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HORRORHOUND #33

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OCTOBER 2nd-4th, 2009

Not much to say here for this report that I haven’t said many time before, since this is the 16^th show report for Cinema Wasteland that I have done over the past 10 years. I’ve said many times before and will many times again in the future, and that is there is NO other show out there like Cinema Wasteland. Period. It’s a show that is run by a fan who knows what it’s like to be a fan coming through the door. So they make sure that you get your money’s worth when you do come through the door. Whether it be great guests, the movies they’re screening all weekend, or one of the best dealer rooms around, there’s no way you cannot have a blast here.

The other thing is that the guests that they do get are not the usual suspects that you see at most conventions. You’re not going to see big names like Bruce Campbell or Robert Englund at one of these shows. But you will find plenty of guests here that you surely won’t see at those bigger shows. These guests are just as important to the genre and to the fans as those big names. Even more so, when you think about it. Some of these guests are icons that unfortunately never made it big in Hollywood, where they would become a household name. So there contributions to the genre are not known to most fans. But the Wasteland crew makes sure that they give these guests their spotlight, and help the newer and possibly less experienced fans get to know these people and of their work. So major kudos to them for that alone.

Two of the main guests that I wanted to see this time out where not your average big star, but mainly known for their cult status. The first one was Arch Hall Jr., who starred in a film called The Sadist (1963). We had recently seen the movie and were blown away by the dark and serious tone the film had. Plus, Hall was excellent in the title character, who spends most of the film tormenting some stranded travelers. Hall had some wonderful stories of making this film, along with his other low budget films. He had also starred in the Eegah, alongside the giant Richard Kiel, as well as making some teenage delinquent films. Hall was also a super friendly guy to talk to and we were thrilled at having the chance to meet him.

The other guest that we were excited about meeting was director William Grefe (pronounced Gre-FAY). Grefe had directed films like Sting of Death (1965), Death Curse of Tartu (1966), Stanley (1972), Impulse (1974), Mako: The Jaws of Death (1976), among other cult titles. Grefe was one of these filmmakers that didn’t want to relocate to Hollywood, but stayed in Florida to make his films, which is what he did. Sure, his films may not have been Hollywood blockbusters, but they did quite well for the drive-in market, which was he was aiming for. Grefe also have plenty of great stories of low budget filmmaking, some that would make your jaw drop. And even better, he was signing anything and everything you brought up to him for FREE! Can’t tell you the last time I’d seen that.

Sitting with Grefe at this table was filmmaker Daniel Griffith. We’d met him online a few years ago when we heard about a documentary he is making on K. Gordon Murray. While he’s still working on that, he is also working on other projects, including doing the extras for the recently DVD release of Stanley. He is also working on a documentary on the films of William Grefe, entitled They Came from the Swamps. For more information about Griffith and of these documentaries, head over to his blog by clicking HERE.

Two other guests that we had seen previously, but are always great to see, were some Hammer Glamour girls, Martine Beswick and Caroline Munro. We had seen both of them before, but are always a joy to talk to each and every time. They both had plenty of great stories from their work with Hammer, as well as the other work that they did. Two other ‘glamour’ girl guests were Lynn Lowry and Cerena Vincent. Lowry has worked with the likes of Romero & Cronenberg, as well as being in the cult classic I Drink Your Blood.

Other guests included Fred Williamson, Joel M. Reed, director of the notorious Blood Sucking Freaks, Jamie Gillis, 42^nd Street Pete, who always has some great stories.

We were seeing a lot of new faces at this Wasteland show, which is always a great thing. Seeing a bunch of new people walking around with this glorious dazed look on their face, wondering why I haven’t been here before. So for us Wasteland veterans, it’s always cool to hear new fans point of view and their excitement. Along with new fan faces, there were a few new guest faces at this show.

So getting back to the broken record, we had a blast at Wasteland, just like we did last time, and the time before that, and so on. As well as knowing that we will again next time. As long as Ken & Pam Kish keep putting on these shows, we will be there.

THIS YEAR'S PHOTO HIGHLIGHTS

MARTINE BESWICK

JAMIE GILLIS

WILLIAM GREFE

ARCH HALL Jr.

LYNN LOWRY

CAROLINE MUNRO

FRED WILLIAMSON