The mega-monster convention that goes behind the scenes to highlight the creature creators who bring horror to life.
You wanna know a little secret? I love monsters! Always have, always will. So when I found out that the Pasadena Convention Center would be hosting this years Monsterpalooza, I knew I had to go check it out.
I started watching horror movies when I was six years old. This was back in the 1970s during the golden age of horror films. Hard core gore was in and I had access to it all thanks to my parents subscription to the Star Channel, one of the first pay-TV movie services to launch back in the early days of cable television. Of course I had to stay up past 10pm in order to watch the good stuff but since my parents didn’t seem to have a problem with it, my obsession with the genre grew. By 1979, my sister and I had a subscription to Fangoria magazine and the Star Channel, now known as The Movie Channel, became the first premium pay-TV service to air R-rated movies during the day. Goodbye late night movie nights, hello daytime titties and gore!
Unlike Scare LA, a convention dedicated to celebrating Halloween, Monsterpalooza and its smaller offshoot, Son of Monsterpalooza, is more about the art of monsters and the artists who create them.
Founded by Eliot Brodsky in 2009, this springtime convention attracts fans and professionals of film, makeup, special effects, collectible toys, art, and monsters…lots of monsters.
It also attracts a wide array of celebrity guests who sit on panels, do meet and greets and sign autographs for fans (for a fee of course). Some of the guests at the 2016 event included:
– Doug Bradley – Pinhead from Hellraiser…One of my faves.
– Ashley Laurence – Kirsty Cotton from Hellraiser
– Haruo Nakajima – Godzilla suit actor from inception to 1972
– David Naughton – American Werewolf in London
– Dina Meyer – Starship Troopers, Saw II
– Tom Savini – Master Makeup Artist, Actor, and Director
– John Murdy – Universal Halloween Horror Nights
– Nick Castle – Writer and Director, Original Halloween Michael Myers
– Linda Blair – The Exorcist
– Adrienne Barbeau – The Fog, Creepshow, Escape from New York
Casper Van Dien was also present but had to drop his prices at some point during the weekend. I guess being the star of such hit films as Ratpocalypse, Sharktopus vs. Whalewolf and Christmas Twister isn’t worth as much as it used to be. Don’t worry Casper, we still love you.
I didn’t come for the celebrities though, I came for the freaks and there were plenty of those roaming around.
Wolfy was there…
…and so was big booby SHElvis with her crazy eyed stare.
Freddy…
…Pinhead…
…and a face made of leather…
…a mummy…
…and Michael, but who wore it better?
Gizmo…
…Jason…
…and even a Tribble…
…some fleshy bitty bites…
…and saggy monster nipple.
Werewolves in bags…
…creepy clowns…
…and even a Lincoln…
…monster candles stuffed in Ikea shelves, what were they thinking?
Medusa…
…the Hulk…
…and a creepy dude covered in zits…
…professional makeup demos…
…and blue horny women exposing their pits.
A sexy girl wearing antlers…
…and one who vomits pea soup…
…and lots of awesome monster loving folk…
…who liked posing in groups.
But it wasn’t this cute green monster…
…this Jason painting…
…or even Freddy’s needled glove…
…it was this sweet crazy caged chick…
…who had all my love.
Thank you Kelly for making my first Monsterpalooza experience well worth the price of admission. The next Monsterpalooza won’t be held until next spring but there are plenty of other fun & scary Halloween related events coming up on the horizon, including, Midsummer Scream , July 30th-31st, 2016, Scare LA , August 6th-7th, 2016 and Son of Monsterpalooza, September 16th-18th, 2016. Have fun little monsters.
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