BIGGER THAN EVER

Of the hundred-plus horror-related conventions held each year, the ultimate for any true gorehound is Fangoria’s Weekend of Horrors in Los Angeles. And like any good monster movie sequel, each installment gets bigger and badder. That is definitely the case this year.

After 25 years of holding the event in cramped hotels, Fango kicks down the doors and takes over the world famous Los Angeles Convention Center (1201 S. Figueroa St.) for their Creation Entertainment event that runs April 25-27.

“For us, this is the big one,” Creation Entertainment Co-CEO Adam Malin said. “We’ve been building up to this flagship event for a long time.”

The Weekend of Horrors is moving from a space of 15,000 square feet to nearly 100,000 this year. Now with a world class venue, Malin said the goal is to take the event to the next level, making it on par with San Diego’s Comic-Con, only for horror.

“We’re five times the size now,” Malin said. “That gives us much more room to encompass programming and other content, vendors, displays, film shows and other types of event details. We’ve also committed a much larger budget for production, programming and venue to make this a stand out event.”

Malin and company have assembled an incredible line-up of more than a hundred guest celebrities this year, including horror masters George Romero (“Night of the Living Dead”) and Clive Barker (“Hellraiser”).

Romero, who was just an aspiring filmmaker setting out to make a little movie called “Night of the Flesh Eaters” in 1968 with a group of his friends, will take part in a 40th anniversary celebration of said film. Romero served as co-writer, director, executive producer, editor and cinematographer on the project. Of course the movie with a budget of $114,000 ended up being released as “Night of the Living Dead” and it jump started his career and the zombie subgenre.

Joining Romero at the convention will be co-writer John Russo, producer Russ Streiner, and cast members Judith O’Dea (Barbra), Marilyn Eastman (Helen Cooper), Kyra Schon (Karen Cooper), Bill Hinzman (zombie) and George Kosana (Sheriff McClelland).

Romero and company have been making the convention rounds this year. Though the 78-year-old filmmaker, often dubbed The Godfather of Zombies with five living dead films under his belt, is not a horror movie fan himself, Romero recently told PopSyndicate.com he loves conventions.

“It’s actually great fun,” Romero said. “I don’t really have fun doing any of the promotion stuff. I’d rather be home playing with the cats. I like the convention stuff because I get to meet the fans. I have 16-year-old fans and 70-year-old fans. I feel like because they’ve been around long enough my stuff has had a shelf life and it’s very gratifying. They’re friends (the fans) and usually we get a chance to go to the tavern at the end of the day. So I love going to conventions, actually.”

Perhaps Clive Barker, the creator of “Hellraiser” and “Candyman” will join Romero for a drink. Barker will be at the Fango Con previewing the latest movies adapted from his writing “Midnight Meat Train” and “Book of Blood,” while “Candyman” himself Tony Todd, also of “Final Destination” and “Hatchet,” will be at the convention as well.

A few other top notch guests include “30 Days of Night” creator Steve Niles and the film’s producer Rob Tapert, who also produced “The Grudge” and the “Evil Dead Trilogy.” Tapert co-founded Ghost House Pictures with Sam Raimi in 2002. He is scheduled to make a rare on stage appearance with a preview of the upcoming slate of Ghost House movies. Schlockmeister Ted V. Mikels (“The Astro-Zombies”) will also be at the convention, as well as directors Joe Dante (“Gremlins”), Eric Red (“The Hitcher”), Brett Leonard (“Feed”) and Jim Isaac (“Skinwalkers”).

The original slasher “Psycho” and its sequels will have a little reunion at Fango with guests from all four movies. Included in a panel discussion will be “Psycho” assistant director Hilton Green, part two’s writer Tom Holland, part four’s director Mick Garris, “Psycho Legacy” documentary director Robert Galluzzo and various cast members from the films.

Other film panels that are scheduled include “The Black Waters of Echo’s Pond,” “Evilution,” “Autopsy,” “Feast” and “Wicked Lake.” Danielle Harris (Jamie Lloyd of “Halloween 4” and Annie of Rob Zombie’s “Halloween”) will appear with Electra and Elise Avellan (Babysitter Twins of “Grindhouse”) on “The Black Waters” panel. Discussing “Evilution” will be Billy Morrison (of the band The Cult) and director Chris Conlee. Appearing on the “Autopsy” panel will be director Adam Gierasch and co-writer Jace Anderson (“Mother of Tears”), while the “Feast” panel discussing sequels to the Project Greenlight film will include director John Gulager and screenwriters Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton (“Saw IV”). “Wicked Lake” will be discussed by director Zach Passero, producer Chris Sivertson and Robin Sydney (“The Gingerdead Man”).

Other iconic horror actors like Tony Todd attending, include Sid Haig (Captain Spaulding of “House of 1,000 Corpses” and “The Devil’s Rejects”), Angus Scrimm (The Tall Man of “Phantasm”), Ken Foree (Peter of “Dawn of the Dead”) and Scream Queen Tiffany Shepis.

But perhaps nobody will be as busy as Jigsaw’s protégé Amanda (Shawnee Smith) over the weekend. The always hard working Shawnee Smith (“Saw,” “Repo! The Genetic Opera,” “Slaughter”), who stars on TV’s “Becker” as Linda and formerly fronted punk/metal band Fydolla Ho, will be available for autographs and appear on stage Saturday. She will also be doing photo ops all three days. Smith is one of the main draws with her duo act Smith and Pyle at the creepy cocktail party that will feature The Reggie Bannister Band. Actress Missi Pyle (“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” “Big Fish”) makes up the other half of Smith’s music group, which was once called Polly Speaks. They’ve recorded their debut album of southern-fried country rock with Queens of the Stone Age producer Chris Goss. “It’ Okay to be Happy” is supposed to drop sometime this year.

Aside from the cocktail party, bonus attractions this year are a creepy costume contest, a spooksmodel contest, a frightful film room of indie horror premieres, horror tattoo artists, a giant dealers marketplace “filled to the rafters” with horror merchandise, and an incredible Shock-N-Roll Spooktacular, featuring nationally renowned band Nekromantrix, the legendary DJ Bundy and a horror fashion show from The Coffin Girls.

Various other celebrities appearing over the course of the weekend include actor Jonathon Schaech (“The Foresaken”), actress Patricia Tallman (Barbara of Tom Savini’s “Night of the Living Dead”), splatterpunk authors Craig Spector and John Skipp, director Ryan Nicholson (“Live Feed”), rockabilly star Johnny Legend (“2001 Maniacs”), actor Robert Picardo (“The ‘burbs”), visual effects guru Everett Burrell (“Pan’s Labyrinth,” “Hellboy,” “Sin City”) and artist Gris Grimly (who’s most recent project has him writing and directing the short film “Cannibal Flesh Riot!”).

“Hellboy II: The Golden Army,” “The Happening,” “The Mummy 3,” “The X Files 2,” “Case 39,” “Daybeakers,” “It’s Alive,” “Doomsday,” “A Tale of Two Sisters,” “Trick ’R Treat,” “Scar,” “Shutter,” “Alone in the Dark 2,” and “100 Feet” are among the other films that will be represented at the convention with trailers, previews and possible panels.

For more information, to purchase tickets or other Fangoria convention tour dates, visit FangoCon.com.

- Chad Clinton Freeman, March 2008