Burbank, Ca is quickly becoming my favorite destination for all things creepy. Last weekend I attended Southern California’s semi-annual monster convention called Son of Monsterpalooza. Sounds like the title of a good B-horror flick doesn’t it? This event is full of creativity and imagination and good scares all for the purpose of the celebration of horror monsters. And for a monster enthusiast such as myself, what event could be better?
I saw so many displays of horror artwork and monster sculptures throughout the convention floor. Within the first 5 minutes of being there, I watched the filming of a demo of one of the artists from the Stan Winston studio. The artist was explaining how they used robotics for animatronic dinosaurs and other creatures they’ve created. He was demoing a large robotic hand that was functioning while another artist was controlling it via a remote control. Robotics is a pretty awesome hobby I’ve always wanted to try out. Continuing down the aisles I saw the usual booths of horror celebrities signing autographs and answering questions for fans. Among the guest celebrities I saw Vincent Price’s daughter Victoria promoting her new book, Bela Lugosi Jr. just hanging out and looking identical to his father, and Sig Haig: that scary guy from the Rob Zombie movies. I was surprised to see Dee Wallace signing autographs and later learned they are celebrating the 30th anniversary of Cujo (scariest rabid dog movie in history). You may also remember her from “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” as Elliot’s mother, and the main character who gets terrorized by a werewolf in the horror film “The Howling”.
Each year I attend a convention, I pretend like I’m a detective searching through the evidence for that one interesting thing I have never noticed or seen before. Something that will just blow my mind. Well, this year it was a life size model of the cartoon Witch Hazel from the Bugs Bunny Show. You know, the one that when she zips out of a room her bobby pin looking hair strands stay behind hovering in the air. If your not familiar with her, watch the Merry Melodies episode “Broom-Stick Bunny”. So anyhow, an artist built a life size Witch Hazel standing on a wooden floor with some creepy eyes peering through. I think this one really triggered the childhood memories since it was one of the most popular booths. Well enjoy the pics and try to come down to the next convention in April 2014.
