Chiller Theatre is considered by many horror fans to be the biggest convention in the metropolitan area. Three times a year, the faithful and fanatic of all things horror and nostalgic trek to the Meadowlands to meet their icons of their youth. Lately, however, horror has not been the only genre recognized as stars of yesteryear in sitcoms and science fiction also show up as guests. Chiller also has many dealer tables of collectibles, hobbies, independent films, and many rarities for the average collector to attend as well.

What makes Chiller unique to other conventions is probably its setup. Whereas Fangoria has a short panel for all guests followed by a brief signing period, all the guests at Chiller are accessible throughout the entire weekend. Each celebrity has their own pricing for autographs and photos, which for some can get a bit pricey.  Usually a tent is set up outside the hotel for many of the guests for you to meet. What is good about this is that you can just walk up to a table and start a conversation with anyone. It adds a personable touch for sure unlike other conventions where you basically hand your item, have it signed, move on, and GET OFF THE FUCKING LINE!!!

Inside the hotel are many dealer tables set up in the main ballroom, with additional guests lined up as well. It usually depends on the amount of guests listed for the show, but the amount of tables are truly staggering for sure. Want a collectible Michael Myers 12 inch doll? Check. A full size Jason Voorhees costume? Check. Vintage 70s porn videos? Check.

Now, if you want to go simply to meet guests and collect autographs, it's best to go on the first night, which is usually a Friday. This is the slowest day of the convention due to its late start time and the fact that it is a work day. I arrived at Chiller at around 6:30pm and made my way immediately into the rooms to mingle and begin my weekend.

My first stop: Meeting The Hitchhiker himself, Edwin Neal. In addition to his most famous role in the seminal classic "Texas Chain Saw Massacre," Mr. Neal has become an actor of choice for independent horror filmmakers. Ed has most recently appeared in the very good "Satan's Playground" by Dante Tomaselli and "De Riggeur" by William Rot. After a brief discussion and Ed's assistance in a prank, it was clear that the Hitchhiker approves of the Colonel.

In the same room as Ed were "Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2" alums Caroline Williams and Lou Perryman, along with "Friday The 13th Part 2's" Stu Charno, probably best known as one of the few secondary male characters to SURVIVE a Friday film. For all, to get an autograph ranged between $15-$20 and some even offered their own unique items. Charno, a fan of woodmaking, was selling some cool small wooden clock coffins. I should've bought one, oh well.

Now it was onto the tent, where you had your horror icons (Bill Moseley, Betsy Palmer, Doug Bradley, Ken Foree, etc.) alongside some wrestling and Playboy personalities (Christy Hemme, Brande Roderick, Tiffany Taylor, etc.) and some stars of sitcoms past (Lou Ferrigno, Todd Bridges, Joyce DeWitt, etc.). One guest of honor, Paul Ruebens, was in the tent, but the line to meet him was rather long for a Friday, so I opted to pass.

I instead went right up to Mrs. Voorhees herself, Betsy Palmer. A class act at 80 and a veteran of Chiller Theatres, Betsy also starred in the delightful PENNY DREADFUL, which is making the rounds at horror film festivals around the country (and I wholeheartedly recommend). An autograph and picture later, and it was on to mingle.

The space in these tents do get a little spacious and do expect to get bumped into a few times. At every convention, there's always some dumbass who stands right in the middle of an open space to stare at a Playboy model's breasts while I'm trying to get through with my stuff.

Guest of honor Peter Criss of KISS was selling autographs for $50 each. FUCK THAT, NEXT!!!!

After two hours in the tent, it was time to head into the ballroom for one of the featured guests of honor, DEAD ZONE star Anthony Michael Hall. It seemed the ballroom was for the sci fi guests as "Star Trek: The Next Generation" regulars John De Lancie (Q) and Chase Masterson were in this room. Bill Daily from the classic "I Dream Of Jeanie" was selling genie bottles, but since you didn't get a prime Barbara Eden when you rubbed them, I respectfully passed on buying one.

So, the first night complete and I am down $300 from autographs. A steep price, but worth it for the collector and the groupie in me. A trip down to the hotel bar after the show was the plan, and to just unwind from a long day. As I sat to order a Heineken, I hear a gentlemanly British fellow order a beer. I turn to see Doug Bradley sitting next to me. We had a beer and a short talk on the upcoming "Hellraiser" remake. It's unknown whether or not Bradley will reprise the role. However, being that Clive is writing the script, one can hope. The franchise won't be the same if Bradley's not involved.

A few beers later, it was lights out. The midnight hours would bring a bad storm and heavy winds.

The next morning, the winds forced the tent to literally blow away. This set the hotel in chaos, as the scrambling began to place guests all along the hotel. This caused many guests to share spaces with many of the dealers. Saturday brings out the most fans, and an average wait into the tent (if up and running) would be three hours. If it's a crappy and rainy day, you're fucked. Get your ponchos and narcotics ready.

The dealer's rooms at Chiller brought a variety of collectibles, filmmakers, and just bizarre items on display. Seduction Cinema was on hand with star Darian Caine offering up their latest epic KINKY KONG, in addition to selling soft core favorites such as LORD OF THE G-STRINGS and SPIDERBABE. (Misty Mundae aka Erin Brown was also on hand at the Shock-O-Rama table). Bootlegs of movies not released on DVD were sold at many DVD tables. The most popular item was probably the producer's cut of HALLOWEEN 6, still in high demand after all these years.

Chiller marked the first time the Ghouligans, a local group of Long Island filmmakers who call themselves THE SLACK PACK, set up shop. The Ghouligans is a tribute of sorts to the 1960s campy shows like THE MUNSTERS or THE MONKEES. Basically it's classic horror monsters trying to fit in with today's times. It's highly amusing, the slapstick is aplenty. The boys were selling their DVDs for $10, good enough for me to pick up a copy. Pete, Justin, Mike, and Sean were on hand later in the weekend in full "Ghouligans" costumes. Sorry I missed that guys!

While the Ghouligans may be new to Chiller, Glen Baisley of Light & Dark Productions is a veteran of the Chiller dealer tables. The creator of FEAR OF THE DARK and THE TENEMENT was selling the best of Light & Dark as well as Brain Damage films at his table. Glen is a very funny individual with a few unique perceptions on all things horror. I bought FEAR OF THE DARK and already know I will like it. They are located I believe somewhere in upstate New York and Glen to date has directed five feature films, all independent, since 2001 with FEAR. It also featured the special FX work of Brian Spears (Light & Dark films and SHADOW: DEAD RIOT) which is outstanding. Various bloody head sculpts and skeletal casts were made. The centerpiece was a head sculpt used in the unreleased as of yet new RETURN OF SLEEPAWAY CAMP film. (Mike Lane, one of the stars of FEAR OF THE DARK and THE TENEMENT, will be starring in a future Slick Devil Entertainment production by the way.)

An illness forced me to miss Sunday's festivities, but I was satisfied enough and got what I fully wanted out of the Chiller experience. For anyone who hasn't gone, and are willing to shill out a few bucks to meet their favorite genre celebrities, then you will definitely enjoy going to Chiller Theatre.

Till next time, this is the Colonel signing out.

Ed "Hitchhiker" Neal approves of The Colonel	Only a mother could love (Betsy Palmer)
Steve Dash, the REAL Jason in "Friday the 13th Part 2", makes me pay for mentioning Warrington Gillette's name	"Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors'" Jennifer Rubin
Chillin' with Pinhead himself, Doug Bradley	I should clean under the bed more often (Skeleton by Brian Spears)
Light & Dark's Mike Lane, also in Alan Rowe Kelly's THE BLOOD SHED discuss future collaborations.	This is what happens when you wait outside for the tent too long (Sculpts by Brian Spears)
Living Dead Dolls with the brand new Jason Voorhees doll	Glen Baisley of Light & Dark Productions REALLY likes his props!
Light & Dark Productions offers plenty of gory goodness.	Ghouligans Pete Bune & Sean King doing, uh... you figure it out!
Slack Packer Sean King goes batshit over his DVD!	No matter how extreme horror may get, it's still all about the classics!