Horror-101

Rock and Shock 2009 Event Report

Like all horror fans, I look forward to October each year for Halloween and all of the good genre movies that come along with it. But perhaps what I anticipate most is Rock and Shock, a three-day horror convention and music concert that takes place in Worcester, MA. As in the past, I was like a kid waiting for Christmas, marking down the days until October 16th-18th. It never disappoints, and the sixth annual event was yet another fun one in the books.

My lovely girlfriend and I arrived at the DCU Center just in time to attend a signing by The Acacia Strain. They’re a hardcore band from right in Massachusetts, and they happily made goofy faces in pictures with their local fans. Following that, we attended a Q&A billed as “Behind the Masks,” which featured Kane Hodder (Jason Voorhees in Friday the 13th 7-X), Gunnar Hansen (Leatherface in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre), and Chris Carnel (The Miner in My Bloody Valentine remake). It was a nice way to kick things off. Gunnar, who did the majority of the speaking, showed a particular detest for remakes, calling them out for being nothing more than cash-ins. Carnel, who starred in remake and has another, The Crazies, on tap, couldn’t help but agree, albeit in a nicer way. Hodder defended sequels, since they made his career what it is.

Shortly after, there was a Q&A with Jason Mewes (Jay from the Kevin Smith films). He was a really funny guy, always incorporating crude potty humor into his answers to keep the audience laughing. Derek Mears (Friday the 13th remake) was in the audience, watching and joking back and forth with Mewes. As I was filming the event, Mewes even called me out to ask what I was going to do with the footage. For your luck, you can see it (along with most of the Q&As) on Youtube.

After the Q&As, we headed over to the Palladium where The Acacia Strain had just started playing. They had their homestate crowd going wild, and the pit was intense. They played a lot of new material and even threw in a cover of Integrity’s “Vocal Test.” Vocalist Vincent Bennett pointed out that they were on tour with Christian bands and, despite their differences, they all got along well. He went on to say that it doesn’t matter in what you believe, as long as you believe in something. He added that that was the most positive thing you’d ever hear him say, which is believable considering his band was selling a shirt which read “What the fuck is Christian hardcore?”

August Burns Red came on next. They played their technical metalcore well and the crowd was into it, but even with their calculated breakdowns the pit was much calmer than it had been for The Acacia Strain. I left after the set, but Revolting Cocks were headlining that night. I can only imagine what fans of the industrial group thought after seeing the rowdy crowds that the heavier bands brought.

Saturday is always the busiest day, and this year was no different. While there was plenty of room for movement in the vendor room the previous night, it was almost difficult to move with all of the bodies when I arrived Saturday afternoon. The dealer room had plenty of treats for horror fans, from T-shirts to movies (both bootleg and independent) to posters to toys and more.

Lines were fairly constant in the celebrity room as well, especially for the bigger guests, although it seemed a lot of people were afraid to open their wallets for the steep autograph prices. I’m all for these celebrates making money, but the prices have increased over the years, despite the economic recession. A couple years back, it was usually $10 for the celebrity to sign your item and $20 to have them sign one of the 8×10s. It is now $20 no matter what, which is pretty ridiculous. Special effects guru Tom Savini, who used to have a deal in which he would sign any of your items if you bought something from his table, told me he had to stop doing that deal because other people were complaining that he didn’t follow the same rules. But hey, if some people are still willing and able to pay the higher prices, more power to them. I had to get that rant out.

Derek Mears is easily one of the nicest, most down-to-earth celebrities I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. I did an interview with him a while back, and — much to my surprise — he told me that he remembered the interview and thanked me for it. Despite his intimidating stature, he is a big teddy bear that clearly enjoys meeting with his fans. He was always constantly ribbing Jason Mewes, who was seated in the booth next to him.

If there was any celebrity that is going to give Mears a run for his money at being the kindest, it’s Doug Jones (Hellboy). The eccentric, lanky man was so happy to be there, you couldn’t be around him without smiling. He was very complimentary to my girlfriend, even doing his Pale Man from Pan’s Labyrinth pose with her for picture. When posing with me for a picture, he commented on how skinny I was and that even he could pick me up — which he did. This prompted the guy behind us to pick Jones up for a picture of his own.

Ezra Buzzington (The Hills Have Eyes) was very nice and personable as always. Author Jack Ketchum (The Girl Next Door) was kind too. He told me that the recently released Offspring movie came out before Off Season, its predecessor, because the people who bought the rights to Off Season never made it and therefore didn’t have any sequels rights.

Legendary punk band the Misfits did a free signing. I rant more about the band later, but I was happy to find that they were extremely kind, with bassist Jerry Only even taking the time personalize each autograph. At one point during the day, it was announced over the loudspeaker that it was Margot Kidder’s (Amityville Horror) birthday, so John Kassir (Tales from the Crypt) sang “Happy Birthday” to her in his famous Crypt Keeper voice.

The day also provided more great Q&As. Legendary director John Landis had lots of fascinating anecdotes about his many years in the industry, from Pittsburgh being the coldest place he’s ever filmed (while bantering with Tom Savini, who was watching in the crowd) to regrettably denying the director’s spot of Men In Black, claiming it was nothing more than the Ghostbusters dressed as The Blue Brothers. Interestingly, considering it was a horror convention, he didn’t really talk about An American Werewolf in London. The last question was about working with the late John Belushi, and Landis ended his session with the moral of “Don’t abuse drugs. They will kill you.”

The Friday the 13th 2009 Q&A was fun. As expected, most of the questions were directed toward the newest man to don the Jason Voorhees mask, Derek Mears. In addition to being a horror fan, Mears also performs improv comedy and showcased his sense of humor to the laughing audience. Co-stars Arlen Escarpeta and America Olivo laughed along.

Headlining guest Malcolm McDowell’s (A Clockwork Orange) Q&A had the largest audience of the weekend, and he did not disappoint them. He has been around in the business and told a number of stories, many of them quite humorous, about a variety of films. He didn’t, however, mention his work in the Halloween remake or its sequel.

I stopped by the Palladium in time to see the end of Saint Vitus‘ set. I’m not a fan of them but some people seemed to be. Afterward, the Misfits took the stage. The classic incarnation of the band is, by far, one of my favorite bands of all time. Although the band doesn’t resemble what they once were — the line-up consists of original bassist Jerry Only, who now sings as well, along with Black Flag alumni Dez Cadena and Robo on guitar and drums, respectively — it was still cool to see them. The first half of their hour-long set was dedicated to their classic material, with the crowd singing along to fan favorites such as “Skulls” and “Astro Zombies.” The band blistered through the songs at double time, with the only talking being Only yelling the song title in between. They then covered the Black Flag tune “Thirsty and Miserable” with Cadena on vocals. The remainder of their set consisted of material written when the band reformed in the 90s. They ended the set with the anthemic “Die, Die My Darling.” Only gets a lot of flack for carrying on with the band, and sure, he’s no Glenn Danzig, but they sounded pretty damn good all things considered. I was surprised to find that they didn’t play the fan favorite “Last Caress” and still played so many Michale Graves-era songs, but it was still a great set that could appease fans of both their older and newer material. I left, satisfied with a great weekend, following their set, but Type O Negative closed out the night. Their fans didn’t seem to appreciate the thrashing around done by those of the Misfits.

I skipped out on Sunday, but cult rappers Insane Clown Posse were performing that night, so the convention was sure to be overrun but “juggalos” in baggy clothes and face paint. One thing that I missed this year was the movie screenings. Sunday hosted a couple (including The Beyond with an introduction by star Catriona MacColl), but previous years have seen movies being played throughout the weekend. Aside from that minor complaint, Rock and Shock went off without a hitch and was just as fun as previous years. Thank you to everyone who made it possible, and a special thanks to Gina. I’m already excited for next year! In the mean time, all of my pictures from the event can be seen here here and videos of the Q&As can be viewed here.

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