Pictures from Rock and Shock 2015: Part II

By Jason Harris

 

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Actor John Amplas (Creepshow).

Actor John Amplas (Creepshow).

Actor Sherman Howard (Day of the Dead).

Actor Sherman Howard (Day of the Dead).

Lydia Deetz and Betelgeuse.

Lydia Deetz and Betelgeuse.

Actress Erika Ervin (American Horror Story).

Actress Erika Ervin (American Horror Story).

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Authors Adam Cesare (right) and Matt Serafini (left).

Authors Adam Cesare (right) and Matt Serafini (left).

Actress Felissa Rose (Sleepaway Camp).

Actress Felissa Rose (Sleepaway Camp).

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Actor Bill Moseley (The Devil's Rejects).

Actor Bill Moseley (The Devil’s Rejects).

Actor Bill Johnson (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2).

Actor Bill Johnson (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2).

Lou C. Fher a.k.a. the Devil.

Lou C. Fher a.k.a. the Devil.

Actor William Sanderson (True Blood).

Actor William Sanderson (True Blood).

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Actress Naomi Grossman (American Horror Story).

Actress Naomi Grossman (American Horror Story).

Authors on the Writer's Studio panel (from left to right): Joe Knetter, Stacey Longo, K.H. Vaugn and Jack Ketchum.

Authors on the Writer’s Studio panel (from left to right): Joe Knetter, Stacey Longo, K.H. Vaugn and Jack Ketchum.

Actor Tobin Bell (Saw).

Actor Tobin Bell (Saw).

Jim Dyer of Fenham Publishing.

Jim Dyer of Fenham Publishing.

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Actree/model Sarah Michelle (left) and a convention-goer.

Actress/model Sarah Michelle (left) and a convention-goer.

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Author Rob Smales holding the new anthology Insanity Tales II from Books & Boos' Press, which contains two of his stories.

Author Rob Smales holding the new anthology, Insanity Tales II from Books & Boos’ Press.

Smales has two stories in Insanity Tales II: The Sense of Fear.

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October Has Come, Rock and Shock Looms!

The Mega Horror Convention by Day, Rock Concert Series by Night Returns to Worcester WORCESTER, MA 

As your local shops fill up with skeletons, vampires and friendly ghouls to hang about your house, our thoughts turn to Halloween, and for folks dedicated to all things horror, that includes planning their annual trip to the biggest horror and music convention on the East Coast during the spookiest of seasons; ROCK AND SHOCK! October 16th through 18th, Rock and Shock will celebrate their 12th year of music and mayhem at Worcester, MA’s DCU Center with a full schedule filled with panels, film screenings, activities and contests running across a show floor jam packed with excellent guests and awesome vendors. You’ll find all the holiday gifts you need for the creepiest kids in your life!

This year’s guest lineup includes George Romero, Godfather of Zombies everywhere (and director of Night of the Living Dead if we need to mention that), Tobin Bell (SAW Films), Naomi Grossman (American Horror Story), William Sanderson (Blade Runner, True Blood), Samantha Mathis (The Strain, American Psycho, Pump Up The Volume), Adam Green, Bill Moseley, William Forsythe, Doug Bradley, PJ Soles and more!

Check out the full lineup HERE!

This years’ bands include Danzig, Hatebreed, Twiztid, Prong, Soulfly, Soil Work, Blaze, Witch Mountain, Sanctuary, Superjoint and many more! Part of the “many more” is a special addition you’ll find only at Rock and Shock. Last year, primo photographer Jeremy Saffer presented to us THE ROCKING DEAD. Last year, primo photographer Jeremy Saffer presented to us The Rocking Dead. A band of music’s finest was assembled from acts that were on the Rock and Shock bill as well as surprise special guests, and with a mere soundcheck as their only practice as a unit they took the stage and belted out a set of classic Misfits songs. When they were done the fans knew they had seen something truly special, and in many a mind there grew hopes that this rare assembly would return. Well, their voices were heard, and Jeremy Saffer will once again present The Rocking Dead to you this year! But this time, the monster has grown! Led by musical director, protector of animals and rock and roll guitarist extraordinaire Ace Von Johnson, a band has been assembled that brings back many of last year’s gang but, like any good sequel, this one is even bigger!

The band and/or signings will include luminaries from rock and metal such as:

DOYLE WOLFGANG VON FRANKENSTEIN–The Misfits/Doyle

ALEX STORY–Doyle/Cancerslug

WEDNESDAY 13–Murderdolls/Wednesday 13

KYLE CASTRONOVO–Wednesday 13

ACE VON JOHNSON–Faster Pussycat

TAIME DOWNE–Faster Pussycat

ASH COSTELLO–New Years Day

NIKKI MISERY–New Years Day

MIKE D’ANTONIO–Killswitch Engage

ACEY SLADE–Joan Jett and the Blackhearts

BRET VON DEHL–The Relapse Symphony

As icing on the cake, many of the players will be signing during the convention! (Note: some will be signing all three days but due to touring schedules some will only be able to sign on Saturday.) As for the performance, what bands and songs will they cover this year? Will there be surprise guests? Well, some secrets are better kept until the show, but with The Rocking Dead added to an already stacked Saturday concert lineup this is an event not to be missed! Check out the full music lineup HERE!

We’ve got three days of films rolling out as well, including Chainsaw Maidens, Old 37, Fury, Diary of a Deadbeat, Pieces of Talent, plenty of shorts and some surprise features!

After cruising the show floor to shop with an incredible array of vendors, you can take in programming where amazing folks from the horror industry share their secrets with you, visit the Rock and Shock Creative Lair and learn drawing, writing, mask casting, creative activities and more, wave hello to super talented cosplayers roaming the floor or join them in our Cosplay Contest (for little AND big kids!) sponsored by Halloween Outlet and swing by the Idle Hands booth to test your horror knowledge or accept a challenge, all for killer prizes!

While every day at Rock and Shock provides a kid friendly atmosphere families will love, Sunday is KID’S DAY with a schedule including face painting, pumpkin decorating, a coloring contest and a cosplay contest just for your little monsters. We also show our appreciation for our servicemen on Sunday by offering FREE ADMISSION to all Police, Fire, EMT and Military personnel. Just show your service ID at the doors and you can receive up to 4 free tickets to the convention!

Hit up RockandShock.com for further info and to find the ticket option that best suits your fiend level!

Rock and Shock is a three day horror and music convention featuring celebrity signings, movie screenings, concerts, panels and more. Now in its 12th year, Rock & Shock has played host some of the biggest names in horror and rock. This year’s event will be taking place October 16-18, 2015 in downtown Worcester, Massachusetts at the DCU Center (http://www.dcucenter.com) and the Worcester Palladium (http://thepalladium.net).

Rock and Shock Starts Promoting Its 11th Show

Rock abd Shock 11

Rock & Shock is getting ready to turn it up to 11! In anticipation of the 11th anniversary of the horror and music convention that brings 3 days of monsters, music and mayhem to downtown Worcester, MA, Rock & Shock is giving the public an extra early sneak peak at this year’s attendees. While there are still plenty of big name acts yet to be divulged, Rock & Shock is pleased to announce that among this year’s guests will be Brad Dourif, John Ratzenberger, Jeffrey Combs, Nivek Ogre and Fiona Dourif. Meanwhile, King Diamond, Machine Head and Twiztid are among some of the convention’s scheduled performers.

Brad Dourif, the voice of everyone’s favorite flame-haired doll turned serial killer Chucky will be making a rare convention appearance at Rock & Shock 2014. Dourif is a legendary character actor who is best known for his appearances in Rob Zombie’s Halloween 1 & 2, The Exorcist III, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers & The Return of the King, Dune, TV’s Deadwood and his breakthrough role as Billy Bibbit in Milos Forman’s 1975 classic One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. To make the event a true family affair, Dourif will be joined by his real life daughter and True Blood star Fiona Dourif. Fiona’s other screen credits include Curse of Chucky, Deadwood and Paul Thomas Anderson’s Academy Award nominated film The Master.

He has danced with the stars, voiced some of your favorite cartoon characters and even fought for the Rebel Alliance and this October, Cheers‘ very own John Ratzenberger will be returning to the place where everybody knows his name. In addition to portraying Cliff Clavin, postal worker extraordinaire on the seminal Boston-based TV series Cheers, Ratzenberger has appeared in films such as Motel Hell and House 2: The Second Story, competed on Dancing With the Stars and has become the voice of Pixar. Ratzenberger is, in fact, the only actor to voice for a character in every Pixar film; most notably Hamm the Piggy Bank in the Toy Story series, The Abominable Snowman in Monsters, Inc. and Mack the Truck in the Cars.

A legend in both the horror and sci-fi communities, Jeffery Combs will be making his triumphant return to Rock & Shock this year. Combs first made his name as Herbert West, the main character in Re-Animator and it’s two subsequent sequels. He followed that up with appearances in several classic horror films including The Frighteners, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, House on Haunted Hill, FeardotCom and most recently, Would You Rather. However, science-fiction fans will best know Combs for his portrayals of several characters within the Star Trek universe, most notably the Vorta clone Weyoun on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

Rounding out the early announcements is Skinny Puppy and ohGr frontman Nivek Ogre. Since forming Skinny Puppy in 1982, Ogre has wowed audiences as both a musician and an actor, appearing in films such as Repo! The Genetic Opera, 2001 Maniacs: Field of Screams and The Devil’s Carnival.

Speaking of world renowned musicians, this year’s performers are set to include: King Diamond, who will kick-off the event’s pre-party on Thursday, October 16, Machine Head, Children of Bodom, Epica and Battlecross, who will be rocking the Palladium stage on Friday, October 17 and Twiztid, back by popular demand with their Fright Fest festivities and scheduled to close out the event on Sunday, October 18. A very special guest headliner for Saturday is set to be announced in August, so let the speculation begin!

Tickets for Rock & Shock 2014 go on sale this Friday, June 27th at 10am and may be purchased at ticketfly.com, FYE stores or at the Palladium box office. There are still plenty of celebrity guests, musical acts and events yet to be announced so make sure to follow Rock & Shock on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Instagram and visitrockandshock.com.

The Excitement of Boston Comic Con 2013

by Jason Harris

The Seventh Annual Boston Comic Con happened this weekend at the Seaport World Trade Center. It was originally scheduled for the weekend April 20 through 21 at the Hynes Convention Center, but was postponed because of the lockdown following the Boston Marathon bombing.

The convention organizer’s expected this year’s attendance to be 15,000. There were artist and event panels. There was also an Independent Film Festival on Saturday and a Zombie Film Festival on Sunday.

Boston Comic Con’s biggest celebrity guests were Laurie Holden of The Walking Dead and Kristen Bauer of True Blood. The other guests included Aidan Turner and Dean O’Gorman, who play the dwarves Kili and Fili respectively in The Hobbit movies.

Laurie Holden of 'The Walking Dead' talking with a fan.

Laurie Holden of The Walking Dead talking with a fan.

The convention had many comic book artists such as Mark Bagley and James O’Barr. It had celebrities for the reading crowd too such as authors Joe Hill, Christopher Golden, and Steve Niles, who have all written comic books.

Illustrator Gabriel Rodriguez and author Joe Hill.

Illustrator Gabriel Rodriguez and author Joe Hill.

Author Christopher Golden.

Author Christopher Golden.

There were authors there that are not involved with comic books.

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Author Estevan Bagley signing a book for a fan.

Author Estevan Vega signing a book for a fan.

Author Estevan Vega isn’t new to big conventions. He was meeting fans and signing books at last year’s Rhode Island Comic Con.

If you went to the convention to see what attendees were dressing up as then you weren’t disappointed.

Captain America and Wonder Woman.

Captain America and Wonder Woman.

Loki.

Loki.

Futurama'sTuranga Leela, Philip J. Fry, and Dr. John A. Zoidberg.

Futurama’s Turanga Leela, Philip J. Fry, and Dr. John A. Zoidberg.

Green Lantern.

Green Lantern.

Princess Leia and Darth Vader.

Princess Leia and Darth Vader.

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Batman talking with a mermaid.

Batman talking with a mermaid.

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The X-men

The X-men

The Transformers' Bumblebee with some con attendees.

The Transformers’ Bumblebee with some con attendees.

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Dr. Doom

Dr. Doom.

Harley Quinn and the Joker.

Harley Quinn and the Joker.

Thor.

Thor.

Mr. T and Bane.

Mr. T and Bane.

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Bane and Mr. Freeze.

Bane and Mr. Freeze.

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Wonder Woman.

Wonder Woman.

Pictures of the crowds, vendors, game players and groups at this year’s Boston Comic Con.

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The 501st New England Garrison.

The 501st New England Garrison.

The 501st new England Garrison.

The 501st new England Garrison.

The Ghostbusters of New Hampshire.

The Ghostbusters of New Hampshire.

The Ghostbusters of New Hampshire

The Ghostbusters of New Hampshire.

The women of Sci-fi Saturday Night.

The women of Sci-fi Saturday Night.

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Author Stacey Longo with  Sci-fi Saturday Night's The Dome.

Author Stacey Longo with Sci-fi Saturday Night’s The Dome.

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Boston Comic Con is over, but I’m looking forward to the 2014 one.

‘TRUE BLOOD’S’ ROBERT PATRICK COMING TO ROCK & SHOCK 2013

You’ve seen him in everything from Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) to his current role on HBO’s breakthrough series True Blood and now you can see him live at Rock & Shock 2013. That’s right, T-1000 himself, Robert Patrick, will be signing autographs and taking photos as part of the 10th Annual Rock & Shock!

Following a short appearance in Die Hard 2 (1990), Robert Patrick’s breakthrough role came as T-1000 in James Cameron’s now legendary Terminator 2: Judgment Day. The role catapulted Patrick into the pop culture lexicon and solidified him as a bona fide movie star. After roles in Last Action Hero (1993), Fire in the Sky (1993) and Striptease (1996), Patrick made the transition to television with an arc on HBO’s The Sopranos. Not long after he was brought on to fill the very large shoes of David Duchovny on the classic television series The X-Files, which he followed up with a three year stint on CBS’ The Unit.

In 2012, Patrick found a home on not one but two television series, as Master Chief Joseph Prosser on ABC’s Last Resort and as werewolf Jackson Herveaux on True Blood. He also maintained his impressive film career with roles in Clint Eastwood’s The Trouble with the Curve (2012), mega-hit Safe House (2012) and the star-studded Gangster Squad (2013).

Also on board for Rock & Shock 2013 is Katherine Isabelle. Best known to audiences for the title role of Ginger in the contemporary horror classic Ginger Snaps (2000) and its sequels Ginger Snaps 2: Unleashed (2004) and Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning (2004), Isabelle has also appeared in the films Disturbing Behavior (1998), Carrie (2002), 30 Days of Night: Dark Days (2010) and was most recently seen as Susanna Waite on the SyFy series Being Human.

Patrick and Isabelle will be joining previously announced Rock & Shock guests Michael Rooker (The Walking Dead, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer), Jordan Ladd (Cabin Fever, Death Proof), Lew Temple (The Devil’s Rejects, The Walking Dead) and IronE Singleton (The Walking Dead).

For a complete list of attendees or for more information about this event, visit http://www.rockandshock.com.

The 10th Annual Rock and Shock will be taking place October 18-20, 2013at the DCU Center (http://www.dcucenter.com) and The Worcester Palladium (http://thepalladium.net) in Worcester, Massachusetts.