Also on hand for the Horrorfind 2 weekend was Cleveland Horror Host legend, Son of Ghoul. While not a member of the HHU, he has been a wonderful supporter and inspiration for everyone involved. The lesson we can learn from him is either (a) if you stick at it long enough, you can make it or (b) you need to move to Ohio, because Ohio may be the only place in the country that understands Horror Hosts.

(Is it a coincidence that of the four Hosts in the above picture, more than half of them are from Ohio!)

All weekend long we got to meet up with some old friends of the Underground. Aside from Son of Ghoul and Count Gore, we also got to see again Rock Savage (pictured), writer Lee Cushing, Carpathian and the Patient Creatures, who all filled us in on what they've been up to, which evidently has been a lot! Think of it as a twisted Family Reunion, only with LESS blood! Hooking up with them, and other old friends, is always something that everyone in the HHU looks forward to.

What would a convention be without celebrities?

Well, I guess it would pretty much depend on your definition of celebrity.

For many of the guests of conventions, these are the weekends that they are the a-list stars; where people see them and know instantly who they are and where they recognize them from, instead of awkward moments in the "real" world where people have to go through the memory file cards to recall which popular culture reference they should know you from.

Not so at conventions, like Horrorfind!

Here, Linda Blair is more than the "little girl from that evil movie." Here, Ken Foree is a house hold name, who will laugh about missing the costume contest ("I know that's right") and bitch along with you about the wait for elevators at conventions. Here, potty-mouth Dee Wallace "Don't Call Me Sharon" Stone (pictured above, left) is recognized immediately, and is just as likely to be talked up for her roles in CUJO as she is for being the Mom in ET. Here, Michael "Don't Pay The" Berryman, will entertain you with stories of working on a Ramones video and enjoy a good Japanese/Pubic Hair joke with you, as you wait along with him in the Sunday breakfast buffet. Here Bruce Campbell is more than just "Shane," the ring announcer in "Spider-Man," or "Ash" from the EVIL DEAD movie--here he's an author, action figure AND "Ash" from the EVIL DEAD movies. Here, Doug Bradley (pictured, above right) is recognized without his Hellraiser "Pinhead" mask and make-up more than Eric Stoltz would be with his on. Here Tom Savini is, well, he's Tom Savini damn it, and he would still impress the hell out of you no matter where you were. And finally, here Son of Ghoul, Dr. Creep and Count Gore de Vol are Gods.

Many of these guests were on hand to either watch or help judge the 2 hour + costume contest, MCed again this year by Bruce "Nipple" Campbell and Count "Please Don't Fall Down This Year" Gore de Vol. Some amazing costumes, including a zombie Rat Pack that had everyone laughing hysterically; a very voluptuous woman sewed into her costume; Hitler; a "I'm Your Biggest Fan!" that was a riot; three (!) different people dressed as "Ash" from "Army of Darkness, complete with chainsaws, that seemed only to impress Bruce; a Michael Myers; a Regan from the Exorcist; a couple of Freddy Kruegers; a baseball player going on strike; a lot of big, scary dead looking guys, and about 3000 others. Yes it was hot...yes it was long...yes it was way overcrowded...but in the end, it was worth it simply to see the ultimate "best in show" winner, "The Scarecrow" (pictured with "Dr. Sarcofiguy") chase Bruce Campbell up the ramp and over into the crowd (who knew Bruce could crowd surf?!)

As the Baycity Rollers once said so elegantly..."S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y....NIGHT!"

Saturday night is the time for all conventions to unwind and let loose. Everyone that was trapped behind tables during the day finally has an opportunity to come out and mingle and chat and drink with all of their old (and new) friends, many of whom were also trapped behind their tables.

THIS is the time that people think of when they think of the conventions. Saturday nights is when all of the real fun officially begins. This is the magic time people like to recall--those wonderfully long conversations with like minded fans that you just can't have in the real world, unless you decide to host a scary D&D party in your parent's basement, or gather for the final episode of a last STAR TREK episode, or wait in line for a week for a STAR WARS movie...

This is the time to do all of that, and have your bag of chips and trendy malt beverage of choice.

Put the kids to bed; you've earned it. Now it's time to unwind and talk about that "Jason vs. Freddy" movie everyone on the net has been wild about. Finally, at around midnight, Count Gore got an opportunity to interview "Dr. Sarcofiguy" for his web program. Maybe it was the fact that they were friends, or maybe it was the wine, or maybe it was the full moon...but, while both Washington DC Horror Host legends had had a long day, the interview seemed to breathe new life into both of them, and may have been the funniest 6 minutes ever captured on video.

You can be the judge of that when Count Gore airs it on his web program sometime soon!

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