Since I was a kid I have been a fan of kaiju films. Every Saturday afternoon I would sit in front of the television set watching that week’s installment of the Creature Double Feature, as they showed such great films as Rodan, War Of The Gargantuas, Frankenstein Conquers The World and a whole variety of Godzilla and Gamera films. Yes they were cheesy but they were also a lot of fun and they are one of my fondest memories growing up.
This past Saturday was a day I both dreaded and anticipated with a flurry of events (none of which I wanted to miss) all converging at once. For starters, it was the weekend of G-FEST (Godzilla Festival) which I’ve attended faithfully with my kids since 2004. In fact, if you’re a Japanese monster fan, your entire calendar year pretty much revolves around it. Though it offers plenty of activities throughout the weekend, Saturday evenings are known for being the show’s climax with their highly anticipated costume contest.
The earlier portion of my day was spent covering an event hosted by my Brookfield Zoo AAZK (American Association of Zoo Keepers) Chapter and, after that, a Svengoolie appearance.
We’d just stepped away from Lita Ford’s table before stumbling into an argument between a Days of the Dead volunteer and an attractive blond. The dedicated staffer was giving the woman a hard time about entering the celebrity room without a convention badge. While frantically digging through her handbag, she pleaded that she was a scheduled guest and needed to get in. It was at that moment we noticed she was Jordan Ladd,from Death Proof, Hostel II, and Cabin Fever. and daughter of Charlie’s Angels, Cheryl Ladd. Needless to say, we wasted no time intervening on her behalf.
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!
Terror from Beyond the Dave 