Chiller Theatre Strikes Again!

Those of you who have been following my exploits here in The Vault of Horror for some years now have come to expect my (somewhat) annual report from Chiller Theatre, the Northeast's premier horror/genre convention. And I'm proud to say that I made it once again this year, progeny in tow as usual, prepared to bestow upon them all the wonders of geek culture. And this time we really outdid ourselves, because we were joined by the other half of the Terror Team, the one and only Captain Cruella of the Carnivorous Cadavers!

So there we were, the Terror Team along with Zombelina and Skeleton Jack (a.k.a. Wee-Sol), taking in what had to be the best thing happening in Parsippany, New Jersey on this particular day. Getting into the spirit as always, Zombelina was resplendent in Bride of Frankenstein white streaks. The boy simply had to get in on the act as well, and a quick on-site makeup job made him such a dead ringer for Zacherley that when we once again crossed paths with the Cool Ghoul himself, he couldn't help but be impressed and bestow a free autographed pic (not to mention agree to an interview--but more on that later, dear Vault dwellers...)

As for the Captain--well, it's not every day that one gets to attend a horror convention with a real-life zombie. As we plastered the place with VoH cards and took in all the sights, Cruella became one of the sights all to herself, attracting the usual attention and adoration with her unique, undead regalia.

Just as it is every year, Chiller was jam-packed with the kind of celebrities that make the average fanboy quiver with anticipation. So, of course, it was no surprise that we would run into the likes of Susan "Cindy Brady" Olsen and Butch "Eddie Munster" Patrick. However, imagine my shock and bliss when the Captain stopped and pointed out to me that none other than Ernest Borgnine, one of Hollywood's greatest living legends, was seated just a few feet away. Now I'm not one to lose it for just anyone, but this was indeed a treat--to meet the man who won an Oscar for Marty, starred alongside Sinatra in From Here to Eternity and survived The Poseidon Adventure. Not to mention, as I pointed out to the kiddies, is the voice of Mermaid Man on Spongebob Squarepants.

But in terms of photo opps, it got no cooler than P.J. Soles, my very favorite slasher movie victim of all time. We all took turns having our picture taken with this unforgettable scream queen, who once met her bitter end at the hands of Michael Myers in the original Halloween.

And of course, Chiller would be nothing without oceans of wondrous stuff on display, to tempt the hearts and empty the wallets of the faithful. This year, we walked away with a complete DVD collection of the ultra-rare Tales from the Cryptkeeper animated series (I didn't even know the show existed), as well as a vintage (OK, vintage reprint) issue of The Vault of Horror comic book--picked out by Zombelina herself (what can I say, she's proud of the old man.)

We all enjoyed a leisurely outdoor lunch, as the little ones took turns reading macabre stories from our VoH comic book. After the Captain and I did a little networking with artists and other creative types, and we enjoyed a few other celeb run-ins (Jack took pleasure in scowling at the evil Johnny from The Karate Kid), it soon became clear that the spawn were hitting the wall and it was time to make an exit.

But it didn't end there, because thanks to the resourcefulness and sense of adventure of my zombified counterpart, we soon found ourselves continuing the excursion in a most appropriate place--the supposedly haunted Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, situated about halfway between Chiller and Vault headquarters in idyllic Connecticut. Slipping in just before the gates closed, we wandered the graves with fascination, and even managed to stumble upon (well not literally, that would be disrespectful) the grave stone of Samuel Gompers, noted founder of the American Federation of Labor, and hero to the working class.

All in all, our Sleepy Hollow stopover was a perfect capper to the annual Chiller Theatre outing. And as always, it is one of the unique joys of my life to pass along all the nerdy goodness to my children, just as my parents did with me. This year, that experience was made even more thrilling by being able to share it with my lovely consort. It marked the first time that the Terror Team took Chiller Theatre by storm, and I look forward to many more such incursions to come.

Chiller will be returning in October, and we will certainly be making our best efforts to make it once again, or at least to return by next year's spring installment. I've been coming now for over a decade, and I've been privileged to share it with those special to me. It's a must-have experience for any genre fan, and even if it's gotten just a little smaller and maybe not quite as grandiose as in previous years, it still remains a pilgrimage that any Northeast horror fan worth his or her salt must make.

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Chiller Theatre: The Best Time You Can Have in New Jersey Without Being in the Mafia

I can always count on the venerable Chiller Theatre Expo, the Northeast's coolest horror convention, to be an absolute blast. And it didn't let me down this time, either. I had the distinct pleasure of immersing myself in the joys of genre fandom once again last Saturday in Parisippany, New Jersey--and just as I did for the October 2008 edition, I brought the brood along. No, not Cronenberg's Brood (although that would've been awesome, all those mutant dwarfs running around the Hilton...), but my brood.

Are there drawbacks to taking my kids along? Sure, I won't lie, of course there are. For instance, the Italian horror panel, featuring cast and crew from Cannibal Holocaust, I Spit on Your Grave, etc.? Yeah, kind of off-limits. Nevertheless, all that was made up for by the kick of spreading the geek to the next generation, passing it down as it was passed down to me. Seeing their expressions as I introduce them to "The Incredible Hulk" Lou Ferrigno (even though he was kind of a jerk, but that went over their sweet little heads...) Letting the boy have his pick of the Godzilla models; letting the girl pick out her fave issue of Creepy Magazine. Watching them get them their first official autograph, from none other than Sharon "Nurse Zombie" Ceccatti (who was anything but a jerk, happy to report):


But of course, it isn't just about the kiddies. Daddy's got to have some fun, too, after all! Which is why I did manage to slip into the Italian horror room juuuust long enough for this to happen:


Yep, that's Camille Keaton herself, looking positively unreal for 59 YEARS OF AGE. Partly because of ISOYG, partly because of the Buster Keaton connection, and partly because I've never heard of her doing a con before, she was the one I was most interested in meeting. And of course, I also couldn't resist snagging an autograph for BJ-C, owner of the Vault's sister blog Day of the Woman (the alternate title of I Spit on Your Grave, of course.) "We make a great couple!" Ms. Keaton said to me as the picture was snapped. I don't know, Camille, I saw that movie--forgive me if I'm trepidatious!

As always, Chiller was a treasure trove of goodies--and yes, even though the era of the internet makes everything easier to acquire these days, there's nothing that beats that certain feeling you get hunting down and finding stuff, and coming across miscellaneous pop culture detritus you may have completely forgotten about. I managed to get my hands on a few things, including a bootleg UK DVD of a certain film not even released yet officially in the U.S. (shhh), the last of the 28 Toho Godzilla flicks I didn't own yet (Tokyo S.O.S. if you're wondering), and this sweet Frankenstein T-shirt (currently discontinued) emblazoned with a vintage 193os poster for the Universal movie, by French artist Jacques Faria:


Not to mention that where else but a horror convention will you see something like this:


Yes, it's cutesy Dr. Herbert West and Conquistador Zombie buddies!

I even had the distinct pleasure of meeting up with other blogging peoples, such as Doug Plomitallo of the horror web series Scared Stiff; as well as one of my very favorite bloggers of them all, Tenebrous Kate of Love Train for the Tenebrous Empire, along with her ever-faithful Baron:


Needless to say, my daughter was highly excited to meet another female blogger (she is Zombelina of Book-Town fame, after all). But alas, the aforementioned Italian horror panel meant it was time for us to part ways, which turned out for the best anyway, as it allowed the kids the opportunity to hand out Vault of Horror calling cards to hapless passersby, drawn in by their irresistible cuteness to become new recruits to the VoH cause!

Then finally, after six and a half glorious hours of rummaging through crates of '70s cartoon bootleg box sets, shaking hands with Frankie "Go Home and Get Your Shinebox" Vincent, literally bumping into Sherilyn Fenn, trying in vain to keep count of how many people were trying (with varying degrees of success) to rock the whole "vintage '50s kustom kulture" look, and other such activities, lil' Zombelina and Wee-Sol did finally hit the proverbial wall, and it was time to bid farewell to Chiller Theatre.

In the end, a splendid time was had by all, even if we lost the bag containing his Justice League mini-buttons, her Universal monster mini-buttons and my Return of the Living Dead refrigerator magnet. I've loved Chiller for more than a decade now. It reminds me of all the things that are great about being a fan, surrounds me with wonderful like-minded people, and takes me back to a simpler time, when the most important thing in life was getting the next issue of Starlog.

Can't wait to go back in October.

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Icons of Italian Horror to Invade New Jersey

My apologies for two posts in a row on spaghetti horror, but this is a big one. And as a long-time Chiller Theatre patron, I personally couldn't be more excited.

Long-running northeastern genre expo Chiller Theatre, in association with Paura Productions, has announced that this April's Chiller convention will feature the largest collection of Italian horror luminaries ever assembled, including a 30th anniversary reunion of the cast and crew of Lucio Fulci's Zombie (a.k.a. Zombi 2).

"It will be a historic occasion," says Paura founder Mike Baronas, the evil mastermind behind the whole shebang. "It will be a surreal experience to stand in one place surrounded by all these folks I grew up adoring, and I'm certain I won't be alone in that respect."

Scheduled to appear are:

From ZOMBIE…

• Ian McCulloch (Dr. Butcher M.D., Contamination)
• Richard Johnson (The Haunting, Beyond the Door, Screamers)
• Al Cliver (The Beyond, Cannibals, Endgame, Demonia, Devil Hunter)
• Ottaviano Dell’Acqua (Rats: Night of Terror, Cut & Run, Zombi 3)
• Giannetto De Rossi (SPFX maestro of High Tension, Dune, The Beyond)
• Mirella De Rossi (Hair Stylist of Dragonheart, Conan the Destroyer)

The Children from THE HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY…

• Giovanni Frezza (Demons, Manhattan Baby, A Blade In The Dark)
• Silvia Collatina (Murderock, Big Alligator River)

Also Featuring…

• Luigi Cozzi (Director of Contamination, Starcrash, The Killer Must Kill Again)
• Zora Kerova (Cannibal Ferox, Anthropophagus, The New York Ripper)
• Malisa Longo (A Cat in the Brain, Fraulein Kitty, Miranda, Way of the Dragon)
• Beatrice Ring (Zombi 3, Graveyard Disturbance, Interzone)
• Michael Sopkiw (2019: After the Fall of New York, Devil Fish, Blastfighter)

Quite a bunch. I'm particularly psyched about 82-year-old Richard Johnson, a true horror legend going all the way back to The Haunting in 1963. And the creepy kids from The House by the Cemetery--need I say more?

Chiller Theatre happens in scenic Parsippany, New Jersey the weekend of April 17-19.

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God, I Love Chiller Theatre

You can keep your San Diego Comic Con, with it's condescending Hollywood snobs and velvet ropes. For me, the epicenter of genre fandom will always be Chiller Theatre. And this weekend's Halloween '08 edition was particularly sweet for me, since it marked my return to the New Jersey-based horror con for the first time in seven years (coincidentally, that also happens to be how long I've had kids!)

But now, after years of patient waiting, both children are finally of an age to appreciate all the creepy delights Chiller has to offer. Plus, they get in free. And so I loaded them up in the car and made the longer-than-expected trek out to Parsippany, NJ--they used to hold it in much-closer East Rutherford, for all you Northeasterners.

I have always loved going, stretching back to my days of meeting Tom Savini and tracking down Godzilla bootlegs. But this time, I got the added bonus of vicariously enjoying the event through the incredulous eyes of the young. They got to meet folks like David Hedison, who portrayed the original Fly, so my son could show him the custom-made Fly action figure I made him. My daughter got to meet the daughter whose daddy played the Frankenstein Monster and the Mummy, Sara Karloff. And of course, we all got to meet the sadly quiet and aloof Ricou Browning, who played the Creature from the Black Lagoon--giving my daughter a chance to show off her nascent photographic ability.

Plus, I got to show them just how much cool stuff has existed in pop culture years before they were born. Thanks to Chiller, my daughter now has the complete 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo, and my son is the proud owner of Marvel's entire 1960s run of Iron Man cartoons. It's really amazing how you can find bootlegs of just about anything (I walked away with the complete MGM Tex Averys and Fleischer Betty Boops, for those who may be wondering).

In terms of brushes with horror celebrity, the highlight of my day was meeting the still-lovely Catriona MacColl, leading lady of Lucio Fulci's infamous trilogy of gorefests, The Gates of Hell, The Beyond and House by the Cemetery. Ms. MacColl was both charming and down-to-earth, basically encompassing the utter antithesis of Fulci's gruesomely disturbing films. As my daughter giggled, she explained to her how, while filming The Beyond, they would pour jam on the heads of the zombie extras between takes to make them look even more gross. That's about as close to a Vault of Horror Kodak moment as it gets, people.

Unfortunately, the original TV series Batmobile never showed up, but that was only a temporary damper to the festivities. After all, my son got to soak in compliments on his Spider-Man costume from some female American Gladiators, and I got to catch up with Terri Runnels, one of the former WWE Divas from my old days in the grunt 'n' groan biz.

It's all about moments that simply don't happen anywhere else: Uncomfortably ushering my children away as they blatantly gaped in awe at Beetlejuice, whom they seemed to believe was some type of gnome-like being; eavesdropping on Richard Hatch trying diplomatically to profess his love for the new Battlestar Galactica in the face of badmouthing old-school fans. The list goes on and on. Oh yeah, did I mention how I also met the incredibly tall Jim Krut, a.k.a. Dawn of the Dead's Helicopter Zombie? Punk rock!

I'm sure there are those out there who will deride my weekend geek-fest. So be it. I know there will also be those who appreciate the joy of the genre convention, made even more enjoyable by sharing it with the next generation. As the saying goes, for those who don't understand, no explanation will do; for those who do understand, no explanation is necessary.

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News to Make Your Head Spin

Just when you thought the horror remake craze couldn't get any more troubling, along comes word that Warner Bros. is interested in redoing what most (including this reporter) consider the finest horror film of all time--The Exorcist. Rumors have been floating around for a little while now, but Linda Blair made some telling comments at the famous Chiller Theater convention yesterday that have given the rumors significant steam, including an interview she gave to AMCtv.com.
As for my opinion on this, the picture above just about sums it up. What purpose, other than the obvious one (money) does it serve to remake a movie that so closely approaches cinematic perfection? All one need do is think back to the infamous Psycho remake of a decade ago. There's a level of imagination lacking in the film industry today, which, had it not existed in prior decades, films like The Exorcist and Psycho would never have been made in the first place.

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