Days of the Dead (associated with New England’s Rock n’ Shock) has a tradition of mixing up their horror related guests with notable rock musicians. Past examples include original members of KISS; Ace Frehley and Peter Criss – with Frehley slated to return this November for their Chicago event. The two interests do go hand and hand and, for further illustration, the immortal Gene Simmons will be appearing at the Fright Night Film Fest in just a few short weeks.
The inimitable “Russ Wrangler” arrived at my place around 1pm; all smiles and full of energy. Clad in sunglasses and sandals, he looked more prepared for a day at the beach as opposed to a horror convention but clearly the overall message was “vacation” and a welcomed one at that. We loaded my things and immediately embarked for Indianapolis with no lulls in conversation, making the drive go by much quicker.
This was my third Days of the Dead in Indianapolis (fourth overall) and Russ’ second. I remember attending the very first one while being impressed with how fan-friendly it was; something I’d hoped hadn’t changed. It seems like fan conventions of any kind start off slow and friendly and, should they find success, later become out-of-control Goliath’s with the fans getting lost somewhere in the mix.
And so the busy horror convention season begins…
It’s been over three months since I returned from the Cincinnati Horrorhound Weekend and, while there hasn’t been much going on horror-wise since, it’s been pretty busy behind-the-scenes. This is in the form of a much needed period of restructuring while preparing for July. I’m not sure if everyone out there is aware of this, but July can be as busy a month as October in terms of horror activities. Lots of events and more Svengoolie too! I’ll be covering as much as I can, though my true juggling expertise shall be demonstrated on Saturday the 13th when I attempt to cover G-FEST, a zoo event, and a Svengoolie appearance all in one day. Whew!
A lot of folks in the horror world have been buzzing about the latest big screen zombie opus, World War Z. The film is based on a book written in 2006 by Max Brooks and is notable for starring aging heartthrob, Brad Pitt. Despite initially an interesting trailer, there’d been disheartening tales regarding production problems and reports that the story basically was being developed as they filmed. Not a good sign. Still, it was a zombie movie and I was compelled to check it out.
It was a muggy day here in Chicago when national horror host, Svengoolie, made his annual appearance at The Little Boots Rodeo in Elk Grove Village. Last year was my first visit to this event and, in regards to weather, was far worse with direct sunshine and even higher temps. At least today there was a breeze – though it’s worth noting that even if it had been hailing fireballs I’d probably still of shown up.
(From Midnight Syndicate) On July 19, Midnight Syndicate will release it’s sixteenth studio album, “Monsters of Legend.” This “tribute to the golden age of horror” will feature sweeping symphonic horror instrumental music and sound effects in the signature style the band pioneered. “We want to make you feel like you are a character in one of those classic horror films – that you’ve entered a world where any one of the iconic characters from the Universal Horror and Hammer Films could be right around the corner,” said composer Edward Douglas.
Terror from Beyond the Dave 