Category Archives: Conventions

World Tour 2024!

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In two weeks, we’ll be heading to Cincinnati for the HorrorHound Weekend, our first convention of 2024! From the look of the guest list they have posted, this should be one of epic proportions! Plus, the fact that we haven’t had a show since last fall, we’re chomping at the bit to get back at it. We have quite a few book titles in our inventory since last year, so you’ll have plenty to choose from to keep working on Discovering the Horror!

And speaking of which, we have a new supply of Discover the Horror T-Shirts that we’ll have available at the show as well. And Damien will be set up at the show, at the Living Dead Dolls booth. As a matter of fact, Damien will be at the Monster Mania show this very weekend!

Then in two weeks, all the unholy three of us, Damien, Aaron, and myself, will be attending Cinema Wasteland in Strongsville, OH! While we won’t have a table there, we will have T-shirts on us for purchase. If you want to get one, you can always email me ahead of time and we’ll make sure we have it set aside for you. I’ll also have copies of my book as well! 

Feel free to stop by one of our tables at Monster Mania or HorrorHound if you want to talk about horror movies! Or we’ll all be wandering around the halls of Wasteland the whole weekend, and we definitely love shooting the shit about movies there!

Some THING is coming to Flashback Weekend!

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It’s pretty much standard knowledge that John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982) is one of the greatest horror films ever made. If you disagree, well, you’re just wrong. Just kidding. Well . . .

Yes, we all our entitled to our opinion but I think you’d be hard pressed, in this day and age, to find a horror fan that doesn’t enjoy this incredible, not to mention more accurate version of John W. Campbell’s 1938 novella Who Goes There? The special makeup effects by the 23-year-old madman, Rob Bottin are not only ground-breaking, mind-blowing, and truly original and amazing, but that they still hold up today, even under the scrutiny in a 4k presentation. But even beyond the makeup effects, Carpenter weaves a beautiful tale of paranoia that makes everyone think Who Goes There?

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Upcoming Conventions

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After having the month of July off, next week the convention fun starts all over again!!!

This weekend, we’re heading to our own backyard to Rosemont, IL for the Flashback Weekend, taking place from Aug. 4th-6th. They have a huge guest lineup, such as Scream union, Terrifier 1 & 2 reunion with 9 guests from the two films, including director Damien Leone & Art the Clown, David Howard Thornton, Child’s Play 2 reunion with Alex Vincent & Christine Elise, Christine reunion with William Ostrander, Malcolm Danare, Steven Tash, as well as a replica of Christine herself, Halloween 2 reunion with Lance Guest & Leo Rossi, along with Dick Warlock who played Michael Myers, Kane Hodder, Charles Band, Joe Bob Briggs and Darcy the Mail Girl, and many more.

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Monster Bash – Making Me Think!

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Earlier this year, I posted that this was probably going to be my last year selling books. The main reason (other than I’m getting old!) was that they just weren’t selling enough to make it worth it. I know I had a good number of regulars, which really hurt the thought of disappointing them, but at the end of the show, it just wasn’t enough.

Then we did Monster Bash last weekend.

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Kryptic World Tour Starts Next Weekend!

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That’s right kiddies, next weekend we’ll be heading to Cincinnati for the HorrorHound Weekend, which officially starts our 2023 convention tour. It seems like it has been forever since our last show, so we are very excited to have another great weekend. Looking forward to seeing our friends there, getting to hang out and talk about movies, and just having a great time.

The following weekend, while we’re not vending, we’ll still be at Cinema Wasteland in Strongsville, Ohio, and is one that we’re really looking forward to. Not only do they have the last remaining cast members of Texas Chain Saw Massacre, but they also have writer Kim Henkel and cinematographer Daniel Pearl on the guest list. That show is always a great time and so much fun.

In April, we’re staying local and doing our second appearance at the Windy City Pulp and Paper show, which is more of a literary show, but if you’re a book lover, this is one to come to! Plus, that same Saturday, we’ll be leaving the show a little early to head to the Davis Theatre in Chicago for the Euro Horror Shock Show, put on by the House of Monsters, which will be screening 4 amazing films, including two featuring Paul Naschy!!! How can you pass that up!

You can see the rest of our shows that we have lined up this year at the top of our main page. Hope to see you at some of them!

Wasteland for Life!

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On the Thursday before the show, my newsfeed starts to blow up with all these people posting “Wastelanded”. Why are they getting there a day before the show even starts??? Well, there is a reason for that.

When I used to post my convention reports, I usually would use the word “survivor”. But it really doesn’t do justice when you’re talking about Cinema Wasteland. Sure, after the weekend, you did feel like you ran a marathon (might be due to the lack of sleep) but the word “survivor” makes you feel like the event was an ordeal and that you’re glad it is over. That is not the case for this particular convention.

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HorrorHound Next Weekend!!!

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Less than a week away and we’ll be packing up the Kryptic Van and heading to Cincinnati for HorrorHound Weekend! And just looking at the huge guest lineup, it looks like this is going to be one hell of a show, as always. There is going to be someone there for all fans of the genre, from a Hocus Pocus reunion, a Killer Klowns from Outer Space reunion with the Chiodo Bros., stars Grant Cramer and Suzanne Synder, as well as Harrod Blank & Mike Martinez who played a couple of the Klowns, to so much more. You have Ron Perlman, Doug Jones, Anthony Michael Hall, Quinn Lord, Dana Delorenzo & Ray Santiago, and so many more. They even have Milly Shaprio from Hereditary!

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Alive and Kickin’

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Sorry for the lack of updates, besides a few RIP notices, which are never fun to post. We were at Flashback convention last weekend, and it honestly took a few days to recover. We’ve been there since the very first show and haven’t missed one yet, and always have a great time and so glad to be there to help celebrate their 20th Anniversary show! Mike and Mia and all the Flashback crew make it look easier than it really is, with the staff being so nice and helpful.

It was great to see so many horror fans coming through the door all three days of the show. There was a time at most conventions when Sundays were just for a few stragglers wandering around, but they were still lining up to come in that last day. Always a good sign for vendors! But it really is the afterhours conversations that is the highlight for me at these conventions. Getting to talk about our favorite genre with other friends is so much fun and always a great time.

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Flashback Next Weekend!

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Starting next Friday, Aug. 5th to the 7th, you’ll want to run off to Flashback Weekend that is taking place in Rosemont, IL, at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare. As always, they have a HUGE guest list, but if you’re a fan of the Nightmare on Elm Street films, then you don’t want to miss this one, since they have 10 guests from the series, including Freddy himself, Robert Englund! But there are plenty of other guests as well, such as director Steven Miner, who not only directed the second and third entries in the Friday the 13th films, but also directed House, H20, and Lake Placid, just to name a few. Then we have Alex Winter from Bill & Ted and Lost Boys, Brad Loree, Tom Jones Jr., P.J. Soles and John Michael Graham (Lynda & Bob) from the Halloween series, and so many more.

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Monster Bash Next Weekend!

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It’s been three years since our last Spring Monster Bash Conference, and we are so excited to make our return next weekend. The show takes place in Mars, PA, from June 24th to the 26th, with movies showing all weekend until the wee hours of the morning. Plus, you have guests like Caroline Munro, Patrick Wayne, Beverly Washburn, and more. Not to mention plenty of Q&As, seminars as well. Lastly, I would say that this show has one of the best dealer rooms around. I am always finding some great stuff here at the Bash. While the show focuses on classic horror, you just never know what you can find perusing the different vendors. In other words, there is more than enough fun to be had while you’re here.

My wife and I will be set up there as usual, so if you’re heading out, make sure you stop by and say hello! For all the updated information about the show, the guests, the schedule, and all the great films they’re screening, head over to their website HERE.