Badmovies.org Forum

As a regular on this site, I felt it was my duty to report on what went on at this year's monster fest.
Most of the time, I go to the monster mania convention to buy dvds and, occasionally, to get autographs. A lot of the regulars, especially later in the convention, are actually pretty easy to get near, although the cost of autographs keeps me from waiting in line too long (I do keep my own autograph book, just so I dont have to pay for those damn glossy photos that get lost anyway). This year, the celeb lineup was actually pretty exciting - Roddy Piper, David Keith, Jason Mewes, Corey Feldman, Malcom McDowell and, best of all, Bruce Campbell. The lines for the two I really wanted to meet, Bruce and Malcom, were way too long for me. Thankfully, however, my friend Bridget convinced me to stay for the Q&A sessions, which actually turned out pretty cool.

The first, with Bruce Campbell, I had snuck into by accident. I had just come back from dropping off my purchases at home and was looking for Bridget. I noticed a bunch of people squeezing into one of the hotel ballrooms and wanted to see what was going on inside. Not familiar with Q&A ettiquite, I didnt realize that anybody was free to ask whatever they wanted, so I thought up a stupid question, just to have him - Ash himself - respond to something I said. Trouble is, I cant remember exactly what I asked first, or what his answer was, but it was cool. The second time:

 Q: I saw The Woods a while back. What was it like to be in the forest again, fighting evil trees?

Basically he said that the scene I was talking about, which occurs at the climax of the film, had to be thought up on the spot, because the director (Lucky McKee) hadnt really thought that far ahead.

A: That's a good lesson for aspiring filmmakers - always have a script, and always have an ending.

The next was David Keith and Roddy Piper, both from They Live (which I havent seen yet). I didnt know anything about David Keith, but I'd seen Piper in Hell comes to Frogtown. I considered asking about the electrified belt from Frogtown, but thought better of it.

Q: Have either of you ever done anything in your career that you regret?

Keith didnt really say much, but Roddy did.

A: Yeah...like, half my career.

He was joking (or we're meant to think he was joking). The funny thing about Roddy is that he has attention deficit disorder (not that I hold that against him, I'm on medication for that myself) and would go off on a tangent with just about every question asked. He continued his answer with a story about getting his ass handed to him by Andre the Giant, ending with "um...what was the question?"

The Jason Mewes segment got cancelled, due to the fact that there were still a ton of people waiting to get his autograph and he didnt want to screw them over. To placate the audience, the event organizers played some 80's videos from youtube. Eventually they got Brian O'Halloran to tell some jokes and show a preview from his movie Cluster. After that, during an intermission, a song by Morris Day and the Time came on (in response to O'Halloran's comments after he interrupted Prince's 1999 video). Bridget, who worships Kevin Smith and came dressed up as Silent Bob, got up and started dancing in front of the crowd (I'd be real surprised if that doesent end up on the internet).

Next came the Texas Chainsaw Massacre Reunion Q&A. I didnt ask any questions, but I did learn some interesting facts:

1. Gunnar Hanson hated the remake, in particular the fact that they humanized leatherface, stating that it ruined the character, and it wasnt theirs to ruin in the first place.
2. The cast was constantly high, due to the "magic brownies" that the craft service chef would serve. In the scene where Leatherface breaks through the door, he pauses momentarily before heading up the stairs. This was Gunnar Hanson's real life reaction to the fact that the cameraman, who was high as a kite, had run away screaming.
3. Marylin Burns actually had her finger cut during the scene where Grandpa drinks her blood, due to the fact that the fake bood tube wasnt working. She wasnt told until much later that it wasnt accidental but done on purpose.