Horror Convention Coverage

FANGORIA's Weekend of Horrors convention
© 2001 Creation Entertainment

California Screaming

By: Anne Moore
Date: Wednesday, September 19, 2001

Vampires, apes and ghosts, oh my!

No, the aforementioned weren't the cast of the latest monster movie spoof, but part of the guest list at FANGORIA's 15th annual Weekend of Horrors convention, held in conjunction with Creation Entertainment August 11-12 in Pasadena, Calif.

This FANGORIA con had one of the best guest line-ups in recent years, with a variety of stars stretching from a DAWN OF THE DEAD reunion with Ken Foree and Scott Reiniger to Tony Todd of the CANDYMAN series, Mexican wrestler Mil Mascaras, and David Naughton, the tragic lead in AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON. On-stage presentations ranged from a NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 4 reunion with Lisa Wilcox and Andras Jones to a femmes fatales panel with Denice Duff (SUBSPECIES II, III and IV, SONG OF THE VAMPIRE), Ariauna Albright (WITCHOUSE 2) and Brinke Stevens (AMERICAN NIGHTMARE).

More question-and-answer sessions followed with acclaimed makeup artist Stan Winston, BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER's punk vampire Spike (James Marsters), a rare appearance by author/director Clive Barker (discussing the new BOOGEYMAN DVD), and a PLANET OF THE APES dialogue with Booth Colman (Dr. Zaius from the classic television series) and Eric Greene, author of PLANET OF THE APES AS AMERICAN MYTH. Along with the always-anticipated previews of upcoming genre movies such as DOG SOLDIERS, FROM HELL, HOLLYWOOD VAMPYR, ELVIRA'S HAUNTED HILLS and JOHN CARPENTER'S GHOSTS OF MARS, there were several special guests and surprises thrown in for good measure.

BOOGEYMEN THE KILLER COMPILATION highlights the most terrifying boogeymen in the scariest scenes of all time

Was that enough? Not for this convention. Actors from Roger Corman's original LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS graciously signed autographs while a friendly chimpanzee from the APES planet wandered through the crowd, curiously checking out the females and occasionally showing aggressive behavior toward the males. But he did stop to pose for photos with the crowd.

A makeup artist showed off his talent as he turned actor/stuntman Richard Cetrone into "Big Daddy Mars," the villainous lead in GHOSTS OF MARS. The full process took over two hours, and the results, complete with face and body piercings, tattoos, a long dark wig and body armor, made for a very formidable-looking warrior.

The BOOGEYMAN display caused a traffic jam in the hot and crowded dealers room as a dozen or more fans, as well as some genre writers and actors, played the game section of the DVD -- guessing scenes from various classic horror movies. The competition got a little wild, with people shouting out answers and comments in an attempt to pick the right title. (It isn't as easy as it looks. BOOGEYMAN would be a perfect game for a party. Well, maybe for some parties.)

For fans that like a little crossover science fiction with their horror themes, Robert Picardo, the holo doctor from STAR TREK: VOYAGER, showed up at TREK expert Richard Arnold's table to sign autographs, as did James Horan (SONG OF THE VAMPIRE). Horan has performed as five different characters for the STAR TREK franchise, completing his last show in "Broken Bow," the pilot episode of the new ENTERPRISE series. In the episode, Horan plays an unnamed figure assisting the Suliban, a never-before-seen species with its own agenda against Starfleet.

FANGORIA's Weekend of Horrors convention

Other surprise visitors varied from Joey the pet rat to Jason Marsden, who had just completed HOW TO MAKE A MONSTER for HBO. In the movie, part of a series called CREATURE FEATURES based on the Sam Arkoff films from the 1950s, Marsden plays a computer programmer hired to create a monster for a video game. Then the creature comes to life and begins killing people for their body parts.

The official guests were entertaining as always. While some of the producers and actors were on hand merely to promote their new product, many were there because they are true fans of the genre almost as much as the audience. This enthusiasm was evident as they answered various questions from fans and assertive journalists. Some of the interesting responses included:

JOHN CARPENTER:

If you didn't have any budget limitations what would your dream project be?

"I don't think I really have a dream project. I used to have a science fiction novel from the '50s that I wanted to make. It's called THE STARS MY DESTINATION by Alfred Bester. But I realized after developing the screenplay that it only works as novel. It doesn't work on screen. I think for my work having budget imitations is a helpful thing. I don't think I'd want the kind of pressure that goes with making an open-ended film. I couldn't have done something like PEARL HARBOR. I would have been throwing up every day."

JAMES MARSTERS, ACTOR (BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER):

James Marsters a.k.a. BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER's Spike, talks it up with fans at the August 2001 Fango event.

What's happening between Spike and Buffy?

"I'm going to try to be the guy she wants to have. I can be reformed while trying to get her to love me. It was my idea last year to put Spike in Riley's clothes. What does Buffy like...? Wholesome. I'll try that. That's when Dru comes into town and reminds him who he is and he goes back to the blacks [clothing] right away.

"Spike is not going to do anything that will piss [Buffy] off. He's still evil, but he's in love. As a matter of fact he's a little closer to the original Spike who was in love with Dru. [He's a typical man] who will do anything to get in. He'll be a superhero if he thinks it will work. If he thinks she'll bite on that, he'll don a cape. You don't get much more heroic then saving little kid sister [Dawn]. I'm still evil. I'm... just horny."

CASSANDRA PETERSON A.K.A ELVIRA (ELVIRA'S HAUNTED HILLS):

What was it like working with Richard O'Brien, the man who created THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW?

"I love working with Richard O'Brien. We first wanted Mick Jagger for the role [owner of the haunted castle in ELVIRA'S HAUNTED HILLS] and then we even talked to Richard Chamberlain about the part, but I think Richard O'Brien was the best choice. He's really amazing."

KEN FOREE, ACTOR (DAWN OF THE DEAD):

What have you been up to recently?

"I'm just finishing this restaurant [Deli Lite in Long Beach, Calif.] and we're talking about our next projects right now. I've got five horror scripts and two of them I'm really excited about. I'm going to produce and act in them. One's about a mortician and the other is [about] a psycho."

SCOTT REINIGER, ACTOR (DAWN OF THE DEAD):

The cast of the original LITTLE SHOPPE OF HORRORS: (L to R) Jonathan Haze, scribe Chuck Griffith, Mel Welles and Jackie Joseph.

When did you realize you were working on a movie that was going to change this genre?

"The first moment [I realized it] was in the basement scene. Remember that scene when all of the zombies are down there? Well, when we came to shoot that scene that was my first clue that we were on to something something much larger than I could possibly imagine. When we walked into the cage it was just disgusting, I have to tell you. All of the zombies were ready and there were entrails everywhere. It was pretty horrifying. It looked so real. I looked over to George [Romero] and I said, 'You know, this is really disgusting'. And he just smiled this evil smile and he said, 'Yeah, I know.'"

MIL MASCARAS, MEXICAN WRESTLER AND ACTOR:

What are your thoughts about American wrestling and do you plan to make another movie?

"There is a lot of wrestling in the United States. It's not just the people on TV. In California there are plenty of arenas, small arenas, yes, but good ones. It's not like before, wrestling is serious, but now it's all a big soap opera. But if people like it, give it to them. And I plan to shoot [another movie] in the Tijuana/San Diego area this October."

DAVID NAUGHTON, ACTOR (AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON):

What else have you been working on besides films?

"It's a [stage] show called ACTOR, LAWYER, INDIAN CHIEF. ... It's the Clayton Moore story The Lone Ranger -- who was told to cease and desist from the movie company from wearing the mask and appearing in public, doing personal appearances. ... I play the guy who defends him, a character called Red Rock, a TV hero who's an older man now. It's a very touching musical. We did the world premiere in a little theater in St. Louis to see where the problems were in the script. This is the way to do it to try to change stuff instead of waiting to get to New York, then do it with a full budget and close in two weeks. It's a labor of love and a work in progress."

JACKIE JOSEPH, ACTRESS (LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS):

A make-up demo at the August 2001 L.A. Fangoria Weekend of Horrors.

What about your fans and the nostalgia for the original LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS?

"Even now, when I'm in a restaurant and someone recognizes you... you hear in the distance someone going, "Feed Me." Ah, a fan is nearby. With normal jobs, if you work two days, you never see the people again, but we can't get rid of each other. We're always being asked to do special things, a special screening and we say fine. Jonathan [Haze] and I just got back from Baltimore and fans came in from all over the country. They all dress up like monsters, but have a Mayberry mentality. It's really sweet."

JEFF RECTOR -- ACTOR, WRITER, PRODUCER, DIRECTOR (FATAL KISS):

What is the story behind FATAL KISS?

"It's a very dark comedy, kind of a TALES FROM THE CRYPT. It's a short film, about 38 minutes, and we've entered it in film festivals all over the world. We got a couple of friends to be in it -- Ted Rami, James Karen, Carel Struyken and Kato Kaelin. It's a very dark tale about a guy who finds out that his wife has been cheating on him. He sees an infomercial on vampirism and decides to become one of the undead in order to exact his revenge. It's a very dark tale about jealousy, revenge, betrayal and vampirism. I wrote it a long time ago and decided now was the time to make my first film. I got the Garabedian brothers, Vahe and Vache, to produce and we're all very excited about it."

JOEL EISENBERG WRITER, PRODUCER (HOLLYWOOD VAMPYR):

"What we tried to do here was the first legitimate film about real vampires and the gothic subculture in Los Angeles and around the world. We wanted to be accurate and not judgmental in the portrayals [of people] in the goth scene."

MUSE WATSON, ACTOR (HOLLYWOOD VAMPYR):

"It was a great vacation to do this film. I didn't have to kill anybody."

Ken Foree and Scott Reinigner reunite for the DAWN OF THE DEAD panel.

DENICE DUFF, ACTRESS (SUBSPECIES SERIES, SONG OF THE VAMPIRE):

What are you currently working on?

"I just signed a three-year contract with YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS to play Amanda, MacKenzie's mom for any of you who watch the show. I'm also editing a movie I directed and starred in, SONG OF THE VAMPIRE.

"I just want to inspire all of you that you can do this too. I didn't go to film school, but I apprenticed, I suppose, being on the other side of the camera for 10 years. But what I love is, if you're really enthusiastic about getting something done, people will listen. People with money love enthusiasm. It makes them confident that their money will go to good use."

California Screaming

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