CINEMA WASTELAND
CLEVELAND, OHIO

OCTOBER 4 - 6, 2003

SUNDAY

Sunday – It doesn’t matter when I go to bed, my internal clock will always get me up between 7am and 8am, and such was the case with this Sunday, as I got up in time to meet Ghastlee, Suspira and Remo D. and his family for breakfast.

I’ve mentioned Remo D. several times during the course of this epic, but I wanted to save talking about him until I got up to Sunday because this was when I really got to hang out and talk with him. An amazing man, husband and father, his roast on Friday to Ghastlee was just a tad on the brilliant side (not sure if he deserved to be called the "Jm J. Bullock by Baron Von Doren, though...HA!), not to mention his song at the wedding and his participation with the game show – you boys really need to take that act on the road!! 

 His show and writing are fantastic, but they pale in comparison with simply being with the man, and his adoring family, including his (“HAZZAH!”) freakishly cute boy, Cameron, who had all of the “scariest” hosts and sidekicks on hand wrapped around his little finger. Remo…you need to move east, dude! And if you don’t, expect a visit from many of us during a future Fangoria weekend!!

Breakfast with the newlyweds was wonderful!

Everyone came by (well…most everyone) to congratulate the happy couple, and to tell them how much fun the weekend was. Gore joined us at some point, as did various members of The Patient Creatures (the ones not sitting and giggling with late riser, Doc Sarcofiguy), and more memories were shared, and made.

Ghastlee and Suspira are a perfect couple; the kind of friends you always find yourself rooting for. It’s a pretty safe bet to say that not too many people in this world could have garnered the attention and love from others in the same profession – peers came from California to New Jersey; from Pennsylvania to Texas; from Virginia to Florida; from Louisiana to Illinois; from Michigan to Kentucky; and of course, from Ohio…people were there because of these two silly, wonderful and generous hosts, who opened up their lives (and “their” convention) to the largest gathering of people working in this genre, ever.

And make no mistake…while that table in the middle of the convention space read “HHU,” it only did so because (as in years past) A. Ghastlee Ghoul asked Ken for it so his friends could sell or trade their own tapes alongside the HHU DVDs and shirts. Ghastlee is the Horror Host of Cinema Wasteland, and it was beyond generous for him to have an open table, free of charge, for hosts to come in and make some extra scratch. Thankfully most everyone there recognized that – this was a truly unique situation.

I’ve already blown a proper amount of smoke up Ken Kish’s skirt, but I will like to repeat my gratitude for him on hosting the Horror Host invasion of 2003 over the weekend. I’m not sure if everyone realized what an undertaking it was for him to get this together, to promote everyone, to get them on the website, to make sure everyone got in, to ride Ghastlee’s boney ass on an outline for the weekend, on top of the normal convention shenanigans he goes through with dealers and guests (yes…there were actually other dealers and guests this year!). In a city that has a number of hosts on the air, for Ken to stay loyal to AGG is a true testament to friendship.

My only real purchase Sunday was a shirt by Dr. Mor B.S. designed by his son, Wort. A fabulous design, the illustration is an exquisite mark for the Horror Host Underground. I only wish that both he and Dr. Shock were a little close to the HHU pavilion this year so we could laugh and drink more during the weekend (we really needed a sofa back there!). At least we all got to see Mor B.S. dance on stage at the wedding – who wouldn’t pay for THAT!?

Speaking of Dr. Shock, Sunday he got himself wrapped up into a bit of schtick with the one and only The Ghoul (“Schtick With Shock” = Excellent Bumper Sticker Idea!).

Yes, after getting hammered by the flu Friday and Saturday, The Ghoul was able to make it out to see his fans, and mingle with other Horror Hosts on Sunday. I was happy to finally meet his webmaster, who has been wonderful about keeping me updated through-out the year with the latest news for the HHU website – what a great guy! A true diplomat, he is always quick to see what can be done for the HHU.

Wow…running out of energy…but I need to also mention how good it was to see, again, Robin and her friend Victor, as well as Nicole, Crystal, Joe, Jeff, Bob, the Pale Enchantress, Jane, and everyone else that came up and we met. I need to apologize to anyone I forgot, and to everyone I may have accidentally snubbed with my bit of A.D.D. over the weekend. Not once, not twice, but several times over the course of the weekend, I would stop myself in one conversation with one host, so I could quickly tell a passing host something else. I hope I didn’t offend anyone, but the mind was racing a million miles a minute for much of the weekend, and I didn’t want to forget anyone or anything.

John and I scooted on out of Strongsville by about 2:30 , and were in Washington DC eight hour later, both riding very high, after the weekend of our lives. From the love shown by everyone over the weekend, to the fact that we were also featured in the latest issue of “Scary Monsters” (nice timing!), to the hysterical write-up by Ken in the program guide, to Baron Von Doren and El Sapo’s magazine coverage of the HHU in their magazine “Pigeonhole,” to Dr. Sarcofiguy giving autographs and being interviewed, it was an intoxicating weekend that may never be topped.

Well…maybe not until “Ghastlee’s Scary Camp” in May of 2004!

(www.scarycamp.com)

THANKS AGAIN EVERYONE!

Now…to sum up, Cliff Notes style…Nocturna said it best…”I love you guys!” 

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