Fandomfest Review

One of the most pleasant and unique things about comic conventions is how everyone reacts to one another. Walking into the vendor hall, I breathed a sigh of relief as I realized I was home amongst fellow con nerds and dorks. It’s like stepping out of one world and into another- a more peaceful, equal reality. There is an unspoken understanding amongst cosplayers and other attendees that was acknowledged through casual gestures such as head nods, smiles, or requests for photo ops. If you’ve ever been totally enamored with a particular character from an anime, TV show, comic book, or feature film, you are likely to spot their doppelganger here. Or perhaps you’d rather be that character for a short period of time, a popular choice not only accepted but encouraged and supported by con crowds.

I haven’t been to many Comic Conventions or “cons” as they are called. In 2013, Fandomfest had such a big hype built up that even a small-town stay-at-home gal like me got wind of the event. It stems from a larger convention, Fright Night Film Fest, which was started by Ken and Myra Daniels in 2005. Fright Night welcomed the pop culture fans brought to them through the introduction of Fandomfest in 2011. The attendance that year exceeded expectations and so the event was moved in 2012 to The Galt House.

The move to a larger venue caused a build-up of high hopes and anticipation from fans which led to a full house in 2013. Unfortunately, many individuals felt let down by the lack of organization that year. Officially, the blame was placed on no-show volunteers. However, many of the people working at Fandomfest that year were unable to answer simple questions regarding panel, venue, and registration information. There was much confusion amongst attendees who were unable to get directions or time frames for various events that had been unexpectedly rescheduled.

Fandomfest had some competition this year from a larger convention called Wizard World that was held in Louisville over the summer. I had the privilege of attending both cons this year. In my opinion, Wizard World was more organized than Fandomfest. To be fair though, Wizard World is a much larger convention that has been held in various locations over time. Fandomfest is strictly set in Louisville each year and is fairly new. It still has some kinks to work out but hopefully the negative responses from disappointed attendees will influence this year’s con for the better.

Haunt Life

If you’ve ever been to a haunted house, I’m sure you know the routine. Ghouls and goblins, dark hallways, startling sounds and motions, chainsaws whirring. Many haunts follow a similar pattern so as best to serve the desires of patrons. For three years, I worked at a haunted house that took a different approach.

Each room in our haunt was set up like a scene from various horror films and tales. I worked as Samara from The Ring and Regan from The Exorcist. Haunt actors often get shuffled around when other actors aren’t able to work their scene. Joining the haunt industry is often compared to becoming a member of a new family. Once you’re part of the crew, you learn how to assimilate to their primary customs.

To give you a better idea of what it’s like to work at the haunt, you need to understand some of the language we “haunters” are accustomed to.

Haunters: people who work at a haunted house.
Screamers: actors who have one self-explanatory job: to scream.
Howling: when everyone is in position and the haunting hour begins, it is customary for haunters to howl. This is a way of saying, “we’re ready to go.”

There are three noteworthy codes that actors are commended for provoking:

Code Yellow: someone scared a customer so bad that they wet their pants.
Code Brown: similar to code yellow but worse. Much worse.
Code Black: a customer had their wits scared out of them and passed out.

As customers travel with their pack from one room to the next, they are greeted with familiar cult terrors from films past. When approaching The Exorcist room, customers begin to hear me scream and call out, “Mother? Mother, make it stop! It’s burning! It’s burrrrrning!” As the last sentence trails off, I acquire a demonic, gravelly tone and cackle evilly while customers enter. The room is a replica of Regan’s bedroom in the film. I hold on to ties that seemingly bind me to a blood-stained bed. This gives customers a sense of false security and oftentimes they will get closer to the edge of the bed as a result. This is when I quickly crawl to the end of the bed, hoist my leg over my shoulder and say, “Keep away! The sow is mine!” My next step is to to stand up, break free of one of the ties and aggressively reach out for the customers as a priest pops out yelling, “The power of Christ compels you!”

One particular evening, I decided to take it a step further. A group came in to the room in conga formation, one clinging to the next. A man in the middle of the lineup seemed particularly squeamish, leaning as close to the wall opposite me as possible. I hopped off the bed, spun around so my back faced them, and as the priest began to chant, I arched my head back towards the group as far as I could. I began to drag the bed towards them, screeching and reaching for the squeamish middle man. The group squealed and ran from the room, jumping in surprise as the priest popped out. A pungent odor lingering in the room was explained by the man’s screams from the hallway, “I think I just shit my pants!” The priest and I were commended later that evening for what seemed to be a code brown achievement.

There are many noteworthy incidents like this that one is bound to encounter in the haunt industry. Groups are stereotyped by the volume, terror, and actions. I had a knocking system worked out with actors in the room opposite The Ring room. Two knocks on the wall for a routine group, three knocks for a fun group, and four knocks for groups of jerks. This allowed me to converse with other actors since I often worked alone in The Ring room.

On slow nights, actors would visit the other rooms and do walkthroughs to see what the haunt is like from customers’ perspective. Often times these walk throughs would be filmed and later turned into a film that we all would gather to watch at the end of each season. We even gather with other haunts for post haunt meetings and celebrations, just to keep in touch.

If you’ve ever wondered whether the effect the haunt actors had on you was reciprocated, the answer is yes. Chances are your group was talked about right after you left the room. Haunters live for the screams, we thrive on fear and positive reactions from customers. So next time you visit a haunt, be sure to put on a show for them too.

Top 10 “Can You Stomach These?” Horror Films

Warning: Small Spoiler Alert!

1. A Serbian Film

This film is all about shock value.

The director clearly wanted to appall audiences by opposing common moral standards of society. This film is first on the list because it is significantly hard to stomach for even the most avid horror fans.

2. Teeth

Most of the gore is simply implied throughout this film.

The plot is unlike any other, focusing on the vengeance of a young woman and how the human body’s natural instincts help to exact her revenge.

3. Nightmare Detective

A murder mystery that revolves around an unusual string of deaths amongst a group of suicidal individuals.

The movie has a supernatural twist to it. The consistent horrific sound of swiftly slicing blades at climactic moments in the film is enough to send chills down anyone’s spine.

4. Bordello of Blood

This isn’t your average, everyday vampire film but don’t worry, it still has a provocative and erotic feel to it like most vamp flics.

This is one of those movies that gets you at the end. Watch out for plot twists and a demonic host straight out of Tales From The Crypt.

5. Black X-mas

Human flesh Christmas cookies. Need I say more?

In the holiday spirit and in search of a seasonal horror flic? This may be right up your alley. Be prepared for screams, gory murder schemes, and a generally dark plot line. This film will leave you thinking twice about typical Christmas traditions.

6. Jenifer

Not to be confused with the Megan Fox film which did not make this list.

Poor, poor Jenifer has a face that frightens and a body that entices. This animalistic individual is the main focus of a bittersweet, sickening tale of lust, gore, and tragedy. It is commendable for its use of detailed makeup and gore FX work as opposed to CGI effects.

7. Society

This film can best be summarized and explained by a direct quote from the film:

“Well, son, you’re right! I am a butthead!”

8. The Human Centipede

Yes it’s cliche but three people bound together by mouth and rear?

How could I not list it?

9. Martyrs

This thought-provoking foreign film will leave you longing for answers to some of life’s bigger questions.

Martyrs delves into the dark possibilities and morbid what-ifs that all humans are naturally curious about. From start to finish, you’ll never know what to expect next.

10. The ABC’s of Death

This collection of original short films from various directors earns the final and most noteworthy spot on this list.

From A to Z, you’ll be on the edge of your seat trying to guess what each letter stands for in relation to the horrific tale it was assigned. Overall, the alphabet covers a wide array of horrific, gory, nauseating, and downright disgusting topics.

Hope you enjoy!