Frightvision 2000

As I stood akimbo, I had to wonder how this had come about. I hadn’t been in Akron, OH, for more than 5 minutes before I was guarddogging the Dealer’s Room at this year’s FrightVision Festival while the convention organizers were hunting for my press passes.

No matter how much time and effort you put into preparing for a convention or nothing can prepare an organizer for opening day. There are just too many variables that are out of your control: dealers with too much stock crying for extra space, uncooperative hotel staff who try to stay as far away from the freakshow as possible, celebrities who don’t show without any explanation, and Gary Busey.

With everything thrown at them, Carl and Donna Thompson kept everything under control and pulled off a pretty fun party. And a party is exactly what was! The guests often came out of hiding and not only mingled with fans but seemed to have fun with them as well. “It’s … a lot better organized than Chiller, but that one’s still the biggest and the best, “say Canton, OH, native Rick Martin. “This one has a better atmosphere. Much more laid back.”

While the festival officially stated on Saturday, those who arrived the day before were treated to the 15-year reunion party for J.R. Bookwalter’s seminal gore classic, THE DEAD NEXT DOOR. Not only were cast and crew in attendance, but so was Krush, the band who provided most of the music found in the film. After the screening J.R. and friends entertained questions with most of the time spent detailing “where are they now.” Krush finished off the evening with modern renditions of their DND music.

Saturday was a completely different animal. You know you’re in the presence of greatness when that very presence itself yells, “Nerd, nerd, nerd, nerd,” deafening you for the next 15 minutes. Toby Radcliff, of KILLER NERD and TOWNIES fame, joined Todd Pontsler and myself behind the Temper Entertainment/Full Moon Pictures booth for most of the afternoon. KILLER NERD director Wayne Allan Harold, who was battling the stomach flu, also came out to help Toby greet fans, sign autographs, and pimp tapes. Fortunately he didn’t yell. He didn’t have to; Toby’s nerd-mantra kept the people hypnotized.

Surprisingly, the room that I thought would have some of the largest crowds, in fact, had some of the smallest. Dawn Murphy, Brinke Stevens, Roxanne Michaels, Lilith Stabs, and Countess Vladimira waited patiently for people to filter into the Scream Queens room, an area sectioned off from the main guest area. “It’s been pretty dead,” say Murphy, “once Ginger Lynn Allen left, so did the crowds.”

On my first meeting with them, I spent no less than 30 minutes talking to Dawn and her husband Dave. Whenever I needed to retreat back to sanity I found myself hanging around their table, scaring off their customers. Dawn and Dave lacked the “ME-ME” attitude that plagued many of actors and actresses. I wish those two well.

The main hall held the bigger names, Gary Busey, Richard Kiel, Tom Savini, and many cast members from the orginal Dark Shadows. The beautiful Erin Gray hasn’t aged a day since Buck Rogers. That woman would make Aphrodite succumb to envy and Paris kick Helen off the damn boat.

The bigger names translated to bigger crowds. To hit every booth would take you anywhere from 2 to 3 hours. The problem is I have no patience. With Todd manning the booth alone, I had as excuse to not stay long.

Sunday was much more relaxed and slow. Everything had been seen. Everyone met. The only event scheduled for the day was a Q&A with the Scream Queens. Linnea Quigley joined the girls, and panel host Fred Olen Ray, answering questions ranging from upcoming jobs to how the girls maintained their youthfull appearence. The troublemaker that I am tried to spark some cattiness, but the girls weren’t having it. After all, there were directors in the audience and bitchiness doesn’t get you jobs.(But after the checks are signed, things are a different story….)

I left wanting more, much more. Not just more convention time, but more convention time to myself. A chance to sit and pick the brains of those attending. Next year I’ll focus more on doing what I need to do. Interviewing the talent, networking with filmmakers, and maybe even hocking my own tapes. This might sound selfish, but I don’t care. Frightvision was fun and next year I want even more of it!

Note: Next year’s festival will be leaving the Akron area and moving into Cincinnati. Carl Thompson has already made plans for the convention to take place on March 30th through April 1, 2001, at the Holiday Inn, Independence. Current plans call for Tom Savini to host the second Savini-thon. The first of which was recently held in Houston, TX.