Written by: Brett Cameron

Let Me start this off by saying I love the films of George A. Romero. I worship the ground this guy walks on!  To the uninitiated he is maybe just a guy that makes films about dead people coming back to life but in the world of Horror he is royalty and without hesitation my good friend Dominic and I made the trek down to this show to see our hero in the flesh one more time.

The parking for this event I thought was a little less than ideal.  Apparently there was parking to the rear of the building but the traffic was so hectic that we did not attempt that feat. There was a parking garage about one block down so we just went that route.  A friend of ours Phil met with us at the front of the building and we proceeded into the show!

The location for this event was a historic theatre built around 1910 I believe and once you stepped inside it was truly a sight to behold.  Beautiful inside architecture that reminded you that going to the movies was once a serious pastime unlike the generic multiplexes that are commonplace today.  I overheard a conversion that Grindhouse films were the mainstay inside this theatre back in the 1980's and the mind boggles with the thought of what genre films assaulted this place in that era.

Guest-wise if your a Romero fan this show was for you with such talent as The Man himself, George A.Romero and a slew of guests from such films as Night Of The Living Dead, Martin, Dawn Of The Dead, Day Of The Dead and Creepshow.  Composer Harry Manfredini was on hand to meet and mingle with the fans as was a host of others.  For the record, Gaylen Ross and Scott Reiniger seemed to be no shows.

The dealers area was situated in the lobby area on the first floor and consisted of the usual assembly of vendors selling posters, toys, DVDS and the like.  It was not the most impressive of lineups but was in line with the small scale nature of the show.

The first guest on the agenda goes without saying, Mr. Romero along with the other guests were on the second floor which was reached via stairs to the left of the building.
Making our way through the busy crowds of people I saw Gary Klar from Day Of The Dead talking it up with someone.  Gary is a cool guy and I was sorry I never got a chance to drop by him and say hi.  Mr. Romero's line was only about ten strong I would say and moved quickly, a much different experience compared to Horrorfind from a few years back when we waited hours!

As the line drew closer to the table the time came to meet my idol once again.  He is the true gentleman of this genre, always polite, receptive and appreciates his fans. A lot of other celebrities that attend these shows could  learn by his example. We chatted for a minute, he was taken back by my Australian poster for Martin which judging from his reaction he had never seen before.  He signed it for his usual fee of $25 and stood for a picture with me. Thank you George, it's always a pleasure.

From there I headed for John Amplas who was in a less than ideal spot as was David Emge and Ken Foree who disappeared beneath the swarm of people to see George Romero.  I first met Mr. Amplas at the Chiller Con back in 09' but it was a much more pleasant experience seeing him this time around.  Martin is one of my favorite films and I've always wanted to talk with Mr. Amplas about this film.  We talked a lot longer than the first time and he signed my poster for $20 and posed for a picture with me.  For the record he was $25 at Chiller and $5 for a picture. I came away this time with the impression he is a great guy and it was a pleasure to see him again.

I waited while Dominic met Adrienne Barbeau who I first met about five years ago at the Monster-Mania Con in Cherry Hill, NJ.  She is a sweetheart and very nice to her fans. She signed a couple mini posters for $20 each. She was seated near the exit of the room George Romero was in as was Ken Foree who we went up to next.

I was slightly amused when Foree did not recognize a picture of himself for the Stuart Gordon film "From Beyond".  He charged the convention staple of $20 but graciously gave my friend a 8x10 as well.

I've been collecting signatures on my Friday The 13th one sheet slowly for years but missed the chance to see Harry Manfredini at shows passed so he was high on my list for this show.  He is quite a character with a wicked sense of humor which always works with me. He signed the poster I sat in front of him for $15 and even gave me a 8x10 which was a first class gesture.I will go on the record and say $15 is a little more realistic for an item you bring with you. I remember a time when there was a price difference
between your item being signed or if you purchased something from the celebrity to be signed.  I have heard the now commonplace "your paying for the signature" but that is a load of bullocks. There is no logic I see in both being the same price, other than greed. 

From Mr. Manfredini we made our way through the crowd to see Roy Frumkes.  Document Of The Dead was a fantastic documentary into the making of Dawn Of The Dead and the film making process of George Romero. I watched it more than the mere mortal back in the day when I was an obsessed teenager so it was of high priority that I met him.  I was surprised to see Mike Lackey from Street Trash sitting next to him as he was not on the guest list.  Had I known I would of brought my one sheet for him to sign, sorry Mike.  My Friend Dominic, as much of a Romero fan as me chatted to him first and he seemed interested in talking to his fans.  Fellow fans with no manners, a staple at a lot of these shows kept butting in regardless if he was already engaged in conversation.
Which lent a little aggravation to the affair.  We both had our original Dawn posters signed for $20 each and posed for pictures.  I listened to his story of how a past student of his, some guy named Bryan Singer went on to big things.  He did not disappoint and I am glad to have finally seen him as he is a rare guest on the Con circuit.

At that point the show was over for us, we had met everyone countless times in the past and with more shows coming up in the next couple weeks budget was of concern.  There was Q&A's running all weekend as was a marathon of great films. I am sure there was fun to be had with all this but I've seen it all before.  We went downstairs and did a lap of the dealers area and met friends to say our goodbye and that was one more show done.

I am not sure if this con will comeback for another show but I wish the promoters all the very best for future plans and I would be there again if the lineup was as enticing as this show.  It was not the best and it was not the worst but like all shows it was still fun...