Greetings faithful readers!  On Saturday, November 19th, 2016 I had the pleasure of attending the New Jersey Comic Expo, which was held at the NJ Convention and Expo Center in Edison, NJ.  The organizers were gracious enough to grant me a press pass, and I am glad I attended this show.  (I intended to do so anyway.  The press pass was a nice development.)

First a quick note about the registration and check-in process.  (Boring, I know, but important.)  The on-line registration process was easy and so was the check-in process.  The staff member who checked me in was friendly and courteous and it took all of 30 seconds to check in and obtain my badge.  The security staff and event staff throughout the show were also all very friendly.

The NJ Expo Center in Edison is basically just a big, wide-open space.  It's up to each show to decide the layout.  The setup of NJ Comic Expo is basically the same as other conventions that take place in a similar space.  Aisles of vendors, artists, dealers and others, separated with tables or "pole and drape" type setups.  There were separate sections called "Artists Alley" and "Cosplay Corner" (more on that later), which I thought was a good idea, and there was also a separate area for the celebrity guests that were in attendance.

Before I continue, just a quick note on the celebrity guests.  I understand why conventions like this have them.  A lot of fans like getting autographs, and I am certainly one of them, but I was very glad that this convention was not centered around celebrity autographs and photo ops.   I felt they had a nice number of guests and the ones who were there were appropriate to the venue.  Catherine Dyer and Randy Havens from "Stranger Things" were both very nice and personable.  Steve Coulter ("The Walking Dead", "The Conjuring") and Major Dodson ("The Walking Dead", "American Horror Story") were also there, as was the awesome Lew Temple, who is always a great convention guest.  

OK, that's enough about the celebrity guests!!

The array of artists, authors, comic vendors, toy dealers and other vendors at the show was amazing.  I walked the entire show floor multiple times, and spent a lot of time talking to many vendors that caught my eye.  Everyone I spoke to was very nice, but there is something very important I want to point out.

At every convention I go to, there are always a few vendors or artists or dealers who are sitting behind their table, playing with their phone.  I get that there is some downtime if there's a lull in traffic, but that is the EXACT time you should be standing up, making eye contact, and engaging with people!!  Why should they stop at your table if it seems like you're bored and don't want to be there?  I just don't get it.  I made two purchases for no other reason than the people were friendly and engaging, and they drew me in, told me about their offering, and convinced me to make a purchase.  THAT'S the way to work a convention!!  

There were many great artists and writers on hand, some, such as Neal Adams (Superman, Batman, Green Arrow) and Fabian Nicienza (Deadpool) are very well known, and others might not be, but it's that kind of diversity that made the show interesting. 

I know I'm all over the place, but I just want to make a note about the attendance at the show.  I thought it was well attended, but not so busy that you couldn't take your time and see everything, and there wasn't a huge crush of people in the aisles, which was great.  As I said, I was able to spend a good amount of time speaking with everyone.  People ask me how it compares to New York Comic Con and the answer is, there really is no comparison.  That does not mean I am saying NYCC is better, it's just different.  That show is so huge that it can be overwhelming.  A show like NJ Comic Expo is great in that you're not shoulder to shoulder with everyone.  There's plenty of room to stop and chat or to take pictures, which is a welcome change from some of the "giant" shows that are out there.  

There were tons of other artists there, with an dizzying array of offerings.  New comic book characters, new graphic novels, creative interpretations of exiting characters.  It was fantastic.  

The merchandise vendors were great as well.  Tons and tons of interesting finds if that's what you were looking for!

Like most comic conventions, cosplay was a big part of the show, but, before I get to that, I want to mention the amazing array of vehicles that were at the show.  If you're a fan of cars that are used on TV and in movies, you would NOT have been disappointed!  The Batmobile, The Mystery Machine, ECTO-1 and more, they were all there and they were awesome!

The cosplay at this show was awesome.  I am always amazed at the time, effort and craftsmanship that people put into their costumes. They also always have so much fun doing it.  Watching the cosplayers interact with the fans, and especially the children, is always a lot of fun.  There were quite a few well known cosplayers in attendance as well, the most "cosfamous" of which was Ivy Doomkitty.  She is always very nice, and it was a pleasure seeing her again and chatting for a few minutes.  Vegas PG Cosplay, Lua Suicide, Kay Victoria and a few others were there, along with my friends from Superheroes Unlimited (they are a LOT of fun!)

There were a ton of other cosplayers there all day, either hanging out in Cosplay Corner taking photos, or wandering around the show interacting with fans.  Again, it's always so much fun talking to them and taking pics.  I must admit, I get a little selfish.  Instead of just taking pics as "press", I always want to be in the photos!  Thankfully, I usually have a friend or two with me who will oblige and take some photos.  Yes, I'm just a big kid at heart!

Well, that about wraps it up.  Overall, I had a great time at this show.  It was well run and well organized, and the staff were all friendly and courteous.  It's a busy show but again, it's no so crowded that it takes twenty minutes just to cross an aisle.  You can spend time with each artist of vendor without feeling like you just need to get out of the way.  There are also a lot of "free" spaces where you can go to take photos with your favorite cosplayers without being in the way.

I had a great time at this show, and I can't want to go next time!

​-The Horror Nerd

"Everyone is entitled to their opinion!"  How many times have you heard this today...or this week...or this month?  It's become a very overused phrase in my humble opinion.  This may seems strange coming from me, considering that I constantly share my opinions about a great many things.  The problem it seems is that a great many people wield their opinions like some kind of weapon and it also seems that, on social media, these opinions are generally negative.

Lately I have been thinking about how social media impacts how we consume art and entertainment, particularly movies.  Personally, I feel that the impact has been negative, for the most part.  The minute any news about an upcoming film is released, my Facebook and Twitter feeds will light up.  Any casting announcement, any plot detail, will generate a flood of commentary, most of it negative.  There are people who will bash a film based on a single promotional image that is released years before the final film hits theaters.

Two recent examples of this (as of the writing of this article), are "Ghostbusters" (2016) and "Suicide Squad."

As soon as it was announced that "Ghostbusters" was being rebooted with an all-female case, the Internet went nuts.  People went batshit crazy over the fact that one of their beloved movies was being recast with all women.  From now until the end of time, I will be convinced that a good percentage of the naysayers were just sexist dicks who simply couldn't handle this.   When the first image of the ladies in their costumes was released, it got even worse.  Social media went absolutely apoplectic over it, to the point where I had to just stay away for a few days.  That's how relentless it was.  From the minute the film was announced, to the day it came out in theaters, the negativity just went on and on and on.  Then, when the film was finally released, all of the negative "reviews" came out.  I am still quite sure that many of these people never even saw the movie.  Even if they did, they couldn't wait to run back to their computers to let the world know how much the movie sucked and how they were "right" all along.  As I write this, these same people are still gloating over the fact that the film is projected to lose money.  This Horror Nerd is so glad that he does not need this kind of validation.  

For the record, I actually liked "Ghostbusters" (2016).

Another good example is "Suicide Squard", specifically, Jared Leto's joker.  Again, from the minute the casting announcement was made, to the first promo image, to the premiere of the film, people went bananas over this.  They couldn't seem to handle the fact that the filmmakers were taking the character in a new direction, both in appearance and personality.  Once again, once the movie was released, people whipped out their phones to make sure we all knew how much Leto's Joker sucked.

The point I am trying to make here is not so much about people expressing an opinion.  That is certainly not going to change.  My point is that in today's world of instant news and social media reach, I'm wondering how it all affects how we consume entertainment, specifically films and TV shows.  Does the relentless negativity have an effect on the box office take or on TV viewership?  I am not sure, but I tend to think that it might.  Let's face it, movies are expensive, so if people see nothing but negativity written about a film, perhaps they are less likely to go and see it.

Beyond that, I think all of it has, overall, a negative impact on our collective enjoyment of film.  Even though I personally do not care what someone else thinks of a film (I either like it or I don't), reading nothing but endless negativity does have an impact on me at times.  It just wears me down.  Especially this drive so many people seem to have to be "right".  As soon as the first negative review of a film hits the Web, some people will post "See!  I knew it was going to suck!" Well, good for you junior!  I hope you can sleep better tonight feeling that way.

Negative opinions about a film, even before it was been released, are nothing new.  When Michael Keaton was cast as Batman for Tim Burton's 1989 film, people scoffed, saying he was too much of a comic actor.  Well, that turned out fine, didn't it?  There are a thousand other examples.  However, back then, news items about a film were much more scarce.  We didn't know about casting choices or plot details 2 years before a film hit the theaters.  We heard or read tidbits, but we didn't really get a lot of information until the first trailer hit.  We also didn't have the Internet (yes, I am old) and even after the World Wide Web came along, we didn't have social media for a while, so while news about upcoming films would be posted to websites, people raging about some casting decision didn't have the ability to share their lovely opinions with the entire world with just a few keystrokes. Today, that's all different.  A website posts information about an upcoming film, and ten seconds later, everyone knows what everyone else thinks about it.

So.....rather than drone on and one about this, I will close by saying that I don't think that overall the Internet and social media are a bad thing when it comes to our shared experience with film and other entertainment.  I do enjoy reading about what my friends thought of a particular film, or TV show.  However, I do think that social media overall does cast a shadow of negativity over all of it.  If a casting choice or plot decision is the least bit "controversial", people who consider themselves custodians of a particular property will spew their vitriol all over everything, and we're forced to just wade through all of it.  All I can say is, don't let it consume you.  If you're interested in something, go check it out, and judge for yourself.

Until next time.....thanks for reading!

The Horror Nerd

Allow me to preface this by saying, "No cosplayers were harmed in the writing of this article."  What I mean to say is that I have many friends who are into cosplay, and this post is in no way reflective of anyone specifically.  I've been noticing some trends in the cosplay world, and I thought I would comment.

I first started "noticing" cosplay around 2010 or so, which is when I went to my first non-horror related convention, or comic-con if you will.  I saw so many people dressed up as their favorite characters, and I thought it was really cool.  They put a lot of time and effort into the costumes, and I could tell they were very dedicated to it.

I made friends with a lot of them, and through social media, I was able to keep up with their cosplays, and then we'd meet up at conventions and it was always a lot of fun.

Over the years, I also became familiar with most of the "famous" cosplayers, Yaya Han, Jessica Nigri, Ivy Doomkitty, etc.  These people also put a lot of time and energy into their costumes, and I was usually pretty impressed.  However, for some of them it seemed to be more about being famous than about the actual cosplay.  Now, dear reader, please do not misunderstand.  This is just a personal observation, and I'm not saying they are bad people, it's just that I noticed that for some it seemed more about the fame than about the actual costumes, when all along, we had been told that was not the case.

OK, so let's set aside the "big names" for now.  They are not the focus of this article.......

Many of the cosplayers I followed, regardless of "notoriety level", would offer signed prints, or other memorabilia, as a way to earn money to buy materials for future cosplays.  I have no issue with this. I do not begrudge anyone the right to make a dollar, and I am all for free enterprise.  Over the years, I purchased many prints.  It's a memento for me, and it helps out people that I have come to like and appreciate.  Most of the cosplayers in question were very grateful.  I receive handwritten notes from many of them, and I also received emails or Facebook messages thanking me for my contribution.

Then, over time, it seemed to change a little bit.  For several cosplayers, I noticed that they were constantly asking for money.  My newsfeed became, to a certain degree, constant "spam".  Then the crowdfunding campaign requests began to roll in.  Indiegogo, GoFundMe, you name it.  People were constantly asking for money to either support their next cosplay, or help them get to a certain convention.  I started to think, "Wait a second.  I thought this was a hobby?"  I have a lot of friends who have all sorts of hobbies and interests, and none of them have ever asked for money to support those hobbies.  I have friends who collect autographs and movie memorabilia, and none of them ever started an GoFundMe campaign to help them go to an autograph convention.

Again, let me make it clear.  This is America, and I have no issue with this in principle.  If people want to ask for money, and other people want to hand it over, it's a private transaction between too people.  I should also state that the cosplayers did provide certain perks, such as signed prints or exclusive photos, or other things like Skype chat sessions.  Again, the cosplayer got some money, and the fan got something that they felt had value to them.  Full disclosure, I did contribute to a small handful of these campaigns, but these were for people who I had met in person and who I considered friends.  

Now, as I write this in March of 2016, the latest request for money seems to be in the form of Patreon.  For those who are not familiar with this, cosplayers can set up a Patreon account, and people can become "Patrons", and contribute various amounts, per week or per month.  The cosplayer offers different rewards at different "tiers". Again, this could be signed prints, exclusive photos and videos, or other types of perks.

Once again, it's up to each person to decide where to spend their hard earned money.  If they want to donate $25 per month and get some exclusive photos out of it, fine, go for it.  

I must say, some of these cosplayers seem to have the right idea. Some of them are receiving hundreds, if not thousands of dollars per month.  I'm starting to think I am in the wrong business!!  Now, I know I run the risk of sounding sexist, and I thought of ways to try and be diplomatic when saying this, but the fact is, the vast majority of the cosplayers who are making the most money on Patreon are the ones who engage in "sexy" cosplay.  Again, there is NOTHING wrong with this, and I am not judging.  I guess it just goes to show that people are willing to pledge a certain amount of money, every month, in order to receive pictures of beautiful women in sexy costumes.

Where am I going with all of this?  Well, I guess my question is, when cosplayers say they "do it for fun" and "it's a hobby," are they really being sincere about that?  Is it really just a hobby for some of them, or is it more of a career?  Even if it has turned into a career, is there inherently anything wrong with that?

I must say, I have mixed feelings.  I have many cosplay friends and I follow their efforts very closely, and I love meeting up with them at conventions and events and taking pictures and having fun.  However, my news feed seems to have become a flood of requests for money. Not only that, but with a lot of them, I can no longer just purchase a signed print here or there.  I have to pledge a monthly amount in order to get these items, and for right now, I am just not willing to do that.  Something about it just doesn't seem right.  I am all for people making money, especially if they can do it as a by-product of doing something that they love, but there comes a point where it seems like overkill, and the constant requests for money can be a little off-putting.  There has to be a balance out there, and I hope we can find it.

Note: I purposely didn't add any pictures to this blog post, as I usually do because I didn't want to give the appearance that I was singling anyone out.   I love all my cosplay friends, and I admire their hard work and dedication, but I just felt the need to state my feelings on this subject, and I am sure there are others out there thinking about the same things.  

Please feel free to post your thoughts and comments!

​-The Horror Nerd

 I have been going to horror conventions and other "fan" conventions for about 16 years now.  When I first started going, they were not really a "thing" yet, and most people who attended were hardcore fans of whatever genre the convention was based around.  Horror fans at horror conventions, Star Trek & Star Wars fans at sci-fi conventions, etc.

Back then, very few guests charged for autographs, and they never charged to take table photos with them.  Over the years, things started to change, especially with the Internet and the advent of sites like Ebay.  Dealers figured out they could make money, and would show up at cons with stacks of 8x10s and other memorabilia for the guests to sign.  Eventually, the guests caught on, and figure that if someone was going to make money on their likeness and signature, it might as well be them.

Well, lo and behold, suddenly "agents" and "managers" came along, and they learned that they could make a cut on this (mostly) cash business, and the dawn of the "convention as big business" era was upon us.

Now, mind you, there had been "big" shows, like Fangoria Weekend of Horrors and the Creation Entertainment shows that were out there for a while, but these were not the norm.  These were the bigger shows that had the bigger stars, and everyone knew that these conventions would be pricier, and we had no problem with that.  There were enough other conventions out there to keep those of us who did not want to shell out big ticket prices happy.

This brings us to where we are today.  Fan conventions truly are big business, with guests charging ever higher prices for autographs and photo ops at their tables, and the latest travesty to hit over the last few years, the "professional photo op" where, for a significant price of course, you can have your photo taken with your favorite star, by a professional photographer!  Yay!  They will even print out the photo for you the same day, and sometimes even within minutes!  You line up ahead of time with hundreds of other people, get ushered into the photo room, stand next to your favorite guest for about 2.7 seconds, just enough time for the flash to go off, and they you're ushered out the opposite door.  Sometimes they'll even throw in a cool background or something like that.  ALL of this, for (from what I have seen) an average price of about $80, sometimes a lot more if it's a group or cast photo.

Finally, we get to my favorite.....the VIP ticket!  Convention promoters figured out that there are a lot of fans that are willing to pay top dollar for preferential treatment.  They are willing to pay hundreds of dollars for the right to get to the front of an autograph line, or front row seats at a panel.  Oh, they do get some cool goodies like a t-shirt and, the best of all, a special lanyard to go around their next, advertising their VIP status for all to see!

Now, I do not have a problem with this.  I really don't.  People can spend their hard earned money any way they see fit.  Here'my my thing though.  We are now at a point where a certain convention promotion has top VIP package prices of $700 and $1,400!  WHAT IN THE HOLY HELL IS THAT ALL ABOUT????  For $1,400, I don't just want to meet a cast member from Doctor Who, I want a role on an upcoming episode!  Are people really paying this??

Here's what I hate about this.  People don't seem to realize they are being bamboozled.  There are a lot of convention "newbies" out there, who think that high ticket prices, and high autograph/photo op prices are the norm.  These are people who had never been to a fan convention before, who are watching popular shows like "The Walking Dead", "Sons of Anarchy" and "Doctor Who" and want to meet their favorite stars from these shows, and they are willing to shell out a lot of money.  However, in my opinion, they are being fleeced.

The convention promoters know how popular these shows and these characters are.  They will see you a "regular" ticket, and tell you that, if you get there early, and are willing to wait in long lines, you "might" be able to meet your favorite star, but there's no guarantee.  However, if you are willing to shell out top money for a VIP ticket, we will guarantee you a spot in the front of the line!  Well, isn't that nice of them?  All of this for the price of either $700, or for extra special PLATINUM status, you can pay $1,400.

Now, to be fair, the $1,400 price gets you some other perks, like a 'personal guide' and line jumps to the front of all the guest lines (once per guest), but it's FOURTEEN HUNDRED FREAKING DOLLARS!

Where does this madness end?  I get that the top stars have high guarantees, and the convention promoters need to make money, but this is getting ridiculous, yet the fans keep paying.  They seem to be willing to shell out just about any amount of money to meet the stars of their favorite shows.  At what point are the fans going to just walk away?  Personally, I don't see it happening any time soon.  There are too many people showing up to these cons and willing to shell out this kind of money.  I personally have no problem telling a guest, or their handler, "Sorry, but that's too much," and just walking away.  The sun will rise just fine the next day without that autograph.  Like anything, it's supply and demand, and when the fans stop paying, maybe these prices will come down to earth.  I remain hopeful....

​The Horror Nerd

As I write this, the "mid-season premiere of season 6 of "The Walking Dead" has just aired on February 14th.  What a fitting show to rev back up on Valentine's Day, what with all the red stuff flowing so freely!


So, what did I think of the episode?  As I was watching it, my first thought was "Wow!"  Each scene was so well done.  There we so many  moments of tension and then action, and then little character driven moments.  The entire episode was excellent.  I have only one "fear" if you will, which I will discuss as soon as I say....

THERE MIGHT BE SPOILERS AHEAD.  IF, AS YOU READ THIS, YOU HAVE NO SEEN THE EPISODE, DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER.  YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!

There, now that I got THAT out of the way.....  My biggest worry about this episode is that AMC may have given us so much action, and so many character deaths and changes, that if, heaven forbid, the next few episodes are involve more exposition and character development than action, the notoriously fickle Walking Dead fans will, as they always do, complain that the show is "boring".  Die hard fans of the show, especially those who read the comics, understand that the show is NOT a "zombie show".  It's a human drama that happens to take place during a zombie apocalypse, and they just don't hold back on any of the gore an violence.  There are many issues of the comics where not much really happens, and the writers spends a lot of time developing the characters so that later, when shit goes down, we can understand their actions and motivations a little better.  Whenever this happens on the show, the next day, social media explodes with people whining about how boring the episode is.   I guess this is just typical of the short attention span audiences seem to have today.

​

The episode itself WAS filled with many great, action-filled moments.  I won't give anything away unnecessarily, but suffice to say that there was a lot of zombie munching going on, along with a heavy dose of human-on-human violence, which further reinforces the show's overreaching theme of "Fight the dead, fear the living."  The walkers simply do what they do.  There are no calculations on their part.  The humans inhabiting this new world though are what everyone should really be worried about.  This is further proved when we finally encounter some of Negan's gang.  Personally, I loved the leader of this group.  He was threatening in a mild way, and he was very funny.  As far as I am concerned, he had the best line of the series so far when he said, "If you have to eat shit, it's best not to nibble.  Bite, chew, swallow, repeat."  I LOVED it!!  I cannot wait for Negan to see how they are going to handle the first meeting, and I am looking forward to see how closely the show runners will stick to the source material. 

Speaking of which, I thought this mid-season finale did a great job as far as using the source material correctly.  There were some scenes and shots that were lifted almost directly from the comics, and there were some departures that made perfect sense.  One particular scene involving Carl was, I thought, handled extremely well, and I am looking forward to seeing how that plays out going forward.
​

As much as I love the show, there are always things that I can critique about it.  There are no perfect shows, and "The Walking Dead" is no exception.  One of the biggest things that is driving me crazy is what I feel to be the writers overuse of the "Let's put a character or characters in mortal danger, where all hope seems to be lost, only to have some last second, Dues Ex Machina event happen to save them."  They use it all the time, and they did it at least twice in the mid-season premiere. 
For me, this "will they die or won't they" ploy is getting a little tiresome.  I understand trying to build tension, and part of the show's formula is that you never know who is going to die and who isn't.  I just think that this particular technique is getting overused.

Overall, I still think that "The Walking Dead" is one of the best shows on television.  Yes, it's open to criticism, as ANY form of entertainment is.  I just want fans to realize that having a show like this, with it's massive audience, is good for genres like this, as studios realize that they are money makers.  When I see people complaining about horror becoming mainstream, I just want to scratch my head.  Isn't that what we horror fans have been fighting for?  For horror to become a respected genre?  

In closing, I will repeat something that I have said many times.  I do not grasp the incredible level of "hate watching" this show seems to inspire.  Every Sunday night/Monday morning, my social media feeds are filled with posts where people complain about how much the show sucks.   Why in the world would you continue to watch something you claim to hate?  WAIT!  I know!  It's so you can seem edgy and cool, I forgot.

Anyway, that's all for now.  Thanks, as always, for reading!!

-The Horror Nerd

Note: ALL images used in this post are copyrighted by AMC and this website makes NO claim of ownership or copyright.

On the weekend of January 14th - 17th, I had the genuine pleasure of attending the Macabre Faire Film Festival once again.  I have been to every MFFF since the festival's inception in 2012, it gets better every time and it truly is a "festival like no other."

Why do I say that?  Well, it's simple.  This festival is truly about the films and the filmmakers.  "But Horror Nerd, aren't they all like that?" you might ask?  NO!  They are not!  Festival creator, organizer and director LC Macabre (Elsie Ginsberg) has created a festival where filmmakers, actors, actresses, performers and film fans can all come together to share their mutual love of indie film making in an atmosphere of friendship and collaboration.  It gives film fans like myself a chance to interact with a diverse group of talented film makers and it gives film fans a chance to watch over 100 indie films, and to then discuss among themselves.

All of this happens in a truly fun, inviting atmosphere, with various panels and discussion groups happening throughout the day, which gives fans even further opportunities to glimpse into the world of film.  

This all culminates in an incredible red carpet gala and awards ceremony which really makes all of us feel like celebrities.....but more on that in a bit.

Thursday and Friday consist mainly of film screenings, all day long.  As one of the judges of this festival (an honor that I am incredibly proud of), I watched 140 films.  ALL of them screened throughout the weekend, and all of the short films screened twice, which is unheard of in the festival world.  THAT is the level of dedication and commitment that LC Macabre brings to this event.

On both days, I was able to re-watch several of the films, this time with friends, and then we spent the night discussing the films.  I was in film-nerd heaven.  Some more friends rolled into the hotel on Friday evening, and we spent the night talking, drinking and eating into the wee hours of the morning.   I can't stress enough the spirit of friendship and camaraderie that pervades this event.  The Horror Nerd was truly in his element! 

The highlight of Friday night, and one of the top highlights of the evening was our annual roast.  This year we roasted well-known indie actor Edward X. Young.  I was proud to be one of the roasters, and did we let him have it!  Trust me folks, he deserved ALL of it!  Ed was a very good sport and we all laughed our asses off and had a great time.  I can't wait to see who we roast next year.  Could it be me???

Another highlight of the weekend for me was attending a panel titled "How to be a Villain" hosted by actor Jasson Finney.  During this panel, Jasson coached us on what it takes to be a good villain, and then we all had to act out a monologue where we got to actually portray a villain that we created.  Jasson would then dole out advice so would could fine tune our performance.  We all voted as a group and selected a winner, (Father Evil), who then performed is monologue during the red carpet Gala.  The panel was fun and informative, and it was another great element of the weekend.

 Saturday was another day of checking out films, chatting with filmmakers, and hanging with friends, all leading up to the red carpet gala.

I've been to a lot of film festivals, and none of them have anything like this event.  From being escorted along the red carpet by a beautiful woman, to being interviewed by the press, to sitting for a dinner filled with great food and entertainment, it really was an amazing experience.  There were singers, dancers, magicians, comedians, an amazing fashion show and tons of other entertainment.

Everyone was dressed in their nice clothes.  (I must say, the ladies in attendance all looked dazzling, and the guys looked good too!)  We all really felt like celebrities for one night.

There was a lot of great entertainment and, of course, the awards presentations.  It's always a pleasure to see film makers, actors and actresses express the joy they feel at being recognized for their work.

Folks, I am telling you, if you don't come to Macabre Faire in 2017, and if you don't buy a ticket to the red carpet gala, you really are missing out on something exceptional.  

Sunday was my "wind down" day, which I really needed because I was exhausted.  I am getting to old to stay up until 6AM two days in a row!  I checked out a few more films, hung out with friends, and basically relaxed.  We then had our usual "farewell dinner" and said our goodbyes.  I HATE it when the MFFF comes to a close!

I cannot overstate how much I love this festival.  You might be thinking, "Horror Nerd, you're friends with the festival organizers, aren't you biased?"  Well, I might be, but don't forget, I became friends with all of these great people AFTER I fell in love with the event.  It was the event itself that I was impressed by, which motivated me to become friends with the people who put this amazing event together, and I am now proud to call Elsie and Adam Ginsberg "friend".  In fact, the entire Macabre Faire Family are now valued friends of mine, and I look forward to seeing them at various conventions and other events throughout the year.

I am telling you folks, if you don't go to the Macabre Faire Film Festival in 2017, you are really missing out on something special.  Click on the image below to go to next year's event page on Facebook!

Having been involved in the indie filmmaking scene in NJ/NY for some time now, I have seen a lot of things.  Mostly, I have seen talented, creative people living out their dreams.  I have had a chance to become friends with and work with directors, directors of photography, actors, actresses, and writers.  I have been able to run an event where I get to screen amazing indie films, and showcase the talents of the filmmakers.  All of this gives me great joy, and I am always grateful that I stepped into this world.

However, like anything else, unfortunately, there is a downside.  People talk all the time about the drama in Hollywood, but the sad fact is, it exists in the indie filmmaking world as well.

You would think that in an arena where studios are not handing out millions of dollars to filmmakers, and people are usually making films at their own expense, there would be a better feeling of camaraderie and family, but this is not always the case.  Don't get me wrong, I have managed to "align" myself with people who are very supportive of one another, but I have also seen the opposite of this.  I have seen and heard people knock and bash other filmmakers, and in some extreme cases, actively try to interfere with their work.

The Horror Nerd is not naive.  I know that it's simply not possible for everyone to get along all the time.  That's not how the world works, but when it comes to indie filmmaking, isn't it far better, and even practical, to just support one another?  I think some people see it as, "Well, if that fan is buying THAT person's film, then maybe that's one less dollar they have to spend on MY film."  My question is, isn't there enough success to go around?  If you make a good film, and word gets out, people will buy it.  There's no need to attack anyone else.  Then again, perhaps indie filmmaking is no different than any other segment of society.  Some people can only feel good about themselves if they are knocking someone else down.

Another thing I have noticed is that people pay far too much attention to things that are ultimately insignificant.  People get annoyed if they click "like" on someone's fan page or movie page on Facebook, and that person doesn't do the same.  Well, guess what folks?  It's just Facebook, and if you think that Facebook is the best way to promote your project, well, it ain't.  It's just a small piece of the puzzle.  Also, if you're going to keep some "cosmic scorecard" of who does what, ultimately you are going to be disappointed.  I know that I personally cannot keep track of every page I have "liked" or shared.  When I come across a request to do so, I usually will, but I am not on Facebook 24/7, so I am sure I have missed some.  If people want to hold that against me, there's nothing I can do about it.

I could ramble on and on about this topic.  The reason I even brought it up is because I have seen it more and more, and it makes me sad that there's so much drama and infighting in the indie filmmaking world.  Again, there IS enough success to go around.  Make a good film, get out there and promote it, and just enjoy what you are doing.  There is no "score" to keep, and if you do that, you are just going to end up leading an very unhappy life.

Remember.....SUPPORT INDIE HORROR!

-The Horror Nerd 

For several years, I had been hearing great things about Texas Frightmare Weekend, a horror convention that takes place during the first weekend in May each year down in Dallas, TX.  Finally, this year, I decided to bite the bullet, buy a plane ticket, and see for myself what everyone was raving about.  Well, I am very glad that I did.

Right from the beginning, it was a positive experience.  Ordering tickets is easy, the event website is easy to navigate, with links to local hotels which made getting a room a breeze.  I highly recommend getting a room in the same hotel as the event, which is the Hyatt Regency at Dallas/Ft. Forth Airport.  It's a five minute shuttle ride from the terminal, and has reasonable rates, and it's always convenient to stay in the same hotel as the event.

When I arrived at the hotel, there was an event registration desk where I picked up my wristband for the weekend, my program, and some other materials.  Even the wristband and program were impressive.  The wristband was heavy grade plastic and the program was more like a magazine.   The desk is open long before the show officially starts which again, makes it very easy to check in.

When the show opened on Friday and I first walked into one of the main ballrooms, the first thing that I noticed was that the celebrity guest tables are mixed in with the vendor booths.  I found this to be a bit unusual at first, but the more I walked around, the more I realized how well it worked and what a great idea it was!  I makes traffic flow smoothly, and it steers people who are there for autographs towards vendors that the might not otherwise have noticed.  The typical convention setup is to have the celebrities crammed into their own rooms, and the vendors crammed into different rooms.  This often means that many visitors never even make it to the vendor rooms.  I asked some of the vendors about this and they all love the setup.  I had several of them tell me that they make more money on a Friday at Texas Frightmare than they do in an entire weekend at some other conventions.

It also gives you a good chance to walk past a celebrity table, wave, say hello, and check out the items they are offering for signature, along with the prices (more on that in a minute).  Suffice to say, I loved the way this convention was laid out.  There were to giant vendor/celebrity rooms, a film screening/panel room, and some other, smaller rooms where different activities were taking place.

I felt that the mix of vendors was excellent as well.  There were your usual t-shirt, poster and print vendors, but there were also people selling carnivorous plants, masks, custom artwork and creepy things in jars with formaldehyde.....you know, stuff you can buy for mom and dad!  I had fun checking out all the awesome merchandise.

One thing I MUST point out is how friendly, courteous and helpful the Texas Frightmare Staff were.  They greeted everyone with a smile, and if they sensed that you were looking for something, they actually asked, "What can I help you with?"  They managed the autograph lines effortlessly, and were never rude or pushy.  Other conventions should take a lesson from Texas Frightmare on how to train their staff.   Even the hotel staff were amazing!  They were all into the convention.  The vast majority of the hotel staff all had costumes and/or makeups on all weekend, and they seemed to genuinely embrace the event.  I have been to conventions where the hotel employees seemed disgusted that there were a bunch of freaks walking around.  Well, that was definitely NOT the case here!  When the hostess at the restaurant is dressed like Carrie from the prom scene, you know they are enjoying it as much as you are!

Also wandering around the hotel all weekend were, of course, the cosplayers and costumed entertainers.  Given the type of convention this is, there were mostly horror themed costumes, and many of them were amazing.

OK, time to talk about the celebrity guests.

I thought the guest lineup was excellent.  It was mostly people who worked mainly in the horror genre, but it was not limited to that.  Their "headliners" were Neve Campbell, Skeet Ulrich, Malcolm McDowell, and Brad Dourif.  Not bad!  I am not often star struck any more, but when I met Malcolm McDowell it was a true fanboy moment for me and I geeked out completely.  I also had some kind of a seizure when I met Sherilyn Fenn.  She is still gorgeous and one of the nicest guests I have ever met.  Sid Haig is always a great guest, and I was fortunate enough to have dinner with him on Friday night and talk with him for several hours about his life and career.  Some other guests that I had a great time meeting were Tara Reid, Quinn Lord (Trick 'R Treat) and Jennifer Lynch (daughter of David Lynch).

Don Coscarelli, director of "Phantasm" was a great guest, spending a lot of time with each fan, and posting for endless photos.  Angus Scrimm, The Tall Man from "Phantasm" was great as well.  Even at his advanced age, he was friendly and engaging and genuinely enjoyed meeting the fans.  I had a great time with every guest that I met. 

Yes Horror Nerd, but what about the PRICES??

Good question.  Overall, I thought that the prices that most guests were charging we very reasonable.  Most of them were charging $20-$30 for a signed photo, with a photo at their table, with your camera included.  In fact, every guest that I met would allow you to take more than one photo.  A few guests were a little more.  Malcolm McDowell was $45 per autograph, which I could forgive because of his status in the industry and again, he was very nice, spoke to each fan for a minute or two, and posed for pictures at his table.  Overall, I thought the prices were very fair and, if there was a guest that was charging too much, I just kept walking.  (As a side note, one thing that I thought was cool was the the Texas Frightmare Weekend website posted many of the autograph prices a few weeks before the show, which allowed people to prepare.  I wish more cons would do this.)

The only guest whose prices I had a real issue with was Neve Campbell.  She was charging $75 per signature, with NO table photos.  She was then charging $80 for a professional photo op.  I have written about rising autograph prices and the scourge of professional photo ops many times, and I am not going to go into it again here, so all I will say is that I did NOT pay these prices.

One thing I will point out however is that I saw something I have never seen in 16+ years of going to conventions.  On Saturday afternoon, at the height of the convention, Neve had NO ONE on her line, and staffers were standing around shouting, "Meet Neve Campbell!  No line, no waiting!"  If you have to have carnival barkers pleading with people to meet your headline guest, you have a problem.  I hope Neve and her management learned a lesson.

Another problem I had was that Neve was hidden in her own room, where no one could see her unless you got on line and went in.  I think this was a huge mistake.  Speaking for myself, sometimes seeing the guest and how they are interacting with the fans will spark me to actually get on line for an autograph.  Hiding your headliner away was a bad idea in my opinion.  I think the convention managers vastly overestimated Neve Campbell's drawing power.  At $45 per autograph, Malcolm McDowell had a long, steady line all weekend and probably made a fortune.

In closing, I will summarize by saying that Texas Frightmare Weekend was one of the best, most well run conventions I have ever attended.  As I mentioned, the staff was friendly and helpful, the layout was great, and I truly felt like I was at a FAN event.  Yes, people are charging for autographs, but I never felt like I was on an assembly line of any kind.  I had a great time meeting each guest and I met a lot of great fans and made a lot of new friends.  

The Horror Nerd will definitely be attending Texas Frightmare Weekend in 2016!!  You should too!!

I am not sure if this is just me or not, but I have noticed a trend in indie horror filmmaking, where many directors seem to be trying to one-up each other in the amount of splatter, gore and violence they can include in their films.  I have also noticed this trend when it comes to violence against women in particular.  The indie film world is rife with films depicting women being chained up and tortured. 

At conventions and festivals, and on social media, I hear filmmakers saying things like, "Dude!  You're not gonna believe how extreme my next film is going to be.  The gore is going to be off the charts!"

My first thought when I hear or read this is, "Yawn."  Now, don't get me wrong, The Horror Nerd IS a gore hound, and I love a great gore/splatter/exploitation film, but I also like a GOOD film.  Slapping together a film where yet another generic female victim is being dismembered doesn't really excite me.  I don't understand this seeming competition to see who can make people puke the most.  In the end, to me, writing and acting, even in a gore/exploitation film, still mean something.

Again, I realize there is a market for these films, and this is simply one Horror Nerd's humble opinion, but as a lover of film, I think that we're at risk of having entire sub-genres of films being diluted with weak films, just because some filmmakers want to be know for how extreme and edgy they are.

Let's also not forget that in order to do great gore scenes, you need great makeup and great effects, which ultimately requires a decent budget, which often does not exist.  So we end up with a mediocre film with weak effects.  Granted, this definitely NOT always the case.  I have seen some low-budget films that had amazing effects, but that's because the filmmaker was concerned with making a decent film, and not just with seeing how many ways they could carve up a human being.

I've said this before, and it really is my mantra when it comes to movies.  Just give me a good film.  I know that indie filmmakers struggle with budget, and people who don't show up on time, and all sorts of other challenges, but I still maintain that with enough caring and thought, it's possible to make a good film on a low budget.  Let's stop trying to out-do one another with the "extreme"!

-The Horror Nerd

The weekend of January 16th - 18th, I had the incredible pleasure of attending yet another Macabre Faire Film Festival.  I have been to just about every one of these, and I have never, ever been disappointed.

This time around, the Festival has grown so large, that it was part of a larger event called NY Horror Show, which was a great horror themed convention, with amazing vendors, artists, celebrity guests and costumed characters roaming the hotel.  In all, it was a tremendous event.

For this article, I would like to concentrate on the Macabre Faire Film Festival itself.  As much as I enjoyed the NY Horror Show, it's Macabre Faire that is close to my heart, and it really is a convention like no other.

The Macabre Faire Film festival was started by Elsie and Adam Ginsberg of TwitchTwitch Productions, their production company, as a celebration of indie filmmaking.  It is designed to showcase films, and filmmakers from all over the world, and to bring them together with fans and film lovers.  

What I love the most about the MFFF is that it truly is all about the films and the filmmakers.  There are a ton of conventions out there where you can go get autographs from your favorite celebrities and yes, there are some celebrity guests at Macabre Faire, but they are not the focus of the event.  Don't get me wrong, The Horror Nerd loves getting autographs from his favorite stars, but there is a time and a place for that.   Macabre Faire is a place where film buffs like myself can see some amazing films, and interact with the people that made them.

I also need to bring up a very, VERY important point.  The team of volunteers and staff members that work this event is amazing.  They are a close knit family, and I, The Horror Nerd, am extremely proud to be a part of it.  I had the privilege of being a judge for the second time, and I actually worked the festival this time, helping to make sure that all of the film screenings went smoothly.  I am honored and proud to be a part of this team.  

The weekend began with an amazing Red Carpet Gala on Friday night, with consisted of a "Best of the Best" awards ceremony, interviews, performances, food, drinks and fun.  Everyone looked great and had an amazing time.  It was a great night of camaraderie and I am already looking forward to the next one.

On Saturday, the convention, and film festival, began in earnest.  I spent a lot of time working with my amazing team to make sure the film screenings started on time, and ran smoothly.  The people I worked with worked tirelessly to ensure a great event, and I cannot thank them enough.

I did have a chance to check out the celebrity signing room and the vendor room, and to meet up with some cosplay friends of mine who attended the show.  The partnership between NY Horror Show and Macabre Faire Film Festival was a resounding success!
 

On Sunday, we screened another impressive array of films, and the fun and continued in the vendor room and throughout the hotel.  Every single person I spoke to said that they were having a great time.

Each night, many of us would meet up at the hotel bar, or restaurant to discuss the show, talk about films, network or just kick back and have a few laughs.  I must say, that I did more networking with filmmakers, actors and fellow reviewers/fans than I have at ANY other convention, that THAT is what the Macabre Faire Film Festival is all about.

My friends, I cannot say enough good things about this event.  I go to a lot of conventions and festivals, and they are all good in their own way, but what makes the Macabre Faire Film Festival special is that when I am there, I feel like I truly am part of something.  I feel included, and not just because I was a judge and working the festival.  I have felt this way since the first MFFF I attended several years ago, when I was just another attendee.

If you ever have a chance to attend a Macabre Faire event, you really must.  It really is an experience like no other!

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