Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Chiller Theatre Halloween Weekend Convention 2014

Parsippany, NJ
October 24, 25 & 26, 2014


Tell me a little bit about yourself?

I'm Dana, a girl who's into horror movies and extreme metal music. I work at the Division of Developmental Disabilities, and I'm also working on my Master's degree at Montclair State University. I have been going to Chiller since 1997. My boyfriend (Les) is also a huge horror movie fan. He likes everything from the Universal monster classics to the current horror films. He is also an avid collector of memorabilia, vintage toys, dvd's, books, records and cd's. He is an old school punk rocker. He is a retired Division of Developmental Disabilities Director, and has a Master's degree from Montclair State University. He has been involved with Chiller Theatre since its inception (1990). This is the 53rd Chiller convention.

Why did you decide to go to this Chiller Theater 2014?

The Chiller Theatre convention is held twice a year (Spring and Fall), We never miss a convention! It is a three day horror convention: Friday night, Saturday (and a concert/costume party Saturday night), and Sunday. We are there from open to close all three days. The Chiller Theatre convention started in 1990, and has been going strong ever since. The focus is Horror, but it also features sci-fi, fantasy, rock-n-roll, TV, movies, wrestlers, art, authors and all aspects of pop culture.

Were there any panels you were looking forward to in particular?

Although there are some panel discussions at Chiller, they are not the biggest attraction for us. I am much more interested in shopping in the dealers rooms and meeting celebrities. At this convention, We attended a presentation panel by Victoria Price talking about her father, Vincent Price. We enjoyed it very much. She gave an insider's overview of her father's life and career, as well as home movies, slides, and many personal stories and memories.

We also enjoyed the Chiller Theatre charity auction on Saturday afternoon. Guest auctioneer Ted Bohus (writer/producer/director) is very entertaining...and we won some cool stuff.

Is there anyone that you met that you had a total fan moment with?

We really enjoyed meeting and speaking with Ryan Hurst, Mark Boone Jr. and Chuck Zito, since we are big fans of the TV show Sons of Anarchy. We had a fun, lively conversation with Lizzy Borden (singer from the heavy metal band Lizzy Borden) about the real Lizzie Borden... he was very impressed that we had spent two nights in Lizzie Borden's historic house. Les was very happy to meet and speak with Teri Garr. He also liked visiting with Marky Ramone again. Patty Mullen (Frankenhooker) was awesome! She liked my nails so much she took pictures so that her manicurist could do the same Halloween designs for her! 

 

The Saturday night concert was a fan's dream come true. Lita Ford and Cherie Currie reunited on stage and played "Cherry Bomb" from their days in the Runaways...with Marky Ramone on drums and Alan Robert (Life of Agony) on bass! Lizzy Borden sang “Master of Disguise” and “Born to Be Wild”. It was awesome! Also, where else could you see The Cowsills (the real life band that was the inspiration for The Partridge Family) singing with the Smithereens and the Dead Elvi... with Marky Ramone drumming! The Cowsills sounded fantastic and were so energetic, and so much fun. They enjoyed themselves so much that they often broke out acoustic guitars and sang at their autograph table during the convention when they were not on stage.

Were there any exclusives you were looking forward to? Were you able to get them?

Although there are occasionally "exclusives" at Chiller, it is really not that type of show. Chiller is a fan run show, not a corporate show. There are no corporate sponsors. The three large dealer’s rooms have lots of vintage, and some one-of-a-kind collectibles, as well as cool new stuff. There are also lots of movies, posters, toys, memorabilia, model kits, jewelry, shirts, art, figures, books, stills, oddities, props and so much more. Shopping at Chiller in the dealers rooms is one of the highlights of the weekend for us!

How crowded was it?

The show was VERY crowded on Friday, and EXTREMELY crowded on Saturday. Sunday was calmer, but still very busy. This is how it usually always is at Chiller.

Did you meet any celebrities?
Meeting celebrities (and getting autographs and pictures) is one of the main points of Chiller! There were 150 (literally) guest celebrities at this show. Almost all celebrities are there all day, on all three days of the convention. Chiller does not book any celebrity who is not willing to meet fans, sign autographs, etc. They always strive to have a very wide variety of guests, so that there is always someone you will be happy to meet.


Our very favorites at this show were Ryan Hurst, Mark Boone Jr. and Chuck Zito (from Sons of Anarchy), James Remar (Dexter), Teri Garr (Young Frankenstein), Doug Bradley and Ashley Laurence (Hellraiser), the Good Times reunion (especially John Amos and Jimmie Walker), Glenn Hetrick (Face Off), Gerritt Graham (Phantom of the Paradise), Jodi Lyn O'Keefe (Prison Break), Patty Mullen (Frankenhooker), Marky Ramone (Ramones drummer), Cindy Williams (Laverne & Shirley) and Marion Ross (Happy Days).


Other great guests we met this Chiller weekend were musicians Lita Ford, Cherie Currie, Lizzy Borden (the band, not the psychopathic murderer who is dead), The Cowsills, Tony Orlando, The Smithereens, Debby Boone, Debbie Gibson, Bobby Steele (Misfits), Ian Lloyd (Stories), Ace Frehley (Kiss), horror host John Zacherley, Sara Karloff (daughter of Boris Karloff), Victoria Price (daughter of Vincent Price), Tatum O,Neal (Paper Moon/ Bad News Bears), five actors from the Sopranos, six actors from the Terminator movies including Linda Hamilton, Kristianna Loken & Michael Biehn, Butch Patrick (Munsters), Barbara Steele (Black Sunday/ Pit & the Pendulum), Traci Lords (Serial Mom, Cry Baby), Henry Winkler ("Fonzie"), Dawn Wells (Gilligan’s Island), William B. Davis (X Files), Sally Kellerman (Star Trek), Trini Alvarado (Frighteners), Lane Hughes & L.C. Holt (You're Next), Stephen Blickenstaff (artist & musician), Ann Cusack (Tank Girl), wrestlers Hulk Hogan and Jimmy Hart, artist/sculptor Daniel Horne, Larry Thomas ("soup nazi" from Seinfeld), William Forsythe (Devil's Rejects/ Boardwalk Empire), Kristy McNichol (Nash Bridges), Louise Fletcher (One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest), Joe Pantaliano (Matrix/ Sopranos), Diana Canova (Soap), Lisa Marie (Mars Attacks), Bill Randolph (Friday the 13th part 2), Analuka Dziubinska (Vampyres), legendary Godzilla actors Nakjima, Satsuma & Kitagawa, Godzilla artist Nishikawa, Joel Hodgson (Mystery Theater 3000), boxer Ray Mercer, Robert Kerman (Cannibal Holocaust), Yaphet Kotto (Aliens), Mark Rolston (Saw VI), Martin Stephens (Village of the Damned), Kelly LeBrock (Weird Science), Barbara Leigh (Vampirella) ... and many, many more!


Anything else that you enjoyed about Chiller?

It is always a fun weekend with plenty of surprises, and cool stuff. The show has changed venues as it has gotten larger over the years. It is currently in the Parsippany Sheraton Hotel ("The Tara"), which is a perfect setting since the hotel looks like a large gothic castle. It is a fun weekend with blood, guts & gore, great celebrities, cool merchandise, rock and roll, costumes, exhibits, film screenings, autographs, photos, Q&A's, model and art contest, charity auction, and more. You never know what might happen at a Chiller weekend... or who you might meet.

Anything else you would like to share?

If you go to Chiller, allow plenty of time. It is a busy, crowded convention with a lot to do and see! It is a convention created and run by fans...for fans.

You can get more info about Chiller at the web site at www.chillertheatre.com. The guest list for the next show will start to develop about two months before the show, and continue to grow until show time.

Post by Vikki
Twitter: ProfessorWhite

1 comment:

  1. Hey I am so pleased to know about this Halloween Weekend Convention 2014!! We also attended a grand halloween office party in October. Our boss arranged this party at some outdoor venue with the help of a talented team of corporate event planning. Truly, it was a blasting night!

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