with old friends when I got to Cherry Hill, NJ.  As I sat in the passenger seat and we drove through the downpour, I figured if the Apocalypse really were here, at least I’d have some cool company to spend my last several hours with.  Hell, if Renee, Behr, Nicole, Jonathan, Will Bozarth, Chad, Dom and Mike himself were with me, maybe I wouldn’t even mind if the world ended before the breakfast buffet at the Old Country Buffet began.

Perhaps my peculiar take on the storm was the result of having seen two movies recently about the collapse of the world;  after all, BOOK OF ELI and THE CRAZIES could set my mind to thinking of the disintegration of the social structure, especially with my reverence for zombie movies.  Or perhaps I was just a little spooked by the howling wind and driving rain.  Or maybe it was Mike’s fault.  After all, he kept commenting on his Facebook about how Gary Busey was going to destroy South Jersey.  Yes.  Gary Busey.  Who was going to be in South Jersey.  At the convention.  All three days.  Perhaps now you understand my take on things.

After the long drive through the demonic storm (the classic comedy of Don Rickles and Rodney Dangerfield kept us alive), we finally arrived at the hotel around 8:30 Friday night.  Our room number was just another signpost of the chaos;  while every other room in the hotel had professionally made numbers outside the door, our had what looked like the scrawlings of a maniac.  Icons of Fright was covering the room, and I was just happy to have shelter, so I wasn’t complaining.  After we dropped off our stuff, we went down to get our wrist bands for the weekend, which our beloved website was also covering.  Let me be honest;  it’s a definite nicety when my hard work and writings get me free ins on stuff. But I digress. As it was already nearly 9 pm, I really had no energy for the convention itself, unfortunately.  Sure, I peeked around in the dealer’s room, where I introduced Mike to my dear friend Gary Streiner from NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD.  And I gave the guest rooms a look, just to confirm who had shown.  But beyond that, I had no intentions of doing anything. 

In fact, this was historically the laziest I’ve ever been at a con, and that would be a theme throughout the weekend.  Every time I remarked to myself, “I should really get that autograph...” my slow reply would be, “Ahh, I can do that later.”  Get an interview for Icons?  “Well, I can always do that tomorrow.”  Was it the weather that had sapped my desire to do just about anything at the show?  Maybe.  I would’ve pondered it as I was in the hotel, but that would’ve taken far too much energy.

 

With Friday quite literally a wash, I took my time catching up with those friends I mentioned earlier.  As I don’t live anywhere near the Philly area, and this might be the only time I would see them for another year, I took great joy in their company.  And here’s where MM stands apart from every other con I’ve attended the last six years.  It’s not really about Monster-Mania at all, but about getting together and hanging out.  The vibe is more party than convention, and I’m convinced many of those who attend use the show as an excuse for one long weekend of reveling and debauchery.  If the End of Days was coming, these people were going to party to the Apocalypse.  Rock on, I say.

I hung out with them as they drank, but booze isn’t my thing.  Peach covered waffles, now that’s my thing.  I’d hyped them to some of my friends on Facebook, and apparently I’d built up enough cache to where a whole horde of people swore they would join me the next day at the OCB the next morning.  But hey, that was before the drinking and carousing had hit full swing.  Funny how a bunch of hung over horror fans have no desire to get up and travel through driving rain less than a half mile to a buffet.  The texts and calls continued all morning, each one dropping another friend from my breakfast company.  I’ve never felt so neglected in my life.  Fortunately, my stalwart companion Mike offered to share his company and his ride to the buffet.  He was impressed with the food, which I counted as a small victory.

 

Stuffed beyond all good reason and drenched to the bone, we returned to the hotel.  My insomnia had been in overdrive for days, in anticipation of the trip I’m sure.  So much of Saturday is a blur.  As Mike watched Polanski’s A KNIFE IN THE WATER, dear beautiful Renee stopped by, assuring me she wasn’t neglecting me.  After that, everything is kind of scattershot.  I remember snippets of the day:  Mike getting Mark Patton’s autograph on a NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 2 8x10, and Patton saying “He’s inside me!” is his favorite line;  Will Bozarth sitting behind Gary Streiner’s table with Jim Cirronella, as if he’d become part of the NOTLD/ AUTOPSY OF THE DEAD team;  my mild frustration at Fright Rags, my favorite horror shirt vendor, not having their new THE HOWLING shirt, but smiling as I bought the splinter-through-Olga’s-eye shirt from ZOMBIE;  out into the hellacious rain again, as Mike made a booze run;  ending up with two dinners;  ending up all over the place Saturday night, as I tried to hang out with all those friends.  Does any of this make sense?  Because it doesn’t to me.

The convention itself seemed to do brisk business Saturday.  I’d been to cons where weather held back the fans and hurt attendance (see my Rock and Shock review), but that clearly wasn’t the case here.  In fact, despite the hellstorm outside, the numbers seemed way up from last year.  I was surprised, because the two major reunions this time around were NIGHT OF THE CREEPS and the original MY BLOODY VALENTINE.  Don’t get me wrong.  I actually dig both movies, and think they’re underrated.  But to build a con around them?  And to have it work?  Certainly a sign that the planet was about to meet its doom.

Further proof?  I refer you to Dario Argento’s line.  Dario rarely does conventions, and back in June, when he was at Fango and was only signing for a limited time, I’d passed on him.  On Saturday, as I saw a long line in the hotel lobby, I asked a staffer if it were for Argento, expecting a “yes.”  But I was wrong.  It was for Gary Busey.  The conclusion was evident:  these fans were going with spectacle over legacy.  They were taking the “Celebrity Rehab” guy with the massive head injury over the horror legend behind SUSPIRIA and partly responsible for DAWN OF THE DEAD.  I was even more shocked when, on Sunday morning, I was able to walk right up to Argento’s table and get an autograph some 30 seconds later, as people waited in a long line that wound its way upstairs for Scout Taylor I can never remember her full name, from HALLOWEEN II.  The HALLOWEEN II that every horror fan I knew hated.  I started to think at this point that Mike had been right all along, and that Busey was just waiting for his chance...

Of course, Busey had already struck at the ice cream social on Friday night, but that story isn’t mine, sadly.  Nor can I tell you about the Corey Haim tribute or the Charles Band Full Moon Road Show, both of which scored insanely high fan attendance, but weren’t up my alley.  I was more entertained by people watching in the bar, where I met Heather Buckley’s friend Scooter McCrae, director of low budget zombie opus SHATTER DEAD.  Scooter found it hard to believe that I had two books on zombie films that had long discourses on his film, and that Mike and I had been watching it on Netflix in our hotel room.  Watching Mike interact with the people in the bar, including RE-ANIMATOR star Bruce Abbott, was as entertaining as could be.  I often tell Mike that he has a lot of peculiarities, and that I love him for every one of them.  Out in the lobby, Mike met budding film director J. D. Lifshitz, still in high school, by way of John Torrani and Ted Geoghegan.  Fascinated by the lad, Mike engaged him in conversation about their common acquaintance Tim Sullivan.  But I wasn’t in the mood for ingénues, not when there were good people and beautiful women around.

As the bar closed, I came out to find a horde of people waiting for the elevator, alongside a half dozen firemen.  Just another omen, several convention goers were stuck in an elevator between floors.  This seemed right in line with an incident earlier, as one of the MY BLOODY VALENTINE cast had fainted and needed medical assistance.  Once the elevator chaos died down, so did the lobby.  I’d been to MMs before where people would hang out in the lobby until sunrise, but this time around, it seemed everyone shared my lethargy and was too tired to party beyond closing time.

Another sleepless night for this insomniac, and then an early rise.  I headed down as the convention started, and now there was no stalling.  If I wanted to accomplish anything for the website, I had to move on it, and quick.  As the guest rooms opened, I made my way to interview Bruce Abbott, of RE-ANIMATOR.  Bruce was a gracious guy, and very happy to my questions. 

I headed back to the room to grab my bags for checkout, and Mike gave a new wrinkle to the trip:  we would be giving his ingénue a ride home, as J. D. was a fellow Long Islander.  Mike and I finally met Argento, and I also got an autograph from Tom Atkins, who had a few interesting things to say about George Romero and John Carpenter.  We then ventured out into the still-raging storm for lunch at Chili’s.  They make a decent shrimp taco, and their devil’s food cake with the molten fudge inside made for a quality dessert.  Not a bad last meal, if this was the end.

Returning to the show, I made my way to Thom Mathews of RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD and FRIDAY THE 13^TH PART 6 for my second interview.  As with Bruce Abbott, Thom was gracious and gave a nice interview.  They’ll both be posted in audio format soon on the site.

As soon as I finished the interview, Mike and the kid director were ready to go.  I said a quick good-bye to Nicole as she waited to meet Gary Busey, and was out again to face the hell storm.  Conversation passed the time as we reached a devastated Long Island, with downed trees and closed streets everywhere.  Mike’s dad had already called to tell him they had no electricity at the Cucinotta house.  I fully expected Romero zombies to roam the streets of Nassau County, as Roland Emmerich directed tidal waves to wipe out Manhattan.  The world was never going to make it Monday.

Outside it’s raining again, but it’s not near the storm it was that weekend of MM 14.  At two weeks distance, I’m still alive, and so is the world.  Somehow, the convention came to an end, but not the End of Days.  As for the show itself, MM will never be my favorite show.  The guest list is medium in size, and as this show proved, tailored to fans of select movies.  But going by its dedicated fan base, the show was a major success.  They partied hard and jumped on the guest list, most of all Busey, who forgot he had starred in GINGERDEAD MAN.  Proof that perhaps the Apocalypse isn’t so far off after all...

Be cool,

Phil Fasso

Photos contributed kindly by Will Bozarth, Nicole Fiss, Dominic Mancini, Jonathan Yuhas, Chris Behringer and Renee Schramm

Posted by fasso at 02:26 AM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (4)

The Third Time’s a Charm... If the Living are Dead

 

My very first writing for Icons of Fright was a convention report on Pittsburgh, PA’s Monster Bash in 2007.  It was a decent show, a small-scale convention where I met Kyra Schon and Bill Hinzman of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, and it marked my inaugural trip to the Pittsburgh area.  My second visit to the area followed a year later, when I travelled to Monroeville, home of George Romero’s DAWN OF THE DEAD.  The purpose behind that one was the HorrorHound show, another convention I chronicled for Icons.  But that report ended up being more about my buddy X hitting a deer than the lackluster convention itself.  This past Halloween weekend, I made my third visit to the area, and this trip was something altogether special.  This time, I was headed to Gary Streiner’s 2^nd Annual Living Dead Festival in the heart of zombieland, Evans City, PA.

Gary and I first met back in April, at the Chiller show in Jersey.  At the time, he told me about the first LDF, and how he intended a show much bigger in scope as a gift to the fans who still revere NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD some forty-odd years later.  And boy, did Gary deliver.

The convention didn’t start until 2 p.m. on Friday, but I was jumping out of my skin to get to the main event, so I left my hotel some 30 miles away in Coraopolis, PA and arrived in Evans City at about 10 a.m.  Though rain was in the forecast, I was met by a day that was warm and sunny enough for me to leave my leather jacket in the car.  Gary and his small crew were still assembling tents and shuffling things around, so I threw in a hand and got down to work.  Not only watching this little band of brothers putting the grounds together at EDCO Park, but participating as well, made me feel like I’d accomplished something more important than merely going to a convention.

About an hour later, the festival’s guests started to arrive.  I had a nice conversation with Gary’s brother, Russ Streiner, who I’d interviewed a few weeks earlier, and then spoke at length with Charles Craig, the movie’s famous radio voice.  As others from the film walked in little by little, I was amazed that I was actually on the same grounds as the very ghouls and ghoul hunters from the film.  The highlight preceding the convention was definitely when I saw Judith Ridley walking aside Russ.  This was the woman I’d come so far to see, and later when I met her, I could not have been more pleased to find her such a pleasant, smiling woman.

As a news crew showed up to interview many of the guests (I did everything to slide myself in and promote Icons of Fright, but failed to make it into the 1 minute 40 second slot), there was a break in the work, and I asked Gary where to find the Evans City Cemetery.  As I was with the Monroeville Mall, I was shocked to discover that there weren’t signs everywhere promoting the Hell out of the graveyard, but Gary said the locals like to keep it as low key as possible.  I had driven around earlier looking for it, but I am firmly convinced that the entire state of Pennsylvania is one giant farm in which all the mountain roads look exactly the same.  I was surprised when Gary told me the cemetery was right around the corner, so I hopped in my rented Hyundai and off I went.

Let me be honest here:  as a Catholic and a man who respects the dead, I felt rather ghoulish myself when I drove up, took out my camera, and started to shoot the heck out of the Evans City Cemetery.  But, I asked myself, how could I go all the way to Evans City and deliver a report for Icons without pictures.  So if I sold a little bit of my soul, I sold it for you Icons fans who will read this report.  I’ve heard that the cemetery’s been reconfigured since 1967, but it looked the same to me.  Although I was surprised to see just how small the place is;  it looked bigger in the film.

Returning from my ghoulish tour, I made my way into the tiny tent that housed all the guests.  Gary’s kindness was instantly apparent;  so appreciative was he that I took the flight from Long Island to cover the LDF for Icons, he was gracious enough to get my banner signed by those whose signatures were missing, free of charge.  Even had he not done this, I would have had high praise for him;  here’s a guy who genuinely loves that people still revere NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, and he’s taken it upon himself not only to preserve the film’s legacy, but to provide the legions of fans with the opportunity to meet people involved in the film, which they never would have had otherwise.  A small but dedicated crowd of hardcore fans, one of whom travelled all the way from Corsica in Europe, met Gary’s enthusiasm in kind, and contributed to the festival’s unique feel.  Everybody, from the farther-travelling fan to Ella Mae Smith of the film to Gary himself, was smiling.  In six years of attending conventions, I’ve never felt such a positive vibe at a convention.  And that all starts with Gary.

As for the guests themselves, there was a uniform appreciation among them that people would be interested in meeting them.  Many of these people have never heard of a horror convention, so they were overjoyed to be signing eight posters and some 8x10’s for a single fan.  Terry Gindele, the first ghoul that Ben kills, sat right across from Dave James, the last ghoul killed.  Joining them was Regis Survinski, who not only played a ghoul, but also served as stunt and special effects coordinator.  Fellow special effects guy and posse member Tony Pantanella was situated right next to Dick Heckard, another from the posse. 

Lee Hartman, a suited zombie famous for the flower in his lapel, sat right next to Ella Mae, a cheery woman who told me all three times I spoke to her that her husband’s name was Phil (a great name, if I do say so myself).  Judith Ridley steadily signed all day, and wrote her famous line about her jacket being stuck on my 8x10.  The convention also sported some regulars from the circuit, as Charles Craig, George Kosana, Russ Streiner and John Russo graced this small-scale show with their presences.  Russ was even good enough to sign a free 8x10 for me;  I shared with him that he was the first signature I ever got from NIGHT.  There was even a special surprise as cameraman Joe Unitas, who wasn’t scheduled, arrived. 

I have to give special mention, though, to Russ and Gary’s mom, the 91-year-old Josephine Streiner, who may have played a ghoul in the film, but was spry and lively as she signed for the fans.  For anybody who needs proof that the LDF was something special, her willingness to sign until 8 that night should speak for itself.  Just as much as Gary wanted to give back to the fans, the friends and associates who came out for him at the festival gave back to him and us in kind.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the quality of the 8x10’s on everybody’s tables.  I’ve seen more recognizable guests at conventions with photocopies that looked as if they came from a paper jam at Staples.  But Gary had everybody lined up with a variety of high quality glossies.  Folks, the man went all out for his festival’s attendees.  I only wish every other convention had Gary running it. 
 

Any quibbles I had with the LDF were minor, and resulted mainly because of the tiny scale.  The vendor’s section amounted to a few vendors, and offered little variety (though I’m very with my long sleeved LDF shirt).  The tent with the guests was tight inside, and so I had to step out every time it quickly crowded.  And I actually felt bad for the panel during the Q&A, when Gary had to reach out to get fans to participate and ask questions (Sorry that I didn’t ask anything, Gary, but I had intended to do interviews the next day);  I had thought with this group, questions would have been flying fast and furiously. 

Oh, and Gary went out of his way to provide a pig roast for dinner;  the only reason I count that as a quibble is because I’m a vegetarian; based on the success of the roast, I can guarantee this made me a minority of one.  Again, these aren’t really complaints, just my musings as a guy who’s been to some very large conventions over the years.  As I’m a huge fan of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, trust me that none of these things took away from what was one of the most enjoyable convention experiences I’ve ever had.

As the night wound down, I made acquaintances with Jim Cirronella, the producer of AUTOPSY OF THE DEAD, a documentary that features many of the LDF’s guests.  Jim was kind enough to donate several copies of the DVD and some other assorted goodies that we’ll be running in contests the next few weeks.  If you’re a fan of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, you’ll want to enter.  Even if you don’t win, you should pick up the doc at AUTOPSY’s official site;  I’ve seen the doc since, and it’s a nice companion piece to ONE FOR THE FIRE.  Jim is just one more great guy I’ve had the opportunity to meet because I love NOTLD, and he’s contributed greatly to the LDF (including chauffeuring Gary’s mom to the show.  hehe).

I fully intended to attend Day #2 of the LDF, especially because Gary would be showing NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD on a big screen at EDCO Park.  Unfortunately, my plans were at the whim of Icons of Fright, and I was called back to report on the Chiller show on Halloween day.  I regret missing out on the rest of Gary’s show, even if I’ve been told it was rainy and cold.  I’ll make it up to Gary and myself next year, when I’ve already committed myself to spending the full weekend.

The 2^nd Annual Living Dead Festival was a tiny convention out in the wilds of Western Pennsylvania, with guests from a single movie.  For those who admire that movie as much as I do, there was never a question as to whether to attend, even if you live in Corsica.  My third venture to Pittsburgh was by far my best, and I owe a great debt of gratitude to Gary Streiner, whose dedication to NOTLD’s legacy was clear, as was his love of the fans who carry it forward.  Gary, I know we returned that love in kind.
 

--Phil Fasso

 

The Evans City Cemetery

As I noted in my convention report, I drove up to the Evans City Cemetery.  As a key location in an iconic film, it was a highlight of my journalistic career to go and chronicle the place in pictures for Icons of Fright.  It also creeped me out to go and steal shots at a cemetery.  I did my best to tread lightly on the dead, and not to get out of my car.  After all, I know it's only a movie, but...

Below is the series of photos I took at the cemetery.  Enjoy.

 

Posted by fasso at 05:42 PM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (0)

Lots of Snow and Juggalos

 

Sometimes I go to a faraway convention and say to myself, “This was well worth the trip.”  Whether it be a long flight or car trip (not interrupted by hitting a deer, preferably), with weather variables, travel obstacles and bleary-eyed exhaustion added to the mix, the convention at the center of it all pays off.  Such was the case with the Rock and Shock Weekend in Worcester, MA that I attended on October 18^th.  Even with one aborted interview, a wet snowstorm and a bevy of Juggalos, I can’t help but smile at the thought of this con.

 

Along for the ride were my cantankerous buddy John (he used to go by Brando) who I’ve known since high school, and a more recent friend Jonathan, who’s as much a staple on the circuit as some of the guests.  Each of us had our own agendas:  John was Hell-bent on meeting America Olivo;  Jonathan was out to catch up with some old celebrity friends, and had arranged an interview with Adrienne of the first two FRIDAY THE 13^TH films two weeks earlier.  Me, I was happy to know Mike Baronas.  Mike is the most fervent Fulci fan I know, and has parlayed that into managing many of the Italians who he’s loved on film.  He invited me to come to Worcester on the offer that I could have all the time I wanted to interview Catriona MacColl.

 

Walking from the car to the DCU Center in a steady downpour, a huge convention center that looks like the younger brother of NYC’s Javits Center, I was accosted by four 18-wheelers with the faces of the Insane Clown Posse.  As I proceeded inside, I was surrounded by Juggalos, ICP fans who sported their heroes’ face paint.  Later, I would come to realize they made for roughly half the convention’s attendance that day.  Rock and Shock is, as far as I know, unique in that it’s a full weekend of horror signings and concerts.  Certainly the “Rock” had spilled into the “Shock.”

When the gates opened, I walked into a huge hall that was ¾ dealer’s room, and ¼ convention guests.  The vendors had plenty to offer, though I passed on buying a 12” Barbra from NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD to join my Bill Hinzman cemetery ghoul, because she was twisted in the box.  Plenty of shirt vendors were at hand, including my friends at Lixonline, who always have unique shirts, which makes them a definite stop for me at every con (this time I invested in a ZOMBIE 30^th anniversary shirt).
 

Soon after looking around the vast hall, I went in to the autograph signing section to greet Mike.  He introduced me to Catriona, whom I had met a year earlier.  As it was still early, I offered to come back in 45 minutes.  I was anxious to get the interview I’d travelled so far to get, but it’s always good policy to return kindness with kindness.
 

In the meantime, John and I went to meet America.  Gorgeous and funny, she was a joy.  Jonathan, at the time, was off chatting with his friend P.J. Soles, another really great horror star to meet.   We then went to speak to Adrienne, in order to set up her interview for after Catriona’s.

I realize I’m writing this convention report more about my experience than I am judging whether it was a worthwhile con or not.    Let me take a second here to say that yes, it was a high-quality convention, with a solid group of guests such as Malcolm McDowell, John Landis, Kane Hodder and Derek Mears.  While none of them are rare to the circuit, having them all together in Worcester was a regional treat; and I could tell from the number of fans who suffered hideous weather on a Sunday, when the New England Patriots were playing, that this show was a success.
 

But let me return to Catriona, as I did with eager anticipation.  Mike set us up in the green room, and this should tell you all you know about what a classy lady Catriona MacColl is:  she offered to get me a cup of coffee.  We sat for over a half-hour, and discussed her roles in the three Fulci movies; her work with Christopher George, David Warbeck and Sir Laurence Olivier, among others; the kindness of Mike Baronas; and her great appreciation for what she refers to as the “cult of Fulci.”  I’ve met close to 200 horror celebrities over the last six years, and I can honestly say that Catriona is one of the most gracious I have encountered.  Not only was she kind enough to give a great interview, but she left me feeling high about autograph signings in general.
 

Having ended the interview, I then came over to Adrienne’s table, hoping Jonathan and I could do a joint interview soon after.  I wish I could tell you that I got a second great interview that day, but complications arose as Adrienne left for another interview. In the interim, John had gone off at one point to get Mears to add his signature to the many others on John’s hockey mask;  he came back with the tidbit that Derek is actually not signed to play Jason in the sequel yet.   I spent some time with Jack Ketchum, a great author whose stuff I’d never read before.  I sat and talked with Kane Hodder, who had the day before accidentally asphyxiated a fan while taking a picture with Kane’s favorite chokehold applied.  During our conversation, a certain has-been makeup artist decided to shoot rubber bands at Kane and other guests.  Clearly this was going to be a long afternoon, as I realized when I went to the restroom and noticed that snowflakes the size of silver dollars were coming down.  Fortunately, it was a wet snow, otherwise I’d have been digging my dad’s car out from six inches of it before we embarked for Long Island.
 

When Adrienne returned, she was bogged down with fans.  After she signed for a while, Jonathan got a partial interview with her, before she had accumulated more Juggalos who wanted her to sign stuff.  We’ll attempt to complete the interview at another time, as I know FRIDAY fans want to see what the first film’s survivor has to say.
 

As I almost plowed down 50 Juggalos who refused to move from behind the car, I girded up for a long, dreary trip home.  But I didn’t feel dreary inside.  Rock and Shock had been a whole different convention experience for me from what I was used to, and I thank Mike Baronas for inviting me;  because once I got home and settled in, my first thought was,  “This was well worth the trip.”

 

--Phil Fasso

Posted by fasso at 10:40 PM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (0)

 

It’s just two weeks until the next Rock and Shock, Massachusetts’ annual marriage of two perfect partners, horror and heavy metal.  On October 16-18, the convention/ marathon concert offers up a solid lineup of horror favorites signing autographs, and a veritable Woodstock of evil music that is sure to please any dark and brooding fan of the macabre.

 

The autograph signings for the weekend brings a wicked group of convention stalwarts:  Headlined by Malcolm “Hey, Don’t Blame Me for H2” McDowell and American Werewolf in London director John Landis, the con also boasts appearances by two Jasons, Derek Mears and Kane Hodder;  Rob Zombie favorites Walter Phelan, Sid Haig and Bill Moseley;  original Halloween scream queen P.J. Soles;  and the star of the legendary Dentist franchise, Corbin Bernsen, just to name a few.  The highlight for me is the Fulci trio of Al Cliver, Ottaviano Dell’acqua and the lovely Catriona MacColl.  Now that Chiller has decided to downsize this October show and discontinue the Italian Invasion’s assault that it started back in April, this is the best collaboration of Italian stars to hit the northeast this October.   Make sure to thank Mike Baronas personally for this, as his love of all things Fulci has compelled him to bring some of the maestro’s most famous stars to the convention.

 

The concert end of things offers a mix of established favorites and new groups.  Revco, Type O Negative and the Misfits prove that longevity is on their side as they rock the Palladium alongside the Insane Clown Posse and some newer metal groups such as God Dethroned and Abigail Williams (who may be my favorite named band of all time, as I revere Arthur Miller’s The Crucible).

 

Rock and Shock looks to provide exactly what its title rather bluntly suggests.  With the line up of musicians and horror favorites, it should destroy all sense of the sacred in Mass, and leave carnage and destruction in its wake.

 

If you are interested in attending, please follow the link to the Rock and Shock.  And you can always visit Mike Baronas' site, Paura, to find what interesting things he's got going for the Italians.

 

--Phil Fasso

Posted by fasso at 10:34 PM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (0)

On the heels of Mike Cucinotta’s recent article on how Patrick “Capt. Picard” Stewart and his handlers have the utter gall to charge $100 each for fans to take a picture with him, I felt it absolutely necessary to call out Robert “Freddy Krueger” Englund as well. As an offshoot of a local convention in the Tri-State area, our buddy Robert will appear at a book signing for his newly published Hollywood Monster. He’ll host an early Halloween party in the hotel bar, then sign his book and fans’ items the next day, when he’ll also be available for a special “boiler room” photo op.

All of this sounds pretty sweet, right?

Think again. A look at the cost breakdown reveals this to be not such a sweet deal after all.

A ticket just to attend the party is $80. This includes hors de ouvres, and Robert himself will host this. It starts at 9 PM, and ends at 1, though the promoter has stated that Robert will be leaving around midnight. No one is allowed to get anything signed at the party. So that’s 80 bucks to eat some meatballs on toothpicks and spend 3 hours in the presence of an actor who hasn’t made a relevant movie since the mid-1980s.

Then there’s the party/book signing ticket. That one will run you $100 for said meatballs, basking in Englund’s fading glory, and the book with one signature. Oh, and if you already purchased the book somewhere else, you’re screwed. Enjoy the new copy you’re being forced to buy for the signature.

The mother of all packages includes the party/book signing/”boiler room” photo op. I really hope they don’t intend to drag fans down to the hotel’s actual boiler room, but you never know. This package runs a monster $130! So basically, the promoter and Englund’s handlers are asking you to pay 130 bucks for a one-guest convention. This doesn’t even include the price of the hotel, and if you want good old Freddy to sign any of your own items on top of the book, prepare to smack down 30 freaking bucks per item.

One thing that the media has harped on the last year is that corporate greed has put this country in a bad place. We’re in the throes of an economic depression, and it may take years to crawl out of this current downturn. For Englund, his handlers and the convention promoter to charge such exorbitant fees in times like this is not only bad business, it’s tasteless and it’s tacky. And it’s even more disgusting when Englund’s hopping on a plane that Saturday afternoon to run the same party/book signing a second time in one weekend. Mike’s right that some people make a living off the circuit. But Englund’s somehow managed to garner enough cache from Freddy to star in movies some 25 years later, movies that he wants fans to watch. He should treat those fans with a little more heart, and leave a little more in their wallets.

--Phil Fasso

Posted by mikec at 12:46 PM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (3)

Who wants to have a good old heart-breaking laugh in the middle of an economic recession?

You know Patrick Stewart, star of Star Trek: The Next Generation, X-Men, X2, X-Men: The Last Stand and that delightful one-man stage version of A Christmas Carol? Who doesn't? What geek doesn't wake up in the morning to "Tea, earl grey, hot" and think of the Great Bald One?

Well, you better switch to decaf, my good friend, before you read this news: At the upcoming Chiller Theatre convention, one of the larger horror/sci-fi/kitsch festivals on the East Coast, Mr. Patrick Stewart will be commanding $100 per "photo op". That doesn't appear to include an autograph with it. Oh, and and would you mind forking that over in advance, his handlers ask you kindly.

We've reported on this consistently over the years. There's a lot of talent on the convention circuit that make their living at these shows. And 99% when you buy an autograph they're cordial, maybe you get a great story out of them, and they're happy to take a picture. Hey, if you can eke out a living off your one appearance in a cult-classic, be my guest. You earned it, buddy. But aggressive wallet-rape of excited fans really needs to be called out. Patrick Stewart did not make a one-off appearance in some late-70s chintzy Charles B. Pierce number. He's a grown-ass working actor with a multi-film blockbuster franchise and a TV series that ran 8 years to his credit--for both of which he likely receives healthy residuals when you buy a copy or they air on TV.

Of course, the excuse most likely to be lobbed at you by unsavory "convention agents" and "celebrities" appearing at these show is, "Whhaaaaaaa...eBay ruined it for us!". Well, I'll tell you what, let's take a quick survey. Anyone out there in Iconsland wanna buy a picture of me standing next to George Kennedy? (Put your hand down, Phil, you work here.) It's inexcusable.

Fandom has it's price, an undeniable fact. We'll travel hours to see movies, we'll hunt down all the merch we can find. Yes, I have an extensive collection of autographed merchandise, a lot of which I had to pay for. But after I work my ass off at a shitty job all month to save, after I travel the 5 hours in New Jersey traffic, pay my admission fee, wait in line for another hour to JUST to meet YOU, and hand you over that $25 to sign my DVD...won'tcha just let me take a picture with my own camera. Really? You know I'm really starting to wonder if the IRS is aware of these shows...

 

Posted by mikec at 05:56 AM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (5)

On Wednesday September 9th, the Muvico Theaters over in Thousand Oaks, California held a special cast & crew screening of Rob Zombie's HALLOWEEN 2 in high quality 4k resolution. On hand for the event and to participate in a Q & A session after the movie were producers Malek Akkad & Andy Gould as well as cast members Tyler Mane (Michael Myers), Scout Taylor-Compton (Laurie Strode), Danielle Harris (Annie Brackett), Brea Grant (Mya Rockwell), Angela Trimbur (Harley David) and Jeffrey Daniel Phillips (Uncle Seymour Coffins, Howard). We were treated to a never before scene featurette with the Coffin's character titled "Uncle Seymour Hits Hollywood" and then the show got under way!

The Q & A consisted of general stories about the working experiences in the shooting locations of Georgia, stories about working with Rob Zombie as a director and fun little tid-bits like favorite moments or kills in the new flick. Tyler and Scout fought a bit over the mic, especially when trying to clarify a funny story about how Scout accidentally stabbed Tyler in the shoulder with a real knife on their first night of shooting on the first HALLOWEEN. Akkad gave out posters, masks and fun HALLOWEEN themed collectibles and the group filled us in on what was up next for them. (Apparently HALLOWEEN 3D isn't as sure a thing as the recent news posts have indicated.) All in all a fun event, especially for a die-hard HALLOWEEN fan. Below are some pics from the Q & A session! ENJOY! 

Continue reading "Pictures From The HALLOWEEN 2 Cast & Crew Screening!" »

Posted by RobG at 07:04 AM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (0)

Filmmaker Josh Vargus got in touch to let us know his indie shocker SWAY would be making it's world premiere at the Crypticon convention in Houston, Texas taking place between October 16th through the 18th. Vargus had parts in other Houston productions such as SWEATSHOP and DOMAIN OF THE DAMNED, but has written & directed the upcoming SWAY. Have a peek at the latest trailer below. Visit the convention page at http://www.crypticonhouston.com or the My Space at: http://www.myspace.com/Crypticonhouston for more details.

SWAY Red -Band Trailer 3

Posted by RobG at 05:18 PM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (0)

To all our East Coast readers that are near the Pittsburgh area, we just got the full press release and schedule for the upcoming HORROR REALM convention, which takes place September 18th through the 20th and features such guests as Bill Moseley, David Naughton, Ken Foree, Tony Todd, leslie Easterbrook, Tiffany Shepis, Robert Z'Dar and many more. Check out the full details below. Hit up the website at: http://www.horrorrealmcon.com

Posted by RobG at 04:59 PM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (0)

Sleepawaycampmovies.com has put together a video of the SLEEPAWAY CAMP reunion from the most recent MONSTER MANIA convention this past August 2009. Check out the video description, as well as highlights from the event embedded below!

Producer Jeff Hayes has put together another Sleepaway Camp reunion! This time he has added the long sought-after Karen Fields ("Judy") and Frank Saladino ("Gene-O") to the line up. Also starring creator/director Robert Hiltzik, Paul DeAngelo ("Ronnie"), Desiree Gould ("Aunt Martha"), and Jonathan Tiersten ("Ricky"). The event took place on August 21-23 in Cherry Hill, NJ for MonsterMania.

Visit: http://www.sleepawaycampmovies.com
And: www.monstermania.net

Posted by RobG at 05:22 PM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (1)

Tony Todd, David Naughton to appear at Horror Realm

First ever Pittsburgh convention appearance for Todd

Pittsburgh, PA –August 27, 2009 – Tony Todd, star of the Candyman horror film series, will make his first ever Pittsburgh convention appearance* at Horror Realm, September 18th through 20th.
Todd, whose screen credits include the lead role in the 1990 version of Night of the Living Dead, is also an accomplished stage actor. He steps behind the camera for the first time as writer/director of the film Eerie, PA which is currently in production.

Joining Todd and other celebrity guests is David Naughton, best known to horror fans as the star of An American Werewolf in London. Naughton made his professional debut in the New York Shakespeare Festival’s production of Hamlet and has appeared in numerous film and television projects, including the TV series My Sister Sam.

Other updates from Horror Realm:

- Due to contractual obligations and scheduling conflicts, Debbie Rochon and John Amplas will not be able to appear at the convention.
- The cast of Pittsburgh’s It’s Alive Show (www.theitsaliveshow.com) will be performing on Friday night.
- The Bastards of Horror / Gross Movie Reviews short film fest will be on Friday night – not to be missed!
- Human Productions Gallery will have tattoo artists on site all weekend for your ink needs, and is also sponsoring the Best Horror Tattoo contest.
- The Duquesne Law School Student Bar Association will be manning the raffle table – all proceeds will benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

The promoters are pleased to announce the date for the 2010 Horror Realm convention – September 17 to 19 at the Crowne Plaza Pittsburgh South.

Please visit www.horrorrealmcon.com for more information on Horror Realm, Pittsburgh’s modern horror convention.

Horror Realm™ is produced by The It’s Alive Show Fan Club, LLC – also known as The Lifeless – and Horrorrealmonline.com and sponsored in part by Rue Morgue Magazine, Library of the Living Dead, Joseph Beth Booksellers, Art Institute of Pittsburgh and Masquerade/Halloween Adventure.

*Guests are subject to change or cancellation without notice.

Posted by RobG at 12:02 PM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (0)

The Italians Return for a Second Assault!

Amidst rumors that Mike Baronas will bring his Italian Invasion back to this October’s Chiller Theatre, he confirmed with me today that a few of Fulci’s finest will attend this fall’s Rock and Shock.

Appearing in Worcestor, Mass. at the convention on October 16, 17 and 18 will be: the lovely Catriona MacColl (THE BEYOND, CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD); Al Cliver (ZOMBIE, THE BEYOND), and old Worm Eye himself, Ottaviano Dell’Acqua. For those who missed them at select conventions recently, this is a rare opportunity to meet three of Fulci’s finest. And I’m not just selling hype here; I’ve met all three, and I can attest that it was an absolute pleasure to chat with them and add some prime autographs to my zombie collection.

If you’re interested in finding out where Mike Baronas’ legions of Italian stars will make appearances in the future, check out his site at www.pauraprod.com. For information on the event itself, go to www.rockandshock.com. Let’s hope Mike can bring more Italians to us in the near future.

--Phil Fasso

Don't forget to check out our ITALIAN INVASION piece with 3 mini-interviews with Ian McCullouch, Silvia Collatina and Michael Sopkiw! Just click HERE or the image below!

Posted by RobG at 08:57 PM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (2)

Fright friend Dave Neabore is back with another fantastic video report from the last Chiller Theatre convention in Parsippany, New Jersey. Yeah, yeah, it happened back in April, but... better late then never! And the story of the "chiller killer" is obviously more time appropriate now then ever. Check out the video below after Dave's intro!

In APRIL 2009, The Chiller Theatre horror convention was held in Parsippany, New Jersey. Here are the highlights from that weekend as seen thru the eyes of director Dave Neabore. In This video you will see such famous horror guests such as Oliver Robins, Carel Struycken, E.G. Daily, Nancy Loomis, Charles Cyphers, Jonathan Tiersten, Italian Horror legends Richard Johnson, Ian McColloch, Al Cliver, Ottaviano Dell'Acqua, Cinzia Monreale, Luigi Cozzi, Silvia Collatina, Zora Kerova, Robert Rusler, Jason Lively, Zach Galligan, Tom Towles, Walter Koenig, Tom Noonan, Darcy DeMoss, Tom Savini, Kane Hodder, John Amplas, and the Chiller Killer!! Enjoy!!

Posted by RobG at 10:15 PM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (0)

Keep your eyes on our Twitter feed today. We'll be updating live with all the latest news from the San Diego Comic-Con. If you haven't added us on Twitter, be sure to become a follower or bookmark this entry and follow us below:

Posted by Mike C at 08:30 PM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (0)

Halloween weekend of 2009, Evans City, PA will be crawling with the undead. And we have Gary Streiner to thank for it. One of the original ten investors in George Romero’s masterpiece Night of the Living Dead, and also its recording and sound guy, Gary has forsaken life in advertising to bring his passion back home, as he unveils the 2nd annual Living Dead Festival. Last year’s event featured some of the film’s participants who are veterans to the convention circuit, such as Russ Streiner and John Russo, as well as a few new entrants to the scene. Gary headlined the convention with an outdoor screening of the movie itself, to the joy of over three hundred fans.

This time around, his efforts are sure to top last year’s inaugural show. Again, Night of the Living Dead will play on the big screen, accompanied by new faces that fans have never before been able to meet. Judith Ridley, one of the seven who fought to survive in that well-worn farm house, headlines a group that also includes well-dressed zombie Terry Gindele and Dave James, infamously the last zombie the posse shot in the film. And it’s all taking place in Evans City, not only Gary’s hometown but the very town in which NOTLD was shot. For the legions of Romero fans out there, this is the equivalent of a Catholic seeing Jesus in the Sistine Chapel.

I met Gary back in April at the Chiller Theatre convention. From that brief meeting, it was easy to surmise that Gary is a genuinely kind man who loves the fans and believes in his cause, the Living Dead Festival. Only someone so dedicated would go the extra mile to give the fanatics an unparalleled guest list and an actual screening of the film itself, on its own home turf. All the NOTLD worshippers, myself included, should go however many extra miles, and make the trip to Evans City, where Gary will greet you with a warm smile... and several walking corpses.

If this event sounds like undead Heaven to you, go check out www.thelivingdeadfest.com, the convention’s official site. And feel free to make friends with Gary on Facebook, which has an official Living Dead Fest group.

--Phil Fasso

Posted by RobG at 07:33 PM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (0)

MONSTERPALOOZA!

Hey fright fans, Jsyn here, and do I have a doozy of a convention report for you!

As a native New Yorker recently transplanted to Hollywoodland, I tend to tell it like it is and sometimes that gets me into trouble. Nevertheless, like you, I am a horror enthusiast who works hard for his money, especially in these troubled economic times. And frankly, I have stopped attending conventions with the frequency that I used to because it’s simply become too expensive and, worse, I am usually let down with the overall quality of the event. Like most convention goers, I despise feeling ripped-off by high ticket prices, higher parking fees and almost criminal prices for food and beverages. Also, I am not much of an autograph collector, and that seems to be a major aspect of most of these shows. It’s not even about actually meeting and interacting with these celebrities anymore, as long as they make a buck. Where did the magic go, the event mentality? Don’t we deserve more than to be charged for the privilege of being herded into a glorified, oversold flea market of the same bootleg dvds we can find online, with “celebrities” and their “managers” trying to rip us off further, while the venue gouges us even deeper? Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind spending the money as long as I feel like I’ve got my moneys worth.

When I go to a genre-related convention, I want to see things I cannot see anywhere else. I want to roam aisles jam packed with cool stuff, assorted oddities, original art and items I never knew existed! I especially like to speak to interesting artists directly, ask questions, learn and experience things I would not be able to by just searching on Google. And if I’m going to an event that has the word “horror” or “monster” in the name, I better be horrified and/or see some fucking monsters!

Last week I attended what was by far the highlight of my convention going experiences of my adult years: MONSTERPALOOZA.

And let me tell ya… here be MONSTERS!

Everything from the organization of the event to the talent collected to the panel discussions to the vendors to the ticket value and the location were nothing short of top-notch. I was so thoroughly impressed with every aspect of this event that words were simply not enough! I decided to present you Fright Fiends with an entire week worth of video programming, shot and assembled by the notorious Brian Smith, so you can see for yourselves!

MONSTERPALOOZA was simply a return to form to the genre conventions I remember from my youth; an exciting event, painstakingly organized by people who actually care about the genre and the fans they are catering to. Most importantly, it was fun. If you are an aspiring special makeup effects artist, you definitely came to the right place. I’m a grown man and I thought the live Jack Pierce presentation (where an actor made up to look uncannily like Mr. Pierce talks about his life in first person) was, I daresay, educational! It’s refreshing to see an event devoted to the art of all things related to “monster makeup” without the stuffiness that sometimes accompanies the term “makeup artist”.

Another thing I must mention briefly was the venue: the beautifully revamped and convention-friendly Burbank Marriot. This same venue hosted FANGORIA up until this year when it moved to the Staples Center. Quite honestly, I have no idea why they moved from this location. Besides being convenient to get to by car, bus, or even plane, there are a whole slew of new affordable eateries all within walking distance; as well as the close proximity to some of our favorite satellite stops in Burbank like Dark Delicacies and Hyaena Gallery. If you were visiting the convention from out of state, this venue was definitely the most value for your travel dollar.

My hat is off to MONSTERPALOOZA mastermind Eliot Brodsky, a conscientious event promoter and a man who clearly loves this stuff as much as we do. Please watch the videos below and be sure to visit Eliot’s site: www.rubberroom101.com

I will be anxiously awaiting next year’s show. Until then, enjoy the videos Fright Fans!

~Jsyn


Montage:

Here is a quick recap of the overall show, with literally hundreds of amazing things to see; everything from custom masks to makeup demonstrations to sculptures to original art. The highlight being an amazing rebuild of the King Kong from Don Post Studios as featured in Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine, courtesy of ADI. Keep in mind this is just the main area of the show. Wait till you see the Museum!

Museum:

The Museum at Monsterpalooza was, by far, one of the coolest elements of the show.
Filled with amazing, original props fabricated by the likes of Amalgamated Dynamics, KNB EFX, Steve Wang, Jordu Schell and many others; it was a monster and effects enthusiasts dream come true. Get up close and personal with truly jaw-dropping likenesses of Karloff as Frankenstein's Monster and Bela Lugosi as Dracula courtesy of artist Mike Hill, as well as a simply astounding recreation of Vincent Price in 'The Pit and the Pendulum' by artist Russ Lukich.
Major kudos to Monsterpalooza, the curators, and all the artists who contributed to the Museum!



Vendors:

Here are just a few of the great vendors at MONSTERPALOOZA, who weren’t just there selling their wares; they were performing live demos and happily chatting and answering questions with convention goers. Rusty Slusser of SPFX Masks was there talking up his incredible line of masks that you have to see to believe. Master mold maker Pedro Valdez of Valdez Tools presented his new instructional dvd, as well as his complete line of handcrafted sculpting tools. Also, master painter and extreme artist Tim Gore was at the Coast Airbrush booth demonstrating some top of the line tools and techniques. And this was just a fraction of the friendly, talented artists in the vendors area, folks!

Visit: www.spfxmasks.com
www.coastairbrush.com



Howard Berger:

Here’s Academy Award winning makeup artist and super nice guy Howard Berger giving us an exclusive heads-up on some of the groovy goings-on over at KNB EFX!



Phantom Harbor:

Longtime special effects veteran Shannon Shea talks to us about his spooky new website for the younger set of monster fans, “Phantom Harbor”. There is something so inherently cool about Phantom Harbor, young or old, I think you’ll really dig it. Enjoy!
www.phantomharbor.com

Posted by RobG at 12:09 AM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (2)

For our 5th and final video report from the MONSTERPALOOZA, ICONS staffer Jsyn chats with Shannon Shea, a long time special effect veteran who hosts the web series PHANTOM HARBOR, specifically geared towards turning kids into monster fanatics! Check it out below! And be on the look out for our complete covention report shortly!

Watch PART 4: VENDOR'S ROOM right HERE!

Watch PART 3: HOWARD BERGER OF KNB FX right HERE!

Watch PART 2: THE MONSTERPALOOZA MUSEUM right HERE!

Watch PART 1: WITH DOUG JONES right HERE!

For more info, go to: http://www.rubberroom101.com

Posted by RobG at 09:22 PM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (0)

In Part 4 of our video coverage from Burbank's MONSTERPALOOZA convention, ICONS staffer Jsyn chats with several of the vendors including Rusty Slusser of SPFX Masks, master mold maker Pedro Valdez of Valdez Tools and master painter and extreme artist Tim Gore from the Coast Airbrush. Aspiring FX artists out there, take notes of these incredible artists and watch the video below! Howard Berger of KNB FX intro's this clip for us!

Watch PART 3: HOWARD BERGER OF KNB FX right HERE!

Watch PART 2: THE MONSTERPALOOZA MUSEUM right HERE!

Watch PART 1: WITH DOUG JONES right HERE!

For more info, go to: http://www.rubberroom101.com

Posted by RobG at 08:46 PM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (0)

Last weekend was the first MONSTERPALOOZA convention in beautiful Burbank, California and our ICONS staffer Jsyn was on hand to check out the now historic event! We've put together a series of 5 videos directly from the show with plenty of awesome guests, monster props and tons of fun stuff to make you feel as if you were there! In this first segment, Doug Jones (HELLBOY, PAN'S LABYRINTH) welcomes ICONS readers to the convention. Plus, Jsyn chats with Eliot Brotsky, the event organizer who put together this years MONSTERPALOOZA show! You'll also catch glimpses of plenty of genre alumni such as Margot Kidder, Sid Haig and Brinke Stevens. Watch it now below! And be on the look out for 4 more videos, every day this week!

For more info, go to: http://www.rubberroom101.com

Posted by RobG at 04:50 AM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (0)

A Truckload of Zombies, and a Return to Form
(or, Burt Reynolds, We Hardly Knew Thee)

It’s nice when people listen. After the last three or four Chiller Theatres, horror fans started to voice their displeasure with the convention; having once boasted a guest list that was about 90% horror, the con had shifted to more of a “mainstream” celebrity show, with the likes of Leslie Nielsen and Angie Dickinson replacing horror stalwarts like George Romero and Betsy Palmer (a sure sign of a turn from horror: Nielsen and Dickinson both have horror movies on their resumes, yet their tables boasted not a single 8x10 from those films). It seems promoter Kevin Clement heard the cries of the fans, and answered them. With a few exceptions, this April’s Chiller Theatre was a return to its blood and guts form, recalling its former glories for horror fans.

X and I arrived Friday night to already brisk business, as many more fans packed the place than usually do on the traditionally quieter night. Fortunately, even with the sizeable crowd, I was able to accomplish a lot. Down in the pit, I quickly snatched up a pic of Tippi Hedren and a crow from Hitchcock’s The Birds, before I was on to Bruce Abbott’s table. Poor Bruce, most famous among genre fans for playing Dr. Dan Cain in Re-Animator, was in a bad spot, and had lots of free time on his hands the whole weekend. A shame, not only because this was his first con, and lackluster business might chase him away from doing more, but also because he was a genuinely nice guy. I then approached 80s pop singer Taylor Dayne, one of my long time loves. Unfortunately, she showed me absolutely no love with her dismissive attitude. This has happened to me in the past occasionally with celebs, and I wish those who have no love for their fans would just stay home.


I was then off to the Night of the Living Dead reunion. Having snubbed the 40th Anniversary run last year, Chiller was the first convention to jump on the 41st Anniversary (hehe), adding Charles Craig, a late addition to the 2008 tour, and crewman Gary Streiner, brother of Russ “Johnny” Streiner. Meeting George Romero is always a natural high for me, and he was extremely appreciative when I gave him a bottle of JD as a gift. The legend then offered to pay for my bottle several times, which I steadfastly refused. Craig was quite the personality, playing it up with a phony microphone as if he were still NOTLD’s newscaster. We then headed over to speak with Joe Pilato; watching him berate a 10 year old trying to get a free autograph from him was hysterically funny. I tried to interview Pilato for Icons as the weekend progressed, but he spends so much time walking between his table and the smoking areas, it was impossible to pin him down.



As X headed off to talk with Rob Granito, a comic book artist who’s become a friend of his over the years, I made my way to the Italian Invasion. We have Mike Baronas to thank for the appearance of many actors from Fulci’s films, as well as the Italian 80s horror in general. Baronas is an extremely nice guy and a gentleman, and I was happy to see his celebs making good money. His Zombie reunion reunited Ian McCulloch, Richard Johnson, Al Cliver and Ottaviano Dell’Acqua, old Worm Eye himself. As the weekend went on, I also met Zora Kerowa, Cinzia Monreale, and Silvia Collatina. Mike told me many of them had never done a convention before and they didn’t know what to expect, so they were thrilled with the showering of love from fans. Unfortunately, changing flight schedules prevented Giovanni Frezza from forming a House by the Cemetery mini-reunion, but Mike Baronas should be proud. He gave fans of the genre a unique opportunity to meet and greet people that many of us probably never expected to encounter. Thanks, Mike.







The crowd Saturday was not what I expected. Early in the morning, it was a mob scene, as it usually is, but as the day went on, the crowd cooled considerably. Because so many fans showed up to an already sold out Saturday last show, this time there were no tickets sold at the door. Though I’m sure Chiller still made money hand over fist, this was the quietest Saturday I’ve ever seen at this show. Fortunately, this made it easier to get business done. Joined by my friends Nicole and Jonathan, the four of us made our way out to the tent, where Nicole was in awe of Poltergeist’s Oliver Robbins. As it was when X met him the previous night, Robbins engaged Nicole in a 15 minute conversation that I could tell was one of the highlights of her life. As X talked with a guy who voiced Charlie Brown, the remaining three of us went back into the hotel, where I met Tom Towles, of Night of the Living Dead 1990. He and I had this humorous exchange:


Me: Tom, don’t take this the wrong way, but you did a great job of playing a prick.

Tom: Actually, that’s the highest praise you could give me. When you play the villain in a movie, you want people to hate you. Thank you, Phil.


After Nicole fawned over Robert Rusler, I made my way back to the pit to meet Miguel Nunez. Another nice guy from a zombie film, he and I had an interesting conversation about the wig he wore in Return of the Living Dead. X then joined me, and we went on the hunt for Gary Streiner, the one person at the convention I needed to sign my NOTLD banner. Searching to no avail, X then did the logical thing: he asked his brother, Russ. Russ was nice enough to call him and locate him for us, while good naturedly ribbing me and X. Finding Gary was awesome, because he told me of the Living Dead Festival, which he’s hosting in Evans City, PA, the town where NOTLD was filmed. There are supposed to be all sorts of guests from Night that have never done a con before. If you love NOTLD as much as I do, this will be worth checking out. Unfortunately, the October Chiller runs the same weekend in Parsippany. Odd as it sounds to me, I may pass on Chiller for the first time in the 5 years I’ve been going.



As X perused the internet from his laptop that night, I wandered the hotel and found the Dead Elvi performing. Whoever controlled the sound board deserved a beating, as the bass level was too high and I could barely hear the vocals. I bounced back to the room, and then back to the concert one more time, where I accidentally caught the Elvi backing Mickey Dolenz! You really had to be there for this one, as it’s beyond my power to explain.

Business picked up again on Sunday, as X and I wrapped up a few odds and ends. This is the second con in a row at which I spent all three days, something Id never done before. But even as large as Chiller is, I don’t think there’s any con that needs a full weekend. That’s not a knock on Chiller, though. Because this April’s show provided a grand stage with a smorgasbord of guests from all ends of the horror genre for attendees to meet, and very little in the way of mainstream celebrities, which is a good thing. Burt Reynolds may never do a Chiller now, but then, Burt Reynolds never played a zombie.

--Phil Fasso

Posted by RobG at 04:36 PM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (2)

After years and years away from the genre, the creator/director of THE EVIL DEAD series is back! Sam Raimi took the stage on Friday, April 17th to preview his latest film DRAG ME TO HELL! Raimi surprisingly nervous brought on stage 2 of the stars of the his latest opus, Justin Long and Lorna Raver. (FANGORIA's current cover girl!)

Raimi explained the basic premise of the film. Alison Lohman plays Christine, an eager to please bank teller who makes a choice to foreclose on Mrs. Ganush, a creepy looking gypsy type. What'd ya know? She's definitely a gypsy or witch of some sort, because now she's cursed Christine who will be tortured by the ghoulish old woman until the demons of hell come for her soul.

Raimi debuted a clip from the film that featured Lohman in bed with her boyfriend (played by Justin Long) and a fly hovering above the unconscious Christine. To spoil the madness that insues would be unfair, but let's just say it was trademark vintage EVIL DEAD 2-style Raimi on full display. A fly going in spots you'd never want a fly to crawl in? A creepy witch? Tons of fluids being spewed? Oh yeah, DRAG ME TO HELL will be a blast and a lot of fun.

One of the best questions from the audience was "In DRAG ME TO HELL, will we see Bruce Campbell, Ted Raimi or Venom?" Raimi laughed and confirmed that Venom is not in this picture. Ted shot a brief cameo that you'll probably completely miss, and he never commented on why Campbell's not in this latest flick. As always, he danced around the subject of a new EVIL DEAD film, saying what he usually always tells us eager fans. He'd love to do one but now he's focused on DRAG ME TO HELL and then SPIDER-MAN 4. He did point out that despite earlier reports on-line, he's only signed to helm SPIDER-MAN 4 and not 4 & 5 like speculated.

Justin Long talked a bit about starting out in the genre with JEEPERS CREEPERS and jumping at the chance to work with Sam. Lorna was unfamiliar with the horror genre but had a great time playing the evil Mrs. Ganush.

This panel and the clip shown solidified that Raimi is back to what he does best in a big way. At the close of the panel, Creation Entertainment's Adam Malin and FANGO's Tony Timpone presented Sam with a lifetime achievement award. Below are the pictures! 

























(Pictures by Shannon Robles)

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Originally intended to be 2 separate panels, FANGO opted to combine both the Clive Barker solo panel with the HELLRAISER reunion (featuring stars Doug Bradley and Ashley Laurence) for this late Saturday afternoon event in the main auditorium.

Honestly, if you've heard any of the making-of HELLRAISER stories on any of the special edition DVD's that are available, you've heard all these stories before.

However, it's always nice to see Bradley and Laurence together. (I mean, doesn't Ashley continue to get even better looking through the years?!)

Barker did give another status update on his latest books. He's still working on his epic novel THE SCARLET GOSPELS, which would feature both the characters of Harry D'Amour from LORD OF ILLUSIONS and Pinhead from HELLRAISER. (Barker promises to kill off Pinhead once and for all in THE SCARLET GOSPELS). He says he's still one more re-write away from finishing that novel. He's also done with the latest ARABAT book which he submitted last week.

When Doug Bradley began talking about all of his upcoming projects, both Barker and Laurence slumped over in their chairs and pretended to fall asleep from boredom. (See that below!)



























(Pictures by Shannon Robles)

Posted by RobG at 05:29 PM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (0)

Friday evening, April 17th boasted the panel for the eagerly anticipated Anchor Bay release GRACE. ICONS Robg. moderated the panel with writer/director Paul Solet, producer Adam Green (HATCHET) and star Jordan Ladd. The FANGO audience was treated to a brand-new red-band trailer before the guests all took the stage.

Solet talked about the humble beginnings of the GRACE project, starting from the premiere of the short film version at the 2004 LA FANGO, which got the attention of Green who would go on to help shepherd the full length feature version. After briefly talking about the production in Regina, Canada, we were treated to a full scene from the movie, the heartbreaking "birthing" scene. If you're familiar with the original short film version, it's the scene that ends that short and ends the first act of the feature.

Jordan discussed the challenges of tackling the role of Madeline and explained how she spent a lot of time talking with friends who were in fact mother's to understand the bond between child and mother. Solet also admitted to being very open to female feedback all through the writing and re-writing process.

GRACE will be available later this year in a full loaded DVD, but after a few more festival screenings and a potential limited theatrical run. Later in the day, Solet signed promotional GRACE baby bottles at the Anchor Bay table. See full pictures below:



























(Pictures by Shannon Robles and Paula Burr)

Posted by RobG at 05:38 AM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (0)

One of the biggest highlights for the FANGORIA WEEKEND OF HORRORS was the sneak peek first look at the upcoming NIGHT OF THE DEMONS remake, which took place on Saturday, April 18th. On stage to talk about the film was director/co-writer Adam Gierasch, (from left to right) producer Greg McKay, actresses Bobbi Sue Luther, Shannon Elizabeth, Tiffany Shepis and co-writer Jace Anderson. (Monica Keena [far left] eventually joined the group half way through the panel.

Gierasch kicked off the panel serious, by trying to explain that the movie is actually a film about battling personal demons. "Ok, it's not. It's a movie about f***ing demons, OK?"

Everyone on stage then began talking a bit about the origins of the project, and their characters in the movie. Shannon Elizabeth couldn't remember the name of her character (Um, Angela? As in the lead of all the NIGHT OF THE DEMONS movies?), but had a great experience portraying the "bad girl" for a change. Tiffany Shepis promised that the pivotal role of "Door Girl Diana" would totally rock us.

The group then showed off 2 exclusive clips from the movie itself. The first featuring a demonized Michael Copon (as Dex) having sex with his girlfriend (Diora Baird) and in essense making her demonized once he ummm... parked it in the rear if you know what I mean. The second clip took place in an underground lair where Monica Keena, Edward Furlong and John Beach are surrounded by several demonized party-goers while attempting to escape the grounds.

The clips definitely made me excited for the movie itself. Cool looking demons? Hot chicks? Halloween party? Punk rock soundtrack? Demon anal sex? A confirmed Linnea Quigley cameo? I'm sold. It looks FUN as all hell. Pictures from the panel below!



















































(Pictures by Robg. and John Torrani)

Posted by RobG at 05:03 AM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (0)

Another one of the weekend's most anticipated panels was for LAID TO REST, which took place on Saturday April 18th on the main stage. Shock Till You Drop's Ryan Rotten moderated and the panel featured (from left to right) producer Chang Tseng, (Chrome Skull himself) Nick Principe, lead star Bobbi Sue Luther, Thomas Dekker, Anthony Fitzgerald, writer/director Robert Hall, Sean Whalen and 2 of the co-producers.

They showed off one of the film's most memorable death sequences involving Johnathon Schaech and his real life girlfriend Jana Kramer. (Definitely my favorite Chrome Skull kill from the movie) Nick Principe couldn't help but gush over what an honor it is to be featured on the front cover of FANGORIA magazine.

The group talked a bit about the casting process, as well as filming in Maryland and the overall production itself which was a complete team effort amongst friends that became family on this shoot. (You can watch the panel in it's entirety on FANGO's site right HERE!) In the meantime, check out the photos below!

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One of my personal most anticipated panels for the weekend was the preview of THE HILLS RUN RED, which took place in the West Hall on Sunday, April 18th. The panel kicked off with a brand new exclusive red-band trailer for the film, and then guests from the movie took the stage. Joining us (from left to right) were Tad Hilgenbrink, director Dave Parker, producer Robert Burnett and star Janet Montgomery.

We talked about the origins of the project, which started as a low budget feature for Fever Dreams before ended up at Joel Silver's genre based production company Dark Castle, as well as the character design for the film's killer "Babyface", easily the coolest looking "slasher" to grace the screen in years. Tad explained the story of the film via his character's role in it. He plays Tyler, a documentary filmmaker obsessed with tracking down the long lost notorious genre flick "The Hills Run Red", which has long been missing and long rumored to be incomplete. While trekking the locations of the original film's shoot with his girlfriend & best friend, they discover that the film never stopped shooting and that it's killer, Babyface is still in those woods.

We also were treated to an exclusive scene from the film, which was technically a scene within the original Hills movie in which Babyface strings up a victim between 2 trees using rope and barb-wire.

All I can say is Babyface looks bad-ass! Loved all the footage we got to see during this panel. The cast & crew also talked a bit about filmming the movie in Bulgaria. Actress Montgomery actually shot HILLS RUN RED back to back with WRONG TURN 3 in Bulgaria. Lastly, Burnett did a trivia segment with the audience to give away some HILLS crew caps.

Overall, a great panel and a film we strongly recommend being on the look out for! Pictures below! 





























(Pictures by Shannon Robles)

Posted by RobG at 04:43 AM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (0)

Sunday afternoon, April 18th, the panel for DARK HOUSE kicked off the days festivities in the West Hall. We were treated to the first preview of the film and then joined on stage by actors Matt Cohen, Diane Salinger, writer/director Darin Scott, Jeffrey Combs, Meghan Ory, Bevin Prince and Scott Whyte.

Scott (who produced TALES FROM THE HOOD, STEPFATHER 2 & MENACE II SOCIETY) explained the film's origin to the crowd. "What we wanted to do was make a funhouse ride of horror. The story is about a massacre that took place in this house years ago where a bunch of children were killed by a very evil woman. Now, an entrepreneur who puts on haunted house attractions all over the country, he decides to exploit the history of the house by putting on a haunted attraction there. He hires a troupe of actors, one of whom, he doesn't realize, was present at the massacre. She asked to come back to the house and perform. So they all come and get trapped in the house. The house uses a holographic illusion system to project monsters. They have hundreds of monsters that they can make look real. What happens is a ghost takes over the system and makes all of the monsters real threats. And they start taking people apart one by one."

The actors were completely complimentary of each other on stage, and RE-ANIMATOR alumni Jeffrey Combs couldn't stop praising Scott as a director, which led the filmmaker to reach for his wallet and throw Combs a few bucks for his kind words. It was a motif that continued through out the panel for when anyone complimented someone else, that person would reach for their wallet.

Easily one of the most fun panels the entire weekend, we'll be on the look out for DARK HOUSE and keep you posted on it's release as soon as we hear it! Pictures below!

















(Pictures by Robg.)

Posted by RobG at 04:36 AM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (0)

On Saturday afternoon, April 18th, the West Hall panel room hosted a preview of the upcoming feature NEW TERMINAL HOTEL, and ICONS own Robg. moderated this panel. From the film, guests included writer/director BC Furtney, stars James Grabowski, Laura Leigh (who appeared in Furtney's FANGO BLOOD DRIVE short films), Ezra Buzzington, the always lovely Tiffany Shepis and Stephen Geoffreys.

Furtney kicked off the panel by debuting the first teaser trailer for NEW TERMINAL HOTEL. (Which you can now see on the filmmaker's official website HERE!)

As with most panels, we talked about the origins of the project and putting together the cast, most of which consisted of people that BC already had established relationships such as Leigh and Shepis. Getting Stephen Geoffreys was an honor for the filmmaker having been a huge fan of his genre work in FRIGHT NIGHT and 976-EVIL. At one point, Geoffreys talked about the surprising huge new fan base & revival of the vampire classic FRIGHT NIGHT.

In the film, Geoffreys plays Don Malek, a horror screenwriter whose sanity comes into question when he checks himself into the "new terminal hotel". Shepis plays his agent who eventually tracks him down in the hotel only to discover a body in his bathtub. From there, the other strange residents of the new terminal come into play and things aren't quite as they seem!

The funnest part of the panel was the on stage banter between Shepis and Buzzington, both jokesters & total trouble makers. They obviously had a lot of fun reflecting on the Pennsylvania shoot, which took place in a portion of an abandoned mental hospital. (!) Buzz talked a bit about his role in Rob Zombie's H2 (HALLOWEEN 2) and said he hopes his scene doesn't get cut out this time like it did in the first HALLOWEEN. Shepis talked about her next projects including the recently wrapped SICKLE and an upcoming film starring opposite screen legend Kirk Douglas. Geoffreys genre return feature SICK GIRL will be on DVD courtesy of Synapsis in August. Pictures below! 

















(Pictures by John Torrani)

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The first panel to kick off the 2009 FANGORIA WEEKEND OF HORRORS was a special preview of WALKING DISTANCE, which took place Friday, April 17th. On hand were stars Adrienne King, Reggie Bannister, Denton Blane Everett, (former FANGO"Spooks Model") Shannon Lark, producer/star James Lamarr and writer/director Mel House.

The group had prepped a nice behind the scenes featurette to debut exclusively for the FANGO crowd, but technical difficulties wouldn't allow the disc to play! The trailer wouldn't play either, but thankfully, fans & attendee's were able to visit the WALKING DISTANCE table in the vendor's room all weekend and see both previews at the table.

House began by telling us the origins of this project, his 4th film and I confessed that even though I've seen 2 trailers and a behind the scenes featurette, I'm still not completely sure what this movie is about, which he took as a major compliment. (See 2 of those trailers HERE and HERE!)

Casting was pivotal, so we talked about getting genre faves such as Reggie Bannister (PHANTASM) and Adrienne King (FRIDAY THE 13TH), whose role in WALKING DISTANCE marks her first on screen appearance since FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 2! In fact, her role Louis Strack was originally written for a male lead, but converted to suit the actress once she came on board. Bannister was cryptic about his character Joseph Webber but said he's a "sick bastard", which was a nice change of pace for the actor.

What sets apart WALKING DISTANCE is some of the wild FX and visuals evident from the trailers and behind the scenes, courtesy of FX artist Marcus Koch, who's work Adrienne compared to seeing Tom Savini work on the original FRIDAY THE 13TH.

Also interesting to note, King confessed she has yet to see the recent Platinum Dunes remake of FRIDAY THE 13TH, but she had met new Jason Voorhees Derek Mears for the first time the night prior to the convention and had nothing but nice things to say about the new actor portraying her former killer.

No release date is set yet, but look for potential festival screenings of WALKING DISTANCE later this year. And of course, we'll keep you posted when we hear something. Panel pictures below! 



























(Photos by Shannon Robles)

Posted by RobG at 07:31 AM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (0)

On Saturday, April 18th, the LA FANGORIA WEEKEND OF HORRORS kicked off it's panel sessions with a preview of the film FADING OF THE CRIES. ICONS own Robg. moderated the panel which consisted of director Brian Metcalf, Elaine Hendrix, acting legend Brad Dourif, Jessica Morris, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Mackenzie Rosman, Hallee Hirsh and Jordan Matthews. Coming from an FX background, Brian Metcalf chose to make FADING OF THE CRIES, an epic looking horror/fantasy hybrid his directorial debut. Metcalf introduced the trailer to the film, which most of the cast themselves on stage had yet to see.

After seeing the ambitious clip, we discussed the origins of the project with Metcalf and co-producer Thomas Ian Nicholas, finding the right cast and executing the special FX, which judging from the trailer was a combination of practical and CGI. (We also got to see a fair amount of cool sword fighting between Dourif's evil character Mathias and Jordan Matthews' Jacob)

Naturally, the audience has plenty of questions for genre alumni Brad Dourif, most of which stemmed his entire body of work both within and out of the genre. He talked a bit about his recent experiences shooting Rob Zombie's H2 (HALLOWEEN 2) and what it was like to reprise the role of Sheriff Brackett. "I had a lot more to do this time," tells us Dourif.

When asked about the CHILD'S PLAY remake, he joked that he didn't even know about it until the check out girl at the local supermarket mentioned it to him on line one day. He says that he spoke to writer/director Don Mancini and that he'd still like Brad to reprise his role as Chucky aka Charles Lee Ray.

Although the trailer was beautifully cut to the music of Sarah McLaughlan, Metcalf revealed he was directing a video with former NY based hardcore outfit HELMET in the upcoming weeks for a new track for the film. The movie is currently in post-production with a tentative Fall release date. Overall a fun and informative panel for a film you should put on your rader! More when we hear it. Exclusive pics below:

























(Photos by Shannon Robles)

Posted by RobG at 07:23 AM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (16)

On Sunday, April 19th, Shock Till You Drop's Ryan "Rotten" Turek organized the first ever "HORROR ON THE WEB" panel for the LA FANGORIA WEEKEND OF HORRORS convention, which featured representatives from several of the top horror websites on the internet, each there to discuss what their respective publications do. FANGORIA's own Sean Decker came prepared and provided the guests with martini's, which helped kick off the topics with a bang! From left to right, host Ryan Rotten (SHOCK TILL YOU DROP), Staci Layne Wilson (HORROR.COM), Jimmy-O (ARROW IN THE HEAD), Uncle Creepy (DREAD CENTRAL), Robg. (ICONS OF FRIGHT), Sean Decker (FANGORIA), James Zahn (FANGORIA) & Lawrence Raffel (FearNET).

Among the topics discussed were the origins of each writer's work on their respective sites, the current state of horror, balancing out friendships with genre filmmakers versus reviewing their movies and even trading most memorable interview stories & convention experiences.

It's tough to tell how the panel went from our perspective since we were a part of it, (and competing with Tobe Hooper in the main panel room) but hopefully it was fun & insightful to the convention attendees that joined us, listened in and asked questions. Pictures below!  

















(Photos by Adam Barnick & John Torrani)

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This upcoming weekend marks the return of the TEXAS FRIGHTMARE WEEKEND in Dallas, Texas, and while our staffer Phil Fasso always makes the effort to hit up this particular convention, he sent along this message to our fellow ICONS readers -

"Regrettably I won't be able to make my planned trip to the Dallas are for this weekend's Texas Frightmare Weekend, but that shouldn't stop you horror fans from going.  TFW is the largest con in the area, and this year offers some great guests to Texans, such as Alice Cooper, Tobe Hooper, C.J. Graham, the great Dick Miller, the cast of Laid to Rest, and Icon's own John Toranni, many of whom will make their first appearance in the area (incidentally, Toranni is listed as a Texas filmmaker, but he's actually a fellow Long Islander).  Last year's TFW was one of the greatest cons I've ever been to, and I can't imagine this year's would be any different.  For guys who've only run a few cons in the past, good ole boys Loyd and Noel do a top notch job of putting together a worthwhile experience.  I wholeheartedly recommend TFW, and if you go this weekend, you will too."

Check out this cool teaser trailer the event organizers put together for TEXAS FRIGHTMARE WEEKEND:

Guest will include: Jason Mewes, Teri McMinn, Christa Campbell, America Olivo, Johnathon Schaech, Corbin Bernsen, Jana Kramer, Alice Cooper, Tyler Mane, Derek Mears, Linda Blair, Barbara Steele, Fairuza Balk, Adrienne King, Mal Arnold, Mark Price, C.J. Graham, Dick Miller, Tobe Hooper, Karen Black, Marilyn Burns, William Forsythe, Lar Park Lincoln, Charlotte Kemp, Hunter Carson, Bobbi Sue Luther, James Hampton and Caroline Williams. (Make sure to catch a special SWEATSHOP panel with Ashley Kay, Peyton Wetzel, Danielle Jones, Julin, Naika Malveaux, Krystal Freeman, Jeremy Sumrall, Stacy Davidson, Ted Geoghegan, Amy Rene LaFavers & John Torrani, as well as the WALKING DISTANCE panel with Mel House, Adrienne King, Denton Blane Everett, Melanie Donihoo & James Lamarr.)

Full details & tickets: http://www.texasfrightmareweekend.com 

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Fiends! Today kicks off the 2009 LA FANGORIA WEEKEND OF HORRORS convention over at the LA Convention Center. Icons Of Fright will be there to represent! IOF will be moderating the following panels this weekend:

“WALKING DISTANCE”
With writer/director Mel House and cast members Adrienne King, Reggie Bannister, Shannon Lark and Denton Blane Everett

“GRACE”
She’s having a baby! With actress Jordan Ladd, director Paul Solet and producer Adam Green

“FADING OF THE CRIES”
With actors Brad Dourif, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Elaine Hendrix, Jessica Morris, Hallee Hirsh and Jordan Matthews, plus director Brian Metcalf

“NEW TERMINAL HOTEL”
With actors Stephen Geoffreys, Ezra  Buzzington, Tiffany Shepis and Laura Leigh and writer/director B.C. Furtney

“THE HILLS RUN RED” PANEL
With director Dave Parker, producer Robert Burnett and stars Janet Montgomery and Tad Hilgenbrink

And we'll be part of the HORROR ON THE WEB PANEL moderated by
Shock Till You Drop’s Ryan Rotten with reps from Fangoria.com, Dread Central, Icons of Fright, Arrow in the Head and FearNet

Full schedule at our previous news post HERE! Hope to see you guys there!

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The LA Fangoria Weekend Of Horrors is THIS weekend, April 17th through the 19th, and FANGO's Tony Timpone just unveiled the schedule of panels this afternoon! The massive event is taking place at the LA Convention Center. Tickets are still available via the official website right HERE or you can buy them at the door!

All of the other horror web publications SHOCK TILL YOU DROP, DREAD CENTRAL, ARROW IN THE HEAD will be there to represent. In fact, ICONS OF FRIGHT will also be there moderating several panels through out the weekend. (Be sure to catch ICONS own Robg at the following panels: WALKING DISTANCE, GRACE, NEW TERMINAL HOTEL, THE HILLS RUN RED & "HORROR ON THE WEB")

Here's the breakdown for the entire weekend!

Friday, April 17
Main Track (Main Auditorium, Concourse, Rooms 151 & 152)

2:00 P.M.: GREETINGS
With our hosts, CREATION chief Adam Malin, FANGORIA editor Tony Timpone and Fango president Tom DeFeo

2:10 P.M.: PREVIEWS
A look at upcoming genre flicks!

3:10 P.M.: PREVIEW: “WALKING DISTANCE”
With writer/director Mel House and cast members Adrienne King, Reggie Bannister, Shannon Lark and Denton Blane Everett

3:45 P.M.: PREVIEW: “PIG HUNT”
JASON X director Jim Isaac and his cast give us the scoop on the rural shocker and news of the free Fango premiere!

4:30 P.M.: PREVIEW: “S. DARKO”
Director Chris Fisher and others discuss the DONNIE DARKO sequel

5:10 P.M.: SAM RAIMI (pictured)
The director of the EVIL DEAD and SPIDER-MAN films returns to horror with DRAG ME TO HELL! Also appearing: stars Justin Long and Lorna Raver

6:10 P.M.: PREVIEW: “GRACE”
She’s having a baby! With actress Jordan Ladd, director Paul Solet and producer Adam Green

6:40 P.M: BILL MOSELEY
The star of THE DEVIL’S REJECTS and TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2 is now in THE GRAVES and DEAD AIR

7:10 P.M.: H.G. LEWIS
The legendary Godfather of Gore, who gave us BLOOD FEAST, TWO THOUSAND MANIACS! and WIZARD OF GORE, is back with GRIM FAIRY TALE

9:00 P.M.: EXTREME FASHION SHOW/SHOCK-N-ROLL SPOOKTACULAR!

Saturday, April 18
Main Track (Main Auditorium, Concourse, Rooms 151 & 152)

11:30 A.M: PREVIEW: “FADING OF THE CRIES”
With actors Brad Dourif, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Elaine Hendrix, Jessica Morris, Hallee Hirsh and Jordan Matthews, plus director Brian Metcalf

12:15 P.M.: “NIGHT OF THE DEMONS” PANEL
With director Adam Gierasch, co-writer Jace Anderson, actresses Shannon Elizabeth, Tiffany Shepis, Bobbi Sue Luther and Monica Keena, plus producer Greg McKay

1:00 P.M.: PREVIEW: “LAID TO REST”
With writer/director Robert Hall and cast members Bobbi Sue Luther, Thomas Dekker, Sean Whalen, Lucas Till, Nick Principe and Anthony Fitzgerald

1:45 P.M.: MASTERS OF ITALIAN HORROR PANEL
The bloody maestros! Ruggero Deodato (CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST), Lamberto Bava (DEMONS) and FX artist/director Sergio Stivaletti (CEMETERY MAN); hosted by Paolo Zelati

2:45 P.M.: PREVIEW: “BOOK OF BLOOD”
Director John Harrison discusses his new Clive Barker movie!

3:15 P.M.: “HELLRAISER” REUNION
Doug Bradley and Ashley Laurence share anecdotes on their days in hell

4:00 P.M.: CLIVE BARKER
The master of dark fantasy gives us the skinny on all his new projects, including new movies, books and more

5:00 P.M.: PREVIEW: “MUTANT CHRONICLES”
Star Ron Perlman and director Simon Hunter discuss their bloody sci-fi epic

6:00 P.M.: TRIBUTE TO STAN WINSTON
Legacy FX (Shane Mahan, John Rosengrant and others) salute the legendary makeup great and look to the future

6:30 P.M.: COSTUME /TATTOO CONTEST/SPOOKSMODEL CONTEST
Enter at registration!

Saturday, April 18
Secondary Track (Room 502 A, 2nd Floor)

12:15 P.M.: PREVIEW: “HISSS”
With cult director Jennifer Lynch, FX creator Robert Kurtzman, actor Jeff Doucette, producer Govind Menon, co-producer Will Keenan  and Indian superstar Mallika Sherawat

1:00 P.M.: “STANLEY” REUNION
With exploitation director William Grefé and screenwriter/actor Gary Crutcher, plus documentarian Daniel Griffith

1:30 P.M.: “CHRISTMAS EVIL” REUNION
With writer/director Lewis Jackson and star Brandon Maggart

2:00 P.M.: PREVIEW: “GODKILLER”
The post-nuke animated horror odyssey is discussed with voice cast Danielle Harris and Tiffany Shepis, writer/director Matt Pizzolo and animator Brian Giberson

2:30 P.M.: PREVIEW: “PENANCE”
With director Jake Kennedy and cast members Marieh Delfino, Tracy Coogan, Graham McTavish, Alice Amter, Valorie Hubbard, Eve Mauro, Sita Young and Katherine Randolph

3:15 P.M.: PREVIEW: “NEW TERMINAL HOTEL”
With actors Stephen Geoffreys, Ezra  Buzzington, Tiffany Shepis and Laura Leigh and writer/director B.C. Furtney

4:00 P.M.: PREVIEW: “THE GRAVES”
With writer/director Brian Pulido and actors Bill Moseley, Clare Grant and Jillian Murray

Sunday, April 19
Main Track (Main Auditorium, Concourse, Rooms 151 & 152)

11:30 A.M.: PREVIEWS
A look at upcoming genre flicks!

12:40 P.M.: PREVIEW: “ORPHAN”
HOUSE OF WAX director Jaume Collet-Serra is back with a new evil-child movie!

1:00 P.M.: PATRICK LUSSIER
The director of MY BLOOODY VALENTINE 3D, DRACULA 2000 and WHITE NOISE 2

1:30 P.M.: PREVIEW: “THE LAIR”
With director Fred Olen Ray, producer Kimberly Ray and stars Peter Stickles, Sybil Danning and Dylan Vox; hosted by filmmaker/Fango blogger Sean Abley

2:00 P.M.: PREVIEW: “THE GRUDGE 3”
Acclaimed director Toby (SPLINTER) Wilkins discusses Kayako’s latest ghostly rampage with actors Beau Mirchoff and Johanna Brady, plus Ghost House exec J.R. Young

2:30 P.M.: PREVIEW: “BABYSITTER WANTED”
With KYLE XY’s Matt Dallas, Sarah Thompson of ANGEL, producer Kimberley Kates and directors Jonas Barnes & Michael Manasseri

3:15 P.M.: “REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA” REUNION
The cult hit lives with director Darren Lynn Bousman, co-creator/co-star Terrance Zdunich and Largo brothers Ogre and Bill Moseley

4:00 P.M.: TOBE HOOPER
The director of TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, POLTERGEIST, TOOLBOX MURDERS and many more on his career in fear

5:00 P.M.: “TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE” MOVIES REUNION
The casts of the first two films reunite: Marilyn Burns (“Sally”), Caroline Williams (“Stretch”), Bill Moseley (“Chop-Top”) and Bill Johnson (“Leatherface”)

6:00 P.M.: LLOYD KAUFMAN LIVE!
The Troma chief and TOXIC AVENGER and POULTRYGEIST director previews his Sunday seminar

6:40 P.M.: COREY HAIM
A special appearance by the LOST BOYS star, along with a performance by singer G Tom Mac (“Cry Little Sister”)

Sunday, April 19
Secondary Track (Room 502 A, 2nd Floor)

12:00 P.M.: “DARK HOUSE” PANEL
With writer/director Darin Scott and his cast: Jeffrey Combs, Diane Salinger, Matt Cohen, Megan Ory, Bevin Prince, Erin Cummings and Scott Whyte

12:45 P.M.: FANGORIA ENTERTAINMENT PANEL
Be on hand for major announcements from the company’s chief Thomas DeFeo, Scott Licina and other surprise guests

1:20 P.M.: “DARK MIRROR” PANEL
With director Pablo Proenza and stars Daeg Faerch (young Michael from HALLOWEEN), David Chisum and Lisa Vidal

2:00 P.M.: “LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT” REUNION
With original baddies David Hess, Fred Lincoln, Jeramie Rain and Marc Sheffler

2:30 P.M.: RODDY PIPER
Wrestler/THEY LIVE star previews new film A GOTHIC TALE; also appearing: Piper’s daughter, actress Ariel Teal Toombs of CREEPER

3:15 P.M.: “THE HILLS RUN RED” PANEL
With director Dave Parker, producer Robert Burnett and stars Janet Montgomery and Tad Hilgenbrink

4:00 P.M.: HORROR ON THE WEB PANEL
Shock Till You Drop’s Ryan Rotten moderates this discussion with reps from Fangoria.com, Dread Central, Icons of Fright, Arrow in the Head and FearNet

5:00 P.M.: PREVIEW: “PLAGUE TOWN”
Director David Gregory gives us the scoop on his old-school killer-kids shocker!

6:00 P.M.: PREVIEWS
A look at upcoming genre flicks! 

Posted by RobG at 05:59 PM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (0)

Once again, FRIGHT friend & filmmaker Dave Neabore put together a fantastic video capturing the convention going experience from March's recently wrapped MONSTER MANIA 12 in Cherry Hill, NJ! Always a fave to the ICONS staff, we'll let ya see for yourself how the show went down. After the video, click the image for our written report by staffer Phil Fasso. Here's Dave's introduction via his You Tube page:

This video was shot on Saturday March 14th. In this video you will see fans, dealers, and guests interacting and having fun, all set to some good music. Look for Betsy Palmer (FRIDAY THE 13TH), Amy Steele (FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 2), Jensen Daggett, VC Dupree (FRIDAY THE 13TH PART VIII: JASON TAKES MANHATTAN), Derek Mears (FRIDAY THE 13TH REMAKE), Steve Dash (FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 2), Richard Brooker (FRIDAY THE 13TH PART III), and CJ Graham (JASON LIVES: FRIDAY THE 13TH PART VI), Reggie Bannister, Bill Thornbury, Kat Lester, and Don Coscarelli from the PHANTASM films, Fairuza Balk (THE CRAFT), Troma's Lloyd Kaufman, Caroline Williams (THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE PART 2), Lance Henriksen (ALIENS, NEAR DARK) and rocker Alice Cooper!

For our written report, click HERE or the image below!

Posted by RobG at 03:43 PM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (0)

THE DEAD WALK! The streets of metropolitan Los Angeles have been overrun by the undead! The recent rise of popularity of “zombie” books, movies, television shows, publications, toys and other collectibles all seemed to be fantasy-based…or were they?

Local cemeteries have been unearthed with dirt and slime-ridden trails all leading to one very famous location in Downtown Los Angeles. News reports coming in from all throughout the Southern California area are describing corpses actually crawling out from regional washes, lakes and even underneath building foundations. A quote from Nathan Grantham, M.E., M.D., lead coroner and forensics scientist from the Los Angeles Coroner’s Department states, “We can’t keep them still! I came into work this morning and all of the body bags from last night were ripped open and empty”.

It appears that all of these walking dead “creatures” are headed toward one direction – Downtown Los Angeles, in and around the Staples Center and Los Angeles Convention Center.

Officials have turned toward one local organization, the “Southern California Zombie Walk” for guidance and information. According to the official So.Cal Zombie Walk website, the zombies are actually congregating in Los Angeles to partake in their next “Zombie Walk” set for April 18, 2009 at 9:00 a.m. The Southern California Zombie Walk will make it’s fourth official “walk” on the side walks surrounding the Los Angeles Convention Center as it teams up with Creation Entertainment’s Fangoria’s Weekend of Horrors in promotion of the horror-based tradeshow taking place at the LA Convention Center the same weekend.

It is quite fitting that the living dead have gathered around the Convention Center as Fangoria’s Weekend of Horror’s (a horror-based publication convention) is present with vendors, exhibits and celebrities all focused around the horror genre.

The site will certainly be one to behold – hundreds, if not thousands of members of the undead walking, moaning, groaning and apparently very interested in brains!

This time out the Zombies will be walking and collecting/donating canned goods for the LA regional Food bank. There will also be a "Blood Drive" on Saturday for those that would like donate and tap a vein!

What: So.Cal Zombie Walk
Where: Los Angeles Convention Center – Downtown Los Angeles
When: April 18, 2009 at 9:00am

For more details regarding partaking in the zombie walk or simply to witness this unique event, visit the following links for details:

www.socalzombiewalk.com

http://www.creationent.com/cal/fangocon/fangola.asp#zombiewalk

www.fangocon.com

http://www.lafoodbank.org

Posted by RobG at 03:18 PM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (0)

A few weeks back, we ran the initial press release for the upcoming convention event MONSTERPALOOZA taking place in Burbank, CA on May 28th through the 31st. Some addition guests have been added to the show, including: Doug Jones (Sunday only), Michael Berryman (THE HILLS HAVE EYES), Danielle Harris (Saturday only), Sid Haig (THE DEVIL'S REJECTS), Julie Adams (CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON), Eileen Dietz (THE EXORCIST), Jeffrey Jones (SLEEPY HOLLOW, ED WOOD), comic artist Bernie Wrightson, Jim Warren (Publisher FAMOUS MONSTERS, CREEPY & EERIE) and many, many more! Get the full details by clicking the ad below or right HERE! Original press release reprinted below! See you there!

THE MARRIOTT BURBANK CONVENTION CENTER

                                     MAY 29 –31 2009

          

AN F/X DRIVEN CONVENTION  BRINGING F/X ARTISTS AND THE  CREATURES THEY CREATE TO THE FOREGROUND

SEMINARS AND PRESENTATIONS RELATED TO THE WORLD OF MONSTERS & SPECIAL F/X… ALL WEEKEND!!!!

 

KNB EFX- Award winning FX company ,Sin City, Grindhouse, Narnia, From Dusk till Dawn

ADI-Alien vs Predator, Race to Witch Mountain, X-Men Origins

CHIODO BROTHERS -Critters, Killer Klowns from Outer Space, Gremlins

BERNIE WRIGHTSON- Legendary 2D artist

JORDU SCHELL –Creature designer for major motion pictures.

WILLIAM MALONE –Director -  Masters of Horror, House on Haunted Hill

SANDY COLLORA –Batman Dead End,Soon to be released Hunter Prey

BASIL GOGOS – versatile painter and cover artist for Famous Monsters of Filmland

JAMES WARREN –Warren Publications, Creepy and Eerie, Famous Monsters of Filmland

WILLIAM STOUT – Conceptual artist

LON CHANEY ENTERTAINMENT

DON POST JR. – Don Post Studios

VERNE LANGDON – Makeup Artist, music producer

many more

http://www.rubberroom101.com/monsterpalooza09/index2.html

 

A WALK-THROUGH MONSTER / CREATURE MUSEUM!

 

SPECIAL CELEBRITY GUESTS FROM THE GENRE

MICHAEL ROOKER- Henry-Portrait of a Serial Killer, Cliff Hanger , Slither

LESLIE EASTERBROOK -Rob Zombies Halloween ,Police Academy,Devils Rejects

WALTER PHELAN - Devils Rejects , From Dusk till Dawn

MARSHALL BELL -Starship Troopers, Total Recall

LOU WAGNER – Deep Space Nine, Star Trek , Planet of the Apes

TOM MORGA – Friday the 13^th pt.5 , Halloween 4

LESLIE HOFFMAN –A Nightmare on Elm Street , Star Trek

JAMES DUVAL – Donnie Darko , Independence Day

CHRIS DURAND – Halloween H2O , Resident Evil 3

 

OVER 125 VENDERS SELLING COLLECTIBLES!

movie posters, publicity stills, DVD’s, toys ,magazines, original 2D and 3D art, model kits

TICKET INFORMATION

http://www.rubberroom101.com/monsterpalooza09/ticket.html

ENTRY FEE - $20 PER DAY

WEEKEND PASS -$50

SHOW TIMES

Friday May 29      5:00 PM –11:00PM

Saturday May 30  10:00 AM –6:00PM

Sunday May 31    11:00 AM –6:00PM

 

HOTEL RESERVATIONS

The Marriot Burbank Hotel – 1800 736-9712 group code mona

http://www.rubberroom101.com/monsterpalooza09/hotel.html

Via internet- group code monmona

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/burap?groupCode=monmona&app=resvlink&fromDate=5/27/09&toDate=6/3/09

myspace -http://www.myspace.com/monsterpalooza

FOR SPECIAL PROMOTIONS CONTACT

ELIOT BRODSKY -therubberroom101@aol.com

Posted by RobG at 02:54 PM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (0)

This ain't no April Fool's Joke. Fulci fans have one more reason for joy at this April's Chiller Theatre in Parsippany, NJ! Cinzia Monreale, most famous for her appearance as the ethereal, blind Emily in Lucio Fulci's THE BEYOND, has just been added to the stellar list of Italian stars for the convention. Cinzia also appeared in Joe D'Amato's BUIO OMEGA, and acted for Italian legend Dario Argento in THE STENDHAL SYNDROME. She joins such Fulci alum as Ian McCulloch, Al Cliver, Otaviano Dell'acqua and Richard Johnson of ZOMBIE, and Silvia Collatina and Giovanni Frezza of HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY, giving fans of the Italian undead the opportunity to meet some of the subgenre's stalwarts at this April's Italian Invasion, in less than three weeks.



Check out the following websites for more details!

http://www.pauraprod.com

http://www.chillertheatre.com/gt/italians/italians.htm

And don't forget to check out our ITALIAN INVASION piece with 3 mini-interviews with Ian McCullouch, Silvia Collatina and Michael Sopkiw! Just click HERE or the image below!

Posted by RobG at 03:20 PM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (0)

The Italians Are Invading Chiller Theatre!


Fans of 1980s Italian exploitation have every reason to rejoice. In three weeks, Chiller Theatre in Parsippany, New Jersey will host the Italian Invasion, a gathering of a number of stars from the Fulci period. Mike Baronas has put together a great collection of guests that include: the 30th anniversary ZOMBIE reunion with Ian McCulloch, Al Cliver, Richard Johnson, and old Worm Eye himself, Ottaviano Dell’acqua; Silvia Collatina and Giovanni Frezza, the child couple from Fulci’s HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY; sci-fi/ horror director Luigi Cozzi; action star Michael Sopkiw; and Fulci actresses Malisa Longo and Zora Kerowa, the latter of ANTHROPOPHAGUS fame.

In anticipation of the Italian Invasion, Mike Baronas was gracious enough to grant me access to three of the Invasion guests for quick interviews. I thank Ian McCulloch, Silvia Collatina and Michael Sopkiw for taking the time to answer my questions. If you’re a fan of the Italians, go meet these three at Chiller. From the answers they gave me, I guarantee they won’t disappoint.


Ian McCulloch


Phil Fasso: ZOMBIE has developed a rabid cult following over the years. Many Fulci fans place it on par with Romero’s DAWN OF THE DEAD. Why do you think that it’s achieved that status?

Ian: It is difficult to find a reason for the continued success of ZOMBIE. I suppose it came out at the right time and had all the right ingredients of plot, exotic locations and special effects. It would be nice to think that we actors helped too but I think we could have changed roles with the Zombies and the film would have been as successful. The marketing team also deserve a pat on the back and the continued notoriety of certain scenes and its video nasty history have all helped.

PF: What are your best recollections from working on ZOMBIE?

IM: ZOMBIE was the first major film I made where I was a leading player. When you move overnight from a dingy bed and breakfast and seven performances a week in a dilapidated theatre in an English provincial town to being treated like a prince in the best hotels in Rome and New York and being accorded a decent amount of respect on the set with the time and money to enjoy life – you realize what you have been missing. The unit were really professional, helpful and friendly. Bizarrely it was the time taken over my make up which gave me my first surprise. Instead of the perfunctory 30 seconds in a British movie accompanied by a gasp of horror when you asked for your eyelashes to be darkened to spend half an hour being made screen presentable was a delight.

PF: ZOMBIE wasn’t your only foray into living dead films. How did your experience on ZOMBIE HOLOCAUST compare with working on Fulci’s film?

IM: ZOMBIE HOLOCAUST was a really silly movie but fun. Fabrizio de Angelis cleverly cashed in on the success of ZOMBIE with virtually the same plot, same locations and me. I liked the director. I am impressed by people who have had careers outside show business and he had been a fairly distinguished boxer. There can’t have been many film directors with the same qualifications. I also liked the idea of there being a statue of him at the Olympic Stadium in Rome. The film clearly had a smaller budget than ZOMBIE and sadly it shows but I presume it made a good deal of money for Fabrizio and I have only happy memories of making it.

PF: How was your experience working with Luigi Cozzi, another Chiller guest, on CONTAMINATION? Did you prefer acting in science fiction as opposed to horror? Why or why not?

IM: I have not seen any of my Italian films on screen. CONTAMINATION was as silly as ZOMBIE HOLOCAUST but when you consider all the problems getting a film from idea/script to finished article you have to give credit to the people behind it. Luigi was a lovely man to work for. Very generous and considerate. Far and away the most gentlemanly of the three. Sadly I was not asked to contribute to the DVDs of the film but I am looking forward to seeing him again in Parsippany. There is of course no difference to acting in either of the two genres. As I have frequently said the acting is not all that important in such films.

PF: As a citizen of the U.K., what is your opinion of the outcry during the video nasty era in the early 1980s? How do you feel about violence in films?

IM: In a strange quirk of fate my wife’s uncle sat on the committee which classified my three Italian films as video nasties. He told me they had just banned twenty or so. I told him I was in three of them. He looked at me reproachfully and said “ Ian, how could you?” I thought it was funny at the time but today writing this I am wondering why he did not know I was in them . Mindless violence is to be condemned. In films like ZOMBIE you expect it. I was upset by the countless deaths in "WHERE EAGLES DARE" where I played a German officer. Clint Eastwood and Richard Burton between them slaughtered what seemed like several divisions of the German Army.

PF: ZOMBIE has made you a cult figure in the United States. How does it feel to have that status?

IM: Needless to say I do not feel like a cult figure. However I am looking forward to seeing fans of the film at the convention.

PF: ZOMBIE is 30 years old. As you prepare to tour the convention circuit, starting with Chiller, what stand out about it for you now?

IM: When I was asked to be in "ZOMBIE" I thought it was a joke. It was after all April Fool’s Day. But it led to a year of filming in the States, the Caribbean and Italy and while it did not make me rich financially it enriched my life. Coming to Parsippany is part of that.


Silvia Collatina


PF: How did you first get to work with Lucio Fulci?

Silvia: In fact I do not remember my first contact with him, I just have a potpourri of images and scenes but I still remember my test. My agent told me there was a part in a horror movie and I didn’t think twice. … I had to play a scary child using all the features of my face, miming amazement and terror. Frankly speaking I do not remember my first contact with him.

PF: Fulci was known to be hard on his actresses, and I’ve heard also on his child actors. How did he treat you when you worked with him on HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY?

SC: He was very impulsive and spontaneous so, consequently, unpredictable. He wanted us to be very involved while acting and Lucio didn’t hold back from shouting at us if he was not satisfied with a scene. He had everything already fixed in his mind and thus was rather severe. The scene in which Mae cries in front of the display window where Anja Pieroni’s mock-up loses its head – because she was to die - tells a lot. I didn’t succeed in crying because to be honest I couldn’t care less about her death in reality so Lucio got so angry (just verbally) that I was very upset and I burst into tears (also after the scene). Anyway I was fascinated by his behavior: sometimes affectionate, even childish but also capable of being rude and very demanding, you had to create a close connection to him to understand his thought.

PF: You play the creepy, supernatural child in HOUSE, much like Damien in the OMEN films. From where did you draw inspiration for the character? What was your acting technique?

SC: Since very young I’ve always been fond of horror movies and that somewhat helped. When the production chose me I was very excited to take part in such a peculiar movie. I had no special technique to follow: my only inspiration was trying to get involved in my role; I really felt I was Mae trying to save Bob. I had this mission. I was real and unreal at the same time! Hanging between the past and the present. I felt totally at my ease playing such a character, Mae was me, and I was Mae!

PF: HOUSE is part of Fulci’s revered zombie trilogy. How does it feel to be part of such a well-loved work?

SC: It’s an honor having taken part in such a movie, which still represents a must, a cult movie for his genre. I did not know there were so many fans of this movie considering almost 30 years has passed! I think that people love this movie so much because it has lots of different successful elements mixed all together: the shots that focus on the actors’ eyes, closing up on peculiar details, the horror transmitted slowly but so violently to the public, the environment so grotesque as a whole, the pastel colors of the autumn, the mystery that enshrouds the movie…. And Dr. Freudstein… Everyone has been fascinated by him: in our collective imagination he is still alive, for ever living in that House and awaiting other victims, other fresh flesh…

PF: You worked with Fulci again on MURDEROCK. How did that experience compare with working on HOUSE? The shift from small town zombie flick to big city giallo must’ve been interesting.

SC: Decidedly two different locations and Mae and Molly are two different personages. I’d define them as two cameos even if they are not the main characters in their respective movies. Mae was free to appear everywhere, in very wide spaces, while Molly was anchored to her wheelchair in limited area. Working on MURDEROCK was perhaps a little more challenging, I’d say harder, because Molly had a strong personality. Owing to her handicap, she was a mean, spoiled and bored child, completely different from what I was (luckily!!). Mae on the other hand embodied the ethereal, the supernatural, a pure white energy. I feel very close to this character…

PF: You’re appearing at the Chiller Theatre convention with your co-star Giovanni Frezza. As you prepare to meet the fans, what stands out to you about HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY and MURDEROCK now?

SC: Certainly, It will be unusual for both of us. I am very excited at the idea of meeting fans because I am fan of horror movies too and I am honored to shake the hands of other important guests I’ve always admired through television so I will be surely happy and very willing to welcome them of course. I think that people see Mae and Bob as a cult couple of horror movies, the saver and the saved. In the collective imagination they will be always together, immortal and eternally children in another dimension.


Michael Sopkiw


PF: What was it like being an action star during a time when Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger were among the biggest names in all of film?

Michael: Sylvestre and who; Arnold? I know I've heard of these guys before; especially that Arnold one. Isn't he my governor? I think he's one of those guys who spent all the state's money while things were good without putting any aside for the rainy daze and now that it's pouring says he trying to work out a better budget now........ And that Sylvester; wasn't he one of the family Stone? Sure you got his last name right? Whomever they are, I can assure you it was not competitive. I counted my blessings being put into the position of "action star". It alters reality a bit, puts one into a different realm altogether and you just have to know what is real and enjoy the moments as you pass through them; giving your best throughout. Growing along with it but not losing yourself in it. My guess is that Sly & Arnold were in similar states but on a grander scale. They're still alive too right?

PF: You made two films directed by famed Italian Lamberto Bava. What were your experiences like working with him?

MS: Almost nothing but praises for Lamberto. He's a very compassionate guy; pretty much to be expected being Italian. That was my experience with most Italians. But he shows it in his everyday consideration and caring for both actors and crew. And he sure knew how to make a lot with a little. He was always quite accessible and gentle but seems to have had a bit of a penchant for blood. You noticed? I would love to speak with him now to find out a little bit more of what drove him.

PF: Your career was strictly an endeavor in exploitation films. How do you feel about your films, and the whole exploitative genre?

MS: Was? Is it over? I am just preparing myself for the best! OK; I have mixed feelings about the genre. On one hand exploitive anything has negative connotations. Something more original and popular is being ripped off. If the choice was mine to make I would have been doing Clint Eastwood and Harrison Ford in DIRTY HARRY and BLADE RUNNER or something with a more original or intriguing story line. But the exploitation genre has the advantage of not having to take itself so seriously and therefore has a great deal of freedom. So it actually turns out that, in a big way, this genre suits me and I find some of it quite entertaining. Some more than others ......

PF: Which of your four films was your favorite? Why?

MS: That's a tough one. They were all a blast to work on. I suppose overall AFTER THE FALL OF NY would top the list as a fave film. I think it has the most memorable lines like "Cleaned up & disinfected she might be all right." I also think it has the best caliber of actors overall with Gigi, Vince, Romano, Gigetto, Valentine, et al. There were really some good performances there I think and some serious actors.

PF: Your post-film career took a turn toward science. Can you tell me about it? How would you compare it to a career as an action hero?

MS: WE DON’T NEED ANOTHER HERO! Tina Turner. Not so sure she had it right but it's not an easy career to maintain. Necessity breeds ingenuity though and I needed to do something after figuring out that Tina seemed to be right by about 1989. So I started a couple of other ventures including the special violet glass I work with now. I am actually a distributor, not a scientist, although some scientific background is helpful due to the special properties of this particular glass. Most of the 5 semesters I spent in various schools after high school were math and science courses. The glass is an effective light filter, and extensive research has been done which wavelengths are filtered out and how much of which penetrate the glass. But it is their effects on the products stored in the glass which is most amazing. There is hardly any way I can see to compare the two careers other than we live in the same body through them. (Actually, I think I would have stayed in much better shape if I had the camera aimed at me more through the years....) So in short, I am fascinated by the glass and really believe the world is a better place with it in my honest opinion, but frankly, being an action hero had its perks!

PF: As you head toward meeting fans at Chiller Theatre, what kind of fan reaction do you get from fans of exploitation cinema nowadays?

MS: I think I only have about 6 and they are all more like friends. Well, one of them, and probably the biggest, is my mother, and she's less like a friend and more like a mother. But they're very supportive so like when things get tight and I need a little beer money, all I have to do is email and tons of cash comes in, which holds me over since I don't get any residuals from the Italians. At the same time they respect my privacy, which is great, because I wouldn't know how to handle more correspondence.


MORE FROM THE ITALIAN INVASION SHORTLY, EXCLUSIVELY HERE ON ICONS OF FRIGHT!!!

Meet these great guests at CHILLER on April 17th-19th. Full details HERE (or at the image below!)

Posted by RobG at 11:35 PM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (0)

Greetings from Tromaville! (and Cherry Hill) (Report by Phil Fasso)

I know people who swear by the twice yearly Monstermania convention in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Some call it their favorite convention, and I know others who attend only one convention, and this is the one. Look it up on the internet and you’ll find a whole message board of devotees who were licking their lips as MM 12 approached.

And then there’s me.

I’ve always enjoyed the Chiller shows in Jersey much more than the Monstermania's. Chiller offers a much larger guest list, and even as it veered toward more mainstream celebrities the past few shows (a trend it’s thankfully eschewing for the upcoming April show), I’ve always found horror stars to appreciate there. Monstermania does, however, have a few things I dig. The con always runs theme shows, and does a good job at getting large clusters of celebrities from various horror franchises. It also manages to get one or two stars every show that are rarities on the circuit. This show was no different. It offered a huge selection of victims from Friday the 13th, with a smattering of Jason's, as well as a small Phantasm reunion, minus Tall Man Angus Scrimm. As Tobe Hooper had bailed out, the show also brought in Lance Henriksen at the 11th hour. (The other headliner was Alice Cooper and his original band; I can’t comment on Cooper at all, because I made no attempt to meet him, and don’t even know where his line was.)

That was all good. But even with its unique flavor, Monstermania was an awfully quiet show. Attendance seemed sparse, perhaps because of the recession we’re all suffering through, perhaps because this is the second Friday the 13th reunion it had run. It also may be that the main problem with focusing on one or two themes is that it alienates attendees who aren’t fans of those themes. Even those outside the Jason films didn’t seem to be doing booming business, though. Henriksen’s line paled in comparison to last year’s Malcolm McDowell (yet return guest Betsy Palmer’s line was robust all weekend). My biggest problem was that with a much smaller guest list than the past few MM’s I’ve been to, I had little to do once I got the few autographs I really wanted. Sure, the dealer’s room was large, but most of the vendors are the same I see at Chiller.

I did get some joy out of MM 12. I finally got to meet Don Coscarelli, and discuss with him how the Phantasm films are really not American horror films, so much as they’re really European art films (he was flattered). I got to have long conversations with the guys who produced His Name Was Jason, Tony Masi and Thommy Hutson. They’re great guys who started off as fans, just like you and me. They have interesting stories to tell , and give hope to every fan out there who’d like to be part of the industry someday. I also got to see just how grateful Derek Mears is to is fans; stopping to pose for pictures in the bar on Saturday night, on his own free time without charging, is a rarity, and a pleasant one. And Kristina Klebe had a few 8x10’s of her and Kerry King from Slayer, which just about made the convention a success for me on its own (Slayer and Icons of Fright will always go hand in hand for me, as they should for you too).





And then there was my encounter with Lloyd Kaufman. For 10 minutes, one corner of Cherry Hill became Tromaville for me. My buddy X and I have been discussing writing a screenplay for over a year now. Last month, we actually sat down and did so. Deadtention, our final product, could only be made as a Troma film, so it was too sweet that I was able to hand deliver it to the studio’s head. Uncle Lloyd was gracious enough to sign a bunch of my stuff for free, although he was more obsessed with my friend Nicole’s ample chest than me when it came time to take a picture.


The best thing I can say about MM 12 is that it gave me the opportunity to catch up with old friend, and to make some new ones. I hadn’t seen Nicole in years, and the con gave me a full weekend of her. I got the chance to catch up with my friend Dom, who I’m always promising to say hello to, as we attend the same cons. Getting to meet Nicole’s friend Jonathan was nice too, as I found another Mary Tyler Moore Show fan. I shared a drink with Rob G and Mike C from Icons, and met some really cool board members from the MM site, especially Renee. If the actual con was a little underwhelming, the weekend was one to remember because of the friends I got to spend time with.

Monstermania will always be the apple of some convention goers’ eyes. For them, I’m sure MM12 was a great success, and that they’ll continue to attend no matter who is on the guest list. As for me, I’ll continue to check the guest list before I buy my ticket. Perhaps some of those rare guests will draw me back to Cherry Hill, where my sweet friend Nicole will surely be waiting with a ticket of her own.

--Phil Fasso







MONSTER MANIA 12 Video by FRIGHT friend Dave Neabore!

Posted by RobG at 08:00 PM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (2)

Hot on the heels of the trailer debut of Sam Raimi's DRAG ME TO HELL, the official movie website has just gone live over at www.dragmetohell.net! You can find an HD version of the trailer (which you can also watch at our previous news post HERE!) as well as a gallery section. (also see 12 pictures at our post HERE!) There's also a My Space page under construction at www.myspace.com/dragmetohellmovie and a Facebook group HERE!

Also of note - Sam Raimi has been added as a special guest at the LA Fangoria Weekend Of Horrors convention, taking place April 17th-19th at the LA Convention Center! Full details at www.fangocon.com!

Movie details after the images!




DRAG ME TO HELL

Opens: May 29, 2009
Genre: Horror
Cast: Alison Lohman, Justin Long, Lorna Raver, Jessica Lucas, David Paymer, Dileep Rao

Directed by: Sam Raimi
Written by: Sam Raimi & Ivan Raimi
Produced by: Rob Tapert, Grant Curtis
Executive Producers: Nathan Kahane, Joseph Drake

Director Sam Raimi (Spider-Man trilogy, Evil Dead series) returns to the horror genre with Drag Me To Hell, an original tale of a young woman’s desperate quest to break an evil curse.
Christine Brown (Alison Lohman) is an ambitious L.A. loan officer with a charming boyfriend, professor Clay Dalton (Justin Long). Life is good until the mysterious Mrs. Ganush (Lorna Raver) arrives at the bank to beg for an extension on her home loan. Should Christine follow her instincts and give the old woman a break? Or should she deny the extension to impress her boss, Mr. Jacks (David Paymer), and get a leg-up on a promotion? Christine fatefully chooses the latter, shaming Mrs. Ganush and dispossessing her of her home.

In retaliation, the old woman places the powerful curse of the Lamia on Christine, transforming her life into a living hell. Haunted by an evil spirit and misunderstood by a skeptical boyfriend, she seeks the aid of seer Rham Jas (Dileep Rao) to save her soul from eternal damnation. To help the shattered Christine return her life to normal, the psychic sets her on a frantic course to reverse the spell. As evil forces close in, Christine must face the unthinkable: How far will she go to break free of the curse?

Posted by RobG at 03:33 PM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (0)

FANGORIA just posted a slew of images from their recently wrapped Chicago Weekend Of Horrors convention over on their official My Space page. The stellar event boasted such guests as George A. Romero, Bill Moseley, Tom Savani, Ashley Laurence, Doug Bradley, Jeffrey Combs, John Russo, George Kosana, Robert Kurtzman and many, many more! Below are 2 teaser images - one of Uncle George (because... well, it's Uncle George!) and the other of Ashley Laurence (because I can never get over how fantastic she always looks). Click either or to hit up FANGO's My Space page!

Posted by RobG at 03:21 AM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (0)

Now here's a really cool event that we're definitely going to hit up! The Rubber Room Presents MONSTERPALOOZA, a 3 day event taking place at the Burbank Airport Marriott Hotel, dedicated to the art & FX of monsters!

The convention is taking place the weekend of May 29th-31st, 2009 and guests will include Verne Langdon (Don Post Studios), Jim Warren, Tom Woodruff Jr & Alec Gillis of Amalgamated Dynamics Inc., Greg Nicotero & Howard Berger from KNB FX, Basil Gogos, Sid Haig, Michael Rooker (a true gentleman, donated proceeds completely to charity), the Chiodo Brothers, Bernie Wrightson, William Malone and many, many more!

Below are more details for the show! As it gets closer, we'll be giving away tickets courtesy of Eliot Brodsky. If you're an aspiring FX artist, you can NOT miss this show!!!

More details at the official website HERE!

THE MARRIOTT BURBANK CONVENTION CENTER

                                     MAY 29 –31 2009

          

AN F/X DRIVEN CONVENTION  BRINGING F/X ARTISTS AND THE  CREATURES THEY CREATE TO THE FOREGROUND

SEMINARS AND PRESENTATIONS RELATED TO THE WORLD OF MONSTERS & SPECIAL F/X… ALL WEEKEND!!!!

 

KNB EFX- Award winning FX company ,Sin City, Grindhouse, Narnia, From Dusk till Dawn

ADI-Alien vs Predator, Race to Witch Mountain, X-Men Origins

CHIODO BROTHERS -Critters, Killer Klowns from Outer Space, Gremlins

BERNIE WRIGHTSON- Legendary 2D artist

JORDU SCHELL –Creature designer for major motion pictures.

WILLIAM MALONE –Director -  Masters of Horror, House on Haunted Hill

SANDY COLLORA –Batman Dead End,Soon to be released Hunter Prey

BASIL GOGOS – versatile painter and cover artist for Famous Monsters of Filmland

JAMES WARREN –Warren Publications, Creepy and Eerie, Famous Monsters of Filmland

WILLIAM STOUT – Conceptual artist

LON CHANEY ENTERTAINMENT

DON POST JR. – Don Post Studios

VERNE LANGDON – Makeup Artist, music producer

many more

http://www.rubberroom101.com/monsterpalooza09/index2.html

 

A WALK-THROUGH MONSTER / CREATURE MUSEUM!

 

SPECIAL CELEBRITY GUESTS FROM THE GENRE

MICHAEL ROOKER- Henry-Portrait of a Serial Killer, Cliff Hanger , Slither

LESLIE EASTERBROOK -Rob Zombies Halloween ,Police Academy,Devils Rejects

WALTER PHELAN - Devils Rejects , From Dusk till Dawn

MARSHALL BELL -Starship Troopers, Total Recall

LOU WAGNER – Deep Space Nine, Star Trek , Planet of the Apes

TOM MORGA – Friday the 13^th pt.5 , Halloween 4

LESLIE HOFFMAN –A Nightmare on Elm Street , Star Trek

JAMES DUVAL – Donnie Darko , Independence Day

CHRIS DURAND – Halloween H2O , Resident Evil 3

 

OVER 125 VENDERS SELLING COLLECTIBLES!

movie posters, publicity stills, DVD’s, toys ,magazines, original 2D and 3D art, model kits

TICKET INFORMATION

http://www.rubberroom101.com/monsterpalooza09/ticket.html

ENTRY FEE - $20 PER DAY

WEEKEND PASS -$50

SHOW TIMES

Friday May 29      5:00 PM –11:00PM

Saturday May 30  10:00 AM –6:00PM

Sunday May 31    11:00 AM –6:00PM

 

HOTEL RESERVATIONS

The Marriot Burbank Hotel – 1800 736-9712 group code mona

http://www.rubberroom101.com/monsterpalooza09/hotel.html

Via internet- group code monmona

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/burap?groupCode=monmona&app=resvlink&fromDate=5/27/09&toDate=6/3/09

myspace -http://www.myspace.com/monsterpalooza

FOR SPECIAL PROMOTIONS CONTACT

ELIOT BRODSKY -therubberroom101@aol.com

 

Posted by RobG at 04:36 PM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (0)

On Tuesday February 3rd, Dark Delicacies hosted a signing event to celebrate the release of HIS NAME WAS JASON: 30 YEARS OF FRIDAY THE 13TH, the new extensive documentary covering the entire FRIDAY THE 13TH franchise. In attendance for the event were the doc's creators, several alumni from the entire series, and most of the actor's that have worn Jason's infamous hockey mask!

With over 40 guests signing copies of the DVD (that fans pre-ordered specifically for this event), EMERALD KNIGHTS across the street coordinated with Dark Del's and housed half of the guests. The turnout was fantastic, and halfway through the signing, this ICONS staffer immediately declared this event as one of the funnest we've ever had the opportunity to attend.

If you've already picked up the HIS NAME WAS JASON DVD, then you've no doubt seen the awesome mini-poster that comes inside sporting the disc's cover. Well, this ideally made for the perfect item to get signed. As we walked from guest to guest, it was easy to get a few minutes of quality time chatting with all these great people from the entire series. For me personally, it was fun prepping Camilla & Carey More (from FRIDAY THE 13TH: THE FINAL CHAPTER), as well as FRIDAY 5's Shavar Ross for their upcoming East Coast convention debuts at Monster Mania and Chiller. My 2 fave gals from the entire series Darcy DeMoss (FRIDAY 6) and Elizabeth Kaitan (FRIDAY 7) were conveniently sitting right next to each other, so it was great to express my love of ALL their movies, and explain to Elizabeth my yearly Christmas tradition of celebrating a "Happy Garbage Day" with a screening of SILENT NIGHT DEADLY NIGHT PART 2. (She loved that!)

New Jason Derek Mears and MY BLOODY VALENTINE 3D scribe Todd Farmer were both so openly friendly with the fans, and I had great in-depth conversations with both of them. The only slight disappointment was Ted White's sudden disappearance half way through the signing. (Although I heard later on, it was a minor medical problem.) Even ABC news came down to see what all the fuss was about! (You can watch a clip for that newscast HERE, just click Quickview)

All in all, I can't imagine being a FRIDAY fan and not having an absolute blast at this event! And with the features on the new Paramount "deluxe" editions of Part's 1 through 3 being a little on the skimpy & repetitive side, HIS NAME WAS JASON is clearly the must have FRIDAY DVD of the week. Multiple kudos to Del and Sue for once again hosting such a stellar event! Pictures below!


Icons Of Fright's Mike C, HIS NAME WAS JASON director Daniel Farrands, ICONS Robg and Dread Central's Andrew Kasch.


From left to right - (standing) Larry Zerner, Russell Todd, Todd Farmer, Ted White, Dick Wieland.


Left to right - Elizabeth Kaitan, Jeffrey Reddick.


From left to right - Larry Zerner, John Furey, Amy Steel.


John Furey and Amy Steel.


The Jason's! From left to right - Ted White, Caleb Guss, Dick Wieland, Tom Morga, Warrington Gillette, CJ Graham, Derek Mears.


From left to right - Ted White, Caleb Guss, Dick Wieland, Tom Morga, Warrington Gillette, CJ Graham, Derek Mears.




The Jason's with Dark Del's Sue!




HIS NAME WAS JASON producer Thommy Hutson, director Daniel Farrands, producer Anthony Masi.

Posted by RobG at 07:17 PM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (0)

Yes, I know the holiday shoppers sometimes look like zombies, but that's just an illusion. For the real thing head over to the Monroeville Mall in Monroeville, PA. Yes, THAT Monroeville Mall. Yes, the one from George Romero's Dawn of the Dead. It's time for one of those great new holiday traditions: Your picture with Zombie Santa!

The event is being Toy Galaxy, located on the Mall’s lower level, is holding a Zombie Holiday Party on Sunday, December 14, 2008 from 6 PM to 10 PM. Admission is free and the party will feature:

• Photos with Zombie Santa – photo package available at the store for $10
• An appearance by cast members of “The It’s Alive Show”, seen Saturdays at 10 PM on WBGN-TV
• Monroeville Zombies themed attraction
• Zombie Christmas caroling contest
• Zombie Shooting Gallery
• Games
• Prizes
• Refreshments

Zombie party goers will have an opportunity to check out the store’s Monroeville Zombies exhibit, which is a celebration of Zombies in Pop-Culture. Located in the historic Monroeville Mall, site of the original film, George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead, the themed attraction takes fans through a visual history of zombies in cinema. Displays of movie props and memorabilia are woven into a presentation featuring interactive experiences, mall tours, and zombie gift shopping.

Owner Kevin Kriess welcomes both zombies and humans to visit the store for this unique holiday experience, which he hopes will become an annual event. What’s more natural than a Zombie Santa at the home of Dawn of the Dead?

For more information, please visit www.monroevillezombies.com or contact Toy Galaxy at (412) 373-4303.

 

 

Posted by Mike C at 06:02 AM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (0)

We've just posted our report of last weekend's first ever SAWMANIA convention, which took place in New York City. Guests included Tobin Bell ("Jigsaw"), Costas Mandylor ("Hoffman"), Shawnee Smith ("Amanda"), Betsy Russell ("Jill"), and Beverly Mitchell ("Laura" - Saw II), producer Marg Burg and Kevin Greutert, editor of all the Saw movies and director of the upcoming SAW VI.You can check out plenty of pictures of the guests, along with official movie props at the report right HERE, or just by click the teaser image below! ENJOY!

Posted by RobG at 07:12 PM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (0)

Hot Topic has just announced a series of TWILIGHT in-store appearance to coincide with the highly anticipated release of the movie on November 21st! Robert Pattinson (Edward), Kristen Stewart (Bella), Taylor Lautner (Jacob), Edi Gathegi (Laurent) and Rachelle Lefevre (Victoria) are set to make appearances! Here's the details:

Robert Pattinson "Edward"

11/10 Stonestown Galleria - San Francisco CA
11/11 Dallas Galleria, Dallas TX
11/12 Orlando Square Mall, Orlando Park IL
11/13 Plaza at King of Prussia, King of Prussia, PA
11/14 Square One Mall, Saugus MA

Taylor Lautner "Jacob", Edi Gathegi "Laurent", and Rachelle Lefevre "Victoria"

11/10 Southcenter Mall, Tukwila WA
11/11 Park Meadows Mall Littleton CO
11/12 Scottsdale Fashion Square Scottsdale AZ
11/14 Mall of America, Bloomington MO
11/15 Shops at Sunset, Miami FL (Rachelle not appearing)

Kristen Stewart "Bella"

11/13 Fair Oaks Mall Fairfax VA
11/14 Garden State Mal, Paramus NJ

Details: Signing at the malls Hot Topic. Have to buy the Twilight Tour t-shirt($30) to get a wristband for the signing. No cameras allowed, and they will only be signing the posters they giveaway. No personal items. Get there early! Only 500 wristbands for Edward and Bella events, and 750 for the bad guys! A Q&A will take place will follow the signing, open to the public, in the mall common areas.

UPDATE: Apparently, there was a near-riot (!) at the first signing today in San Fransisco due to the overwhelming turnout of over 3000 fans. (Only 500 were getting a chance to meet Pattinson and the event had to be canceled!) Read about it on MTV's post right HERE!

More on the canceled event HERE on TMZ:






Based on the hit novel series by Stephenie Meyer, TWILIGHT was directed by Catherine Hardwicke and stars Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Nikki Reed, Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser, Jackson Rathbone, Edi Gathegi, Rachelle Lefevre, Ashley Greene, Billy Burke, Nikki Reed, Cam Cigandet, Kellan Lutz, Anna Kendrick and Taylor Lautner.

See a new behind-the-scenes TWILIGHT video HERE!

EW multiple covers right HERE!

See 2 TWILIGHT TV Spots and the international trailer right HERE!

Check out a slew of pictures HERE!

2 EW portraits right HERE!

See the new theatrical trailer HERE!

See the final theatrical poster HERE!

Check out 2 Italian posters for TWILIGHT HERE!

2 more character posters HERE!

G4 behind the scenes featurette 2 right HERE!

G4 behind the scenes featurette 1 right HERE!

Posted by RobG at 11:50 PM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (0)

Yesterday, we brought you a video report from October 2008's CHILLER THEATER convention in Parsippany, NJ courtesy of our friend/filmmaker Dave Neabore. Today, staffer Phil Fasso offers his written report of the event. Phil and Mike C also submitted plenty of pictures from the weekend's festivities. So, click HERE to read it! Or on the image below and find exclusive pics with Linda Hamilton (TERMINATOR), Paul Ehlers (MADMAN MARZ), Fabiana Udenio (BRIDE OF RE-ANIMATOR), Catriona MacColl (THE BEYOND, CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD), Jim Krut, Ed Asner, David Hedison, Charlotte Kemp, James Lorinz, Carol Spinney, George Kennedy, Leslie Nielsen and Corey Haim.



Make sure you check out the video report by Dave Neabore either at our previous news post HERE or at the CONVENTION REPORT HERE!

Posted by RobG at 08:01 PM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (1)

"We want to play a game!" Here's a special contest for all you SAW fans in the New York area! We're giving away 4 pairs of tickets for the Saturday and Sunday dates of SAWMANIA!!! The event is scheduled to take place from Friday November 14th through Sunday November 16th, so read on carefully for details on how you can snag tickets to this event!




To enter, simply send an email to: sawmania@iconsoffright.com.

Please write SAWMANIA in the subject header.

Read the following carefully:

You must provide us with your FULL name, your FULL address and to insure that you're a die-hard SAW fan, we want you to tell us your favorite 3 "Jigsaw" traps from the entire series.

ALSO, you MUST clarify which day you'd prefer to go, SATURDAY November 15th or SUNDAY November 16th. We are giving away 2 pairs of tickets for each of those days.

We will select winners at random on Thursday November 6th, 2008.

This contest is only for FREE admission tickets to the actual convention. Transportation is up to you, and some guests may charge a small nominal fee for their autographs.



About SAW-MANIA: SAWMANIA, the ultimate experience for fans of the SAW movies, comes to New York City, November 14-16, 2008. For the first time ever, fans of the blockbuster SAW franchise will have the opportunity to meet the stars from all five SAW movies, including horror legends Tobin Bell ("Jigsaw") and Shawnee Smith ("Amanda"). Fans interested in this once-in-a-lifetime SAW event can go to: www.sawmania.com

SAWMANIA attendees will have the opportunity to:

- Get Autographs from and Take Photos with their favorite SAW stars

- See Amazing Traps, Props and Wardrobe from the five SAW movies

- Get a Photo of Themselves Inside the Legendary SAW bathroom

- Take a Picture with the Puppet that was seen in the SAW movies

- Go to Parties with the SAW Stars and Attend Question and Answer Sessions

"The most loyal and dedicated fans in the world are SAW fans," says event organizer John Raybin. "This event is built for the fans, and it's an experience that every SAW fan will want to enjoy." SAW V opens in theatres October 24. The Twisted Pictures/Lionsgate distributed SAW films have theatrically grossed over 550 million dollars worldwide. SAW is the most successful horror movie franchise of all-time!

Appearing at SAWMANIA are the following actors and filmmakers: Tobin Bell ("Jigsaw"), Shawnee Smith ("Amanda"), Costas Mandylor ("Hoffman"), Betsy Russell ("Jill" - Jigsaw's Wife), Beverley Mitchell ("Laura" in SAW II and "Lucy" in 7th Heaven), Mike Butters ("Paul"), Mark Rolston (SAW V, Aliens and The Shawshank Redemption), Kevin Greutert (Editor and SAW VI Director) and Producer Mark Burg.

SAWMANIA is being held at BLVD in New York City on Friday, November 14 from 1-6PM, Saturday, November 15 from 10AM-6PM and Sunday, November 16, 2008 from 10AM-5PM. Fans are urged to buy their tickets in advance at: www.sawmania.com or by calling 203.661.4444. Tickets may be purchased on the day of the event at: BLVD, 199 Bowery, New York City. BLVD is accessible by subway, train and bus.

Posted by RobG at 12:03 AM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (0)

Any SAW fans in the New York area? Below is the press release for the upcoming SAW-themed convention SAWMANIA, which boats series guests such as Tobin Bell (Jigsaw himself!), Shawnee Smith, Costas Mandylor ("Hoffman"), Betsy Russell and many, many more! Fans will have the chance to take pictures in a recreation of the infamous bathroom from the first movie, as well as pose with the "Billy" doll. Stay tuned here on ICONS for more SAW updates. We'll be giving away tickets in an upcoming contest to this event to our East Coast readers!!! Visit SAWMANIA.COM for more details and to purchase tickets now!

SAWMANIA HITS NEW YORK CITY FOR THREE DAYS, NOVEMBER 14-16

Meet "SAW" Legends Tobin Bell ("Jigsaw") and Shawnee Smith ("Amanda")

Get Autographs From the Stars of the "SAW" Movies

Take Photos with the Puppet and Inside the "SAW" Bathroom

(New York) SAWMANIA, the ultimate experience for fans of the SAW movies, comes to New York City, November 14-16, 2008. For the first time ever, fans of the blockbuster SAW franchise will have the opportunity to meet the stars from all five SAW movies, including horror legends Tobin Bell ("Jigsaw") and Shawnee Smith ("Amanda"). Fans interested in this once-in-a-lifetime SAW event can go to: www.sawmania.com

SAWMANIA attendees will have the opportunity to:

- Get Autographs from and Take Photos with their favorite SAW stars

- See Amazing Traps, Props and Wardrobe from the five SAW movies

- Get a Photo of Themselves Inside the Legendary SAW bathroom

- Take a Picture with the Puppet that was seen in the SAW movies

- Go to Parties with the SAW Stars and Attend Question and Answer Sessions

"The most loyal and dedicated fans in the world are SAW fans," says event organizer John Raybin. "This event is built for the fans, and it's an experience that every SAW fan will want to enjoy." SAW V opens in theatres October 24. The Twisted Pictures/Lionsgate distributed SAW films have theatrically grossed over 550 million dollars worldwide. SAW is the most successful horror movie franchise of all-time!

Appearing at SAWMANIA are the following actors and filmmakers: Tobin Bell ("Jigsaw"), Shawnee Smith ("Amanda"), Costas Mandylor ("Hoffman"), Betsy Russell ("Jill" - Jigsaw's Wife), Beverley Mitchell ("Laura" in SAW II and "Lucy" in 7th Heaven), Mike Butters ("Paul"), Mark Rolston (SAW V, Aliens and The Shawshank Redemption), Kevin Greutert (Editor and SAW VI Director) and Producer Mark Burg.

SAWMANIA is being held at BLVD in New York City on Friday, November 14 from 1-6PM, Saturday, November 15 from 10AM-6PM and Sunday, November 16, 2008 from 10AM-5PM. Fans are urged to buy their tickets in advance at: www.sawmania.com or by calling 203.661.4444. Tickets may be purchased on the day of the event at: BLVD, 199 Bowery, New York City. BLVD is accessible by subway, train and bus.


SAW V opens October 24th and was directed by David Hackl & written by screenwriting duo Marcus Dunstan & Patrick Melton and stars Tobin Bell, Julie Benz, Costas Mandylor, Scott Patterson, Mark Rolston, Samantha Lemole, Meagan Good, Betsy Russell, Carlo Rota, Greg Bryk and Laura Gordon.

SAW V "Missing Pieces" TV Spot right HERE!

My Space page info and 2 more TV Spots HERE!

Tons of images at THIS news post!

Play Jigsaw's You Tube game, details HERE!

Check out the SAW V French Quad and TV spot HERE!

Check out a video clip of the "pit & the pendulum" trap right HERE!

Check out the UK quad poster for SAW V right HERE!

Check out a revealing video with new photos from SAW V right HERE!

Check out an image of Jigsaw's latest trap from SAW V HERE!

Check out the new theatrical poster HERE!

Check out the teaser trailer HERE!

Check out the original kick-ass teaser poster for SAW V HERE!

Check out the "BLOOD DRIVE" posters at our previous news post HERE!

Visit the official site at: http://www.saw5.com

Posted by RobG at 02:28 PM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (0)

Our staffer Phil Fasso make the trek to Indianapolis, IN for August's HORRORHOUND convention! The guests included a HOWLING reunion with director Joe Dante, Dee Wallace Stone, Dick Miller (GREMLINS) and Belinda Balaski. Other guests included HALLOWEEN vet Danielle Harris, new Jason Voorhees Derek Mears, A. Michael Baldwin (PHANTASM), Jeffrey Combs (RE-ANIMATOR) and Jake Busey! Click HERE or on the image below to read Phil's full report from HORRORHOUND, Indianapolis, IN, August 2008 in "Let the Bodies and the Peanut Shells Hit the Floor"!

Posted by RobG at 12:05 AM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (0)

MANIAC ON LOOSE, ENTERTAINS THEATRE GOERS IN HUNTINGTON



Don't let the name fool you. The Huntington Cinema Arts Centre sounds like a fancy establishment, but it's really a dive just off centre of downtown Huntington, Long Island. The theatre has hosted Summer Camp Cinema for a number of years, a Saturday night double feature collection of horror films. Last night was my first venture to take part in the annual summer festival, a mid-week single feature. I took a seat in a dingy little theatre with poor lighting and warped walls, waiting in anticipation to watch an even more warped movie:

Maniac.



Yes, director Bill Lustig's masterpiece, first screened to the terror of women's groups nationwide in 1980, was in all its glory on the big screen last night, with a 6 year old 35 millimeter print that was scratchy and gritty. I mean that as a compliment, because Maniac is the kind of flick that Lustig had told lead actor/writer Joe Spinell would appear "on 42nd Street and Texas drive-ins." Somehow, Maniac managed to make its way all over the U.S., far outspanning the director's modest intentions, and creating a fury of controversy upon its arrival. To see it in a small, rundown theatre, warts and all... I couldn't think of a better way to view it.

But it wasn't just the film itself that had me traveling across Long Island. Even better than that, Bill Lustig was going to appear in person. Enticed by this, I headed out with my camera and a Maniac 8x10 that I had clipped off the net and had signed by Tom "Mr. Personality" Savini. I hoped Lustig would be signing. In the bargain, I got a lot more than just his signature.

Lustig showed up before the film started, and gave a brief introduction to the movie. He was very candid, saying "I hope you know what you're getting into with this movie." We all knew we were in for a blood storm. I'd seen Maniac about 1/2 dozen times over the years, and thought I was properly prepared. But on the big screen, Maniac is even more disturbing than it is at home. The darkened theatre provided the perfect atmosphere, even with poor speakers and a small number of seats. Perhaps what disturbed me most, though, was how people were laughing during some pretty intense scenes. I've heard that audiences tend to laugh during horror movies because it breaks the unbearable tension, but I got creeped out as the people around me chuckled. Maybe it says something about the way I react to horror, as opposed to others. Or maybe it says something when society laughs at the ritual slayings committed by a maniac. Either way, Maniac was a more compelling, disturbing and ultimately enjoyable experience in a theatre.

The end credits rolled. The audience applauded. And then things got even better, as Bill Lustig came to the front of the theatre again and addressed the audience. He introduced two unannounced special guests, Gail Lawrence and Denise Spagnuolo, both of whom had acted in the film. He then held an impressive 30 minute Q&A. Candidly and very honestly, he fielded questions on a number of topics: current horror trends, Tom Savini, the backlash to the film at the time, his favorite horror films and his work at Blue Underground, the DVD company he owns. He pulled no punches as he referred to several movies as "crap," and admitted he's very willing to sell the Maniac rights for a remake, because they'd bring in a ton of money (he hinted at the interest of a French director, who copied a scene from Maniac in one of his movies; later, he mentioned Alexandre Aja copying a scene from Maniac in High Tension. I'd say this is a major clue!). He also shared some behind-the-scenes stories from Maniac, including one about Savini. The special effects master took the Maniac job right after finishing Friday the 13th, because he'd just broken up with his girlfriend and didn't want to return to Pittsburgh; Lustig would show up to the apartment he'd rented for Savini, and find the makeup artist crying in front of the stereo as a Lionel Ritchie song played!

As the Q&A wrapped, the theatre manager invited us all to join Bill in an after-party gathering. You can imagine my confusion at this juxtaposition. After seeing such a brutal film, a beer and pizza get together seemed more appropriate. But the Cinema Arts Centre had a nice spread of snacks (no Texas meatballs, unfortunately), and I felt fancy as I swigged down some rather nice white wine. With my 8x10 and a gray marker in hand, I got Denise and Gail to sign my picture. Then I made my way up to Lustig himself. What a genuinely nice guy! He was happy to sign my 8x10, and he enjoyed discussing Icons of Fright with me (let's hope there's an interview in the works). Bill posed for a picture with me, and thanked me for being a fan of the movie. If you're a horror fan and ever get the chance to meet this gracious individual, by all means, take it.



Any of you who read my review of Lustig's masterpiece know this little story about Maniac: "When I was a kid in the 1980s, my local video store had a VHS copy of Maniac on the shelf. I remember being terrified by the cover's image of a man with a bloody knife in one hand, a decapitated head in the other, and a bulging erection. The tagline 'I Warned You Not to Go Out Tonight' completed my terror perfectly. I bought this DVD when it first came out; I watched it that night with a friend and almost threw up, more than once." To be able to share this story with Bill Lustig made it so much better for me. For him to take legitimate interest in my story... I can't top that.

Thank you, Mr. Lustig.

--Phil Fasso

Posted by RobG at 05:56 PM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (0)

Do you want to play a game? Jigsaw fans rejoice! We just got the heads up that the first ever SAW-MANIA convention is taking place on November 14th through the 16th, 2008 at New York City Times Square Spotlight Live! Guests will include Jigsaw himself Tobin Bell, Betsy Russell (Jigsaw's wife Jill), Costas Mandylor (Hoffman), Mark Burg (producer on all the SAW films), Mark Rolston (SAW V), Mike Butters (Paul, the razor wire man), Kevin Greutert (editor on all the SAW films, director of the upcoming SAW VI) and many, many more! Full details are at the official website: http://www.sawmania.com/. (Or click the ad below!)

Posted by RobG at 12:52 PM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (0)

Now this is cool! ICONS OF FRIGHT had an absolute blast at the Dallas, Texas FEAR FEST 2 show earlier this year! Hell, you can read the FRIGHT NIGHT reunion panel and watch video clips HERE! During Fear Fest 2, Saint Productions was hired in to film exclusive interviews with all of the celebrities on hand. In this segment, Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger himself!) discusses his memories from the set of A Nightmare on Elm Street, Eaten Alive, "Freddy's Favorites," and much more!

Be sure to check out www.txfearfest.com for details on the upcoming Fear Fest 3 Convention, and www.SaintProd.com for other Horror Icon Interviews!

Click the logo below to read our FEAR FEST 2 report!
 

And of course, click the following image to read the full transcription of the now-historic FRIGHT NIGHT reunion!
 

Posted by RobG at 02:27 AM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (0)

Our staffer Ted Geoghegan is back with a report from the Montreal FANTASIA FILM FESTIVAL 2008! Click HERE or the logo below to check out FRIGHT exclusive reviews of REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA, THE MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN, OUR TOWN, THE REBEL, 4BIA and more!

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You've seen the video, now read (and see) our complete convention report from last weekend's FANGORIA WEEKEND OF HORRORS convention from Secaucus, NJ! The event hosted a NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD reunion (George A. Romero, John Russo, Judith O'Dea, Kyra Schon, Russ Streiner, Bill Hinzman, Charles Craig (the TV news anchor in his first ever convention appearance), and the Sheriff George Kosana), a MASTERS OF ITALIAN HORROR panel (with Ruggero Deodato (CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST), Lamberto Bava (DEMONS), Sergio Stivaletti (WAX MASK), actress Coralina Cataldi-Tassoni (MOTHER OF TEARS)), Larry Fessenden, Ken Foree, Kristina Klebe, Stevan Mena, Raine Brown, Joe Zaso, Richard Christy, Chris Jericho, Tom Noonan, Eric Red, R.A. Thorburn and many, many more. Click the logo below to read the report now!

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Our staffer Phil Fasso hit up the HORRORHOUND WEEKEND convention last weekend in Monroeville, PA and gave us a full report! (He also briefly hit up MONSTER BASH as well!) Summed up in a humorous article titled "Beware The Deer, David" and accompanied by plenty of pics, check out our HORRORHOUND WEEKEND report by clicking the logo below or HERE! Guest included John Landis, David Naughton, Griffin Dunne, Danielle Harris, Ottaviano Dell'Acqua (ZOMBI 2), Mike Christopher, John Amples, Bert I. Gordon and more!

Posted by RobG at 09:59 PM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (0)

Whew! Our buddy Dave Neabore just uploaded this fantastic video report from this past weekend's FANGORIA convention in Secaucus, NJ! As always, Dave's videos sum up the convention going experience from the fan's perspective perfectly. Check out the FANGO NJ 2008 video below! Check out more videos on www.youtube.com/rockyskillerclips. And check out his My Space at: www.myspace.com/daveneabore. We'll have our complete report of the FANGO NJ show up by this weekend, so keep your eyes peeled! (Thanks Dave!)

Continue reading "NJ FANGORIA 2008 CONVENTION VIDEO REPORT!" »

Posted by RobG at 08:29 AM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (0)

At last! Moments ago at the East Coast Fangoria Weekend of Horrors it was announced that the show will be moving from Secaucus, NJ back to New York City! Not only is the show moving back to the New York proper for the first time in many years but will also held in the enormous Jacob Javits Convention Center. The first Fango NY Show in nearly a decade will take place June 6th-7, 2009. Tickets are already on sale!

Unlike this movie Fangoria's New York City show will not take place in Vancouver.

Other FANGO shows already set for 2009:

March 6-8th, 2009 CHICAGO AREA, Wyndham Chicago O'Hare

April 17-19th, 2009 LA AREA, LA Convention Center, Los Angeles, California

June 6-7th, 2009 NEW YORK CITY, Jacob Javits Convention Center, New York City, NY

Posted by Mike C at 02:18 PM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (0)

This weekend from Friday June 20th through Sunday June 22nd, the FANGORIA WEEKEND OF HORRORS convention hits Secaucus, NJ again! Some of the highlights include an Masters Of Italian Horror panel with Ruggero Deodato, Lamberto Bava, FX artist/director Sergio Stivaletti, hosted by actress Coralina Cataldi-Tassoni. Eric Red (one of this month's FRIGHT exclusive interviews!), Angus Scrimm ("The Tall Man" PHANTASM), Ken Foree, a SCAREFLIX panel with Larry Fessenden, Graham Reznick, James Felix McKenney & Glenn McQuaid. Tom Noonan, Ray Wise, GHOST HUNTERS Steve Gonsalves, George Romero and a NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD reunion and more! Icons own Robg will be moderating the HALLOWEEN panel on Friday at 8pm and the BRUTAL MASSACRE panel on Sunday at 1pm. Check out the full schedule below! More details, go to the official website at http://www.fangocon.com/

Continue reading "NJ FANGO This Weekend! Full Schedule Up!" »

Posted by RobG at 08:54 AM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (0)

The New York City Horror Film Festival have officially announced that they are now accepting entries for their 2008 event, scheduled for this October. (With concrete dates to be announced.) “Each year we strive to make the festival a bigger and improved event,” says Michael Hein, festival director of the NYCHFF. “The 2008 edition is shaping up to be the best event yet. We are extremely excited about all the new developments, and that all begins with the new look of our website.” Click HERE to be check out the submission page on the official website. More info below!

Continue reading "2008 NYC HORROR FILM FESTIVAL Call For Entries!" »

Posted by RobG at 10:32 AM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (0)

FRIGHT friend Dave Neabore put together a great video from the recent CHILLER THEATRE convention, which took place in Parsippany, New Jersey the first weekend of May. We sadly missed this years show, but thankfully Dave's video report makes us all feel as if we were all there! You'll catch familiar faces such as Brain O'Halloran, Ami Dolenz, Mickey Dolenz, Bumblefoot from Guns 'N' Roses, Zacherly, Richard Kiel, Meredeth Salenger, Daniel and Stephen Baldwin, Lou Ferrigno, and many others! Check out the video below! And visit Dave Neabore's My Space page HERE! Thanks Dave!

Continue reading "CHILLER Convention May 2008 Video Report!" »

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The fine fiends from Pit Of Horror and Dread Central have revealed the first bit of news on the next FEAR FEST show, which will now take place on October 2nd through the 4th, 2008. For your convenience, the event will take place at the Hyatt Regency hotel at the DFW airport. So far, a MONSTER SQUAD reunion is planned (with writer Shane Black making his first appearance!), a HALLOWEEN 4 reunion and more importantly... a FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 5 reunion. (I'm seriously excited for that. So is Mike. If they get Tiffany Helm, I won't be able to contain myself.) More details on the official site at Fear Festwww.txfearfest.com. See ya in Dallas in October!

Continue reading "First News On FEAR FEST 3!" »

Posted by RobG at 09:44 PM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (0)

One week after making the trek to Dallas, TX for the FEAR FEST 2 show, we made another trip this past weekend to Cherry Hill, NJ to attend one of our favorite conventions, MONSTER MANIA for their 10th (!) show! Crowds of horror fans showed up to meet everyone from Bruce Campbell to Corey Feldman to Jason Mewes. The original TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE cast members were all on hand (including Gunnar Hansen, Edwin Neal & Marilyn Burns). The vendors and independent filmmakers were plentiful and the show overall was one of the most packed conventions we've ever been to. Click the logo below for the full report and tons of pictures including all the guests listed above, as well as JoBeth Williams (POLTERGEIST), Heather Langenkamp (NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET), Keith David (THEY LIVE), William Ragsdale (FRIGHT NIGHT) and many, many more!

Continue reading "CONVENTION REPORT: MONSTER MANIA X! UPDATED With VIDEO!" »

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We just were informed that CREATURE FEATURE: 50 YEARS OF THE GILL-MAN, the unreleased documentary on the making of THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON will screen one-time only this Friday evening, March 14th at the MONSTER MANIA convention taking place in Cherry Hill, NJ, in honor of the late Ben Chapman, the man who portrayed the Gill-Man. The MONSTER MANIA shows are always a fun event, but the screening at 6PM tomorrow night is definitely something we're looking forward to. Check out the press release below, as well as a link to our wonderful Ben Chapman FRIGHT exclusive interview.

Continue reading "CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON Documentary At MONSTER MANIA X!" »

Posted by RobG at 08:38 AM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (0)

This past weekend, the ICONS staff trekked out to Dallas, Texas to celebrate the 2nd FEAR FEST convention, sponsored by Pit Of Horror.com and Dread Central.com. Quite frankly, we had an absolute blast! The convention offered a little something for everyone. Late night screenings of A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, FRIGHT NIGHT, TROLL 2. Tons of horror vendors & free goodies. Celebrities from the entire NIGHTMARE series, panels celebrating the FRIGHT NIGHT reunion and even a rock concert performance by MICHALE GRAVES. Horror culture was in full exposure last weekend in Dallas, TX thanks to promoter John Gray and his hard-working convention staff. Check out our full on report, along with dozens of photographs to get the whole scoop on the show! Includes pictures of ROBERT ENGLUND, HEATHER LANGENKAMP, TOM HOLLAND, CHRIS SARANDON, GUNNAR HANSEN, KANE HODDER, PAUL EHLERS, NEIL MARSHALL, TIM SULLIVAN, MICHALE GRAVES and many, many more! Click the logo to check it out!

Continue reading "CONVENTION REPORT: FEAR FEST 2 DALLAS, TX!" »

Posted by RobG at 11:40 AM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (0)

February 21st through the 24th saw the return of the TEXAS FRIGHTMARE WEEKEND in Dallas, TEXAS. And two of our newest ICONS staffers were on hand to bring you faithful readers extensive reports on the event! There were so many pictures and so much going on that we broke both reports into two different pages. Make sure to check out both Beth's FRIGHTMARE CONVENTION review and Phil Fasso's FRIGHTMARE CONVENTION review. Both feature tons of pics of stars like George Romero, John Russo, Malcolm McDowell, Tom Savini, Greg Nicotero, Kathleen Kinmont, Danielle Harris, Harvey Stephens and more! Click the logo's below to check them out!

Continue reading "TEXAS FRIGHTMARE WEEKEND, DALLAS! 2 FULL CONVENTION REPORTS!" »

Posted by RobG at 10:25 PM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (0)

Wow! Next weekend, Pit Of Horror and Dread Central present what is arguably going to be the biggest convention of the year, FEAR FEST 2! The event will feature 35 mm screenings of A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, NIGHTMARE 4, FRIGHT NIGHT (!) and crap-cult-classic TROLL 2! At the con itself, there will be reunion panels for NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 1, 3 and 4, FRIGHT NIGHT, first peeks at RED VELVET, DOOMSDAY and a performance by MICHALE GRAVES!? Icons Of Fright will also be there supporting our friends from Dread and Pit, and yours truly (Robg.!) will be moderating the FRIGHT NIGHT panel. Check out the links below for the complete guest list and events list! This one is going to be one for the horror history books!

Continue reading "Are You Ready For TEXAS FEAR FEST 2? EVENTS PAGE LIVE!" »

Posted by RobG at 11:38 AM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (0)

Our FRIGHT friend/fan Phil Fasso just sent in a report along with a bunch of pictures from the recent MONSTER BASH convention, which recently took place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania! We know how much you fiends love a good convention report! So check out Phil's account of the show, which includes encounters with BEN CHAPMAN, KEVIN MCCARTHY, RICHARD KIEL, KYRA SCHON, BILL HINZMAN and more!

Continue reading "MONSTER BASH, PA 2007 Convention Report!" »

Posted by RobG at 01:26 PM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (0)

Well, it is the 50th Anniversary of the "The Blob" and every year the town of Phoenixville, PA celebrates, and even shows the film at the very theater the blob ate up something good.

Check out a great blog from one of the convention attendees here at Cinemaslave

"The Blob" scared me very much when I was a kid, even the 50's version. You never really saw the blob devour people in that one, and the very idea of what it did to you set my little imagination running. The 80's remake gave me nightmares for weeks.

Posted by Mike C at 02:11 AM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (1)

This is it! We've got our full report and coverage from last weekends FANGORIA WEEKEND OF HORRORS convention, which took place at the Crowne Plaza Meadowlands hotel in Secaucus, New Jersey between June 29th through July 1st! Check out our exclusive pictures from all the panels including STAN WINSTON, DAVID ARQUETTE, JAMES MARSTERS, BRIAN O'HALLORAN, STEVAN MENA, DEE SNIDER, DEBBIE ROCHON, JONATHAN CHERRY, NATASSIA MALTHE, UWE BOLL, HARRY MANFREDINI, STEVE NILES, MICHAEL DOUGHERTY, JOE LYNCH, CORALINA CATALDI-TASSONI, JOE BOB BRIGGS, BRYAN NORTON and many, many more!

Continue reading "FRIGHT EXCLUSIVE - COMPLETE FANGO 2007 NJ REPORT!!!" »

Posted by RobG at 10:02 PM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (1)

This upcoming weekend, July 6th through 8th, Bloody-Disgusting.com & FEARnet presents the first ever HORROR HOUND WEEKEND!!! The event is taking place at the Marriott Indianapolis located at 7202 East 21st Street, Indianapolis, Indiana 46219. Among the guests - Ken Foree, Sid Haig, Michael Bailey Smith, Jeff Fahey, Tony Todd, PJ Soles, Bill Moseley, Tommy Lee Wallace, Tom Savini and many, many more. Read on for the complete guest list!

Continue reading "HORROR HOUND Convention THIS Weekend in INDIANAPOLIS!" »

Posted by RobG at 11:20 PM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (2)

Kenneth Johnson's long delayed sequel to 1983 alien invasion miniseries is finally going to happen, at least in book form. This isn't a new story, but the release date for the book is, and so is the cover art for the book! Also, fans have a chance to get a sneak peak at the upcoming novel.

Continue reading ""V" Sequel Novel Finally Gets Publishing Date" »

Posted by Mike C at 01:30 AM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (0)

The next FANGORIA WEEKEND OF HORRORS convention comes to the Crowne Plaza Meadowlands in Secaucus, NJ on Friday June 29th through Sunday July 1st! Guests include Stan Winston, James Marsters, David Arquette, Jonathan Cherry, Elisha Cuthbert, Brian O'Halloran, Joe Lynch, Steve Niles, Coralina Tassoni, Uwe Boll (!), Michael Dougherty, Dee Snider, Stevan Mena, Betsy Palmer and many, many more. Read on for more details and the schedule!

Continue reading "FANGORIA WEEKEND OF HORRORS in NJ THIS WEEKEND!" »

Posted by RobG at 02:36 PM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (0)

The My Space page for Fangoria's Weekend Of Horrors just posted 2 short clips from Rob Zombie's panel at the Fango Burbank show. Check them out below!

Continue reading "ROB ZOMBIE panel footage from FANGO BURBANK!" »

Posted by RobG at 06:46 PM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (0)

Greetings fiends! Two weekends ago, the entire ICONS staff were at the massive FANGORIA WEEKEND OF HORROR's show in beautiful Burbank, California. With stellar guests such as Rob Zombie, Frank Darabont, Thomas Jane, Thora Birch, Michael Madsen, Neil Marshall, Clive Barker, Heather Langenkamp, Doug Bradley, Shawnee Smith and close to a hundred more, how could the show NOT be a 5 star event? Well, we go into detail as to why the show fell short of it's usual high expectations. Read on...

Continue reading "FRIGHT EXCLUSIVE - COMPLETE FANGO 2007 BURBANK REPORT!!!" »

Posted by RobG at 10:49 AM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (0)

One of the highlights of last weekend's Fangoria Weekend Of Horrors Burbank show had to be the WRONG TURN 2 panel with director Joe Lynch and Henry Rollins. Believe it or not, they screened the opening scene which got a huge audience response. Fango's My Space page just posted the first of a series of videos from the convention courtesy of Creation TV, and this clip is with Joe and Hank! Check it out below!

Continue reading "HENRY ROLLINS & JOE LYNCH video from FANGO BURBANK!" »

Posted by RobG at 09:51 PM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (0)

Well, here it is again! The massive FANGORIA WEEKEND OF HORROR'S convention, this upcoming weekend May 18th through the 20th at the Burbank Airport Marriott Hotel, located at 2500 Hollywood Way! The ICONS OF FRIGHT crew will be there! Read on for the incredible guest list!!!

Continue reading "FANGORIA WEEKEND OF HORRORS in Burbank, CA THIS WEEKEND!" »

Posted by RobG at 11:21 AM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (0)

This is it! For those of you in the New Jersey area, this weekend is the CHILLER THEATRE EXPO convention. Taking place for the first time in it's new location at the Hilton Parsippany located at One Hilton Court, Parsippany, New Jersey 07054. Tel: 1-973-267-7373

Continue reading "CHILLER Convention in New Jersey this weekend!" »

Posted by RobG at 11:06 AM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (0)

You are cordially Invited to the Premiere Launch Party and Print issue signing for Girls and Corpses Magazine - Sunday April 1st at 2-4 p.m. Dark Delicacies Bookstore 4213 W. Burbank Boulevard in Burbank, CA 91505 (818) 556-6660.

Continue reading "Girls & Corpses Signing Event in Burbank, CA Sunday April 1st!" »

Posted by RobG at 09:38 AM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (0)

Our exclusive report from MONSTER MANIA 7 is up! Featuring THE MONSTER SQUAD reunion, SAW reunion, Crispin Glover and more!

Continue reading "MONSTER MANIA 7 - A FRIGHT EXCLUSIVE REPORT!" »

Posted by RobG at 01:20 AM | Permalink Digg This | Comments (0)