Flashback Weekend: The Rise of Svengoolie!

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Flashback Weekend Continues. NOTE: This post written before the events of Friday September 20th, 2013…

Joined by my friends, Bill and Joan Yingst, we walked around the convention hall of Flashback Weekend commenting on the various dealers and their home-made horror products. In lieu of my recent (and numerous) summer convention visits, I thought I’d pretty much seen everything but Flashback did manage to surprise me none the less. Items such as customized Boba Fett/Evel Kinievel figures are things you definitely don’t see every day…but should at least once in your lifetime!

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Nancy Loomis cuts through THE FOG at Flashback Weekend!

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When people list their top favorite horror films, they no doubt mention John Carpenter’s Halloween almost immediately. Sure, I like the movie and absolutely consider myself  a fan, but let me commit Horror Heresy over here by saying it’s NOT my favorite Carpenter classic. In fact, I’d put it solidly in 3rd Place with THE THING and THE FOG sharing a healthy lead. As I’ve recently delved into my love of the science fiction masterpiece, THE THING, while covering THING-FEST in July (seen HERE), let’s discuss the often overlooked horror film, THE FOG…

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Heading Back to Flashback Weekend!

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With little recovery time after The Fright Night Film Fest it was time to embark on yet another convention…well, technically TWO of them! Flashback Weekend is an annual Chicago horror tradition and by happenstance, Wizard Con (a giant comic convention and yet another yearly feature), was taking place the same weekend and directly across the street. This hurled the town of Rosemont, Illinois into geek gridlock with poor Flashback in danger of getting swallowed up by its much larger neighbor,  

Ironically, before this site started, Flashback Weekend was the only horror convention I’d ever go to and yet the only one I didn’t attend after the fact. I’m not sure why that is but I’m thinking the numerous July season of events I started covering rendered me both too tired and broke by the time this August one rolled around. In that regard, the circumstances this year were no different if not more so.

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The Redemption of Gene Simmons…

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(The Conclusion of Gene Simmons at Fright Night Fandomfest)

“Just go in there and enjoy a nice a conversation with Gene Simmons,” the staff person told us before leading us into a small room with a table of snacks (cheese and crackers) and non alcoholic beverages. There was a line of chairs set up in a half circle with Gene Simmons standing in front of them…no sun glasses this time.

Simmons: Come on in and make yourselves comfortable, that’s what this is all about. Feel free to grab yourself a refreshment. Ah…nice to see we have some women in the group.

One of them offered Gene a bottle of Snapple which he happily accepted (though he never opened it during this discussion). “See? This is why it’s nice having women!” he said. “Men just grab what they want and sit down but a woman will make sure you’re needs are met first.”

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Gene Simmons gives my Svengoolie shirt a KISS Make-over!

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(Gene Simmons at Fright Night Continues)

The door opened and we were escorted into a large ballroom full of empty chairs facing an almost equally vacant stage. There stood Gene Simmons in front of a long table, arms folded. He was clad in a dark blazer, button down shirt and jeans while wearing sun glasses. With his head tilted up, it almost looked like he was trying to recreate the Sphinx cover from the KISS Hot in the Shade album.

Making the journey towards him in silence was nerve wracking enough before Simmons started  snapping at the crew member accompanying us. “You DO realize that at the rate you’re moving we’ll be getting through about sixteen people per hour, don’t you? You HAVE done this before, correct?”

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