Chiller Theatre: October 2024

The weekend of October 25-27, 2024 marked another epic edition of Chiller Theatre, the greatest con in the universe! This was a stacked guest list, so my friends, and I were pumped as fuck for it! We went on that Saturday, the 26th, prepared for the epic time that we would be having.

The first person that I went up to was the celeb, that I was most pumped to meet on this day: the gorgeous Jill Schoelen! Schoelen starred in many a horror film including The Stepfather, Phantom of the Opera, Popcorn, Cutting Class, and more. I let her know that I had the biggest crush on her as a kid, and that she was one of my all time favorite scream queens. While, she thanked me for the former comment, it's the later one that she seemed to appreciate the most. 

She signed my recently purchased copy of the recently released 4K disc of The Stepfather. Put out by Scream Factory this is superlative transfer of this masterpiece. I actually also told her about my love for that classic, and it was cool that she was wearing a tee of it that day! Schoelen was so sweet in person, that she talked to my friend Freddie and I for a while. 

She gave out a folder with her picture, listing all her work, and promoting her upcoming (next year to be more exact) horror/ comedy Christmas movie: Twist. This movie will also mark her return to acting which is awesome as fuck! She is honestly one of the sweetest and most amazing celebs, I have ever met. I cannot possibly say enough good things about her. 

The next celeb I went up was Ian McCulloch, star of Italian horror favorites Doctor Butcher M.D. and Lucio Fulci's classic Zombie, that later of which is one of my all time favorite movies. As such, I was so excited to meet him. That's another thing that made this Chiller so awesome, we had the return of stars of Italian horror and Godzilla movies return (more on that in a bit). 

Anyway, McCulloch told me that he had met his youngest fan ever, the day before in the form of a seven year old! That's crazy! I think letting kids watch bloody and wild Italian horror movies is parenting done right! Anyways, he also told me that the dude who played the famous worm-eyed zombie (from the posters and artwork) was a stuntman with a huge car and World War II memorabilia collection, as well as a staff of ten who work for him! What a cool and wild fact! He also told me that about ten years ago he did this con with him. Man, I wish I had known/ been there! That guy is one of my favorite zombies ever, and I'd would love to meet him! Anywho, McCulloch signed my Blu-ray copy of Zombie.

As I said, Godzilla stars also returned to Chiller. There were two, I only went up to the lovely Tomoko Ai. She was my favorite female character/ actress in a Godzilla flick, having played the complex and lovely cyborg from the awesome last movie in the Showa era: Terror of Mechagodzilla. She is also the only actress to ever appear nude in a Godzilla movie, well sort of. As the character is topless. But, her boobs are prosthetics, cuz she is a cyborg being operated on, Makes sense, I suppose. She didn't know much English but was very pleasant to meet being all smiles, sweet, and grateful. She signed the page of Terror in the amazing and, apparently, now out of print Criterion Godzilla set.

The last celeb I met that day was the gorgeous Jill Terashita. She was in Sleepaway Camp III: Teenage Wasteland and, another one of my favorites, Night of the Demons (she is also this site's inaugural Horror Crush). She was so sweet in person! Incredibly talkative and energetic, she was a pleasure to converse with. She told and showed me her ghost photography that she is doing now. It was very cool and intersting to see and hear about. 

There were many more guests that I wanted to meet, but I did want to get some merch (you can see that and my autographs towards to end of this article). And, I couldn't afford it all. So, I opted to end my autographing with her and went to dealer's room. Afterwards, we all got dinner, so that we could then return for the famed Chiller party!

This was the first time in years that we actually stayed for the party instead of cutting out early. Being able to stay at my friend Alan's place meant we could drink and party! The party was a complete blast, of course. There was not a whole lot of cosplay (well that we saw, anyways), but the two dudes doing Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of the Kiss Dressed to Kill cover were awesome! 

Anways, we drank, talked, met some cool new friends, saw old ones, and, of course, talked to the great Kevin Clement, who without there wouldn't be any of this. He is truly the man, an awesome person, a friend, and my fellow May 29er! 

At one point during the party, I commented with my friend scream queen, Brandy Noir about how weird it was to see the party stop so that con attendees could watch the Yankees and Dodgers game on the TV. That was definitely a first! We mentioned our disdain for sports, but you probably don't care about. Unless you agree with us, in which case, yay for you! 

The following are my movies that I got signed that day:

Terror of Mechagodzilla (from the Criterion Godzilla Showa Era set)- Tomoko Ai
The Stepfather (along with the free folder she handed out to her fans)- Jill Schoelen
Zombie- Ian McCulloch

Swag that I bought that day:

Screem magazine (LOVE that Creature from the Lagoon and The Shape of Water cover!) that got me a free copy of Ruby on Blu-Ray. I've never seen that blaxploitation movie but have wanted to for ages. The other two movies, that I bought, I've seen and love.
The Sadness 4K (I actually got that at the Vinegar Syndrome booth)

Cemetery Man (at the Severin booth. I bought the Blu-Ray cuz the 4K set, which, to be fair, does come with amazing soundtrack was $60. Meanwhile, the Blu-ray was only like $20 and was selling like hotcakes. I bought the last copy!)

 

And, so ended another edition of the greatest of all cons! As always we're already pumped for April's edition. Who amongst you went this time around? Who did you meet? What were the highlights for you? Let me know in the comments section below. 

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Horror Crush: Olga Karlatos

It has been a long time since I have picked a Horror Crush induction or, to be honest, written much of anything. A big part of that is that I have and am going through a very rough time. The passing of my six year old terrier mix, Zoey, who was my absolute everything, has devastated me. I am finding it very hard to cope, but have been feeling the inkling to slowly start writing again has been itching me. A recent revisit of one of my favorite movies, Lucio Fulci's Zombie further cemented this in mind. Or more so, this piece that you are about to read. And, so I wanted to show some love and induct one of that masterpiece's beautiful stars, the stunning Olga Karlatos and make her the next official Horror Crush inductee! 

  

Olga Karlatos was born in Athens, Greece on April 20, 1945. Between the 60s and 70s, she had a short lived music career, in which she sang in both French and Italian. Her acting career began in 1975 in the movie My Friends. 

Her first horror flick came in 1978's Italian movie, Damned in Venice.  Like most of her movies, I haven't seen or really heard about this one before. It's about a kid getting warned about the birth of the Antichrist. In it, she plays a character named Madeline Winters. If you have seen it let me know your thoughts on it and her performance in it, in the comments section below.

Later that same year came Mexican horror movie, Cyclone. This one, I have heard in name but, regardless, never saw it. It is apparently about a crashed plane, and its survivors resorting to cannibalism. Karlatos plays a character named Monica. Again, if you've seen it tell me your thoughts on it in the comments section.

Then in 1979, came her most famous role, Lucio Fulci's classic Zombie (AKA Zombi 2, Zombie Flesh Eaters). After a zombie appears on a boat in New York City and cops shoot into the water, a daughter (Tisa Farrow) and reporter (Ian MacCulloch) go to a island to look for her missing father. There they discover the dead are rising. 

One of Fulci's finest movies, this atmospheric and ultra- gory splatter film fucking rocks. While, essentially a Dawn of the Dead rip-off, it sets itself apart, as it embraces a more supernatural element and feel. It also features explicit gore with excellent make-up FX by Giannetto De Rossi. The flick is drenched in atmosphere with an exciting and rousing climax, thanks to Fulci's excellent directing.

Karlatos plays the wife, Paola, of a Dr. David Menard (Richard Johnson) who was friends with the missing father. Karlatos does a fine job here, as a beautiful wife who knows the horrors that are going and doesn't wanna be there anymore. She also takes a shower, to allow for some nudity, which I assure was absolutely necessary to the plot! This leads to her famous demise, which is the movie's most infamous splatter moment. As a zombie chases her, he grabs her by the hair, and drives her beautiful eye into a large splinter. The scene is audacious, harrowing, and never loses its power, not even in the many  repeated viewings that I have given this classic! She is later devoured, showing us that zombies don't let food go to waste!

In 1984, Karlatos did her final horror film, Murder Rock, which suitably enough was also for Fulci. I have not seen this Giallo, but as a fan of Fulci, and hers, I do want. It deals with the owner of a prestigious New York ballet school teaming up with a male model, as they try solve who is killing students. Karlatos plays a character named Candice and gets top billing in this. That alone make me want to see it even more! Are any of you fans of this Fulci flick? 

 

Also, that year she appeared in what might be her most famous role for mainstream audiences, Purple Rain, in which she played Prince's mom. Her last acting role was in 1986 for an episode of Miami Vice. In 2007, she graduated from Kent University with a law degree, and in 2010 was allowed in the Bermuda Bar Association. Karlatos may long have left the acting world, but she will always be remembered and loved by horror fans. Her role alone in Zombie will forever hold as a part of genre history. And, so with that having been said, it is my honor to official induct the absolutely gorgeous Olga Karlatos into this site's Horror Crushes!

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The 30 Greatest Fangoria Covers of all Time Pt. 3, 10 - 1

10. Fangoria #23 (The Evil Dead)- Sam Raimi's gore drenched classic makes a cover appearance. I wonder if anyone back then imagined just how  massive a classic that this movie would become? Think about it, up to that point it was a low budget, unrated movie made by then unknowns starring then unknowns.







9. Fangoria #29 (The Gates of Hell)- Lucio Fulci's gory zombie classick makes this cover. Also known as City of the Living Dead, the image is of one of one of its classic splatter scenes, this one being where a character gets a power-drill to the noggin.








 
8. Fangoria #317 (Barbara Crampton)- One of the most beautiful women ever to grace the horror genre graces this modern era cover. This image not only proves that she is still a stunner, but has a nice bit of classic influence to it.








7. Fangoria #14 (An American Werewolf in London)- The first ever drawn cover for Fango features the werewolf from the John Landis' classic with a close-up of his face. It's some truly amazing artwork, indeed!









6. Fangoria #307 (Alice Cooper)- There are two drawn covers to this issue, the other, The Howling, is fucking cool, too. However, it is this one of the king of shock rock that makes the grade. Also, I have to add this was the issue where you can find my first published article. I remember seeing both covers and thinking to myself, "Holy shit! My favorite werewolf movie and one of my favortie frontmen (and one of my childhood heroes) made the cover of it!!





 
5. Fangoria #57 (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2)- While, I like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, I am admit ably, not it's biggest fan. I think it's alright, but fell that it has, over the years, gotten a little overrated. However, Savini's makeup FX for the movie is excellent, of course. I LOVE his Leatherface, who is the cover-boy here, of course.






 
4. Fangoria #10 (Scanners)- One of the most memorable gore scenes ever, this being the exploding head in David Cronenberg's classic sci-fi/ horror flick, Scanners, gets the awesome front pic here. The tagline on it is awesome, too!








3. Fangoria #1 (Godzilla)- The very first issue of what is probably the most renown horror mag in the world got the King of the Monsters, himself, Godzilla on its' cover. Based on a poster from the very first film Godzilla: King of the Monsters, AKA, Gojira, this cover will catch the eye of any true monster/ horror fan. And, yes I own a copy of it, and only paid 20 bucks for it. It was/ is in pretty good condition.






2. Fangoria #95 (Total Recall)- One of the goriest (if not THE goriest) Arnold Schwarzenegger movies makes the cover and takes the silver medal. It's more head violence (three of the titles in my top ten have some sort of head violence!), as the lead villain's eyes pop right out! It's such an iconic and wild moment that sums up this action packed and ultra-violent movie, so well! 






1. Fangoria #8 (Zombie)- And, the top spot, gold medal, best Fangoria cover ever goes to this one featuring the one of the most popular and iconic zombies in cinema history. He is, of course, from Fulci's gory classic, Zombie. This dude is just so cool and creepy and kind of stands as one of my favorite zombies ever. The white background really helps him pop out, too!

The 30 Greatest Fangoria Covers of all Time Pt. 2, 20 - 11

The 30 Greatest Fangoria Covers of all Time Pt. 1, 30 - 21

 

 

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Music Mix: This Riff Will Kill Ya!

Remember the last mix (More Metal than Metal) I made? I know a couple of my friends really liked that one, but while that was pretty fucking metal, wait till you hear my newest one! I picked songs with some of the sickest riffs ever. Riffs that will feel like a fucking chainsaw going right through your fucking head!

So, raise those horns and be prepared to brutalize your neighborhood with the hardest, most aggressive, and most badass mix your speakers or I-Pod has ever played!

Oh and fellow horror fans, yep, that's Lucio Fulci classic Zombie on my cover! Love that fucking scene!!!!

Anyways, you can download it here: http://www.4shared.com/file/c36NYtB3/This_Riff_Will_Kill_Ya.html


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Now playing: Metallica - Broken, Beat & Scarred
via FoxyTunes

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