Horny devil gets off

Read how America's most famous horned man (and lucky devil) avoided prosecution for assault charges at The Smoking Gun.

I think that's the most preternaturally calm mugshot I have ever seen!

I wouldn't want to modify my appearance that much, but I like the fact that there are people that do. Lessens the banality of everyday life.

Johnny Depp - a poem by Tim Burton

In a 1992 book by actor Roddy McDowell, Double Exposure, Take Three, there is a light verse by Tim Burton titled "Johnny Depp."

Below is Burton's illustration, along with part of the accompanying text (the middle stanza of three.) To see it in full, go to this page where I borrowed what you see here.

Back from HORROR REALM: Preview

Here are a few images from this past weekend's experiences at Horror Realm, a modern horror con here in Pittsburgh. Some of them preview what I'm working on for the Famous Monsters of Filmland website for early October.

I met so many cast and crew members from Night of the Living Dead I became a zombie for a while myself! (Cons are experiments in sleep deprivation and make zombies of most attendees!) This subtle and effective creepy makeover was done by a student, Melanie, from Tom Savini's school for effects makeup.

At the Horror Realm pre-convention screening of Fulci's 1980 movie Gates of Hell I made some new friends--

And some who were fans of Famous Monsters! (This is one Jason Martinko.) At the convention itself, I also found this FM fan:

Forry, Foree and Famous Monsters!

Many famous people were there. This is the lovely Ashley Williams of The Human Centipede. Affable, intelligent and gracious, she gamely let me pose her holding a tin of breath mints!

I met famous mon-stars like Frankenhooker...

And I found many cool drinking companions...

This convention was waaay more varied, fun and eventful (and SOBER) than what I've shown you her so far! But keep watching for all my latest posts and pictures at Famous Monsters of Filmland!

Why YOU should go to HORROR REALM

Above: The team behind the HORROR REALM con in Pittsburgh. From l-r: Mike West, Rich Dalzotto, Rodrigo Quast, and Sandi Stuhlfire.

The organizers of this weekend's HORROR REALM were asked for five reasons why horror fans should attend the event. Here they are--

1. There will be a BASKET CASE reunion of actors Beverly Bonner, Kevin Van Hentenryck, and writer/director Frank Henenlotter!

2. Chill with famous CHILLER THEATER horror host Chilly Billy Cardille!

3. There'll be parachuting dogs dropping in Friday! (You'll probably JUST miss them, though.)

4. Come harangue and hang with hometown horror folk like cast members from the original NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, DAWN OF THE DEAD, and DAY OF THE DEAD!

5. SEE a sneak peek of CHAIN LETTER, the horror film being released to theaters next month! (Starring starring Twilight's Nikki Reed and Deadgirl's Noah Segan!)

And a bonus reason: SUPPORT HORROR CONS or the terrorists have won!

PLUS HORROR CABARET! (Music! Zombie Opera! Comedy! AND Zombie Belly Dancing!) Gasp!

AUTHOR JONATHAN MABERRY! Wow!

ACTOR KEN FOREE! Yikes!

Don't stay home alone, chum!

Above image from the Horror Realm screening of the 1980 Fulci zombie movie GATES OF HELL. So's this:

You need another weekend at home like you need a hole in the head! So come to a gathering of cool ghouls, fool!

Monsters, Mademoiselles and More at FM Con

More late wrap-up of the fun Famous Monsters Convention held earlier this summer! Today I'm sharing the last batch of my photos of villains, monsters, potted party-ers and the beautiful women seen there. The guys above-- nice guys all-- aren't any of those things. From left to right that's famous comic book artist Kerry Gammill, Harry Knowles of Ain't It Cool News, and Joe Moe, writer, singer and famous friend/caretaker of Forrest J Ackerman, one the founding fathers of sci-fi and horror fandom. Behind them is legendary artist Basil Gogos.

Besides chatting with friends of the "normal" variety, it was also nice to natter with some fellow severed heads who attended. Sadly, they all seemed in need of an oral surgeon:

Say "Aaaahhhhhh!"

This next guy is the offspring of a Black Lagoon Creature and an alien of some sort, I'm sure:
Is he an "aleature"? I've met one before-- my wife's brother Mooch is aleature...)

Menacing monsters stalked luscious ladies in the hallways--

Who fears the Reaper? Not fan Holly Crisler! (Photo by Melinda Ford)

But they tended to get their heads handed to them by the women they intended to victimize--

One Cthulian cabeza ready for display on a pole!

Though mostly a harmonious horror happening, the event did have a few fights crop up--

--as with this adult fighting a miner. The little guy should pick on someone his own size!

Ah, strange characters from the cult film Repo: The Genetic Opera--
These three were actually young fans named (l-r, top photo:) Erin Bowden, Zachary Allen, and Haley Dillon. They were interesting to talk to, having a passion for genre material old and new, whether it was film, stage or books and magazines. Each day of the con they appeared in new makeups and costumes, and like others who also came "dressed up," added to the spirit of the event.

They were especially inspired by the Andrew Lloyd-Webber Phantom of the Opera. They shared with me some photos they took to add to the ones I snapped, and I took the liberty of making a few look like old photos or film frames.

One evil Erik eyes another.

Along with fans like them, I gotta give the dealers their props--many cool props and art works were for sale there:


Diabolic dolls by artist Terry Cruikshank.



Being a drunken severed head, I am interested in drinking companions. As a Pittsburgher, I am interested in zombies, as so many fine zombie flicks were shot in this area. Imagine my delight to find drunken zombies!

Smile, drunken zombies-- you're on camera!

How lucky I was to have found buds to have Buds with! They gave me the courage to put on the old android body prosthetic and hang out (its abdominal section especially hangs out).

Here I am, about to demonstrate the ancient "Chinese lager torture" on the pate of a pal.

Anything to reduce the glare! (Sorry, Ray!)

Above, you see our choices of polluting potables. The menus were equally cool, though you had to be careful about reading anything aloud--

Okay, so that's only a cool prop on display-- but I wish the menus DID look like that!

Of course, I got 'faced while at the con--

--alien faced, that is!

Here's one of the scary servers, with a tip from a happy customer:

And speaking of strange-looking persons---

Here I am in my Saturday night "Monster of Scarimonies" jacket. I was very flattered to be asked to present the Famous Monsters Lifetime Achievement awards to several guests as part of the V.I.P. Party. The celebrities so honored with awards were Billy Drago, Tom Savini, William Stout, Basil Gogos, and Indiana horror host Sammy Terry (represented by his wife and son). All the awards, including for beauty pageant and costume contests, looked like this:


As you can see from text and photos in this, this, this, this, and this post published here, I, my wife and my friends old and new all had a GREAT time. I'm sure I-- and YOU-- will have a fan-tastic time at the next FM convention!

Read more about the con at the Famous Monsters website.