So Monsterpalooza weekend is now in its final stages and I'm glad we were here to see the whole thing play out. Personally, I was worried about the convention moving to a new location; Burbank was just so small and intimate, it didn't seem like there could be a better place for it. If you were early enough to reserve room at the convention hotel, you got to really feel immersed in the community that you were there to celebrate with. everyone you met in the elevator or stuck out in the lobby was a potential new friend because you knew what they were there for. But the Pasadena Convention center ended up being a great place. There is more room in the vendor room and more rooms in general, which means a lot of panels and screenings (sort of...). One of my only issues was that all of the screenings were scheduled for Friday, the least attended day, and there was so much overlapping that you were forced to leave one thing prematurely in order to catch even a taste of the other. But even with that happening, we were able to see and experience a lot at this year's convention. And even though the majority of people weren't all staying at the same place, we still found a lot of that community that Monsterpalooza always manages to nurture.
We started our weekend off by getting lost trying to find our way out of the parking garage and to the convention hall, and in the process met the creator of Moggy Creatures, which I can't wait to see completed! You can check out the trailer at MoggyCreatures.com.
We also got to see the world premiere of Dry Blood, which I read about on instagram a while ago and have been waiting to watch. My fingers are crossed that this will play in one of the bay area theatres that I love so we can bring more of the Overlook creatures to watch it and give it a proper review. You can find out more about this new horror at their instagram and DryBlood.com.
Our night ended with the very small panel for The Lost Boys, which was carried on by Billy Wirth and G Tom Mac, who wrote the iconic theme song for the film. They shared stories about the filming the movie and memories with Brooke McCarter, who passed away in December of last year. Tom Mac put together a tribute video for the lost lost boy and performed the first acoustic rendition of Cry Little Sister.
Saturday, as with every year, was a lot more crowded at the convention center, which was when I realized how much better more room is for this convention. The exhibitor's hall was packed, but that number of people trying to cram into an even smaller hall would have been a punishment for sure.
Much of Saturday was also spent in panels, including a panel dedicated to the wolfman with speakers including Mike Hill and Mick Garris. They discussed decades of the wolfman, his impact on them and his evolution throughout the years. And yes, they talked about the 2010 movie.
The most packed panel that we went to that day was the Starship Troopers 20 year reunion panel with guests Dina Meyer, Casper Van Dien, and Jake Busey. It was like a group of old friends getting together after years to talk about their high school days! Super relaxed and a really fun panel. And it definitely made me want to re-watch Starship Troopers, since it's been at least ten years since I've seen it.
There's something so exciting about walking around the same convention hall as real life monsters, even if they are just people with makeup on. Even as I'm writing this, I am constantly getting distracted by the intricate and creative costumes people are wearing. It's something we don't get to experience every day, and something that would be hard to explain to someone who wasn't already on the same page about how fun conventions are. The day before we left the bay area to drive down to Pasadena, my coworkers were staring at my Predator shirt baffled and simply asked, "Why?" while gesturing to my favorite movie monster. And I've been thinking about that moment a lot this weekend. I realized I'm as confused by their question as they are for my love of horror. Even if they can't understand loving monsters and slashers, I think they can relate to loving a community.
Which is why I can't wait for next year!
-Huntress
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