With all the time we spend traveling to haunts and to the occasional convention, you can imagine our surprise when fortune finally smiled upon us and someone decided to set up shop right in our own backyard.   We first heard of Monster-Mania Con at last April’s Chiller convention. Chiller takes place in North Jersey in the Meadowlands. Holding 2 conventions a year, we seldom have the opportunity to get there in October with our busy schedule, but try to make the spring show when we can. (Then it is really just a stone’s throw over the bridge into NY City for dinner at Jeckyll & Hyde’s). We won’t be making the convention this April due to a prior commitment, but it sounds like another good time. (For more information visit chillertheatre.com)   Last year was the first year for Monster-Mania Con, and for a fledgling event, they hosted an impressive guest list as well as a respectable amount of vendors. I contacted Dave Hagan, founder of Monster-Mania Con to get the scoop on last year’s event as well as what we can expect this year.    Dave, a webmaster to such horror celebrities as Caroline Munro and Yvonne Monlaur, was regular vendor on the convention circuit. Accompanied by his son, on a trip home from a convention in Pittsburgh, the idea was born (not much to see on the road home from Pittsburgh). Starting out innocently enough… “If you were planning a convention, what would you do, who would you have?” By the time they arrived home, they had mapped it all out. Sitting at the computer, Dave put together a website for the event, and not taking it live, but showed it to his son… after that, it was a matter of putting the plan into action.   So just how do you go about lining up those guest stars? Well, as I stated, he knew Caroline Munro (Hammer Horror Star and James Bond Girl) and Yvonne Monlaur ( Brides of Dracula, Circus of Horror), and he knew Ben Chapman (The Creature from the Black Lagoon) from the convention circuit, and they were all willing to take part. Next was reuniting Ben Chapman with Julie Adams (Creature from the Black Lagoon) and the rest was “cold calling.” For anyone in sales, this part might come easy but for those of us that spend our days behind a computer, it is near agony. My most dreaded HF duty is to have to pick up the phone and make that first contact “Hi, this is Cindy from HauntFreaks.com” so I can only imagine the work that goes into lining up these guests.    Dave agreed, one of the hardest parts was actually finding out HOW to reach the stars he sought. One guest who contacted him this year had actually been contacted last year, but with the twists and turns of publicity people and agents, the invite never reached their ears. Probably the most pleasant surprise came when he landed the Chiodo Brothers, Stephen & Charles (Writer, Director, Designer & Creators of Killer Klowns From Outer Space). What an honor to host them for their first EVER East Coast appearance. Sadly, they had some awesome artwork for sale in their room, and we made the mistake of “We’ll come back later” and did not make it in time, the room was closed when we returned later that day.   And the list kept growing, adding on Hazel Court (Curse of Frankenstein, Masque of the Red Death, Premature Burial, The Raven) in what was only her second US convention appearance. And who can forget Joe Bob Briggs? Another rarity at East Cost conventions. We managed to catch pieces of the guest speakers, but so much to take in, we were not able to stay thru an entire session with any of them. The vendors were plentiful and room was a little tight as with most conventions of this nature. Adding to the difficulty maneuvering thru the aisles would be the PARENTS who believe that their BIG JOGGING STROLLER is appropriate to haul Junior’s little bum around in any place they so choose. (Sorry, pet peeve).   We bumped into Ed Long & Damien Glonek, the “Living Dead Doll guys,” our friends at “Great Jones World” (an awesome collectible store located in New Hope, PA), the crew from “Frightland” (Delaware) and I picked up an autographed copy of “The Misadventures of Dreary & Naughty.” We’d met the artist Shawn Dubin once before through our Frightland connections and we’re happy to see another artist find his audience.   We shopped a little longer and returned home for a while, planning to return later for the costume contest, which would turn out to be the only disappointment of the convention. In all fairness, the costume contest at Horrofind its first year was not a smashing success, yet the second year, they scarcely had the room or time to judge them all. And harkening back to my earlier comment about the strollers, it is of no surprise that 11 year old children with store bought costumes were voted the favorites by the attending audience. Votes were based on popularity, so it really was not a reflection on the convention itself, but we couldn’t help but feel contestants who had spent hours applying latex etc., were unduly dismissed by the crowd.   According to Dave, the contest may not be returning this year.   And if any of the guests I’ve mentioned have you chomping at the bit, be advised that there will be few repeats, but a whole new line of celebrities, including, the infamous Robert Englund (Freddy Kreuger), Dave’s “2004” pleasant surprise. Others honoring the convention this year will be 93 year old Lupita Tovar (star of Universal’s 1931 Spanish Dracula) provided her health holds out, Candace Hilligoss (Carnival of Souls) as well as Ricou Browning (The Creature from The Black Lagoon). Ben Chapman will also be present, giving horror fans a double does of the Creature, land and sea, other returning guests are Hazel Court, Caroline Munro and Betsy Palmer (Mrs. Voorhees from the Friday the 13th films). Betsy was brought back by popular demand, Dave had received numerous emails requesting her return.   Also returning will be Bubbles, the daughter of Philly’s own “Dr. Shock” to present the “Dr. Shock Award.” For those of you not familiar with our horror host, Dr. Shock first came on the scene in 1969, with a Saturday Night horror show, “Scream In,” as well as an afternoon double feature, which began at 2 PM every Saturday with “Mad Theater,” which was immediately followed by “Horror Theater.” Dr. Shock continued to entertain Philly fans until his untimely death in 1979 at the young age of 42. Bubbles was a regular on the show, in an effort to not frighten younger viewers, the young miss would knock on his casket to wake the Dr.   All of this, just part of the entertainment, movies, monsters, Rocky Horror, Bands… it was a convention for all ages and interests, and we look forward to visiting again this year and wish Dave and the rest of the crew another successful year.

for more info on this years event check out their web-site: http://www.monstermania.net

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