Monster-Mania Con XIV - the 14th Semi Annual Philadelphia Horror Film & Memorabilia Convention

Although the weather was fierce with rain, winds and floods predicted to swarm the eastern coast, my husband and I ventured out from our eastern Pennsylvania home to Cherry Hill, New Jersey for the 14^th annual Monster-Mania horror convention. It took us over an hour to arrive, and we made sure to get there extra early just in case there would be lines to get in.

Upon arrival we found the line to be non-existent and we easily walked through the Crowne Plaza Hotel to the area where the convention was being held. Some of our favorite horror actors were slotted to be attending, as well as many others. My personal favorite, Bill Moseley, was my first stop and main reason for attending so when I saw him walk in I quickly ran over to his table to get my autograph and picture.

Bill Moseley is mostly known as Chop Top from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 and Otis B. Driftwood from Rob Zombie'sHouse of 1000 Corpses (my personal favorite) as well as The Devil's Rejects. However, he also played many other high quality roles in films such as Repo! The Genetic Opera and The Alphabet Killer, just to name a few. Bill also has his own band, Cornbugs, which has a truly unique and refreshing style. When I approached him, he was friendly and signed two autographs for me, both an 8x10 of his character Otis that I purchased as well as the DVD insert for The Devil's Rejects that I brought with me. We posed for a photo and were about to part ways before he asked me to wait a second. From under the table he pulled out a box of matches from Charlie's Frontier Fun Town, a piece of memorabilia that was given out as a promotion for The Devil's Rejects. A definitely cool guy, he noticed my admiration and made my day by giving something extra to keep as part of my collection.

All around the room there were tables of various horror actors set up with photos, waiting to sign autographs. The cast of My Bloody Valentine (the original from 1981) reunited and also signed and sold autographs. It is standard at conventions for the actors to charge per autograph, and they typically run between $20 and $25 each, including a photo if requested. Most convention venues frown upon actors attempting to charge for a photo, although I later found out that Jake Busey was attempting to do just that.

Gary and Jake Busey had the longest line of the morning, although to be honest, I couldn't figure out why. Two hours into the convention and they still had not showed. Not only was it unprofessional but it showed a total lack of respect for the fans who were waiting on line the entire time. I didn't even bother or care to get a glimpse of the two when they finally decided to show up over two hours late.

After meeting Bill Moseley, I walked around the rest of the convention looking at the many vendors. There were loads of cool items for sale, and I scored a great "I can smell your brains" zombie bumper sticker in addition to some other neat memorabilia. I found a reasonably priced funky shirt featuring zombie bride heads embroidered on the chest made by Sourpuss, and we got a great deal on a Captain Spaulding action figure, Sid Haig's character fromHouse of 1000 Corpses. There was lots of handmade unique jewelry for sale, mostly horror related, and the artists were available to chat and discuss their on-of-a-kind pieces. One girl had cool solid metal jewelry featuring bones and other oddities, such as silverware with bone handles and bracelets made of metal wisdom teeth.

Although there were many standard vendors selling tee shirts and other typical merchandise, there was an equal amount of artists on hand. A Twin Peaks enthusiast offered for sale his own creation of a Laura Palmer doll, similar to a Barbie but painted a deathly shade of blue and wrapped in plastic just like the famous scene from the series and movie. He also offered horror styled Barbie dolls, made to look like zombies full of blood and gore. Another artist sold prints of his hand painted designs of classic horror figures, matted and encased in a nice protective cover. I purchased a large Captain Spaulding signed by the artist for only $20.

After perusing the vendors for a while, I made my way to another room that held other horror actors. After looking around, I noticed many more faces that are familiar. Corbin Bernsen from Major League was in attendance, but at the convention due to his status as the lead in the horror flick The Dentist. The quite famous Eric Roberts was also at Monster Mania, known for many, many characters including his most recent role in The Dark Knight. At the center of the room was a long line and my second reason for attending, none other than Mr. Malcolm McDowell.

Although Malcom McDowell's recent roles in Rob Zombie's Halloween movies have brought him back into the spotlight, he is most well known for his outstanding performance as Alex, the lead role in the infamous film by Stanley Kubrick, A Clockwork Orange. I waited in line about 15 minutes before getting an autographed A Clockwork Orange poster and picture with Malcolm, who was pleasant, talkative and a very nice person to meet.

Throughout the day there were films playing in another room, including a premiere of one of the newest horror flicks, Closed for the Season. The classic Night of the Living Dead was also played, as was the 6^th installment of the Friday the 13^th and the 2^ndNightmare on Elm Street.

On Saturday night an exciting variety show was planned, Charles Band's Full Moon Horror Road Show, but since I had arrived so early and didn't know what to expect I wasn't able to make it. The advertisements depicted scary puppets and promised audience participation, comedy, gore, and topless girls. Next year I plan to arrive later, just to see this unique and seemingly popular part of the convention.

Another Monster Mania convention will be held in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, just outside of Philadelphia, this August 20^th to 22^nd, as well as several others in nearby locations such as Maryland and Connecticut.

Anyone interested in the Monster Mania Convention or the Monster mania magazine should visit the website, www.monstermania.net