Category Archives: Conventions

Columbus Moving Picture Show

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While this isn’t a new show for us, last year the Columbus Moving Picture Show moved from downtown Columbus to the northside of the city, which I have to say was a huge improvement, if just on the cost alone! Downtown was really nice but just a bit too pricy. I do miss our regular visits to Dirty Franks, but we’ve found a new great place. But more on that in a bit!

The main reason for this post is to remind some movie collectors about this show. It is old-fashioned memorabilia show, with tons of posters, lobby cards, half-sheets, 8×10 stills, and so much more. What it doesn’t have is a ton of celebrities with overpriced photo-ops and autographs. That is what sets this apart from most conventions these days and is one of the reasons why we love setting up there. And even though it’s not just horror, there is still a lot of cool stuff to find, though you may have to do some searching. Then again, that is part of the fun.

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Monsterama in Atlanta

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Ever since I heard about this show, we wanted to attend. But being in Atlanta, which is about a 12-hour drive, is a bit too long for us. Sure, might be easier to fly, but if we were going, we’d want to be vendors there, which means we’d have to drive. So, I would just sit and look at the events, the guests, and all the fun it looked like everyone was having. But not this year!

Because I wanted to try some other shows that were a little different than the huge convention with massive guests lists, to those where fans were coming to have fun and maybe learn something about the genre. Monsterama, which has been running since 2014, is the brainchild of Anthony Taylor, who I’ve known for a few years since we both attend Monster Bash every year. Just hearing about the way the show is put on, with all the different panels they have, plus the steady stream of films being screened from actual film prints, I knew at some point, I was going to have to make it someday. And this is the year.

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Kryptic World Tour 2026 Starts Soon

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While we’re in the middle of a deep freeze here in the Midwest, what better time to think ahead to when convention season starts! We’ve got a couple of new shows that we’re going to be hitting this year, plus some that I really wanted to highlight in the incoming months just to keep getting the word out.

On March 14th, we are going to be heading to Muskegon, Michigan for the Michigan is Dead show, which is just a 1-day event that actually takes place in a mall. The people that run Static Tape Video have been doing this little tape trade, sort-of flea-market style event that looks like it might be fun to give it a try. So, we’ll be set up there with our usual array of horror reference books, maybe some magazines, movies, and of course some horror pillows and tote bags from my lovely wife.

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Happy Halloween from Kitley’s Krypt!

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This month has been a complete whirlwind, from conventions, a 24-hour movie marathon, 4 library lectures, as well as with all the regular real-life BS that everyone has to deal with. Trying to find to time to actually enjoy the month’s festivities can be a bit tough, while also trying to squeeze some movies whenever you can get a free 90-minutes! I always say at the end of each October, as tired and stressed as I might be, I have had an absolute blast and wouldn’t change a thing.

These are the choices we make. The choices may put extra work on our already full plate, but we do it anyway because it feeds our soul. We know we’re doing it for the right reasons and no matter how much work goes into it, when we look back and see all that we’ve done at the end of the month, you do get that sense of accomplishment.

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2025 Kryptic World Tour Coming to an End

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This weekend, we are heading to our last real convention, Monster Bash, which is taking place in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania. They have a great guest lineup, including Gary Clarke from How to Make a Monster, Kathryn Leigh Scott and Sharon Smyth from the original Dark Shadows series, Barbara Wilson from Blood of Dracula, Invasion of the Animal People aka Terror in the Midnight Sun, and The Flesh Eaters, John Russo from the original Night of the Living Dead, and more. You can get all the info by clicking HERE.

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Cinema Wasteland – 25 Years Later

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“After several days of rest, we have finally recuperated from the Cinema Wasteland convention. Those of you who didn’t make it, you simply missed one hell of a show. As I’m sure everybody knew, the show was put on and run by Ken & Pam of Video Wasteland. These two have been dealers since the beginning of time, and have seen all the mistakes, screw-ups, and everything that can go wrong at a convention (and that was just at one Fangoria show). So, when doing this show, they wanted to make sure that it would be great for the dealers as well as the people spending their hard-earned cash at the show. And they did just that and more.”

That was the first paragraph of my review I posted on my website of the very first Cinema Wasteland show, back in September of 2000. The funny thing is that I could use that exact same quote for the show that I was just at over the weekend. And the one before that. And before that one. I don’t know of another show that has remained true to way they started from the very beginning. Ken Kish wanted to put on a show that wasn’t like the rest of the shows going on, and he has kept it that way. It’s small, especially compared to these huge shows where it takes hours just to get in the door, not to mention having to mortgage your house to meet a few celebrities. That is the charm to Wasteland. At Wasteland, you have a roomful of dedicated cinephiles that are more interested in the films themselves, and who made them, rather than the latest Funko Pop figure. I know that sounds a little mean-spirited, but it is the truth.

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Flashback Weekend Coming!

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In just 6 days, we’ll be heading into Rosemont for this year’s Flashback Weekend! As usual, they have an incredible guest list. There is a Re-Animator reunion with Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton, and Bruce Abbott, which is celebrating its 40-year anniversary! Along with a reunion for The Howling (1981), with director Joe Dante, and stars Dee Wallace and Belinda Belaski. Of course, Robert Englund is also appearing! Then there is a Terrifier reunion with 11 guests from the film series. But also, names like Devon Sawa, Charles Band, Kane Hodder, Danielle Harris, Adam Green, Ken Kirzinger, Amanda Wyss, Tuesday Knight, Andras Jones, and more.

Of course, there is also the HUGE dealer room filled with plenty of goodies to tempt money from your wallets. And as always, we will be vending there as well, with our usual array of horror reference books, while my wife will have her selection of Horror Slave custom pillows, tote bags, and more.

For all the info, head over to their website HERE, and we hope to see you there!

Monster Bash Spring 2025

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A few weeks ago, we made our annual trip to PA for the Monster Bash Conference, which we started attending way back in 2015. I can’t believe it’s been over a decade now, but we still continue to have so much fun there.

One of the reasons is some of the great items we find in the dealer room, most of which aren’t even something we’re looking for, but just happen to come across! For this show, since money has been a little tight as of late, my main goal was to try and not spend much at the show. I guess the key word there is “try”, because by Saturday, that was completely out the window.

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Monster Bash Approaches

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In a little less than 3 weeks, we’ll be heading off to one of our favorite shows, the Monster Bash Conference, taking place from June 20th to the 22nd, in Cranberry Township, PA. While it might be a little smaller than some of the usual shows we attend, there is so much to do and see here, that it is always a great time. They have film screenings from Thursday night all the way through Sunday, going into the wee hours of the night! You’ll get the chance to see some classic horror films, usually screened from16mm prints, including titles like The Vampire’s Ghost (1945), Weird Woman (1943), Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932), the not-to-be-missed Mexican horror/sci-fi spectacular The Ship of Monsters (1960), Lon Chaney’s The Penalty (1920), Night of the Living Dead (1968), Man Made Monster (1941), Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948), and Zombies on Broadway (1945)! These are the kind of titles that makes me wish I wasn’t vending, just so I can sit and watch movies all weekend!

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Columbus Moving Picture Show!

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The next stop on this year’s World Tour is at the Columbus Movie Picture Show. Formally known as Cinevent, which was one of the longest running movie memorabilia show around, it changed ownership and name a few years ago. We started vending at them back in 2016 and have always really enjoyed ourselves there. It’s nice to see a show like the ones I used to attend back in the 90s, when it was more about the memorabilia than overpriced autographs. We couldn’t make it to last year’s show but are back this year to have a blast like we usually do!

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