For the second time in about as many weeks, I headed up to the Hyatt Regency in Rosemont, Illinois for a convention. Whereas the previously covered G-FEST was a family affair, however, Flashback Weekend for me is all about friends and celebrating our mutual love of horror films and/or MeTV’s national horror host (and Flashback Weekend regular), Svengoolie. This year was even more momentous as it would feature my other favorite host, Shudder TV’s Joe Bob Briggs from The Last Drive-in show. This team-up alone sent my anticipation levels soaring while making the protracted journey to Flashback (courtesy of Illinois road construction) akin to torture.
Michael Myers getting a room for Flashback Weekend!
After settling in, I made my way to the event’s registration desk. This year boasted several groups of actors from popular horror films; the most heralding from Terrifier (2016) and its sequel, Terrifier 2 (2022). I’m not a fan of the franchise but had to admit that this year’s Art the Clown Flashback Weekend t-shirt was pretty stunning.
Plagued by feelings of imposter syndrome, I told the friendly staff member what I’d been instructed to say, my name, and that I was with the Svengoolie crew. I felt my stomach go into a knot as she asked me to wait while she went into the back room, half expecting her to return with a security officer to toss me out. Instead, she returned with the kindly Mia Kerz. Unlike most corporate-run conventions, Flashback Weekend is a family venture created by Mike and Mia Kerz to help support their Midway Drive-in theater in Sterling, Illinois. For over twenty years they along with their two daughters have been horror royalty here in Chicagoland with devoted followers returning year after year to Flashback Weekend and from all over the country. Mia introduced herself, despite requiring no introduction, and handed me a red wristband signifying me as a vendor. She asked what time the rest of the crew was arriving and I relayed what Svengoolie’s producer had told me, that they were striving for 6-6:30 pm; giving me at least a couple of hours to obtain autographs.
En route to the main ballroom, I was surprised to encounter the great Aaron Christenson. Aaron had honored me several years back when I was invited to contribute to the follow-up to his “Horror 101: the A List of Horror Films and Monster Movies” book with the equally impressive, and Rondo Award-winning, “Hidden Horror: A Celebration of 101 Underrated & Overlooked Fright Flicks.” Recently, Aaron started his own YouTube channel called “HORROR 101 with Dr. AC” featuring spirited discussions on popular and cult horror flicks. Aaron alluded to my joining him sometime in the future which sounded fun, if not intimidating.
Can you spot the “Hidden Horror” book at Jon Kitley’s Flashback Weekend table?
The first Flashback Weekend guest I looked for was Kane Hodder so he could add his signature to my Friday the 13th machete and Scream Factory movie poster. Unfortunately, he wasn’t at his table so I sought out the next guest on my bucket list, composer Alan Howarth. Howarth’s most notable works are those he collaborated on with John Carpenter and include music for Halloween II (1981), Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982), The THING (1982), Escape from New York (1981), and They Live (1988). With only a few people in his line, I quickly found my place while taking in everything he offered at his table.
Two things immediately ingratiated me to Howarth…the first was his patient and kind treatment of a developmentally challenged fan visiting him when I arrived. He posed for multiple pictures, answered all his questions, and even gave extra autographs to the man’s parents. What also won me over was his charging only $20 for an autograph including a photo. Talk about a flashback weekend! I remember when I started this blog $100 could get you at least five autographs and photos taken with your own camera. Nowadays, if you want to meet that many guests (who often charge as much for a photo as they do their signatures) you need to get a small loan!
He offered both soundtrack CDs and 8x10s for signing. I noticed he also likes to draw and would add musical bars to his autographs. I’d brought along my own item to sign – the original vinyl for Halloween II that I’d picked up a couple of years ago at Half Price Books. As he signed, I told him how much I admired his work and that I really enjoyed his interview on the Nick D podcast with Nick Digilio who would also be moderating several panels for Flashback Weekend. “Wasn’t that a great show?” he replied, with a noticeable Midwest accent that betrayed his living in California for the past fifty years. Howarth performed a concert at Flashback Weekend which would prove something of an oddity but I’ll get into all that in my next post.
I returned to Hodder’s table and, this time, he was there and with a relatively short line. By the time I left that line would stretch out into the foyer. The $20 afterglow I was experiencing from Howarth’s table soon fizzled when I saw Hodder was charging three times the amount. A fan standing behind me also brought along a machete for signing only his was straight from the tool shed. We both stood around holding and admiring each other’s weapons which, had this been an old movie, probably could have been mistaken as gay subtext. Just before it was my turn, a friend of Hodder’s wearing a KISS t-shirt showed up with two bottles of tequila and offered us all a shot. “We’re all going to give a toast to Alton!” she said. So we all “clinked” our small plastic shot glasses while exclaiming, “To Alton!” (whomever he may be).
Hodder was a lot of fun – probably more so thanks to the warm tequila buzz I was suddenly hit with. He said when he arrived in Chicago he couldn’t believe there was a fan waiting for him at the airport with a bunch of items to sign. He was baffled that someone was aware of his travel itinerary, not to mention available for stalking on a late Wednesday night. While he was signing my poster, he noticed that one of the signatures on it was Warrington Gillette (“Jason” from Friday the 13th Part 2). “You know what his real name is, don’t you?” he asked. After shaking my head he says, “Francis! Now you know why he changed it. Next time you see him, tell him Kane says ‘Hi, Francis!’ and see how he reacts.”
As I was leaving Hodder I ran into Chris Connolly from the YouTube Channel Mr. C Dives In. We talked for a bit before he joined fellow Svengoolie superfans “Sarah Goolie,” Nanette Keir, along with the “Svenards Man.” Meanwhile, I made a quick stop over at the Vinegar Syndrome table; picking up a bunch of titles I’ve had my eyes on this past year.
NOTE: “Flesh and Fantasy” is an old Edward G. Robinson movie, not porn!
What followed was a mini Svengoolie fan expo which would also include Brian Bernardoni whom I hadn’t seen in a couple of years. Brian was instrumental in getting “Svengoolie Day” passed by the Illinois legislature and on the calendar for October 31, 2014.
Photo courtesy of Nanette Keir
Chris and I stopped by a booth that featured the yet-to-be-released Svengoolie mask from Trick or Treat Studios. At the table was “Monster Matt” from the company, who explained that this was one of a handful of preview Svengoolie masks until the pre-orders finally ship this Fall. It was selling for $130 which is more than what I’m used to paying for a Trick or Treat Studios mask. I currently own about ten masks from this company, one of which, The Mole Man, sat on Svengoolie’s desk during his presentation of the film back in April. Once I saw this mask in person, however, there was no question it was well worth the price. This mask not only looks exactly like Rich Koz in makeup, but it also boasts a high-quality top hat and realistic hair (including on its chin). I immediately bought it and the fact that Chris bore witness was appropriate as he was the one who first brought it to my attention months back.
Another Flashback surprise was seeing the great Kitty Zombie again. Kitty Zombie (“body of a killer, mind of a puppy”) was a Midwest horror con staple back when I first started blogging thirteen years ago. A brilliant physical comic, his shenanigans and impromptu interactions with guests are hilarious. I remember watching him at an event in Indianapolis doing his schtick to a group of perplexed Marriott Hotel staff and the looks on their faces were so hysterical it had me doubled over in laughter. Then he just disappeared and I heard later that he’d moved down to Florida. I hadn’t seen him for years up until this night and his return to Flashback Weekend was a welcome one at that.
The HSPPA’s James Azrael with Kitty Zombie
It was love at first sight when Kitty Zombie saw Chris!
My friends, Don and Bunny, asked if I wanted to join them for dinner but I couldn’t risk missing Svengoolie’s arrival – though, truthfully, I wasn’t serving much of a function for them this Friday night. His first duty was to do photo ops; both alone and with Joe Bob Briggs. For some reason, this year the photo ops and panel room was moved down to the basement. Svengoolie’s director, Chris Faulkner, waited with me at the foot of the stairs until they arrived. Meanwhile, Nanette used the opportunity to get a photo of all of us with Faulkner which was nice. Chris Faulkner is an integral yet often overlooked member of the Svengoolie crew (probably by choice).
Photo courtesy of Nanette Keir
When Sven arrived with the rest of his crew – Producer Jim, Associate Producer Jane, and cameramen, Patrick & Chuck. I held up my mask and asked Svengoolie (who had yet to see the finished mask in person), “Does this creep you out?” “Why, yes, yes it does!” he replied. With no time to chat, Svengoolie and his producer, Jim Roche, quickly headed over to the photo op area while the cameramen and I went into the room directly across from it. It was here that all the Flashback Weekend panels took place as well as their annual costume contest. I was just in time to watch Nick Digilio’s interview with Dick Warlock who played Michael Myers in Halloween II. I was soon to discover, however, that Warlock was so much more. Instead of using the full hour to discuss Halloween, Digilio made the bold move by delving further into Warlock’s resume’ instead. Warlock has a rich Hollywood history having worked with Kurt Russell in his younger years at Disney as well as becoming his stunt double in almost every other movie he made since. He’s even stunt-doubled for the legendary Helen Hayes. Digilio’s move paid off as audience members (including me) were visibly impressed with his body of work and entertaining anecdotal stories. In the end, nobody complained that only about ten minutes were spent on Halloween II.
Next up was the event I most anticipated. I can’t explain how surreal it was watching Joe Bob and Svengoolie walking to the stage together. Everyone knows I love my Svengoolie Saturdays but Friday nights belong to Joe Bob whenever his all-to-brief seasons run on Shudder. My friend, Jason, from Rhode Island, and I text each other throughout his show trying to guess what movie he’ll show while commenting on his and Darcy the Mail Girl’s banter. I felt bad that Jason couldn’t join me this year as he’d done the previous two Flashbacks but tried keeping him in the loop whenever I could.
Incidentally, Darcy had a family emergency and wasn’t able to attend Flashback Weekend as originally planned. It was later rumored that the emergency was her beloved cat dying; a revelation that brought on opposing reactions from fans throughout the event. For someone like me who’s mourned the loss of both dogs and cats in his lifetime, no explanation was necessary. For everyone else, it was a lame excuse, and no explanation was possible.
The two had been given talking points prior to the panel but by the time they sat down, only Svengoolie seemed to remember them. It worked out fine as he would initiate a topic and Joe Bob would run with it as only Joe Bob can. Sven mentioned how Briggs and Darcy have a running debate over Halloween III: Season of the Witch. Darcy and Sven love it and Joe Bob hates it. Briggs proceeded to support his beliefs by hilariously going over the film’s many plot holes.
Jim Roche capturing horror host history
When it was time for audience questions, a man asked the hosts what advice they could give him and his fiance for a successful marriage. Without skipping a beat, Svengoolie replied, “I would advise the two of you to watch me on Saturday nights on MeTV and Joe Bob, Fridays on Shudder.” Joe Bob may have more entertaining viewpoints, but when it comes to quipping nobody’s as fast on their feet as Svengoolie.
The panel concluded with a visit from Full Moon’s Charles Band and his revealing and showing trailers to his two upcoming projects; both of which he’s been working on for over thirty years. One was about a killer Artificial Intelligence (so that aged well) and the other was a neat stop-motion feature about a Yeti that gave out strong Ray Harryhausen vibes.
When it was all over, Flashback crew member, and old pal, Don Johnston led me and the Svengoolie crew up to a hotel suite reserved just for them. We all relaxed a bit and discussed the panel. “How did I do?” Svengoolie asked me. “You did great,” I replied, “but you told Joe Bob that Chicago’s first horror host was named Seymor and it was Marvin.” “Oh,” said Sven. “But wasn’t Seymore his middle name?” As I said, nobody is as quick-witted as Svengoolie. I’ve been hanging behind the scenes with him now for over ten years and the only person that can hold their own with him, banter-wise, is Jim Roche.
Since I was at G-FEST the day Svengoolie made his comic book shop appearances, he was kind enough to bring one of his new Svengoolie comics that he had signed for me. My friends, Don and Bunny, also brought me one of the other variant covers (six different covers in total) and, yesterday, I went to the Amazing Fantasy comic shop in Frankfurt, Illinois, to get a third. I’m not sure how lucky I’ll be tracking down the rest of the variants but it was very nice of my friends to think of me and the book looks awesome.
Svengoolie was slated to sign on Saturday so he didn’t have a Sharpie with him to sign my new mask but promised to do so the next day. They gave me his photoshoot backdrop to keep in my room until they returned and I took off with them to the lobby before going back to my room. I took a shower, texted Jason an update, and watched Spider-man No Way Home before falling asleep.
~Dave