It certainly does seem that there are a lot of remakes, reboots and "re-imaginings" these days, doesn't it?  Well, The Horror Nerd is not as militant about these things as some horror fans are.  Yes, in many cases a remake is probably unnecessary, but like any other film, a remake will either be good or it won't.  Well, I am happy to say that in the case of the 2020 remake of "The Invisible Man", it definitely falls on the good side!  

Written and directed by Leigh Whannell and starring Elisabeth Moss ("The Handmaid's Tale") and Oliver Jackson-Cohen ("The Haunting of Hill House"), this version of "The Invisible Man" offers a fresh take on the story originally written by H.G. Wells is 1897 and adapted for the screen several times, most notably in 1933 starring Claude Rains.

Cecilia Kass (Moss) is in an abusive marriage with control freak Adrian Griffin, a world leader in the field of optics. She decides she's had enough, and in a tense, well-paced scene, she flees in the middle of the night.  She's still not free though, as she is terrified that Adrian will find her, or hurt the people she loves.  Then she receives some news that might finally put her at ease.  Her husband is dead by his own hand.  Cecilia can now finally get on with her life, without the constant fear of her abusive husband.  Or can she?????

Strange things start to happen, and she constantly feels a presence around her.  The Horror Nerd doesn't like to give away too many plot details, so all I will say is that while Cecilia believes that her presumed-to-be-dead husband is somehow back in her life to torment her, everyone around her thinks she is having some sort of mental breakdown due to the fact that she simply cannot accept the fact that Adrian can no longer hurt her.  How will she prove that her husband is NOT dead, but has found a way to render himself invisible so her can continue control her life?  Well, you'll just have to watch!

So, what did I think of the film?  Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed it.  As I stated earlier, this is a very fresh take on the original concept. I don't want to give anything away as far as how the antagonist renders himself invisible, so I'll just say that writer Leigh Whannell came up with a very clever way to modernize the concept and to get around some of scientific issues surrounding the idea of someone becoming invisible.  (Yes, I realize it's all fantasy, but there was always something that bothered me about someone making themselves invisible.  For example, how does one see, given that vision is based on light striking the retina, which is now invisible?)

Anyway.....let's just say that the invisibility part is very cool.  

The acting in this film is top notch.  Elizabeth Moss gives a great performance as someone who is desperate to convince those around her that she is not crazy, and that someone invisible actually exists.  Imagine if you were in that situation?  How would you prove that what you were saying is true?  Personally, I find the idea of an invisible person completely terrifying.  To the world, you'd be perceived as a raving lunatic if you tried to tell everyone that someone they couldn't see was committing acts of violence.  

It's hard to give an opinion on Oliver Jackson-Cohen as Adrian Griffin/The Invisible Man because, well, he's invisible for 90% of the film!  Yet he manages to be absolutely menacing and terrifying throughout the film.  The supporting cast rounds out the film nicely.  I especially liked Harriet Dyer as Emily Kass, Cecilia's sister, who desperately wants to love and protect her sibling, but is having a hard time believing her. Michael Dorman as Tom Griffin, Adrian's brother does an excellent job as well.  Hell, everyone in this film is good!

​

The pacing of the film is great throughout.  The first ten minutes of this movie are some of the most tense minutes I've ever spent in a movie theater. The scenes where you KNOW that Adrian is in the room, but you cannot see him, are fantastic as well.  Not knowing when or where he will strike just adds to the tension.  

Sadly, no film is perfect and I have to say that this otherwise excellent one fell apart a bit during the ending.  One one hand, I completely understand why the writer chose to end the film the way it does.  However, it just left me feeling a little bit 'empty'.  I guess that's the best way for me to put it.  Others might feel differently about it, and that's the beauty of film.  Like any other art form, it's open to interpretation and I would be interested to hear what other people think about it.

Overall, I really liked this film.  For me, it just proves that dismissing all remakes as being bad simply because they are remakes is just silly.  "The Invisible Man" is a perfect example of a writer taking an existing, well-worn property and putting a fresh spin on it.  You need a good script, stellar acting and adept direction and BAM!  You have a great film!

New Jersey Horror Con & Film Festival will be creeping its way back onto the famous Atlantic City Boardwalk for three terrifying days in March of 2020! Created in 2017 by New Jersey filmmaker and horror fan Ryan Scott Weber along with Comic Book Men's Robert Bruce, New Jersey Horror Con will be bringing it's usual fantastic combination of celebrity guests and independent films to the Showboat Hotel on March 27th, 28th and 29th.



The convention is spread out over the vast space of the Showboat's former casino floor, which makes for a great environment for convention attendees and guests alike.  There's enough space for people to check out the amazing vendors, and to meet their favorite genre celebrities without feeling that sense of overcrowding that plagues so many other conventions.  It also provides space for photo ops with the many cosplayers who regularly attend the show.

As usual, Weber and his hard working staff have put together an interesting list of guests for fans to meet and greet.  Kerri Green ("Goonies", "Summer Rental") will be making a very rare convention appearance at NJ Horror Con.  (Please note Kerri will be appearing on Saturday only!)  Joining Kerri is fellow "Goonies" alum Ke Huy Quan, who is also well known for playing Short Round in "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom".  The ever popular Danielle Harris ("Halloween 4 & 5", "Urban Legend") is a popular convention guest who will be mixing and mingling with convention attendees for the weekend.

An important note I would like to make is that Ryan always manages to find guests that are not necessarily "regulars" on the convention circuit.  A prime example of this is Charlie Sheen, who appeared at the Fall 2019 edition of NJ Horror Con.  This time around, the aforementioned Kerri Green and Ke Huy Quan, along with Jill Whitlow and Allan Kayser (both from "Night of the Creeps") are a few of the "rarer" guests that THIS horror fan is looking forward to meeting!  BUT WAIT!  Dustin Diamond ("Saved by the Bell") is also appearing at the show.  Dustin, along with all of the other amazing guests lined up for this show, is sure to bring a smile to the face of many a fan.

Speaking of "The Goonies", in keeping with a NJ Horror Con tradition, there will be some cool photo sets inspired by the guests appearing at the show, one of which is a set inspired by One-Eyed Willies ship from the film!  How cool is that?   

There will also be some other great photo ops available at the convention, including a Texas Chainsaw Massacre meat hook set, with guests Andrew Bryniarski and Bob Elmore doing their in-costume photo ops on the set!  These are the types of unique experiences fans can have at NJ Horror Con.

Finally, as a filmmaker, I cannot stress enough the fact that the name of the convention is New Jersey Horror Con and FILM FESTIVAL.  This time around, there's another fantastic batch of independent films being screened at the event, and festival director Tony Goggles works tirelessly to put together these screenings.  Not to mention the always fun filmmaker meet and greet and awards ceremony that will take place on Saturday night.

While you're having fun meeting celebrities and getting autographs, you would be doing yourself a disservice if you didn't take some time to check out some of the films.

Celebrity guests, indie horror films, in-costume/on-set photo ops, Scaryoke.....ALL of it can be found at New Jersey Horror Con and Film Festival.  The Horror Nerd is honored to be invited back as press, and you'll see me prowling the convention, taking pics, doing celebrity interviews and just having a great time.  Enjoy the show and be sure to stop me and say hello!

For more information about the convention including the complete guest list, ticket information, hotel, etc. be sure to visit the event website.  NJ Horror Con & Film Festival will be held at the Showboat Hotel in Atlantic City, NJ on March 27th-29th, 2020.

While browsing for something new to watch, I came across "The Isle", a cool fantasy/thriller from 2018 that I had not heard of before.  The description had the words "shipwreck", "island" and "mysterious" in it, so I knew this film was probably for me.

Director Matthew Butler-Hart weaves a well made, well acted folk tale that is definitely a slow burn, but that benefits from the restraint that it shows.  Butler-Hart co-wrote the screenplay with his partner, Tori Butler-Hart who also acts in the film.

In the middle of the 19th century, three sailors, Oliver, Jim and Cailean wash up on an uncharted island.  (This opening alone had me hooked as I am a sucker for 'mysterious island' films).  They almost immediately run into Fingal MacLeod, who offers them food and shelter, but from the get-go, it becomes clear that something is a little "off".  This becomes more apparent when Fingal brings the three men a farmstead owned by Douglas Innis.  Let's just say that Douglas is less than thrilled to have house guests, but he soon seems to warm up a bit.  There are also two women on the island, Lanthe and Korrigan and their odd behavior only adds to the sense of dread, and the feeling that something is very, very wrong on this island.

Over the course of several days, we're part of a nightmare, but one that is very subtle.  As I mentioned, there's an ever present sense of gloom and dread, and we're never quite sure exactly what's happening or what we are seeing.  I love this kind of movie.  One that is not constantly slamming us with cheap jump scares and relentless gore.  In fact, I think I could have actually used a stronger scare or two, but that in no way lessened my enjoyment of the film.

The cinematography and use of sound in this film are excellent, and it is very well acted.  The story also makes excellent use of different elements, especially Greek mythology and Scottish folklore.  

Again, I need to make it very clear that this is not a "scary" movie in the true sense of the word.  If I had to compare it to something I would say it reminds me of "The Witch" in it's tone and it's sense of fear and isolation.  This is my kind of film though as I have always been interested in tales of shipwrecked sailors or old folktales and that is probably why I enjoyed "The Isle" so much.

I'm glad I ran across this little gem and I highly recommend it!

Greetings fiends!  The Horror Nerd here still recovering from another awesome weekend at NJ Horror Con & Film Festival.  Once again, Ryan Scott Weber and his hard working staff put together a great show.  Despite some last minute challenges, everything went smoothly and I can honestly say that I had a great time, and that the show is growing and maturing quite nicely.

A testament to the hard work a mentioned comes from the fact that just a few weeks before the show, the host venue, the Showboat Hotel in Atlantic City, NJ announced that they had signed a deal with Netflix to allow them to shoot a movie the same weekend.  This meant that the usual space used to house the convention, on the first floor of the hotel, would be unavailable.  Everything had to be moved to the second floor.  I must say, when I arrived at the hotel, I was thinking that this could either be fine, or it could be very bad, depending on the layout of the second floor, which I had never seen.  Well, I am pleased to say that it worked out quite well and I personally didn't see any significant issues.  It was just a different layout, and those of us who are regular attendees simply adapted to it.  Anyone coming to the convention for the first time would have not even known any better.  The vendors, artists, authors, etc. were all placed in a long, wide corridor that stretched the length of the hotel.  The majority of the celebrity guests, along with some additional vendors, were in a large room with a lot of space, which led to less crowding than I had feared.  I never had any problems moving through any of the spaces.

As far as the guest lineup goes this time around, there was a stellar mix of guests from various genres, beginning with headliners Christina Ricci ("The Addams Family", "Casper"), Charlie Sheen ("Major League", "Two and a Half Men") and Peter Criss (KISS).  Sadly, I did not get a chance to meet Charlie, but I heard that he was great and I saw a lot of my friends getting photos with him in his Wild Thing costume from "Major League", which was very, very cool.

There was an array of other awesome guests as well including Claudia Wells ("Back to the Future"), who, by the way, is absolutely one of the nicest, most gracious people I have ever met.  Diane Franklin ("Better Off Dead", "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure") was her usual charming self.   Carmen Electra was every bit as stunning in person as she is on screen and in print and she was very nice during the few minutes I got to spend chatting with her.

Some other notable guests I had a chance to speak to were George Wyner ("Spaceballs"), Edward Furlong ("Terminator 2"), Amanda Wyss ("A Nightmare on Elm Street") and Heather Langenkamp ("A Nightmare on Elm Street") among many, many others, including the fan favorite Soska Sisters, Jen and Sylvia.  They are always incredible with the fans, making every single person feel important and special.

I NEED to point something out.  I can't quite put my finger on it, but there's something about NJ Horror Con that seems to make the celebrity guests a lot more comfortable (for lack of a better word).  Everyone was so amazing with the fans, coming out from behind their tables to actually engage with people, and giving them a great experience.  Some of the guests are known for this (Diane Franklin is a prime example), but most of the other guests seemed to be much more outgoing at this convention.  Whatever Ryan and his team are doing, they need to keep doing it!

One of the highlights of NJ Horror Con & Film Festival is the Saturday night Scaryoke.  This time around, it was hosted by the amazing Man of 10,000 voices, Michael Winslow ("Police Academy").  It's hard to describe how great Michael was as host.  He entertained the fans all night with his ridiculous array of sound effects, and how he does it will remain a mystery for all time.  Everyone had a blast belting out their favorite tunes and one of Michael's "Police Academy" co-stars, Marion Ramsey, also got into the act, and as it turns out, she has a great singing voice!  The Scaryoke event is always such a great time, and the fact that so many of the celebrity guests participate makes for a very special evening for the convention attendees.

Another great time was the Film Festival awards.  I think it's very important to note that the Film Festival is a big part of this event.  Being filmmakers themselves, Ryan Scott Weber and Festival Director Tony Goggles make sure that they give independent filmmakers a forum to have their work seen by horror fans.  

This time around the awards ceremony was hosted by Jen and Sylvia Soska, along with Little Miss Risk herself, Tristan Risk.  These ladies brought such energy and excitement to the awards, and made all of the winners feel special.

Special shout out to Chris Waters who, once again, designed and fabricated the trophies that were handed out.

Honestly, I could go on and on about this show and what a great time it was.  Of course, there were little issues encountered along the way, but many of these had nothing to do with the convention itself.  I'm being completely honest when I say that if there were any serious complications, they were handled well by the convention staff because I personally never saw any of them.  I think Ryan and staff did a great job basically completely rearranging the layout of the convention three weeks before showtime.

I was grateful to be invited back as press, and to have the opportunity to interview so many amazing celebrity guests and I am very much looking forward to the next NJ Horror Con & Film Festival which will be held once again at the Showboat Hotel in Atlantic City, NJ on March 27th-29th, 2020 and I hope to see ALL of you there!

​The Horror Nerd

Ryan Scott Weber, the filmmaker/promoter behind such films as the "Mary Horror Trilogy", "Pretty Fine Things" and New Jersey Horror Con & Film Festival has put together another small, but very cool event.  

The Horror Sideshow Market is tucked away in the showroom of the Merchants Square Mall in Allentown, PA, and it's important to say a few words about the venue first.

Growing up in NJ, there were some awesome indoor flea markets around the state.  Two of my favorites were the Union Market and the U.S. 1 Flea Market.  I would wander the individual booths and stalls for hours, checking out all the merchandise.  All kinds of vendors collected under one roof, and it was great!  Sadly, these places are all but gone.....so I was thrilled to find out that this one still exists!  

Most of the merchants sell antiques and collectibles of all kinds and one could easily spend all day browsing.  There's also an arcade and a very cool model railroad exhibit.

Now....on to the main event!  The Horror Sideshow Market is a collection of vendors selling amazing horror-themed merchandise, paired with a few celebrity guests and the usual horror cosplay suspects lurking around.  The combination of these elements really makes this event work!

The showroom housing the event was just the right size.  It's small enough for an intimate experience, but large enough for there to be a great mix of vendors.  Art prints, jewelry, hand carved jewelry boxes, ceramics, collectibles and even homemade dog treats could be found.  I was also happy to see that there were some vendors there that I don't recall seeing at horror conventions, which was nice.

The turnout for the event was great.  In fact, if I am being completely honest, it was much higher than I had expected, and I was very happy for Ryan and his staff.  In speaking to several of the attendees, every one of them told me that they were having a great time, and that it was nice to see an event like this take place  in June, as there are not a lot of horror related shopping experiences available this time of year.  A few people in particular said that it was great to be able to shop for unique, hand crafted items as opposed to the mass produced stuff that you find in the Halloween stores that will start popping up everywhere in a few months.

There were a few celebrity guests in attendance as well.  Tony Moran, the original "man behind the mask" in Halloween, was greeting fans all day, as were the Amazing Kreskin and John O'Hurley.   What I liked about the event though was, as opposed to a typical horror convention, the celebrity guests were not really the focus of the event.  This was truly a horror market, and the celebrity guests were a pleasant addition to the festivities, while allowing the vendors to shine.

The vendors that I spoke to all made mention of this.  They felt that the attendees were there to shop as opposed to getting autographs and photo ops.  Don't get me wrong.  The Horror Nerd LOVES horror conventions and meeting celebrities, but it was great to be able to pay more attention to the merchants and all the cool stuff they were selling.  I left the show with several great items!

I cannot wrap things up without mentioning the fact that there were some great cosplayers wandering around as well, including horror convention and event mainstay Father Evil, who was sniffing out sins all day.  Mike McManis was there as well, stalking attendees and there were several VERY creepy clowns wandering the show.  

Amazing vendors, celebrity guests, and creepy cosplayers.....what more would you want?

Finally, I need to say that, as always Ryan Scott Weber and his staff did an amazing job staging and running this show.  All of the staff were competent and sociable and everything ran smoothly.  There was also a visible security presence which, without being obtrusive, made everyone feel safe.

I truly hope that Ryan sets up more of these.  It's a great chance for people to pick up some horror related merchandise in a relaxed, intimate atmosphere!

The Horror Nerd rates this event FIVE BROKEN EYEGLASSES!

So....The Horror Nerd had the pleasure of attending the latest edition of NJ Horror Con & Film Festival, which was held from March 29th-31st at the Showboat Hotel in Atlantic City, NJ.

I am not going to lie, when this convention first started in March of 2017, I was a little bit apprehensive.  I asked myself, "Do we really need a third, major convention here in New Jersey?  Is this going to work?"  Well, I am happy to announce that, not only did it work, but I have watched it grow over the last few years to become an excellent show, and a very positive convention experience.  This is speaking both as a fan, as as someone who frequently attends various conventions and film festivals as a member of the press.  NJ Horror Con continues to grow into a major show.

Once again, the convention was held at the Showboat hotel in Atlantic City, NJ.  When the show moved from a hotel in Iselin, NJ down to AC, a lot of people were concerned in that it was moving so far south.  Apparently, this is no longer an issue.  According to event creator/promoter Ryan Scott Weber, attendance at this show was at an all-time high, with more than 3,000 attendees coming through the gates on Saturday alone.

One thing that I was most happy to see this time around was a change to the layout of the show floor.  This time, all of the attendees entered the show through the vendors area.  This meant that everyone had to walk through the vendor tables to get to the celebrity area.  This reason that this is so important to note is that a common complaint about convention merchandise vendors these days is that people show up at the con, and spend all or most of their money on autographs and photo ops before they even make it to the vendor rooms.  At NJ Horror Con, everyone coming into the show was exposed to all of the amazing merchandise vendors, filmmakers and artists before they made it to the celebrity guest area.  I thought this was a great move by Ryan and the NJ Horror Con staff, and, in speaking to many of the vendors, I found that they were pleased by this as well.  Filmmaker Thomas Ryan stated that he did very well selling films at his filmmaker table (Theatre of Terror) and he noted that the sheer foot traffic moving past the table was a key factor.

Another great thing about the convention being in such a large space is that there was almost never any crowding.  It was easy to spend time at each table looking at merchandise and chatting with vendors without having to worry about blocking the flow of traffic.  For those of you that are not aware, the Showboat is currently just a hotel and expo center, and not a casino, which means that the show is laid out over approximately 100,000 square feet.  This also makes it easy to stop for photo ops with many of the amazing cosplayers that were in attendance.

One final note about the sheer size of the show floor is that it also allows NJ Horror Con to host an astounding array of different vendors, filmmakers and artists.  Any type of merchandise you could imagine was available.  Collectibles, paintings, posters, DVDs.....you name it, it was there.

The celebrity guest list this time around was interesting and varied.  The "headliners" at this show were Lea Thompson and Tom Wilson of "Back to the Future" fame, and according to the fans I spoke to, they were both very kind and gracious to everyone.  If the lines for each of them were any indication, they were a big hit.   Two other big names at the show were professional wrestler Chris Jericho and legendary filmmaker Mick Garris.  Chris was extremely popular with the fans, and he was friendly and witty.  Mick actually managed to make me have a few fanboy moments over the weekend.  He gave two talks about his career, both hosted by Chris Stiles, which were fascinating and informative.  After each Q&A, he signed autographs for the eager fans and he pretty much made everyone's day.  I've met a lot of celebrities in my travels to various conventions, and I have to honestly say that Mick was one of the best.  He was so great with the fans that people were talking about it all weekend.  A few other "big" names at the show were legendary actress Adrienne Barbeau ("Creepshow", "The Fog"), Zach Gallian ("Gremlins") and Richard Grieco ("21 Jump Street").

One thing I have to point out about NJ Horror Con is that Ryan Scott Weber and his staff always manage to have a great mix of guests, and there are always quite a few that I have not really seen at a lot of conventions.  I can only speak for myself, but there are times when I do get a little tired of seeing the same guests and conventions over and over again.  A few notables in the categories were Linden Porco ("Leprechaun Returns", "Cult of Chucky") in his first ever convention appearance, Harvey Spencer Stephens (Damien in "The Omen"), Vinny Appice and CJ Ramone.  There was also a very cool "Pet Sematary" reunion featuring Denise Crosby, Dale Midkiff, Miko Hughes and Brad Greenquist.

One of the best things about NJ Horrror Con seems to be what happens outside of the standard convention hours.  The Saturday night "Scaryoke" party is always a big hit.  This time around it was hosted by the Crypt Keeper himself, John Kassir, and it was a blast!  Let me tell you something, you haven't lived until you've seen Richard Grieco sing karaoke!

Speaking of Richard Grieco, he spent a lot of time hanging out with fans and was extremely nice.  In fact, he treated everyone to pizza on Sunday night!  I never thought I would be telling people a story about the time Richard Grieco treated me to pizza!  These are the things that make a great convention even better!

One thing I DO NOT want to leave out is the Film Festival portion of the convention.  Let's not forget that the name of the con is "New Jersey Horror Con AND Film Festival"!  Tony Goggles does a great job curating and running the festival, and there was the usual mix of great indie films this time around, and it's always fun to meet and greet the filmmakers and talk about their work.  As always, the awards ceremony, hosted by Tiffany Shepis and Ming Chen, was a total blast, with several guest presenters, including Richard Grieco and Felissa Rose.

Of course, nothing is perfect, and the Showboat continues to have a few issues that are beyond the control of the convention itself.  They seem to have problems with food service in the hotel bars, particularly outside of the convention hours, and it can be a challenge sometimes if you need the attention of the hotel staff for something.

However, there were several food options available during the show itself.  There was a food service offering usual convention fare such as pizza, hot dogs, etc. and there was a bar on the convention floor service beer, soda and water, which I thought was very cool.  Again, the convention staff went out of their way to minimize any issues that were a function of the hotel itself.

In closing, I just want to give credit again to Ryan Scott Weber, Robert Bruce, Kristen Accardi and the rest of the NJ Horror Con corps of staff and volunteers who have grown this how into a major force on the convention scene here in the Northeast.  I am already looking forward to the next one, which will be held in October of 2019, once again at the Showboat hotel in Atlantic City, NJ.

See you there!

-The Horror Nerd

In local indie horror news, "Road Kill", a new feature length horror film from Shenkle Productions, is in pre-production, and is set to begin filming in New Jersey in Spring of 2019.

​"Road Kill" is a horror comedy about four girls on a road trip who accidentally run over and kill the beloved cat of a retired serial killer from the 1980's.

"Road Kill" is set to star Norwegian native Emelia Brawn in the leading role.

Emelia is an actress and producer born and raised in Norway.  Her latest film, "Dead Ringer", a short film which she in which she starred and also produced, has been doing well on the festival circuit, having been accepted to several festivals including the well-known Golden Door International Film Festival.  So far the film has garnered three festival wins and two other nominations.  "Dead Ringer" was also recently picked up for distribution

At the age of 19, Emelia left Norway for Los Angeles, and attended NY Film Academy.  The following year she moved to New York to train at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.  After graduation, she was selected to be a part of the Academy Company from 2013-2014.

​Founded by Chris Shenkle, Shenkle Productions is a New York based film production company.  In 2017, Shenkle Productions produced the short film "Dead Ringer", starring Emelia Brawn.  The film had a great run on the festival circuit, scoring several nominations and wins, and was picked up by ShortsTV and is currently available on Amazon Prime.  Their next film, the horror feature "Road Kill", also starring Emelia Brawn, is set to begin production in Spring of 2019.

Chris Shenkle, a graduate of the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and the Kimball Studio, is a New York based filmmaker, singer and actor.  His credits include "A Dark Night", "C.P. You", "We'll Test It On Humans". "The Lizard People" and the aforementioned "Dead Ringer".  Chris also recently completed another short film, thrilled "Head Shot" which he wrote, directed and filmed.

As a performer, Chris has appeared in regional theater companies across the US, notably in the Off-Broadway musical "West Side Story" at the Utah Festival Opera and in "Henry VI" at P.C.P.A. Theatrefest.  He has also performed at several NY comedy clubs, and has toured nationally with the musical "The Water Coolers."   This multi-talented performer also spent a year in Japan singing at the Tokyo Disneyland Resort

Emelia Brawn and Chris Shenkle are proving once again that indie filmmaking is alive and well in New Jersey. The Horror Nerd is looking forward to following Emelia's next starring role in "Road Kill"!

For additional information on these talented performers, click on the links below.

I recently attended the New Jersey Horror Con and Festival in Atlantic City, NJ.  It was a great mix of vendors, cosplayers, panels, and of course, celebrity guests.

I personally had a great experience with every guest that I met, whether it was me conducting an interview as "The Horror Nerd" or me simply meeting them as a fan, and getting an autograph or photo op.  They were all very nice, and spent a good amount of time interacting with me, chatting about their work, and some of them asking me about myself and my family.  There were none where I said to myself, "Well, that person wasn't very nice."

However, I did hear from a few people that some of the guests that they met were not nice to them.  I will not mention the specific guests because that's not the point of this post.  In my nearly 20 years of going to cons, I have only had a handful of what I would call "negative" experiences with conventions guests.  Of course, I have heard many stories about guests being rude or unfriendly or some other complaint about a celebrity.

Now, obviously, I have no way of knowing exactly what happened in each of those encounters because I was not there.  What I will say though is that over the years, I have seen far more bad fan behavior than bad celebrity guest behavior.  Fans can be rude and demanding and sometimes ask very inappropriate questions.  But, fortunately, they are in the minority.

I think that in most cases where a fan feels they had a negative experience with the guest it's because they have a somewhat unrealistic expectation of what the encounter is going to be like.  Trust me, I am a fan like anyone else, and I love meeting my favorite stars, but I think some people build up the meeting so much in their heads that when they finally meet the person, if they don't feel that the guest is EXACTLY how they pictured them, they become disappointed.  They don't seem to understand that they are only going to have a couple of minutes with the guest, and they are not going to have time to have lengthy discussions with them.  

Also, not everyone has an outgoing, gregarious personality, and movie/TV/music stars are no exception.  Someone could be the nicest person in the world, but simply not be extremely talkative.  Like anyone else, some celebrities are just a little quiet and reserved by nature, and sometimes fans perceive this as being rude.

We also need to remember that these celebrity guests are just people.  They happen to be in a profession where people want to meet them and take pics and get autographs, but they are still just human.  Sometimes, they've had a bad day, or got some bad news or had a bad encounter with another fan.  Anything could have happened to affect their mood.

Having said that, I do also feel strongly that, as someone who lives in the public eye, the celebrity guests need to try to manage that, and try not to let it affect their fan interactions.  I know it sucks and it's an unreasonable expectation, BUT, they are there to meet and greet fans and they are making money while doing it, so I do sincerely believe that they need to "put on a happy face" when meeting their fans.

To wrap things up, I don't want to come across like I am picking on fans.  I'm not.  I've just been going to cons for a very long time and I have observed a lot, and in my personal experience, when someone tells me that a celebrity guest was "a jerk", I always try to filter that, and usually it turns out that the guest wasn't really mean or nasty, it's just that the meeting didn't fulfill the person's expectations, which is not fair.

That's not to say that there are not some celebrity convention guests who have a reputation for being shitty.  There definitely are!  To be honest, I don't know why some of them keep getting invited to cons.  I guess the demand is still high enough despite their reputations.

In closing, my advice is, if you want to meet a celebrity at a convention, go for it, no matter what you may have heard about them.  You are more likely to have a positive experience than not.  Just keep in mind that the person on the other side of the table is human, just like to.  Be cool and respectful towards them, and you'll find that they will treat you the same way in return.

The weekend of September 21-23 I had the pleasure of once again attending NJ Horror Con and Film Festival, a New Jersey based event organized by filmmaker/promoter Ryan Scott Weber ("Mary Horror Trilogy", "Pretty Fine Things") and Robert Bruce ("Comic Book Men").

This was the fourth NJ Horror Con (the first was held in Spring of 2017), and the first to be held at the Showboat Hotel in Atlantic City, NJ.  I must admit, there was some concern about moving the convention from Woodbridge, NJ down to Atlantic City.  Was it "too far" from Northern, NJ?  Would people be willing to make the trip?  Well, from what I could see, the concerns were unfounded.  The convention was busy, and I saw a lot of familiar faces.  Remember folks, horror fans WILL travel for a good show!!

Let's start with the venue.  For those that don't know, the Showboat is no longer a casino.  It is now a hotel/convention center.  It's kind of strange seeing a horror convention in a casino-like atmosphere, with all of the garish colors and flashing lights, but it works!  What I really liked about it was the wide aisles and wide-open spaces.  Even when the convention was busiest on Saturday afternoon, I never felt that "crush" of people.  It was easy to browse the many vendor tables without being shoved, and everything was accessible.  There were also large, open spaces which were great for photo ops.  It was easy to stop and take photos of people in costume or just selfies with friends without being "in the way."

Quick side note.  I try to stay away from mentioning anything negative, but I do need to be thorough and fair.  There were some issues with the hotel, mostly with check-in and with the bars and restaurants seeming to be unable to handle the number of people who were staying in the hotel for the convention.  However, these issues in NO WAY reflect on NJ Horror Con itself.  In fact, the convention staff were very quick to help with any issues that arose.  Hopefully, the Showboat will correct these issues for the next event.

Now, on to the convention itself!

It's very clear that Ryan, Robert and their staff are getting better with every show.  This time around, I also had a vendor table, and I can say that check-in and load-in were very easy.  A staff member showed me where my table was and there were no issues.

I loved the "convention center" style layout, and in that respect, moving to the Showboat was a great idea.  The layout was spacious, and the vendors were mixed in together with the celebrity guests, although the celebrities were seated together in groups.  This was FAR better than being in a small hotel, where hallways are narrow and you have to search for specific guests by navigating different rooms.  Guest lines were managed well, and I never really saw any of the "choke" points that tend to plague conventions that take place in hotel environments.

There was a great mix of vendors offering all sorts of merchandise.  There were many familiar vendors who are mainstays on the convention scene, but because of the larger available space, there were many new faces as well, which was awesome.

The lineup of celebrity guests was fantastic and varied.  Headliners Cassandra Peterson (Elvira) and Dee Snider (Twister Sister) were, of course, extremely popular and they did not disappoint.  One of the highlights of the convention was that they had a re-creation of the set from Elvira's TV show, where Cassandra was posing with fans for pro photo ops.  That was a very cool addition to the show and was a great idea.  Another amazing opportunity was the chance to take a photo with K.I.T.T., the car from "Knight Rider", along with William Daniels, who was the voice of K.I.T.T.  I must admit, this fan had a true fanboy moment!

There were some other very cool guests as well.  The man, the myth, the legend...."The Hedgehog" Ron Jeremy spent the weekend signing autographs and taking pics with happy fans, and Mr. Belding himself ("Saved by the Bell"), Dennis Haskins, was signing and taking pics at yet another set re-creation from the NJ Horror Con staff....Mr. Belding's desk!  Not only that, but Dennis also hosted a Saturday night karaoke party where he belted out a few tunes.  It made for a truly memorable night!

Some other notable guests were Kerri Cahill and Seth Gilliam ("The Walking Dead"), Ted Raimi and Dana DeLorenzo ("Ash vs. Evil Dead"), Lita Ford and horror legend Linda Blair.  

One guest I want to make special mention of is Violet Ramis Stiel, daughter of Harold Ramis.  I had a chance to interview her, and listening to her talk about her dad actually made me emotional.  I don't get star struck very often, but Violet is a very special person.  If you ever have a chance to meet her, don't pass it up.

Overall, the celebrity lineup was varied and well thought out.  NJ Horror Con has done a great job over the years with their guest lineup and this year was no exception.

One last note about the celebrity guests.....It seems that at this show, the guests spend a lot more time walking the convention and hanging out after show hours which makes for a great convention experience.  It's one thing to stand in line to get an autograph or selfie, and have a few seconds to say hello, and quite another to have a bite to eat or a drink with a guest and interact with them as a person as opposed to a convention guest (if that makes any sense!)

One aspect of NJ Horror Con that I do NOT want to neglect is the film festival aspect.  I think it's awesome that the convention is paired with a film festival, as it not only gives local filmmakers a chance to showcase their work, but it also adds valuable programming to the event.  Unfortunately, due to my double-duty as press AND vendor, I did not have a chance to catch too many screenings, but from what I heard, there were a lot of great films that were shown.  Festival Director Tony Goggles always does a great job programming the festival.

The Saturday night awards, hosted by Tiffany Shepis and Ming Chen were a blast and were very entertaining.   Congratulations to all of the filmmakers who were nominated and who won awards.  Artist Chris Waters did another awesome job in creating this year's trophies.  He is a fantastic artist.

Chris Stiles once again hosted the many Q&A sessions and panels throughout the weekend.  Yet another aspect of the programming offered at this event.  I managed to catch an "Horror Artist" panel and a Q&A session with Cassandra Peterson, both of which were fantastic.

One additional thing I would like to mention is that, unfortunately, there were a few issues with some of the pro photo ops.  I personally had an issue. However, I am happy to say that these issues were handled professionally by the NJ Horror Con staff and were resolved.  My issue was handling quickly and without question or debate.  Why do I bring this up?  Because....every event has issues, and human beings will make mistakes.  It's how the mistakes are handled that matters, at least to me anyway and in my case, the staff did a great job.

In closing, I will just say that I had a blast at this event.  The convention and festival scene is getting very crowded, and fans have a lot of choices as to where to go and where to spend their money.  I think that if there are fans out there who have not attended NJ Horror Con and Film Festival, they are missing out.  The next one is coming March 29th, 30th and 31st of 2019 and The Horror Nerd says.....BE THERE!!

For all of my photos from the event, click the link at the bottom of this page.

For additional information, be sure to visit the NJ Horror Con website at www.newjerseyhorrorcon.com or their Facebook page at:

https://www.facebook.com/njhorrorcon/