After committing to this, I dug myself even deeper by pre-ordering autographs from several other celebrities showing up this weekend, namely John Carpenter and Carpenter-adjacent actors/film crew. But let’s not talk anymore about my irresponsible financial decisions and get right into it. On Friday, August 14th, I had a breakfast of champions at Connie’s Restaurant in Berrrr-wyn before returning to what has become my home away from home, the Hyatt Regency O’Hare in Rosemont. I arrived early (around 10 am) and was fortunate to get a decent parking spot. For those keeping score, this was my third stay at this hotel in a month. Fortunately, they let me check in early since normal check-in is 3 pm and Ultimate Pass holders were allowed in at 2 pm. I’d already received my pass in the mail for an extra fee, and after unpacking, I headed over to the Donald E. Stephens.

The doors didn’t open for Ultimate Pass carriers until 2 pm, and it was only around noon, so I perused Fan Expo merchandise and bought some of their exclusive comic book variant covers. It was an issue of Absolute Batman (the hot comic book as of this date) and the latest issue of Transformers; both titles from my pull-list. I should mention that I am still into comics, and not all of my goals for this weekend revolved around horror movies.

After a while, I found the line for Ultimate Pass and VIP pass holders. The VIP passes were like $500 and allowed you to jump to the front of autograph lines, among other perks. My Ultimate Pass allowed early access and a gift bag. It cost me $150, so at least I drew the line somewhere. A guy standing next to me had the best line when he said to me, “I’ve spent so much money this weekend I just can’t have a good time.”

Once we got inside, I went straight to Artist’s Alley, which is my favorite stop at events like this. I’m a big fan of the IMAGE character Gunslinger Spawn and have every issue of his main title, as well as his more recent adjacent book, “Deadly Tales of the Gunslinger.” The current writers for both series (Erica Shultz and Jimmy Palmiotti) were here, and I brought books for them to sign. Unfortunately, I would only get to meet Palmiotti, who was also the first creator I met at this event. He was really fun to talk to and said that one of the things he loves best about writing “The Deadly Tales of the Gunslinger” is that he’s been given free rein with the content. He said he’s pushed the boundaries several times (particularly with violence) and has yet to receive any pushback, which he, as a creator, really appreciates. He and I are fans of vintage Westerns and also shared our favorites, with John Wayne’s The Searchers (1956) topping both of our lists.

I had the next creator sign a book I’ve owned since I bought it on release day in 1993. During my early ‘20s, the top comic character was Venom, a Spider-Man villain turned anti-hero. This was back when Todd McFarlane was king (and, ironically, I met him at this event in 1992), and Venom (whom he co-created with David Michelinie and Mike Zeck) was one of his greatest achievements. In ’93, the character received its first solo title, Venom: Lethal Protector. Sam de la Rosa contributed to its interior art and the iconic foil cover. Sam was a bit of a challenge because, although his line wasn’t long, he offered (for an extra fee) to do an original sketch on the comic in addition to his signature. Unfortunately for me, the two young fans he was working with each brought their own stack of comics. While I was waiting for him, I heard someone say that John Carpenter had arrived at his signing booth.

Before heading upstairs for the horror signatures, I had to say hello to John Siuntress from the Word Balloon podcast. I met him several times while assisting Svengoolie, but this was the first time we’d ever had a chance to really talk. He asked how things went at Flashback Weekend and shared the David Naughton story. Like me, John grew up with Sven and understood the gravity of him playing his old “Dr. Rabbees” skit during his talk show. John said he had just run into Svengoolie’s Executive Producer, Jim Roche, but we never got a chance to connect, unfortunately.

John had been talking with a comic creator named Scott Larson, who was selling his comic book, “Visitations.” Despite dealing mostly in ghostly Chicago-area hotspots, I was surprised to see the familiar image of the statue I stood next to during a recent trip to Cleveland: the Haserot Angel, a.k.a. The Angel of Death Victorious.

I could have talked with these two gentlemen all night, but I had to cut and run upstairs, where John Carpenter and the other people whose autographs I prepaid for were signing. I managed to get there just in time before the line got cut. And the rest of my night was literally spent standing in line.

John Carpenter has a reputation for being irascible, but he was very friendly today, as he was when I met him over ten years ago. I’d just read the Foreword he wrote for “Godzilla: The First 70 Years” by Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski and mentioned it to him. Carpenter is a huge fan of Godzilla and told me how he couldn’t believe he lived to see the Big G receive an Academy Award for the amazing Godzilla Minus One (2023). I told him I listened to his recently composed “Cathedral” on YouTube and looked forward to getting it on vinyl, and he thanked me. Then I told him what I’m guessing everyone else in his line said: that he was one of the greatest and most underappreciated directors, and that many of his films defined my teenage years. I had him sign four items: two posters for The THING (one for me and another for my son), and The FOG and Halloween II vinyls I had signed by others at the recent Flashback Weekend.

If that wasn’t enough, I also broke my rule about not paying for Selfies by dropping $100 to get one with him. While in line, I texted numerous friends to ask if I should do it. Everyone but my friend Jason Lucas said I shouldn’t. In the end, I ditched the popular vote and went with Jason’s advice instead. Obviously, I was less interested in Democracy than I was in finding at least one person to tell me what I wanted to hear. Was it stupid? Probably. But this is likely the last time I’ll ever see the legendary director, and I have no regrets except during the week that followed, when I survived on canned beans and sardines due to a lack of grocery funds. I’m a 55-year-old employed man whose kids are all grown and, thankfully, I have no wife or anyone dependent on me. Had I checked off any of those boxes, I’d never get away with the reckless spending I did at this event. That being said, thank God this is the last convention of the summer!

After Carpenter signed, one of his assistants took the items to a table to dry. He didn’t do the greatest job, and one of my autographs smeared a bit before it made it over. Once I was satisfied everything was ready for transport, I headed over to P.J. Soles.

I waited in her line for about forty minutes. I was second in line to meet her when all the Halloween folks (John Carpenter, P.J. Soles, Dean Cundehappen earlier that day but ended in disaster because of, Tommy Lee Wallace, and Nick Castle) had to leave for a group photo op that was supposed to have taken place earlier that day but ended in disaster due to technical issues. This added another 30 minutes to my wait time, and my bum knee was killing me. Of course, P.J. Soles is always personable and delightful to talk to. If I had to limp for a week for anyone, it would be her, but it was still frustrating.

I talked to her about seeing her Carrie (1976) co-star, William Katt, at Flashback Weekend, and he mentioned that their kids went to school together. She said she still keeps in touch with him occasionally, but the person she’s stayed closest with is actor Michael Talbott, who played her boyfriend, “Freddy,” in Carrie. According to Soles, they talk about once a week on the phone, sometimes for hours. She says she rarely sees Sissy Spacek, but whenever she does, it’s like they’re sisters and no time has passed. She’s also still friends with her Halloween boyfriend, “Bob” (John Michael Graham), and he and his husband are living happily in Florida. She said she and Jamie Lee Curtis have exchanged Christmas cards over the years but don’t see each other much. I asked if Curtis would ever do another event like this (she did a Horrorhound Weekend back in 2012, but I was too broke to do it), and she laughed and said, “Hell no!” Soles already signed my Halloween poster years ago, so today I had her sign my Carrie and Rock and Roll High School vinyl dust jackets. Her selfies were free, as were the remaining guests I’d meet. Two down and two to go…

Two things really make early Carpenter films stand out. One is Carpenter’s phenomenal scores and musical arrangements. The other is Dean Cundey’s cinematography. This was never truer than in the work Cundey did on one of all-time favorite movies, The FOG (1980). I told him all of this, and he responded, “Oh, please, stop,” while his hands gestured for me to ‘keep going.’  He was a funny guy and very appreciative of his fans. I had him sign my Halloween II and The FOG vinyl dust jackets as well as my posters for The FOG and The THING.

The final guest I met that Friday at Fan Expo was Tommy Lee Wallace. Before he directed his own Halloween film, Halloween III: Season of the Witch, Wallace worked with Carpenter on his earlier works. I had him sign my vinyl dust jacket and poster for The FOG.

With the convention’s first night winding down and my Friday goals complete, I headed back downstairs to the vendors and towards the exit. On my way, I spotted a woman selling custom frames. One was specific to John Carpenter: a wooden frame painted black with images of his film posters decoupaged all around. The frame was made for an 8×10 photo, and I bought it specifically for the selfie I’d just taken with him.

I grabbed a sandwich from the hotel coffee shop and a Gatorade. I didn’t stay up late, but my sleep was rocky, and during a bathroom break, my metal box fan got knocked off its stand and landed on my bare foot. Now I’ve got a purple big toe on my right foot to match the one on my left foot from C2E2. It’s a miracle that after this event, I didn’t have to use a wheelchair. Unfortunately, there were plenty more long lines in my near future.

Coming up…I’ll briefly step away from my Chicago Fan Expo coverage to discuss a special stop I made in June. 

Dave~