The weekend of March 15th-17th, The Queen City hosted three days, 10 years in the making. The Sharonville Convention Center filled to the rafters as ghouls, killers and otherworldly specters roamed the halls as bats swarmed and swooped in the belfry. Fans, hardcore devotees and other beings jammed the halls to pick up swag, meet guests or just see scary stuff as the Jimmy Psycho Experiment played the soundtrack to cosplay and mingle to.
A weekend blood drive, on a voluntary, non-stalking/chasing basis was also held, for all those in need.
The immortal mistress of the dark Elvira appeared along with Christina Ricci, Neve Campbell, Meatloaf, Christopher Lloyd and Fairuza Balk. Over 30 guests from movies and TV signed over the weekend including favorites from Halloween, American Horror Story, Pet Sematary, Addams Family and several others. Wrestling superstars Jake Roberts and Mick Foley were also in attendance, sharing road stories Friday night. Over 30 independent horror films and shorts from across the globe played all weekend for those wanting to avoid lines and crowds.
The Tattoo Fusion event showcased the creative buzz of over 10 national artists including Brandi Smart, Eric Vie, Marc Draven and Scott Versago.
Friday the Oddity Files Live Podcast, Pet Sematary and Jake Roberts filled the panel room. Saturday included the Candy Corn panel, Indie Film Panel, American Horror Story, Halloween, Addams Family and the kids costume contest. With Sunday’s schedule of Super Troopers/Club Dread, Cassandra Peterson’s Panel and The X-Files.
All weekend panel events were interpreted for the Deaf and hard of hearing by Kaety and Joshua Ochoa-Sanchez .
The weekend’s first panel opened with a dose of horror royalty from the King as three actors from the original Pet Sematary set the bar for fan attendance and interaction. The movie was very intense, scarring a lot of people including the actors and moderator. Denise Crosby (Rachel Creed), Miko Hughes (Gage Creed), Brad Greenquist (Victor Pascow), and Church (not really), discussed experiences filming, popular locations and the horror genre.
“It scared me too,” Crosby said. “I’m still trying to get over the trauma of making this film.”
Pet Sematary made it where, no one was safe and the first time many had seen a child killed in a film, then resurrected. “The parents couldn’t deal with the death of a child,” Crosby said, amazed anyone who’s been through it could move on. She wasn’t a parent while filming but is now. Watching Hughes get hit is almost unbearable. To her it wasn’t about Gage, it was the parents not being able to deal with it.
“I don’t have kids yet, I think it’s hilarious,” Hughes quipped.
“Wow this generation is sick. Where did we go wrong?” Crosby said wide-eyed.
“I can’t help myself,” he said. “It is heartbreaking.” Pet Sematary, unlike other horror movies is based on what could actually happen. There’s a supernatural element in the story of a family and what happens to them, going beyond a monster or boogie man and a morbid version of immortality.
The movie was very hard hitting for Greenquist, who played a guardian angel. “I’d like to believe we’re being looked after.” He hoped there were some kinds of spirits hovering above, trying to help us.
They discussed the respect the horror genre is finally getting. Crosby said horror tapped into your deepest psychic fears and cultural inadequacies.
Crosby loved a good horror film, growing up with them. A Stephen King film was like being in a Scorsese film. Sematary was that level to her and remains that way. King’s tapped into real life fears and dramas challenging perceptions. The Walking Dead wasn’t about the walkers. It’s about what would u do, what if? We don’t know. That’s why we watch. That’s what Pet Sematary was to her. She hoped she never has to endure what her character did. The best of horror creeps into the senses and subconscious.
Hughes said horror takes it to the extreme, tapping into something primal. That’s why there’s horror cons and not comedy cons. Horror really strikes a chord, leaving an impact. There are moral lessons to be learned and warnings of dangers of what could be out there. And a fun date night movie to make out to.
Crosby read the novel prior, along with The Shining, The Stand and Cujo. She was shooting a movie in Nashville, after getting the role. She started reading it, in an old historic Nashville hotel one night. The big closet door creaked open and she threw the book across the room not to be reopened until the sun was up and she was in a crowded place. “I was scared to death reading that book.”
Greenquist hadn’t read King but had seen his films. On the set he had a copy of the novel and would reread the section to make sure he got everything in the scenes.
Hughes just colored in a few pages in crayon.
Crosby said she would’ve taken the movie after she had kids. It was a big studio film and a King film. Probably the most horrifying story he wrote. The film may have gone too far with the matricide elements. The studio considered pulling the plug a few times. She understood their fear and complimented them for not giving up.
Hughes saw some of the tamer scenes growing up, eventually watching it at 12 with friends. The Zelda scenes scared him being new. He remembered the least, though a scene would trigger a memory of that day or location.
Crosby said King was very available and giving during the early stages. The cast got together in a small rehearsal space for two weeks before shooting. “Don’t get me started on the damn cat,” she smirked. “Can the cat’s agent please call? I want to be repped by Church’s agent. That cat is on everything.”
The hardest scene for Crosby was shooting Gage’s funeral. It was technically challenging, and very hard as a person having to keep that level of emotional intensity. “It was a great acting lesson for me. It was tiring and brutal.”
Growing up on The Munster’s, Crosby had fond memories of working with Fred Gwynne, getting to know him on set. He nailed Jud Crandall. The Sematary was in Hancock, Maine. The whole town came out. It was a big deal. They all agree, Mary Lambert made a bad ass horror film and was a delight to work with, elevating King’s material and they think he would say the same.
Neve Campbell came out to discuss The Craft and the Scream franchise.
She understood the profound effect it’s had on people overcoming bullying or problems at school or their environment. She had a tough time in school, relating to Bonnie and her issues. It’s touched everyone in some way, especially with the internet. It’s scary putting yourself out there in front of thousands. Be confident and sure of yourself, stand up and believe in yourself. “What people think of me is known of my business.” The business is about standing in front of people who have an opinion about you. It’s good to be an artist but also scary.
She’d been shooting The Canterville Ghost in England with Patrick Stewart when auditions were happening. She’d done Party of Five and the studio was confident she could play Bonnie. When she came to L.A. she joined them at rehearsals, getting to know each other sitting on the floor reading the script.
She was super lucky to get those roles. Wes Craven being the genius he was with a brilliant script. Sidney Prescott was her first lead role. She didn’t know a lot about horror movies, seeing The Changeling with George C. Scott at 13 at a sleepover. She wasn’t that aware of Wes’s work. It was the right time for horror to come back in the best way possible. She chose not to be a victim, fighting back in the end. She feels very blessed that it happened and how she portrayed the character.
They shot Scream in Santa Rosa, California. Campbell described it as summer camp with a great script. All-night shoots required closed curtains at the Doubletree, driving home after sunrise. The final sequence took three weeks. She was sticky and blood soaked, the clothes felt like cardboard. There’d be people driving to work in the morning, with hair covered in blood, she’d wave and say hey!
She said she didn’t get prank calls from Ghostface and for the record her favorite scary movie is The Changeling.
The first Scream was magic, the second was fun. The fourth was a bit different with a different cast.
On who would play her in a Craft remake she joked, not Tori Spelling, though she was impressed when she did her scene in the second Scream.
Years ago they showed The Craft on the lawn at Hollywood Forever Cemetery with the cast and 5000 cosplayers. Like their Rocky Horror Picture Show. It felt really good.
Campbell said it would be wrong to do another Scream without Craven but if it did happen; if everyone else was onboard and they found a passionate director she’d consider it. You’d expect Craven to be really twisted but he was very sweet with a soft soul with a clear vision of what he wanted. He was gentle and humble, knowing exactly what he was doing and loved the genre.
Scream was more challenging than The Craft. She had to carry it, but was girl number four in the other. Scream was physically challenging and she’d only want to play Sidney Prescott.
Fairuza Balk was intense, when in character, she was terrifying. Campbell was so impressed watching her. Her commitment to her character was no holds barred.
Later that evening, Jake “The Snake” Roberts entertained with his R-rated Dirty Details show. Telling old-school road stories with some visuals the audience could never un-see or un-hear.
He started in 1974 and was hard to walk away. He quit 50 freakin times and doesn’t watch wrestling today. If a wrestler plays practical jokes and it got out of hand, Vince McMahon said if you do it, it’s your job. That’s why he’s not there. He couldn’t help myself, laughter’s good. Normal things didn’t make wrestlers laugh.
Mr. Fuji was a cruel, sick practical joker. A couple new guys came in. Fuji and Saito were the champions. The guys were very cocky and arrogant, really razzing Fuji every night. He found out they lived in the same apartment complex he did. He invited them to dinner saying he must humble himself to the future champions.
One day one of the guys came in the locker room in tears. His dog ran off. Fuji came over and started grinding him. That Sunday he fed them dinner. They asked for more, he brought the pot in, opened it, revealing the dog. He cooked and served it to them, and cared enough to make it taste good.
Fuji’s airplane ribs were legendary including eyebrow shaving and creative use of other’s shoes to elicit a loud, angry reaction.
If it wasn’t for Diamond Dallas Page he wouldn’t be there. For wanting to help and letting him and Scott Hall in his house he was ridiculed. He and Hall butted heads a few times but at the end of the day something good happened. He’s been clean and sober for seven years. DDP went the extra mile for Roberts, he didn’t have to.
“I had a hell of a wrestling career, did it for 36 years.” It’s an incredible high in the ring. Though it’s nothing compared to someone coming and saying you helped me, you saved my life. He gets letters from people that he helped, after doing The Resurrection of Jake the Snake. It wasn’t easy putting all the dirt out there. Smartest thing he ever did because it made him be accountable.
King Kong Bundy recently passed. He was something else. He ordered six quarter pounders with cheese, four fries, and two extra-large diet sodas at McDonalds saying you gotta cut back somewhere. He had the worst smelling feet. They said, cut your damn feet off, do something. A new pair of shoes would stink in a few days. Eventually, they set his shoes on fire. He was pissed because it was snowing.
Roberts traveled with his wrestling gear and the 100 pound snake. The locker rooms weren’t always outside your car, usually half-way around the building. He’d been on the road 47 days once, carrying the snake and was worn out. Savage wanted to do something special that night for the ref’s birthday. “Get the snake cause I’m gonna cure a disease called fear.”
Savage had the ref in a full nelson. Roberts got the snake out and the ref threw his head back splattering Savage’s nose, blood everywhere. Wound up in a cluster on the floor. The ref started screaming really loud, holding his eye. The snake bit his eye, needing 47 stiches. Savage said damn Jake, took it a little too far?
Later the ref ‘s in the ring all wrapped up, tells Roberts please don’t tell Mr. McMahon I messed up your snakes psyche. I had no idea it took 25K to train a snake. Roberts looked at Savage who was waving it off. He told the ref that if the snake doesn’t eat its prey, it’ll die.
Roberts return to Raw against Orton was a chance to give back to the business. It was fun for him. They chanted his name in Atlanta for 40 minutes until backstage staff said he’ll wrestle if they quieted down and played along.
Mick Foley arrived saying he used to watch Roberts as a kid. “I’m from the old school. Jake is from the one they burned down before they built the old school.
They promoted the Peanut Butter Falcon. The movie’s about a guy who’d rather hold onto his backyard wrestling title than make a 16-year-old man with Down syndrome look good in the ring. Roberts will make you believe.
The 2019 Horror Host Hall of Fame Ceremony was hosted by Jason Hignite honoring seven inductees this year. Baron Von Porkchop inducted The Creeper, popular in Moraine Ohio. Who talked about the good ole days of four channels and TV antennas, graduating to 24 channels.
Janet Decay and the Grimm Gorri inducted Frank and Drac from Cleveland, Ohio. Short story called Chillers. Drac talked about Vampira and everything that followed.
Joe Woody inducted Karlos Borloff of Monster Madhouse, the spawn of Macho Man and Gene Simmons. Never take yourself seriously. He’d done it in his garage for years prior. When TV guide was your program source and you had to be there to watch it. When they see kids show up in customs they made based on Madhouse characters in a cardboard suit or whatever it shows they care.
Marlena Midnight of Midnight Mausoleum said they must have run out of horror hosts thanking many hosts of the past and the fans of this genre.
Slash the Werewolf inducted Nigel Honeybone. There was no cash value but the reward was that people still watch. A. Ghastlee Ghoul inducted Prof Anton Griffin of Midnight Shadow Show. Griffin said they were guides to the dark movies. This is valuable, people need this.
Henrique Couto inducted Dayton’s Andrew Copp. Couto was born in ‘86, Dr. Creep came back in the late ‘90s when he saw him on Shock Theater. Couto said it was such an honor to induct Copp who passed about six years ago. He’s loved horror hosts since he was a kid. He was a 12-year-old kid and they became his friends. “If there was no Andy Copp there would be no me.” He thanked Matt Brassfield for keeping the torch alive.
Rebecca Paiva inducted Penny Dreadful’s Shilling Shockers via backyard video.
The American Horror Story panel featured Naomi Roseman (Pepper), Mat Fraser (Paul) and Lance Reddick (Papa Legba).
The show wasn’t described to Roseman. She just fit the character’s needs. All her prep was with the makeup people. She was told you’re gonna look like that, so act like that.
Frazier was doing a show in Germany, got a call at 2am. They weren’t used to hesitancy from people being in the show. He told friends, they asked him to be in their Freak Show thing. Are you tripping, they said. Do you have any idea how big American Horror Story is? He researched it and immediately said yes.
Reddick was already a fan. He didn’t have to audition. Given his resume he wasn’t sure how he got it. He hadn’t done anything similar before or since. A week before they shot, he was on the internet like crazy, researching info. His character’s an usher of the dead. In voodoo lore, he’s kind of like the river Styx guy. He’s a trickster, that was fun playing.
Freakshow was a beautiful celebration of weirdness and finding family within that.
It was filmed outside New Orleans and they were stuck together for six months. That’s a long time to be around people. They let the kids have the run of the place.
Roseman said Asylum was a unique time. Freak Show was being together on location, moving across country, shaving her head, wandering around this cool new city as a bald woman trying not to stick out.
Frazier’s most challenging scenes were six hours on the Ferris wheel. His favorite unsurprisingly was his bed scene with Jessica Lange. Roseman’s memorable scenes included The Name Game, going full Pepper and the scene saying goodbye to Lange.
They said getting scripts last minute was the nature of the show. At the beginning of Freak Show there were four episodes written. By the end, they had to wait for the scene to be written. Filming takes a long time. Episode two ran 10 days over.
You never knew when you were going to die. Initially scripts were read from the back looking for character names, then read properly.
Roseman’s favorite season as a viewer was the first. She wasn’t thinking about the guy holding the boom mic just off camera. As an actor, Freak Show was her favorite. It was a cool vibe, like a freak dorm. Her role was better and got to let her freak flag fly. She can go to Target and not be recognized though convention people at the airport were waiting. It’s a nice medium.
Reddick said when people found out he played Papa Legba, they didn’t think it was him.
Frazier’s tattoos took four hours the first day but makeup got it down to 2 ½ daily. There were nine different transfers with airbrushing in between. Each sheet cost $800, flown in every three-four days from L.A. It was a morning ritual sitting besides Lobster Claws and other actors. The worst part was having it scrapped off in the evening every night.
The Halloween panel consisted of the two most unlucky podcasters ever, Jefferson Hall (Aaron Korey) and Rian Rhees (Dana Haines) and evil himself, James Jude Courtney, (Michael Myers).
Courtney had absolute joy beating the sh- out of Hall and Rhees.
Rhees doesn’t like gas station toilets or evil incarnate walking in as you’re doing your business. She didn’t know what was going to come out. She hadn’t practiced screaming since childhood. He dropped real teeth in the stall. The crew went to a dentist, earning the name tooth fairy. She hit her head on the seat and it bloody hurt.
Hall said, the mask stunk but was an incredible honor and a huge responsibility. It was in his bag awhile. He had a knock down drag out with Courtney, who’d been really nice up to that point. He beat his head into the door way more times than necessary, which hurt. He took the beating like a man. The podcasters was a great angle on arm chair true crime detectives. Rhees wanted to be podcasters and Jefferson wanted to be investigative journalists.
Jefferson jokingly said he tried to reason with Myers, reading up on how animals kill with no reasoning but it didn’t work. Some reviews said they were annoying. Rhees didn’t think she was but said Jefferson was for provoking Myers. Who would do that? Karma got them in the end.
It was the perfect script at the perfect time, great chemistry and great fun to work with Curtis. They needed someone with acting chops and a great stuntman to play Myers with exactly Courtney’s weight, height in his 60s. He wanted to embrace Nick Castle’s energy, but not imitate.
As soon as Courtney knew he was working, it became a mission. He could’ve never done it without Nick Castle, Deborah Hill and John Carpenter.
They all loved the kid being babysat. He was the smartest kid in horror. He kept them rolling. He wasn’t trying to steal attention from adults but was funny as hell, a joy to work with.
The toenails were scripted, but a lot was improvised. It was the babysitter’s first film. She beat the hell out of Courtney’s arm, that wasn’t a break away chair. They did around 35 takes.
Halloween was a game changer. The music goes to the place in the brain that reeks of fear.
Later on in the early evening Lady Glamourstein hosted the kids costume contest. Where 15 up and coming creative and demented minds of youthful horror had their chance to shine.
Negan, Sam from Trick or Treat, Killer Clown’s, Jason from Jason vs. Freddy, Little Frankie, Dairy’s favorite dead son Georgie, a decked out zombie queen Elvis, dead Red Riding Hood, Ghostbuster Egon, a precious Pennywise, Lydia and Beetlejuice, Five Nights of Freddy, mini-Jason and the silent but deadly Samara came on stage trying to win the judges favor.
“We wanna help raise and guide them. Better to be in here with these freaks than out there with those,” Glamourstein said. 3rd place went to Egon, 2nd floated down to little Georgie with 1st going to Zombie Elvis.
The HorrorHound Movie Awards Ceremony celebrated the best in indie horror releases. Jason Hignite hosted film-makers from Denmark, Spain and Australia. It was all about supporting indie horror films, putting them in front of the true, uber horror fans who buy the product.
Categories included best cinematography, best SFX, best actress, best actor, best director, best short, best director and best feature.
Nominees for best cinematography were Automata, Finale, My Soul To Keep, The Final Interview and One Must Fall. Winner: My Soul to Keep. Best SFX: Zombie Time, Here There Be Monsters, One Must Fall, Latched, Häxan, Limbo and Birth. Winner: Häxan.
Best Actress, Anaîs Frobert Leah’s Dream, Julie Streble One Must Fall, Savannah Foran-McDaniel Here They Be Monsters, Paolo Bontempi Mask of Sanity, Anne Bergfield Finale, Melinda Joan Reed Stray, Karis Cameron-The Whistler. Winner: Julie Streble.
Best Actor: Gunner Willis-Livescream, Damon Younger-Finale, David Breen-Stray, John Wells-One Must Fall, Jeff Payne-September, Paul Bullion-Oscars Bell. Winner: Gunner Willis.
Best Director: Chris Cronin-Oscars Bell, Soren Juul Petersen-Finale, Dean W Law-Stray, Michelle Lannantuono,-Livescream, Lawrie Brewster-Automata, Rob Grant-Alive and Antonio Pantoja- One Must Fall. Winner: Michelle Lannantuono.
Best Short: Oscars Bell, Zombie Time, Haxan, Mask of Sanity, Stray, September and The Whistler with Zombie Time taking the win.
Best Feature: Finale, Livescream, My Soul to Keep, The Very Last Day, One Must Fall, The Final Interview and My Soul to Keep with Finale winning.
The legendary Tom Atkins received the lifetime achievement award.
Later in the evening across the street, Lady Glamourstein reappeared hosting the evenings scandalous after dark affairs along with Mister Hamilton and Joe Woody Oaken with metal, industrial and goth sounds by DJ Joel Robinson.
While creepy dressed up adults lined up for pictures and a chance to strut and stagger on stage, straight from the Bon Jovi state, The Crpytkeeper Five opened the evening with some punk, R&R and straight up heavy sax.
Regardless of the version, you can never go wrong with manipulating the senses or speakers out the gate with “I Put a Spell on You.” As the horror genre worked its magic on everyone over the weekend.
They were as happy to perform as a bone juggler, grave robbing at midnight, starting originals with “1000 Keys,” a fun nostalgic tune about childhood memories from the creek, minus red balloons and creepy clowns.
“Sweep The Leg Johnny,” added further mean spirited intent to the infamous overexcited Cobra-Kai fighter. The chords of “Gimme Gimme Your Heart” got harder and heavier with a polite chest ripping request. Yo Adrian, “Balboa,” carried the grit, desire and determined attitude inspired by the Italian Stallion.
“Ignite,” let it all hang out, setting the world on fire as they celebrated daddy’s “Little Girl,” a babe in the woods, but still sweet, young and untainted. “Funny Little Thing,” channeled classic Elvis and a young Danzig, swinging on the strings.
Combining corpse-like country, Rigor mortis rock, a bit of blue in the face Elvis, Harley Poe-like country and Joe Bob Briggs, from parts unknown, The Unknown Hinson served up an hour plus show, on a real nice pale “Silver Platter” of “Undead Blues.” Comedy themed capers mixed with tunes from the nocturnal netherworld.
“I ain’t Afraid of Your Husband,” was a short old-school happy-fun, confrontational twanger. “Your Man is Gay,” was an open closet admission, stereotypes aside, done for her own good.
“R&R Is Straight from Hell,” was straight from the mouth and mind of Hinson … and the PMRC. You might see the faces of Lugosi or ecstasy, if you’re with him in close, intimate quarters on a given night. “Poly Urethane” persuaded that still life was sometimes better than movement while “Barbie-Q,” described the perfect southern fried woman.
Set aside the bad things, the “Ugly Things,” were all the best things a deadly damsel will do to show how she really feels. Beauty and bitch start with the same letter. There was no rape/revenge grindhouse on “Spittin’ on My Grave,” just some raunchy/loud guitar and steadfast murderous intent. “Hippie Girl,” was an ode to a straight edge, free love, whisky (for him) drinking relationship.
They encored some special adlib’s including a tribute to the king of shock rock.
The older kids and adults walked the stage strutting their costumed creativity. Evil jesters, dagger drawing ghost brides, Chop-Top, caged ghosts and the Firefly’s. The night proved big-time creativty, home-made horror and having a really big head pays off as Captain Spaulding and Otis took the richest prize of the weekend.
The deadly but delightful ladies and gent of Blackstar Burlesque presented Gorelesque a showcase of skin and horrors. Closing out the night with some mature, after hours entertainment. From mad scientists flinging body parts, to self-torture for cash, hell-raising damsels, chainsaw wielding cheerleaders, and Bathory-inspired babes bathing in red while coffin bound concubine’s emerged. The crowd went home with visions of disrobing debutants dancing in their head.
HorrorHound returns to Indianapolis for their biggest show yet this September.
Images by Mike Ritchie
