Horrorhound Report March 2k8

Horrorhound

So we went to the Horrorhound Weekend last Saturday, and I have to say, it was a fun, if somewhat underwhelming experience.

I've been to conventions before, so I know not to expect too much in some areas, but I've also been to The Dark Carnival, which in its first year was so awesome as to be mind-blowing. I think it's really a question of emphasis. DC is a film-festival, with two solid days of things to see, panels to attend, shows, etc. It's focused squarely on the enterainment.

More regular conventions like Horrorhound are, on the other hand, focused on merchandising. Autographs, photos, stuff to buy, and tons and tons of bootlegs.

Seriously. I don't think I saw one legitimate video sale booth, but I saw a buttload of bootleg cartoons and porn.

Well, the porn might not have been bootlegs.

Horrorhound had very little in the way of activities compared to DC. A few movies, a panel or two, and that's it (except for the costume contest, more on that below), over 3 days. The merchandise room was all right, for killing about an hour and spending a hundred bucks. Don't get me wrong; we picked up some cool stuff there.

We hit the Dark Carnival booth of course, and got some t-shirts, and a copy of Stupid Teenagers Must Die, which the roommate loved from the festival itself.














We also got some DVDs autographed by Tom Savini, which was awesome. I know it makes me a pagan, but I really love the 90s remake of Night of the Living Dead. It was one of the first zombie movies I ever saw, on late night tv, and it holds a special place in my heart. It's unrelentingly grim and close and confining, and doesn't go overboard on splash or effects, but keeps everything scary with a no-nonsense directorial approach, facilitated by Savini's brilliant effects, which hold up even today far better than the CG head-splodey you get in so many zombie films.



Savini himself is wonderfully laid back and friendly in person. I was honestly a bit shy around him. Most celebrities I don't feel that awed by, but something about bothering Savini for autographs, even on DVDs we purchased there, made me feel embarassed. He was incredibly nice about the whole thing, and had a policy that if you bought anything from him to sign, he'd sign your other stuff too. Thus we bought 2 dvds and he signed our home copy of Dawn of the Dead for free, which was great. Now I have Night and Dawn signed, and my brother in law Ted got Dawn to take home too.

Maybe I just feel more like he's an artist than most famous people. He created literal, physical art, after all; human sculptures designed to terrify. They work, too, and he is pretty much the undisputed king of his craft. He's the best Zombie Sculptor in the world. That's pretty impressive.

Finally, we picked up some nifty pub glasses that reference Shaun of the Dead rather shamelessly.



I was also able to score an autographed photo of Sammy Terry for my sister, who is a big fan. Terry takes the time to talk with each person, and they're willing to sign things for as little as a dollar, which is really something. The man clearly cares about the fans, coming out at his age to do conventions like this.

So you can definitely find some fun at a place like Horrohound...

But to entertain yourself at a convention like this, you need a lot of money.

A lot.

Dark Carnival was 35 bucks, I think, for 3 days of free screenings, a drive-in performance, and two solid days of the Festival. Horrorhound will cost you the same for 2 and a half days of wandering around in a room full of stuff to buy. There really is no comparison.

Of course, it's still a ton better than the Star Wars Celebration I went to, where there were several times too many people for the event and you couldn't get in to see anything at all. Plus it cost 70 bucks for 2 days.

I don't mean to bash Horrorhound too much though; there was definitely fun to be had. For example, there was a costume contest that the roommate and I crashed at the last minute in our Giant Leech costumes...


We tied for 1st Place in the 'Best Random Costume' contest, which was awesome.

Here are the prizes we got, which are pretty nifty. Except for Alien vs. Predator, of course.






Well, that about wraps it up for Horrorhound. I think we'll go again in August, but probably just for Saturday again. We can really hit all the stuff we want to hit in a day or so, and it helps to staunch the wallet bleed. Plus I'd really like to enter another costume contest; I have an idea for the next one that would be really special.

It's Too Cold For News

Nevertheless, I brave the elements for you.

Interview with the Doctor and the Baron
Just so everyone can have a taste of what our Saturday Nights are like.

Source: Atomic Age Cinema (Youtube)

Gee, I Never Saw This One Coming
Whenever you hear the term 'voter fraud', in America, just substitute the words 'complete Republican fantasy'.

Simply put, there is no significant voter fraud in America. It doesn't exist on any scale to concern people. It's a phantasm of the Right, that hates the dark skinned people with such a passion that the thought that just ONE of them might vote without having registered first drives them into a blithering rage.

They always craft these laws to deny as many minority voters the right to, err, vote, as possible. It's a classic strategy to shave votes off the Democratic candidates.

Source: USAToday



Fundraising Oddities
The Polar Bears club swam off of New York in 42 degree water as part of a traditional New Years event/fundraiser for sick kids. All well and good.

It's not so much the swimming in icy water as the swimming in New York's icy water that shocks me, personally. Though the cold might help to lull the Lovecraftian horrors into a deeper sleep, and thus actually make it safer. Who knows.

Source: Raw Story

Being Religious Means Never Having to Say You're Sorry
They're trying to make a big deal out of this story on the Right, I suppose. A woman was loudly reading the Bible to her kids on a public bus and was asked to, you know, be quiet so as not to disturb the other passengers. She refused, they threw her off for being disruptive.

She claims it's religious discrimination. Of course, if you were reading Harry Potter, she'd probably spit in your face and say you were trying to molest her kids.

Folks, don't be noisy on a public bus. It's not your right; it's rude. I don't care what you're reading.

Source: Some Local TV Thingummy

100th Post Take Two

Note the (hopefully) working new format, which makes linking to sub-sections easier. Wheee.

Fungi From Yuggoth

So it seems that there's a fungal infection, commonly called Valley Fever, that has long afflicted the Southwest, from Texas to California. The spores live in the soil, so it's best not to disturb the dusty, arid wastes if you can help it. Even so, the vast majority of people who catch it have no real problem, and then get lifelong immunity. For a couple percent, though, it's a pretty gruesome death.

However, things are a bit different in the 'Gee This Sounds Like a Horror Movie Locale' town of Pleasant Valley. There, the disease has always been rampant, and a prison in the area has been crippled with the fever.

(We discussed this a bit at Atomic Age with some friendly fellow down from Indy in search of a Rocky Horror show, who had stumbled upon our gathering instead. Basically, if you want certain death, you name your town something idyllic and peaceful. Pleasant Valley, Crystal Lake, you know the type. So we proposed that, in the name of public safety, you should name towns things like 'Reeks of Open Sewer', 'Pedophile Town', or the Pratchettian 'Don'tgonearthe Town')

At any rate, despite being a soil born illness, it's spreading and sickening larger numbers. Arizona had to declare it an epidemic, and the range overall is expanding. Nobody knows why, though new construction might be to blame.

So, yeah. The fungi from yuggoth are here to kill us all.

Source: The New York Times

50 Worst People

An interesting list of people to despise. Though I imagine they might get misunderstood for their item on 'The Troops'. From context it's pretty clear they mean the mythological, monolithic block that a Republican is always referring to... "We've got to make sure The Troops get what they need", "We've got to support The Troops", and the like.

The Republicans obviously don't mean real soldiers; if they did, we wouldn't be slashing their benefits, warehousing them in shitty barrack housing while they wait for VA care, denying them treatment for their mental illnesses after they get home, and the like. No, it's all for these Troop fellows, which I think is their point as well.

Whoever those jerks are, they should stop mooching from our Veterans.

Source: The Beast<

The Huckabeast
So Huckabee says that homosexuality is a 'choice', that his faith defines him, and that he'd be ok with atheists in his cabinet.

Good luck finding one who'll work for you, bible-thump. Though some people can swallow almost anything for money; you might try to find an atheist streetwalker.

Source: Raw Story

Hungry in America
Here's a story to turn your stomach, no pun intended.

There's a little girl named Hannah Devane who is allergic to pretty much all food. She has a rare immune condition that causes part of her immune system to attack her esophagus whenever it detects food that she's allergic to. Which is unfortunately just about all food. The damage from these attacks is progressive and cumulative, so it's best to avoid any food that would cause them.

Fortunately there is a process, though agonizing, to find safe foods to eat. There is also a hypo-allergenic foodstuff/fluid that is safe for such people to eat in the meantime.

Unfortunately, her insurance won't cover it. They'd rather she starve.

But the insurance program that covers her family through her father's job as a New York City police lieutenant has stopped paying for the formula, which costs $1,200 a month. Food supplements and other over-the-counter items are not covered under the family's insurance, the prescription plan administrator said.

It's nice that a paper pusher gets to make our medical decisions for us, isn't it?

Dr. Barry Wershil, a pediatric gastroenterologist at The Children's Hospital at Montefiore in the Bronx, doesn't hide his indignation over the insurance hurdle.

"This kid can't eat food," he said. "This formula is her only source of nutrition. The insurance (provider) saying they will not cover it is a travesty. It's like telling a diabetic they can't take insulin."

I say to you all: Hell is too good for these insurance people.

Source: Lower Hudson Online

Pink Floyd Was Right

So the Children's Minister in England has put out a report telling teachers to mellow out when little boys want to play with toy guns or lightsabers, that it's not the apocalypse if a kid wants to be a little rambunctious.

The teachers groups are responding with outrage at this assault on their never-ending battle to snuff out all joy and happiness in their charges.

Hey, teachers, leave them kids alone!

Source: The Guardian

Christmoween in Pictures

Last night the fair city of Bloomington, Indiana was plagued by a menace from beyond the veil of death itself:


Zombie Santa!

This repulsive monstrosity, cast out by both Man and God, was spotted in and around the downtown area, distributing toys and candy to the least reputable of our citizenry.

Accompanying the foul spectre on its unholy mission was another undead abomination, herself once a jolly and humble elf, dedicated to bringing the joys of the Yuletide to one and all.

Now merely a rotting, shambling husk, she brings only pestilence and death!

Authorities urge all citizens to remain indoors, and to avoid any and all contact with these foul and twisted creatures. If spotted, please notify emergency services immediately, then return to your televisions and resume watching It's a Wonderful Life until normalcy is restored.

Time Travel is Hazardous

So December 8th was Act Like a Time Traveler Day. I almost missed it, but one of the rooomate's crazy friends reminded me. We had to do something, but only had about an hour to improvise.

The solution? Pretend to be a dystopian future traveler, and run amok at Atomic Age. It was great, though I may have startled the poor Doctor, which is saying something. Long story short, the roommate acted as a lookout inside, while I waited for our squidy host to arrive. I managed to cook up a decent costume by applying wound makeup, lots of fake blood, dirt to look disheveled, and not shaving for the day.

When he had arrived, I ran up to him, grabbed him by the shoulders, and did my best Michael Biehn.

"What's the date?"

He pauses, confused, looking around, then answers something like December 8th.

"THE YEAR?"

"20, err, 17"

"THERE'S STILL TIME!"

Then of course I ran out to the car, changed my clothes, shaved my stubble off, put on my nice jacket, and sauntered in, as if to be oblivious to the events that had transpired.

Pretty standard I suppose, but still a lot of fun. Plus the Doctor has a new bloodstain on his jacket.