I don’t go to a lot of conventions—something I’d like to change this year—but Mad Monster has been a twice-a -year event for us for a while now. I covered Mad Monster Expo last August. Does Mad Monster Party offer a different enough experience to justify two shows in one year? Yes and no, and both answers are why I love Mad Monster.
But First Panels!
Mad Monster Party had a stacked celebrity line-up that leaned heavy on the horror. Robert Englund was the headliner, along with Brad Dourif and Jonathan Majors. Other horror legends like Danielle Harris, Ken Kirzinger, and Darcy the Mail Girl offered variety. Amanda Wyss, Toy Newkirk, Brooke Bundy, and Brooke Theiss rounded out the Nightmare on Elm Street fan experience. For the more pop culture-minded fan, Billy Zane and Mira Sorvino added a more wholesome, and rather stylish, touch to the ballroom.
I attended the show on Saturday and Sunday, and since we weren’t doing any photo ops this time — I got my Robert Englund picture the last time he came to town — I was able to attend every panel on both days except for Meagan Good’s. I wish my schedule had worked out better for that one; she’s been in some interesting movies (Saw 5, One Missed Call, Monster Hunter).
Saturday Panels
Mad Monster Party does a pretty good job with their panels. Spilt between moderator-directed questions and audience Q&A, they keep the focus light and positive while letting the guests primarily drive the conversation. The moderator does a great job of getting some basic questions and ice breakers out of the way so the audience can ask things that are really important to them. While I do wish there were more panels, I like the consistency and quality of the ones they offer and wouldn’t trade that.
The first panel of Saturday was Jonathan Majors. I’m not going to get into controversy here; this is about what was presented at the panel. It was heavily attended by students of The North Carolina School of the Arts, Jonathan Majors’ former school. The respect and admiration these students had for Majors, and the amount of time, he gave back to them was impressive. They asked the majority of the audience questions, and he gave thoughtful, meaningful answers about perseverance and dedication in a tough industry. Towards the end, he answered a question about getting discouraged after rejection that every creative person should hear.
Mira Sorvino and Billy Zane
The next panel was Mira Sorvino. It’s not terribly often that Oscar-winning supporting actresses come hang out with horror fans and talk about cockroaches. Especially ones that are as graceful and charming as Mira Sorvino. Most of the audience really wanted to talk about Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion. Not that I blame them. It’s just, she’s worked with so many brilliant directors. There’s so much to talk about in her career. She also makes and sells beautiful jewelry. I was lucky enough to get a necklace she made. It was super-surreal having her help me pick out one, and talk about her process. She’s just that impressive in person.
The last panel of Saturday was Billy Zane. He focused on the need for fun and joy in entertainment. This was something that came up a lot, with horror-comedy being more than one panelist’s favorite genre. He was everything you could imagine him being: funny stylish, and delighted with his meme fame. Billy Zane is, in fact, a cool dude.
Sunday Panels
Sunday’s panels started with Brad and Fiona Dourif. While most of the questions were directed at him, when they had the opportunity to play off each other, it was delightful. She is extroverted and bright, while he seemed more reserved, taking time to slowly develop his stories. It was probably the highlight panel of the weekend for me. H3 also got a kick out of this one though he isn’t the biggest fan of Chucky.
Danielle Harris was next; unfortunately, her panel got cut short when the fire alarm went off. After they cleared the convention, checked the building and readmitted everyone, they got things started pretty quickly. I did miss part of it. She had a lot of great stories about the set of Halloween 4, Hatchet, and working with Quentin Tarantino.
The final panel was the Nightmare on Elm Street 4 women: Toy Newkirk, Brooke Bundy, and Brooke Theise. This was less of a panel, and more like watching good friends hang out. They told stories about meeting Robert Englund for the first time. Swapped tales about filming their death scenes, and talked how much their lasting friendships have meant.
Horror is Wholesome
Friendship was a bit of an unofficial theme of the weekend. Mad Monster Party has been a place for me to reconnect with classic horror icons. Recently it’s been about reconnecting with people and vendors I’ve met at past shows as well. There are very few places I can have conversations about the absurdist humor of The Monkey, or how amazingly kind Matthew Lillard is to his fans, or what the house from Hellraiser should smell like without being viewed as a weirdo. That last one might be pushing it in any situation, but, whatev.
The Dealer’s Room
The dealer’s room was packed with high-quality merch this time. Including some things that were completely new to me. My absolute favorite original art item has to be the pottery I bought from R&A’s Pots and Dots: a handmade mug with black transfer prints of classically styled horror icons, and a yellow bowl with black skulls. The potter says they are 100% usable, but I can’t stop seeing them as art objects, not functional dishes. Maybe next blog, I’ll write drinking out of my new mug.
I also picked up some amazing t-shirts. I’m desperately in need of new clothes having shrunk several sizes in the past year, and Tee Slayer and Murder Memes fit that need. I also got an amazing print with the Murder Memes shirt. I’m so happy with both of those.
Cat’s Candles was there so I picked up a couple candles. One super-lemony fruit non-horror-themed one, and another I’m getting shipped. I’ll post that when it arrives.
My last purchase, I’ll be going into detail on in a later post, but I got to know the folks behind Slasher 15 films. Their love and enthusiasm for their brand of horror-comedy is apparent, and I can’t wait to check out the movie I picked up from them. Indie horror will always get extra love from me, and these guys are it. They started with the micro-ist of micro-budgets and have been making it work and growing their brand from there. Much respect and love.
Getting to Know Artists
We were also able to take the time to talk with a few artists that I either have work from or will be getting work form in the future. The amazing Loft 817 artist was there with his monster hunter books. I have both volumes and being able to talk about his upcoming work, and our love of killing people in D&D is always fun.
Lobster X is another artist I was able to chat with. His art is unique and engaging in a way that I’d never seen before. Even more interesting was the opportunity to talk about his inspiration and what fuels him creatively. Inspired people inspire me and cons are great for this.
There are so many friendly people in the horror community, from the owner of Chris’s Gifts who seemed happy to spend time trading stories and trivia about local filming locations with me to some of the nearby haunt crews.
Haunting Possibilities
See, I’ve been trying to get out to a haunt for years now, but I’m photophobic. Strobes trigger migraines, migraines put me in the ER bad times all around. I’ve been looking for a haunt that would be willing to let me come out early and just look at stuff without strobes just so I could experience some version of the attraction. This year thanks to the amazing people I talked to at Mad Monster I may get that chance.
Even if it doesn’t work out, the crew from Lake Hickory Haunts, talked to me about my issue, discussed possible solutions and gave me a way to reach out during haunt season. That’s way more than I’ve gotten from other teams and more than I expected. I know I’m asking for something above and beyond, and I’m so grateful to them for taking the time to listen and try to help.
Autographs!
Brad Dourif, of course! Now that I have Chucky’s autograph, the pantheon of horror icons is complete. Or is it? I have Freddy’s picture and Mark Patton’s autograph, Dick Warlock (Michael from Halloween 2), Kane Hodder and C.J Graham, for Jason. Tony Todd for Candyman. Doug Bradley for the Hell Priest, and Chris Durand, the Ghostface actor in Scream 2. Stunt actors are actors, come at me. Plus, I was dressed AS Ghostface for that one; bonus points. I feel like Tobin Bell would be a nice to have, and David Howard Thorton would sate my Art obsession, but that’s probably going to happen this summer. Who else am I missing from the collection?
I also got Billy Zane’s autograph and got to chat with him for a bit. He seemed grateful that we attended his panel, and were able to briefly talk about it with him about the value of comedy in horror. If you, like me, are worried about what to say to celebs at shows, this is a quick way to not seem like a stalker: “I attended your panel, and I really liked what you said about X.”
Skipping Freddy
Mad Monster Party was a good show. Saturday was packed with Robert Englund fans. We did not participate in that insanity. For one, I have a picture with him. It’s a picture I love and cherish, so I didn’t need another. Also, Nightmare is not my favorite franchise. I could have gotten a spot for a possible autograph being an R.I.P ticket holder, but honestly that felt like taking a spot from someone for whom it mattered more. There are a few people I might line up all weekend for a chance to meet, maybe.
Working in some of the industries where I started as a fan, does a lot to dull the shine of hero worship. The first time I got a paycheck signed by someone I spent time admiring, my world view got readjusted, hard. I still enjoy collecting autographs and meeting actors, but I’m more casual about it. Except for Clive Barker. I totally melted after meeting him. He called me “darling”, and everything was perfect.
Final Thoughts:
I didn’t know how badly I needed this weekend until relaxing post-show. Being surrounded by kind people who love what you love, and are open and enthusiastic about it, does wonders for the soul. It always feels familiar, many of the same vendors, volunteers, and staff return year after year. There is a comforting sameness to my Mad Monster Party routine. I happen to think this is a good thing. Even as I ask my familiar artists “what’s new” I’m hoping to see the old favorites as well.
The staff and volunteers are wonderful and helpful, even when dealing with strange and unusual circumstances, like a fire alarm in a crowded building. I’ll probably be back to the Expo in August. If I’m at all in control of my schedule, you’ll see me there, probably in one of my new t-shirts.
Mad Monster has shows in Atlanta in March and Arizona in July. Get more info here.
Check out my other horror event reviews here:
Leave a Reply