Held this year at the Sheraton in Atlanta, it was a step up from the conventions's debut in Atlanta last year. There were more dealers and if I had the money to spend would have walked away with a King Diamond action figure as well as an Ilsa She Wolf of the SS shirt. But I'm broke so avoiding spending money this year. The guests could be just as easily approached leaving the bar as they were at there tables , so I ran into both Tom Savini and Danny Trejo. I also saw Eddie Munster and Eerie Von wandering around ,the latter I did not recognized with out his devil lock. The Cosplay , was in full effect but of course couldn't compare to Dragon con, I was working with Chambers of Horror so as a Con rarity for me I spent Saturday night in costume as well. So you know it was me as the creepy old man being wheeled around I the wheel chair, sometimes with a giant green phallus.
The Hotel was easier to hang out in, the security seemed a little too tight at the Ball Saturday night, where Feind Without a Face played, the band featuring members of Mastodon , not the movie they were named after. Sure coffee was overpriced and their wasn't a con suite to help make up for thatif but oh we'll it was a block away from the same food court that hosts dragon con , so my. If treat was a trip to dairy queen on sat.
When this con rolls through your town it is worth the trip, particularlly if you are a collector as there DVDs of movies I hadn't even heard of being made which is rare and several titles which it would be impossible to find torrents of, as well as t shirts and toys galore. A lot of it did deviate from the horror genre as there were alof of Masters of the Universe figures as well as Superheroes.Aside from the action figures I think Metal could have been represented a little better..aside from Ace Frehley and Eerie Von being there. Since I think at risk of crossover into the bounds of my other blog Abysmal Hymns, that since the eighties horror has played a essential role as they soundtrack to horror movies.
I think this Con is headed in the right direction, in Atlanta we have Dragon-con, which has had years to develop so the temptation to weigh it against it aren't fair as it is still in the toddler stages. I think the inclusion of fan panels would be a smart move even though this is a Travelling brand of a convention like the comic con brand , just with out the weight behind the name like Comic con has, I think reaching out to their local connections would be wise to create more participation and a greater variety of things to do. The inclusion of the Splatter Ball which featured live music and performances helped keep the party moving and things alive past midnight. I mean come on its a horror convention , things that go bump in the night is what it's all about so getting the night bumping is crucial, perhaps later hours for the main rooms , making it more nocturnal event would be fitting. I mean who is going to something at noon that's when most people should be waking up. All night movie marathons, hosted by the starts would be a great touch as well.
So my top ten list of things I enjoyed and things I want to see...
Not in any particular order
1- the new and improved dealer room
2-finally recognizing Eerie Von
3-later running time
4-more costumes
5-King Diamond action figures
6- there was less emphasis on zombies
7-Circus Envy's booth
8-the Sheraton being a better hotel than last year
9-seeing such a large number of my friends in one place
10- Ace Frehelys security precautions
To improve
1- go bump the night all night
2- horror movie marathons
3-more metal...and where was the death rock?
4-well Alice Cooper might be more fitting than Ace
5-sluttier costumes
6-more panels
7-less Star Wars and Masters of the Universe
8-a haunted house would be cool there...
9-Creature for the black lagoon in the pool?
10-more occult oriented things
