Day 2852 - Horrorhound Indianapolis 2019

Man, I used to write nearly every single day.  It's amazing what happens when life happens.  But I have some cookies, a 7UP, and Oingo Boingo playing in the background, so I figure now is as a good a time as any to start writing again.

While I want to write a piece about television in all its forms, I still need to let that thought simmer just a bit.  So, instead, I figured I'd write about my current trip to Indianapolis to attend the Horrorhound Convention.

Quick update for those of you who may not know - Horrorhound is a convention where a number of celebrities, from A-list to D-list, attend selling autographs and pictures.  This particular convention was notable for reuniting nearly the entire cast of Scream.

Before I go to one of these, I always have to figure out a few things.  1. Who do I want to meet?  2. What do I have them sign (there is always the rare occasion when I know I'm going to buy an 8x10 from the celebrity's table)?  3. How much money do I have to spend?  This is always a point of contention for me.  As these shows keep getting larger and larger, the autograph prices keep getting higher and higher.  Some day I'd love to find out who's done the actual math on these things.  Because if, say, Matthew Lillard's autograph is 50 bucks, is he making more money selling just one autograph to me and people like me, or would he make even more if he charged just 30 bucks, leaving the potential for people like me to just suck it up and spend the extra 10 bucks to get two items signed?  But this is a rant for another time.  4. What do I say to the people when I meet them?

I finally got smart with number 4 this year.  On the way down, I wrote out questions for the people I wanted to meet, so I could seem smart and also get something other than a token response.  It really worked and I highly recommend it.

The big draw for me this year was getting to meet Robin Tunney.  Most people know her from The Craft, Empire Records, or "The Mentalist."  I appreciate all those, but for me, she's in a wonderful hidden gem called Cherish.  And as I keep writing, you'll notice that I have a quite a few of those hidden gems.  Anyways, she's who I wanted to meet first, and, of course, she wasn't there on time.  So adjustments were made.

Matthew Lillard had the biggest line and he was high on my list, so that was the first line of the day for me.  Joining me on this trip, as always, was my college buddy, Jason.  I appreciate his company more than he knows.  But he's a great photographer when the need arises, and, as you'll see, can come up with some great questions, too.  With Lillard, I was ready to ask why he didn't have a picture of Ghoulies 3: Ghoulies go to College out to sign, but I couldn't because he did!  I still brought that up to him, and his response was that truthfully he had never signed a single one (which almost had me get one - almost).  He had actually gotten the picture from somebody else.  It wasn't even his.  (And I can talk about that movie, because I have seen it - more than once.)  Then I asked about "Twin Peaks".  He said it was really, really hard.  Huh.  She's All That - he got the gig because he asked Freddie Prinze Jr. for a job, and Prinze recommended him for the part he plays in the movie.  Then Jason said that Summer Catch was a great movie.  The look of genuine condescension was wonderful.  "No, it's not." I said, "It's a fun movie."  He turned to me and said, in all seriousness, "There's a difference between great and fun."  Honestly, that whole interaction was wonderful.  (And I had him sign an original Scream movie poster.)

Also, to be fair, there's probably going to be some paraphrasing and mixing up of who signed before who, but you weren't there, so I get to tell the story as I want to.

Mary Lynn Rajskub was next.  I walked up to her table and unscrolled a video release poster for Punch Drunk Love which made her smile.  While she was signing, I asked what she thought about being one of the most indelible characters in television history.  She seemed to think that was pretty great, and we spent a good amount of time talking about Chloe O'Brien from "24."  She said the character was about 80% her.  She did think that it was possible that Chloe might die at some point in the series, because the producers made no bones about the fact that anyone on that show could die.  And the character was so well-defined that when the writers tried to make Chloe a bad guy in the final Jack Bauer season, they couldn't, because it didn't work.  And she got the part in Punch Drunk Love because Paul Thomas Anderson would come to the club she was at and watch her perform and wrote the character for her.  (Then we talked about Paul Thomas Anderson movies.)  It was great.

Now, if you know Elizabeth Berkley it's probably because of either "Saved by the Bell' or Showgirls.  Getting into a good conversation with Ms. Berkley required something besides talking about either of those, and I went with a great film called Roger Dodger which made her light up.  (I had her sign the DVD cover.)   I got her to talk about getting the part.  It was from a first-time director who called her to say that he had written the part for her, and she liked it, but it took calling Jennifer Beals, who was also in the movie to fully convince her to do it.  And then she praised Campbell Scott (who is amazing in the film).

I am an unabashed fan of "Gilmore Girls" and judging from the line Scott Patterson (Luke on "Gilmore Girls") had, many other horror fans were as well.  He was there ostensibly because he was in a number of Saw movies, but I didn't care.  LUKE!  I had him sign my season one DVD set, and asked him who he hung out with most on the set.  He gave the generic "everyone" answer, but then we talked about Sean Gunn (Kirk on the show), and how cool he was on the set and in real life.

It was impressive how many people in Jackie Earl Haley's line wanted him to sign Watchmen items.  And his performance as Rorschach is pretty perfect.  But I went with the classic Bad News Bears DVD.  Because I wanted to know if he knew about Water Matthau or Vic Morrow before working on the movie.  He knew about Matthau, oh, yeah.  But Morrow he looked up afterwards.  And then I got to ask him if he knew how to play baseball before getting the part.  He did.  He just wasn't as good as his character was supposed to be.  Then Jason asked a great question - "Did you know how to smoke before getting the part?"  Apparently he did.  But the trick was, his parents didn't know.  So he had to act like he knew how to smoke, but make it look to his parents that he didn't.  It was very meta.

I've read Rose McGowan's book "Brave."  It's rough.  And the way she's been treated in the movie industry and on a lot of the sets is pretty reprehensible.  So my question to her was this - "Is it okay for me to like movies like Doom Generation and Planet Terror now that I know how uncomfortable your experiences were on those films."  She looked up and directly in my eyes and said, "Absolutely.  I'm proud of my performances in those films."  We then talked about how uncomfortable Doom Generation made my friends when I showed it to them.  She smiled wryly at that.  She was my second autograph on my Scream poster.

Finally, by this time, Robin Tunney showed up.  The line was solid, and just as I get to the front, they stopped it. She had to go to a photo op, but she would be back soon.  As disappointing as that was, I took solace in the fact that I was now first in line when she came back.

In 2002 I caught a movie at the Cedar Lee Theatre called Cherish, starring Robin Tunney, Tim Blake Nelson, and Jason Priestly.  It's a small and great film.  And after I saw it in the theater, they had a bunch of mini posters they were giving out for free.  I've had one of those posters for, sheesh, 17 years.  But that's what I had her sign.  "I love this movie!" was her response when I showed her the poster.  There's a scene where she's running like Tom Cruise, trying to get back home, and I asked her about it.  "It was the last day of shooting, and I had a bunch of sangria with my girlfriends, so when we were done filming, I threw it all up."  She also commented - "I don't think that's my real (butt)" on the poster.  And then we talked about Jason Priestly for a bit.

Honestly, I could have spent a ton more money meeting even more people, but due to some not showing up, some not coming till Saturday (I went on Friday), and just being a tiny bit responsible, I stopped there.  But even with that, it ranks as one of the best I've ever attended.  And, hey, it got me to write again.  So there's that.

Day 672 - Convention season

I love the San Diego Comic-Con.  I've been going every other year (or so) since 1996.  There's a number of people who complain because they think it's gotten too media heavy,with less emphasis on comic books.  My simple take on this is that when they expanded the convention center space they used all that extra space for pop culture, yet they've kept the same amount of space for comics and such.  Since that was a lot of space back in the day, it's still a lot of space now.  I'm still able to meet all the writers and artists I want to.  I'm still able to get sketches, original art, autographs, and early issues of Amazing Spider-Man without sacrificing my love of pop culture.  But, because I work at Carol and John's Comic Shop, going to a local comic convention just doesn't hold the same allure for me anymore.  My list of back issues that I need gets smaller and smaller.

So I've been going to horror film conventions in the area.  The short story for those of you who don't know - I have three notebooks that I filled with my reviews of all the films I watched during 1988 to about 1996.  So whenever I meet someone who starred in a movie that I reviewed, I have them sign by that review.  It's made for some interesting stories  (of which, I will only be relaying some of the most recent here).

A month ago, I went to Horrrorhound Weekend in Indianapolis with my buddy Jason.  Honestly, the main reason I wanted to go was because Monica Keena was going to be there.  I'm a huge fan of Undeclared (Judd Apatow's followup to Freaks and Geeks).  But there were plenty of other people there that I was happy to meet.

First off, was Katharine Isabell of Ginger Snaps fame.  I've got to say, she's actually more gorgeous in person than in any picture I've seen.  She was also very nice as she signed my Ginger Snaps DVD (she wasn't in any movies that were in the notebook, so sometimes I have to make do).

The next person was Dana Ashbrook (Bobby from Twin Peaks).  By far (by far!) one of the nicest people I have ever met.  He was incredible!  I would go to a convention just too meet him again.

Then it was a sprint as I got Vivica A. Fox (she whispered some secret Quentin Tarantino info to me), Larry Drake (who doesn't love Darkman?), Gerrit Graham (Used Cars, and the awesome and awful TerrorVision), Megan Ward (Freaked), Barry Bostwick (we bonded over the SyFy Moby Dick movie), Chris Marquette (who signed my Fanboys DVD, but like I told him, I could have just as easily had him sign my Joan of Arcadia DVDs),  Zack Ward (Titus' brother and, of course, A Christmas Story), and Sherilyn Fenn (who I've met before, but she was still very nice).

Eventually Monica Keena showed up.  She was very pleasant.  I did not get a photo.  I'll leave it at that.
Finally, I discovered the deal of the day.  Sean Clark, the writer of a film called The Black Waters of Echo's Pond, was selling DVDs and BluRays of the film, and if you bought one, Danielle Harris, James Duvall, and Electra and Elise Avelon would sign it for free.  I still haven't watched the movie yet (I'll probably get around to it in a couple of years).

I spent a lot of money at the show, but not as much as I brought, so I was able to have some extra cash to have a good meal at Red Lobster.  I can be a simple man with simple needs.

This last Friday Cinema Wasteland started.  The "get" for this convention was Dee Wallace.  Obviously, Elliot's mom in E.T., but for me, the decision was between Critters and The Howling.  But also, I was going to meet Chester Turner the mastermind behind one of the rarest VHS movies ever - Tales From the Quadead Zone.

And Chester was a real nice, soft-spoken gentleman.  I bought the DVD of Quadead Zone even though I may never watch it, simply for the curiosity value.

Dee Wallace was a sweetie.  I had her sign by Critters, and she got to tell me that she's taken more recent "evil" roles because she was tired of the "good" roles.  I followed that with a visit to Donna Wilkes.  She even read my review of Jaws 2 saying, "Yep" then signing it.  I got a picture with her, and when I left I forgot one of my notebooks.  She actually ran after me to give it back.  My friend Laura had the best statement -  "She got up from behind her table to bring your notebook to you?  That's so cute!  I wish I had gotten a picture of that."  Donna Wilkes is awesome!

The last autograph of the day was Stephen Macht.  I could have gone the easy route and had him sign by my review of  The Monster Squad, because we all know Wolfman has nards.  But instead, I went with Graveyard Shift.  It's an awful movie, but it does have a tremendous performance by Stephen, which I mentioned.  We had a great laugh about it, and he is simply a fantastic guy.

And a visit to the Wasteland wouldn't be complete without some purchases, and my very best one was a VHS copy of the movie Dudes with Jon Cryer, Daniel Roebuck, and Catherine Mary Stewart.  It really is an undiscovered classic that has never been released on DVD.  But I also bought a copy of Lon Chaney's He Who Gets Slapped.  I saw it last week, and it made such an impression that I may even watch it again in the near future.

So two conventions in the last month.  I may have spent more money than I needed to, but I had some great times, hung out with some good friends (Thanks Jason, Joe, and Laura!), and met a lot of cool people.  And admission for both those shows was the same as it would have been if I went to Wizard World Columbus.  I feel I made the right choice.

Day 113 - Horrorhound Weekend

Wow.  As I start to write this, I have no idea how to start.  And it isn't because I don't know what to say, but instead I have numerous ways to start this off.
Each year, after Thanksgiving, I have traveled to Columbus.  At first, I was able to combine a trip to Mid Ohio Con (Ohio's biggest comic book convention) with a visit from one of my buddies from college - one of only a few that I keep in touch with.  When Mid Ohio Con changed its date years ago, I continued making the trip on the same weekend, because I'm a big fan of tradition.  And as each year has gone by, Jason (my college buddy) and I have built a stronger friendship from those visits.
When I was in high school and college, I filled up three notebooks with Leonard Maltin-esque reviews of every movie that I watched.  When I saw Nancy Allen and Roddy McDowall in a production of "Dial "M" For Murder" I knew that I wanted to get their autographs, and I decided to have them sign my reviews of Dressed to Kill and Fright Night respectively.  Since those first two autographs, I think the collection has grown to well over 60 with people as varied as Bryan Singer to Erin Gray to Ray Harryhausen.
Finally, I think it was three years ago, I went to Horrorhound Weekend in Cincinnati to meet the cast of Night of the Creeps (which was more awesome than I could even imagine).  Each year Horrorhound holds a convention in Cincinnati, and when my cousins used to live there, I was able to do the double bill of going to the convention and then hang out with them.
Well, this year, Horrorhound held a convention in Columbus.  I told Jason I would be in town this weekend, and did he want to get together?  Much more than that, he wanted to tag along.  So, yesterday, he made his first trip to a horror film convention.  It was pretty impressive.  The amount of people that were there was staggering.  The amount of cleavage that was on display was also staggering.  But I was there for autographs.  The first person I got in line for was Stuart Gordon, the director of Re-Animator.  And I actually didn't have him sign my notebooks, but rather I had him sign my copy of Dark Visions: Conversations With the Masters of the Horror Film by Stanley Wiater.  I've already had a bunch of directors sign it already, and he was number six.
Then it was time for the notebooks.  Pam Grier (Class of 1999) was awesome.  Incredibly nice, and willing to spend time with anyone who had any questions about her work.  Sherilyn Fenn told me David Lynch was pissed that she couldn't be in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me.  Amy Steel (Friday the 13th Part 2) told me that while acting is tough, it's still better than doing something like construction work.  Adrienne Barbeau... I actually don't remember what she said.  I was honestly too starstruck.  She was the main person that I wanted to meet at the show.  Julia Adams (The Creature From the Black Lagoon) read my ***1/2 review and laughed.  Fabiana Udenio (Summer School) thought the notebooks were cool, and was really sweet.
Amongst all the autographs was lots of wading through people, looking at the Norman Reedus line (which seemed neverending), watching Norman Reedus act like the nicest guy in the world (I don't think I saw the smile leave his face the numerous times I walked by), buying a copy of the F/X soundtrack on LP, buying a copy of Paul Schrader's Cat People on DVD, and seeing a seven-foot tall Sasquatch.
It was pretty fun, and while Jason only bought a Pink Floyd LP, he still had a good time and he was a great guy to have around to face (and talk about) the madness.