HOW I SPENT MY SUMMER VACATION: THE MONSTER BASH CONFERENCE, JUNE 2023

Sometimes in life, as in blogging, it becomes necessary to stop procrastinating and make a move, to jump in the car and go somewhere. Or sit down in front of the old computer and write something. In this adventurous spirit, I attended the Monster Bash Conference in Mars, Pennsylvania on June16-18. And in the same spirit, I am submitting my first blog post since March, in an attempt to get past my writer's block. I made it to the conference. Now let's see if I can finish the blog post!

This was my first convention attendance, indeed my first vacation of any kind, since the Summer of 2019, when I went to the Horrorhound Convention in Indianapolis to pay homage to Barbara Steele. Then, of course, in 2020 the world went insane, and my life changed forever. I've always been somewhat reclusive and enjoyed spending a lot of my time at home. But in the years since my retirement in 2015, and certainly since the Covid lockdown, I became less active and more sedentary. This year I decided to make an effort to challenge my laziness, and going to the Bash seemed like the perfect way to do it.

Although I've been a film freak for a long time, I came late to the party regarding conventions. I became aware of the Monster Bash from the Creepy Classics website, an amazing resource for all thing horror and sci-fi, including movies, magazines, posters, you name it. I decided to drive to Butler, Pennsylvania for the 2005 Bash and see what all of this was about. The drive from my home in Champaign, Illinois is around 7 1/2 hours, so I split the driving into two days by spending the first night somewhere in the Ohio wilderness. The Bash was interesting and fun, and I was glad that I went. The experience jumpstarted my new convention lifestyle, which continued later that year with Starbase Indy, a sci-fi convention in Indianapolis. This resulted from my sudden fascination with the world of Star Trek. In 2006, I returned to the Bash, this time in a different location, somewhere in the hills of Pennsylvania. The experience was less positive than the previous year, mainly because I hated the long drive. So, I didn't go back until this year. My convention experiences mostly consisted of Trek cons in Las Vegas and Chicago, all accessible by flying, which became my Number One favorite mode of travelling. (The one exception was Horrorhound Indianapolis in 2011, my first encounter with La Steele.) 

The registration table at the Monster Bash.

The Monster Bash Conference was held at the Marriott Hotel.

My hotel, the Marriott Courtyard.

This year, I decided to make the long drive in one day, not necessarily the best idea for someone who isn't crazy about driving. The conference was being held at the Marriot Hotel near Mars, Pennsylvania, nestled in a rather bizarre combination of beautiful hill country and urban nightmare. I decided to stay at the adjoining Marriott Courtyard just a few steps away from the main hotel. I made the trip on Wednesday, June 14 in order to give myself plenty of time to possibly get lost, as I am known to do, and to relax and get rested up for the conference. On Thursday, the conference was still being set up, but they were showing movies all day and allowing early arrivals to register and wander around the area. The main dealers' room was already mostly set up. I could feel my credit card twitching anxiously in my wallet as I looked over all the DVDs, Blu-rays, posters, action figures, etc. that were available. After registering, I went into the movie room to watch a Boris Karloff classic, THE MAN THEY COULD NOT HANG (1939), chatted with a few people, and then went back to my hotel to have dinner and turn in for the night.

The main dealers' room.

The next few days were, quite honestly, a bit of a blur. The change in my sleep habits, including the loss of an hour by leaving the Central Time Zone, turned me into a zombie, which may have been appropriate, considering this was a horror flick conference. The Bash schedule was pretty intense, with activities beginning early in the morning and continuing until well after midnight. There were interviews with celebrities, movies, episodes of TV shows like THRILLER, trivia contests, and much more. I must admit I didn't attend all of the events, although now I wish I had done more than I did. But I had a good time, nonetheless. One of the best things that happened was getting the chance to meet an online friend, fellow Monster Kid Dan Day, Jr. Dan is a Facebook friend and a fellow blogger. His excellent movie blog, THE HITLESS WONDER (dandayjr35.blogspot.com) was, and continues to be, a big inspiration to me. Calling Dan a Monster "Kid" is appropriate, since it turns out I'm old enough to be his father! It was fun hanging out with someone who loves the classic horror films. Dan has been going to the Bash for several years and knows many of the people. The wonderful thing about the Bash is that it is literally a Mom & Pop event. Ron Adams, the owner and operator of the Creepy Classic website, runs the conference with his wife, family members, and a group of old friends. Ron is like so many of us who grew up in the early days of television. We were exposed to old movies, including the classic horror movies of the Golden Age, by seeing them over and over on TV. For some of us, that connection became one of the most important parts of our lives and memories. The Monster Bash gives us a chance to relive those memories and spend time with others who feel the same way.

Fellow Monster Kid Dan Day, Jr. (L) and myself.

I must confess that I didn't meet very many people or approach many of the celebrities who were selling merchandise and signing autographs. I tend to be rather shy about talking to people I don't know, another obstacle I need to work on. During the years when I was involved in the Star Trek universe, I became a little more outgoing. There's something about Trekkies that makes many of them very easy to approach and start conversing about favorite episodes of The Original Series or Voyager. I've lost a lot of that gregariousness. Hopefully, I can get some of it back.

I did meet a marvelous actress named Beverly Washburn, known for films like OLD YELLER (1957) and SPIDER BABY (1967), and get an autographed copy of her book, REEL TEARS. She was delightful! And I met an author named Frank Dello Stritto, who writes both fiction and non-fiction about the classic horror films. I read his book I SAW WHAT I SAW WHEN I SAW IT a few years ago and bought two more of his non-fictional works: VAMPIRE OVER LONDON and A QUAINT AND CURIOUS VOLUME OF FORGOTTEN LORE: THE MYTHOLOGY & HISTORY OF CLASSIC HORROR FILMS.

One of the main celebrities at the Bash was an actress named Audrey Dalton, known for genre films like THE MONSTER THAT CHALLENGED THE WORLD (1957) and MR. SARDONICUS (1961). I didn't meet Miss Dalton, but I attended her interview, as well as Beverly Washburn's, and they were both wonderful. Miss Dalton's film, THE MONSTER THAT CHALLENGED THE WORLD was showing one evening at a drive-in theater setup outside of the Courtyard hotel. I didn't bring a lawn chair, so I didn't go. As it turned out, the drive-in was right outside of my second-story window, so I had a perfect seat!

Even though I didn't attend all of the Bash activities, I had a good time and I'm very glad that I made myself jump into the car and GO SOMEWHERE! What better destination than a gathering of Monster Kids of all ages? 

I hereby declare an end to reclusiveness. And, just maybe, writer's block!!