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AUGUST 23-35, 2002
The (now) annual Horrorfind Weekend (HFW) in Baltimore holds a very special place in the heart, and history, for The Horror Host Underground. It was here, at the first HFW (back in August 2001), that this baby, now known as the Horror Host Underground, was actually given a name (after being conceived on the sticky floor of the Neon Movies Theatre in Dayton, Ohio some months earlier), so it was only fitting that the first official outing (hmmmm...interesting choice of phrasing, considering I'm talking about a bunch of men who wear make-up...) for the Horror Host Underground, as the kind of creature that actually sets up a table and sell stuff, be Horrorfind 2.
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First on hand Friday
were A. Ghastlee Ghoul and Dr. Creep, who drove 14 hours from
Dayton, Ohio (ouch), along with Halloween Jack and his crew, who made it down
during weekend rush hour from New Jersey.
They were eventually met by C. W. Prather, producer and co-creator of Northern Virginia's The Spooky Movie (and humble webmeister for The HHU), who showed up sometime later. People were tired (and a little crabby) from the trips, but it was good for everyone to see each other again. |
By the time the dealer room was open (7:30) the HHU table was ready for business. From the cool backdrop (please note the HHU Map above Dr. Creep, and our convention neighbors' conveniently positioned skeleton to Ghastlee's right...hmmmm! ) and television on the table showing videos (hey! Is that Ghastlee on TV too?!), which just screamed "These Guys Are Legit!" to the t-shirts (please note the HHU shirt), video tapes (including an amazing 2 hour compilation tape, lovingly created by Halloween Jack, that was the hit of the convention), to movie posters, to books by John Dimes (aka: Dr. Sarcofiguy) to free CD-Rs that had a mock-up of the website and even movie posters, the Horror Host Underground had something for everyone!
| Count Gore de Vol, the
reason for the Horror Host Underground even meeting, was naturally
on hand to scare the heebie-jeebies out of anyone that came up.
Sure, some people claimed that they came to see Bruce Campbell, but any right thinking Horror fan from the DC/Baltimore area was really there to see the legend...Count Gore! He had all three volumes of his videos for sale, as well as pictures, posters and really groovy t-shirts, they we are told in any color you want, as long as it is black. |
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Like most conventions, things really don't do get going on Fridays. It is just a good opportunity for those of us who only see each other at conventions to reconnect in person. Sure, the internet and phone are great, but nothing substitutes the real 3D-ness.
((wipes away a tear...tries to continue))
Fridays are also good to network (from the business-vendor stand-point) and to get the lay of the land (from the consumer fan stand-point). Naturally, the consumer fan part of you knows not to buy anything until Sunday, when the prices are slashed. Unfortunately, the business-vendor in you (the one who shelled our money for a table), you know this too, and hope that no one else is thinking that!
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The dealer room closed at
11pm, right about the time that many in the HHU were ready to crash
right there under the table.
Saturday brought much needed rain to the DC and Baltimore area, as well as bringing in actor, singer, comedian, dancer, artist, poet, writer, and one- of-a -kind Horror Host John "Dr. Sarcofiguy" Dimes, who swam up to the convention to support his Horror Host brothers with the HHU, as well as peddle his various and a sundry books. In this picture, John is actually signing someone's autograph book! He can't believe it either!! |
With John in his proper place as the Sammy Davis Jr. of the HHU Rat Pack (Ghastlee gets to play Angie Dickenson, while Creep and Halloween Jack must fight over who is Frank and who is Dino), the HHU table was complete for the weekend!
Visitor upon visitor stopped by to snap pictures and talk us up and learn about current Horror Hosts. A lot of the CDs were handed out (free with every purchase), along with videos, shirts, and ornaments of the Horror Hosts, created by HHU friend, Bob Fergeson.
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The most common reaction from people coming by was, "Oh my god! I am so happy you guys are doing this! Where I grew up we had a host named..."
It was refreshing to get the immediate response back from people who "got it." The concept of self-syndication and local television is something that fans of the genre immediately grasp and respect, and helps the Hosts and producers feel like they are making a real connection. The convention was now rolling.