Festival of Darkness 2000

The first annual Festival of Darkness was held this past Sunday in Baltimore, MD at a place called Bohagers, an average sized bar and music venue located in Baltimore’s seedier side of town. The location was the best thing FoD had going it.

Let me start off by saying a bar is no place to hold a convention. That is not their designed use. It just doesn’t work. FoD proved this beyond a shadow of a doubt. Just because you have a TV screen with chair positioned for viewing doesn’t mean you can hold successful screenings, especially when you allow the DJ’s to continue to spin their music. Somber films based off H.P. Lovecraft stories just don’t seem to work with a Rob Zombie score. Next time I suggest better planning.

Like every other convention I’ve been to I was given a schedule at the door. The doorman made it a point to get it into my hands. I was too afraid to turn it down. It would have been nice if the convention staff could have followed their schedule. Everything overlapped and nothing occurred when planned. At $25 dollars I should have been able to screen most of the flims shown. According to the schedule I should have been able to screen all the films shown. It sucks to High Heaven the convention staff is running so far behind that they have to show all the films at once in a venue not designed for conventions as Pigface blasts over the speakers. Next time I suggest following a plan, any plan.

Thank goodness for Stuart Gordon, perhaps the only notable celebrity in attendance. Saturday, Mr. Gordon held a special event in conjunction with the event. For an extra $10 you could catch a viewing of The Pit and The Pendulum. For $30 you could drink wine with Stuart afterwards. I didn’t attend. An extra $10 was not part of my game plan. Next year I doubt Festival of Darkness will be either. Unless it’s greatly improved upon and the location is changed, I don’t think it should be yours. Spend your money wisely save it forFrightvision.

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