After a more than two year absence I was back at
Monster-Mania yesterday, Aug. 13, 2016. My friend Freddie (and latest addition to the Master's Minions!) and I headed out to Cherry Hill, NJ early. Now, I should mention that this day was the hottest day of the year, feeling like 108 degrees, at least. It's part of an oppressive and ongoing, brutal heatwave. But, we were determined to go and enjoy ourselves. Which we fully did, despite the nasty heat that even the guests would end up feeling.
I was there mostly to meet the cast members of the sixth
Halloween installment,
Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers. The sequel has long been one of debate among fans due to the cuts of the film, theatrical and producer's, with the later rightfully being considered the better version of the two, by most.
I took my copy of the film, from Scream Factory's superaltive
Halloween: The Complete Collection box-set to get signed. The first person I met was the absolutely stunning J.C. Brandy who took over for Danielle Harris in the role of Jamie Lloyd in the film. I asked her which version she preferred. She replied that she liked both, mentioning that she preferred the FX of the theatrical cut. But, disliked the flat look of the reshoots on it, which I agree with. I also asked her which version of her death she preferred she said she didn't care for either mentioning that while the FX looked great in the theatrical cut, it was shot "too flat". And, that no one gets killed via a gunshot as was her fate in the producer's cut. Brandy looked breathtakingly beautiful and was extremely sweet and talkative. Freddie and I were blown away by her beauty in person.
Sitting to her left was the beautiful Mariah O'Brien who played the victim Beth in the same film. She was very friendly and talkative as well. I was pleasantly surprised that she was not only that character but the cover model on Alice In Chains classic release
Dirt! Plus, she was also the sexy cover model on Spinal Tap's
Bitch School maxi single. She told cool stories about shooting both album covers. And, when asked who her favorite act was she said it was Led Zeppelin. She also told us that she would love to have been part of Jimi Hendrix's entourage!
I would end up telling her that I had a little bit of crush on her after seeing her in
Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers. She seemed very flattered. O'Brien was really fun to talk to, even though we could see that the heat was killing her as it was killing us. I also want to say that she has such stunning and beautiful eyes! Wow, just wow!
The last person I went up to was Marianne Hagan, who played Kara Strode, the beautiful final girl of the movie. She was cool and fun to talk to. Turns out that she is a fellow New Yorker, as we discussed the shitty heat of the day, and how even us NYers just ain't used to it. We mean it gets bad, but not like this bad! I asked her what cut she preferred, she said the producer's but thinks that the original script was so much better. She said it made so much more sense, even more sense than said superior cut. She said that due to time constraints, the director would rip out parts of the script. I liked her fun attitude and she made us laugh with what she said. Hagan is awesome, in fact everyone from the film was, as Freddie got autographs from the above and the rest of the film's cast that was there.
This is what my autographed blu-ray looked like after it was signed by these three lovely ladies:
I may have been there for a Michael Myer's flick but Jason Voorhees and
Friday the 13th were well represented, too. C.J. Graham, who played Jason in the best sequel in the franchise,
Friday the 13th, Pt VI: Jason Lives, had this kick ass banner next to his table.
There were a couple of cosplayers. Props must be given to them for toughing it out in this heat. I would never have done my Punisher cosplay (which I started doing at a friend's Marvel wedding, recently) that day, so this take's some balls or at least some level of insanity! Anyways, I only got to snap pics of one, this cool as fuck Jason inspired from the 8th film,
Jason Takes Manhattan.
I also got some cool swag, of course. Including another Fright-Rags shirt (and interviewed the owner and founder, that's coming soon!) and bought two blu-rays,
Bloodsucking Freaks (from Troma) and
Sorority Babes in the Slimeball O-Rama (from Full Moon):
In all, this was a fun, though nightmarishly hot, time. Hopefully, there will not be as big a time span between this and my next MonsterMania, as there was last time. Oh and hopefully, it's never this hot at a con, again!
Kira Lee is an amazing NYC based artist. ACA Galleries, in NYC, is currently having an exhibition of her incredible art, called Legends and Lyrics. They her music inspired pieces are of iconic rock artists like John Lennon, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, David Bowie (who gets a whole wall dedicated to him!), Kurt Cobain, and many others. Her art is amazing and truly breathtaking. As you get closer to look at it, you get to truly realize just how much work and heart she puts into her pieces, as you come to realize that they are made up of words and lyrics, inspired by each of the artists.
yourself a favor go as soon as you can! I guarantee that you will be glad that you did. 
.jpg)
