Wow! What a great show. Horrorhound grew this year so much. 2018 saw the end of an era for Horrorhound. They moved from the old venue Marriott Indy East to the newer and much bigger JW Marriott downtown. Right off the top I will talk about the set up and what I heard from others at the convention who have attended previous Horrorhound Weekends. 2018’s Indy show was good and bad, but mostly I would say call it ok. The new location was made in hopes to offer more space and allow more fans come shop, meet celebs and see old friends. The vendor hall was in one room with Maskfest, rather than being split into two rooms it was one room. Out in the “lobby area” there were celebs lined up by the windows, which worked as the celeb room in the former venue. Bruce Campbell was in his one room, no one could see inside the room. Robert Englund was in another room with the kids from IT. This was strange, the “A-listers” Keifer Sutherland and Jason Patric were two floors down and kind of, well not even close to the action. This was also the same for the Indie film screening room and the main stage for panels. So the event took place on the third floor, the screening room was on the first floor. To get to the screening room, you had to go down to the second floor, go around the hotel’s Starbucks and down another escalator. Silly. That was so inconvenient and to be honest, I hated it. It was back and forth, up and down all weekend. The previous venue was wonderful, sure at times it did feel cramped, but everything was on the same level and not downtown Indy, which to me, was better.
The crowd was massive and the guests were plentiful, I think if you plan to do something like this again, find a way to make it easier on everyone. I wonder if the celebs in the “lobby area” liked being there, on display. Some of the old issues were still there, just like the old venue. On the far side of the vendor hall, celebs like Lori Petty, Melinda Clarke, William Zabka and others were against the wall across from vendors, like our friends at Scream Team Releasing. It was a big cluster of people, just like the last few times. I suggest, someone else set up the vendor hall, because it was a mess, perhaps use an actual convention all, which there is one across the street from the JW Marriott. Still, it was not as bad as Days of the Dead Indy. I don’t know if Wizard World Weekend is any bigger, but they rent out the football stadium in St. Louis and it is huge and offers tons of space. I think Lucas Oil Field would be a great place to host, provided the Colts are not in town, which they were. In 2005 I went to Star Wars Celebration in Indy. It was held in the convention center I mentioned. More people attended that convention than Horrorhound, hell talk to the people at Gen Con.
I miss the old venue, I am not a fan of the new venue at all. It isn’t some thing where I don’t like change or whatever, no not at all. Too much was spaced out and it was more intimate in years past. Whatever, I guess I will have to endure. Even if I did not care for the venue, I still had fun. Horrorhound Weekend Indy deserves to be in a real convention center, you know, those buildings are made for conventions.
Ok, the show, I had fun. I enjoyed seeing old faces, Justin Seaman (the Barn), Cory Holliday (Vile Consumption), Eric Huckisson, Volumes of Blood) and some of my favorite T-shirt vendors like Pallbearer Press. But for me, the show was made in meeting some of the people I have interacted with online, Zane Hershberger, Drew Marvick (Pool Party Massacre) and Nathan Milliner (The Confession of Fred Krueger). For me, that was my favorite thing about this Horrorhound, I did meet Justin at Days of the Dead, with the crew from Night of Something Strange. But even better, I got to send most of my time with Jared Letourneau and Morgan Jewel Sawan from The Horror Syndicate. It was the first time we had been together, we are the members from the Midwest. Jared from Kansas, Morgan from Texas and I St. Louis.
I bought so many movies, Dude Bro Party Massacre III, the Dark Military and The Witching Season(review coming soon) all from our friends at Scream Team Releasing. Stopped by the Arrow Video booth, where the man who ran the booth made me a great deal on Basket Case, The Slayer and the deluxe the Hills Have Eyes. Later on Saturday I ran by Severin Films and asked some questions and left with the Changeling, Beyond the Darkness and Eaten Alive. I got a few shirts from Atomic Cotton, and a Horror’s Hallowed Grounds shirt as well. I had too get one, I love the show and finally met Sean Clark the creator and host of the show. He is kind of a hero, he does what I want to do and he dropped some juicy possible news on us as well.
I had the chance to see Vincente DiSanti and Drew Leighty at the show. Vince saved Jared and I a seat at the Never Hike Alone screening, which was awesome. Before the show, Kane Hodder did a Q & A and he got emotional and it was amazing. The level of respect I have for that man is through the roof. Earlier that day I finally got to meet Adam Marcus, the director of Jason Goes to Hell. He is awesome, super friendly, hugs and hand shakes all around, he signed my Crystal Lake Memories book and I think he will be coming on THS Lives! soon. So that will be awesome!
The last thing I want to mention. This con was jam packed with celebs. I little of everyone. For me, it was all about the women of horror. Some of my personal favorites, Melinda Clark (Julie, Return of the Living Dead 3) and Tuesday Knight (Kristin, A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master) were great! But, in June I met the most popular of the Nightmare women, Heather Langenkamp, but now, I finally got to meet my big time crushes, inculding Amanda Wyss (Tina, A Nightmare on Elm Street), Lisa Zane (Maggie, Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare) and…I am sweating thinking about her, LISA WILCOX (Alice, Dream Master and Dream Child). I walked in the room and I saw Amanda and my face turned bright red, I looked a little further and there was Lisa and I thought my heart was going to beat out of my chest. Amanda told me I looked familiar and thought we knew each other and was possibly the best celeb interaction I have ever had. Lisa was super sweet and I was so nervous I did not get to say what I wanted to say. But, I got to have a picture with both and it was wonderful. Lisa Zane was close to her brother Billy in the back of the vendor room and I just simply walked up and told her ” I love you!”. She smiled and I told her I was super excited to meet her and she has the best voice ever…I was so memorized by her, I walked away without my autograph, she stopped me and gave it to me, such a sweet and gorgeous woman.
Overall, I had another great time at a wonderful horror convention, it proves to me that horror conventions are the best, with some of the best fans in fandom.
By the end of the show, I was beat, but before I could leave I got a message from Nathan Thomas Milliner. He directed a segment in Volumes of Blood, well both and The Confession of Fred Krueger. He is also one talented artist and a friend. We met of social media and we seem to be kindred spirits. I was happy to meet and I feel like we could have stood and talked all night about, hell, everything. It was a great way to close out a great show.
Thanks Horrorhound, we will see you next year…even if it is in the JW Marriott.
Days of the Dead Chicago…you are next!
