Last weekend, I attended my first Chicago All Monsters Attack convention, an offshoot of Days of the Dead. This made perfect sense because I’ve seen fewer days as dead as this one. The show was at the Crowne Plaza in Rosemont (right across the street from my last adventure, Nightmare Weekend), which coincidentally used to host the similarly themed G-FEST (Godzilla Festival). After attending G-FEST for over twenty years, my eldest son, Alex, and I were curious how they’d compare.
Last year’s G-FEST (Godzilla Festival) had the distinction of being the only one I’ve missed in the last twenty years. However, after the event’s two-year Covid hiatus. it almost felt like going again for the very first time. I should mention that although I grew up a Godzilla kid and do enjoy the movies, my sons, Alex and Luke, are the true fans. Their seemingly innate fervor for Japan’s most famous monster is what inspired me to bring them to G-FEST back when they were grade schoolers and now, at ages 25 and 19, their devotion has remained remarkably steadfast. This year, I decided to reassert our G-FEST tradition and spend a family weekend there together, this time as adult fans.
I’m pleased to welcome back Mark Spangler for another one of his insightful reviews…
In the days of yore, we quaked to Quasimodo, dreaded Dracula, and feared the Frankenstein monster. The wolfman had us howling while the mummy had us screaming for mommy. Soon came atomic monsters, horrors from Hammer, and later still, demon-possessed little girls, slashers, freaks, cannibals, and zombie hordes. There was and still is much to be afraid of when we venture out into the darkened theaters we love so well. The most terrifying element in the history of the horror film, however – or any genre for that matter – is the dreaded “s”’ word. Yes, we’re referring to the unmentionable, the taboo, the hideous… subtitles.
While sharing the books I read in 2021, I admitted failing my Goodreads goal of twenty-five books. Rather than lowering the bar, I decided to reaffirm that target for 2022 and, this time by golly, I’m confident I’m going to reach it. In January alone, I finished eleven books – just four less than I did in my entire 2021. In contrast to last year’s selections, I’ve been enjoying more modern novels with just a few old “Paperbacks from Hell” thrown in. Instead of dropping one big recap at the end of the year which was, quite frankly, a pain in the butt, I’m going to review some throughout the year. Hopefully, it’ll prevent a lengthy post while also keeping me accountable for my goal. That being said, I couldn’t be happier with my first read of 2022, “Near the Bone” (Berkley/2021) by Chicago author, Christina Henry.
It’s been almost exactly two years since Mark Spangler contributed to this site with his illuminating expose of The Ninth Gate. Today, he’s putting the spotlight on an old physical media release worth revisiting. Welcome back, Mark! – Dave
Back in 2001, Brentwood Home Video released a ten-film set of genre films entitled “Vault of Horror”. You may have seen this collection lying in wait, like the proverbial evil monkey’s paw, amidst other compilation releases of questionable origin. Brentwood is noted for its bootleg DVD and Blu Ray releases, but don’t let that stop you from picking up this nifty little package if you get the chance. As is to be expected, the transfers on these discs aren’t the best… audio is uneven at times and the “extras” are laughable, but the stories, acting, and directing in some of these movies more than makes up for these deficiencies, provided one can overlook the fade-to-black annoyances that scream “movie of the week” on some of the selections. The early-to-mid ’70s saw the production of some notable TV movie horror (“Night Stalker”, “Trilogy of Terror”) and while the TV fare in this set isn’t that good, there is stuff here you may have overlooked that’s worth seeing.
Although I’ve attended every Horrorhound/MASK-FEST for the last eight years, this one had me nervous. Having outgrown their old Marriott hotel guests were treated to a significantly larger (and pricier) one last year that didn’t seem to make a lot of folks happy. This year they finally graduated to the Indianapolis Convention Center – a venue I’d last visited back in 2005 for STAR WARS CELEBRATION III. I had no doubt it was large enough but was primarily concerned with the logistics and parking situation. Thankfully, it couldn’t have gone better. The 2019 Horrorhound Weekend would prove itself not only a winner in terms of organization but a true fan-pleaser by offering THREE events for the price of one. In addition to Horrorhound Weekend and MASK-FEST, there’d be a third show called Fact or Fiction featuring notable personalities from the world of the unknown. So if you’re a horror fan who’s also into UFO’s AND Cryptozoology like I am, this was the event you’ve been waiting for!
Terror from Beyond the Dave 