Goth Chick News: Jerry Dandridge, Vampire Santa and the Best of Days of the Dead
Being fully aware that my genre of choice tends to attract a rabid following that in some cases is actually rabid, I nonetheless underestimated what I would encounter when I was invited to a horror convention held in a very pedestrian suburb of Chicago.
I readily admit that Chicago isn’t Los Angeles or even New Orleans when it comes to sub-cultures, though the elements that do exist are certainly worth wading into — if you know where to look.
But the suburbs… seriously?
Two weeks ago, Schaumburg, IL was the launch city for the Days of the Dead convention tour. Schaumburg, whose primary claim to fame is being the home to the second largest quantity of retail square footage under one roof.
True, the walking dead can often be observed there dragging their ragged-flannel-wearing selves between Aeropostale and Abercrombie, but that hardly seemed reason enough to situate a horror convention a couple of blocks away – in a Marriot Hotel, no less.
Days of the Dead is in its second year; a self-termed “by the fans, for the fans,” convention which had its inaugural show in Indianapolis in July, 2011 and will be headed to Atlanta and LA, then ending in Indy in the coming months. The press kit explained:
Chock full of special events tailored just for the fans, an active after hours scene of horror themed parties, and a massive guest list of the hottest celebrity guests, artists, and up and coming independent film makers, Days of the Dead has already began rewriting the script and setting the bar for what a true horror convention weekend should look like.
And in this case, all located within walking distance of the USA’s second largest monument to consumerism. This could be fun.
And it certainly was…
The epic of this film’s development is definitely beginning to look like a journey not of sight or sound, but only of mind.
