By Jason Harris
Chelsea Rebecca, co-host of the Dead Meat podcast.
Silver Scream IV Part 2
Chelsea Rebecca, co-host of the Dead Meat podcast.
Tag Archives: Worcester MA
Chelsea Rebecca, co-host of the Dead Meat podcast.
Rock & Shock is Almost Here
The 11th Rock & Shock is less than two weeks away and the organizers have brought horror fans another great line-up this year. Some names fans will recognize celebrities such as Tom Savini, Brad Dourif, Roddy Piper, Derek Mears, and Sid Haig. There are also new ones to the convention such as Sharknado and American Pie star Tara Reid and Jeffrey Combs (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Enterprise)
Celebrities who had to cancel their appearances last year are back on the guest list for this year and they are Andrew Divoff (Wishmaster) and John Ratzenberger ( Cheers and the Toy Story movies).
Check out the guest list here.
Once again, there will be authors, publishers, and bookstores at the convention. Authors include Bram Stoker award-winner L.L Soares, Joe Knetter, Stacey Longo, Tim J. Finn, and Bracken MacLeod. Knetter and Longo will be participating on a writer’s panel at 12 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 18, with a few other authors. Publishers and bookstores include Fenham Publishing and Books & Boos respectively.
Rock & Shock takes place at the DCU Center in Worcester, MA. from Oct. 17th through the 19th.
Two Days to Find those Books Before Christmas
Have you finished your Christmas shopping? If you haven’t, I know what makes a great gift. Books are the perfect gifts. Find a local independent bookstore and purchase your books through them. You accomplish two things by shopping local. You purchase a gift and you help your local independent bookstore at the same time.
By helping your local bookstores, you help the local authors that live in your towns and states. These author’s books are not always given the needed space on the Barnes & Nobles’ bookshelves. We need the independent bookstores to do this. They often have consignment agreements with authors to sell their books.
Here are a few independent bookstores:
Annie’s Book Stop, Worcester, MA
The Book Barn, Niantic, CT
Books & Boos, Colchester, CT
The Book Club, East Windsor, CT
The Book Shop, Somerville, MA
Curious Iguana, Downtown Frederick, MD
Dark Delicacies, Burbank, CA
Monte Cristo Bookshop, New London, CT
Seek Books, West Roxbury, MA
These are only a few bookstores that I know of, but there are many more out there. If you know of one, please leave a comment with the name of the bookstore. Please search for your own local bookstore. They are out there and need our support so we can continue browsing the stacks and finding local authors.
Twisted Sister Frontman and ‘Strangeland’ Star Dee Snider to Appear at Rock & Shock
From performing live around the world with Twisted Sister to writing and starring in the 1998 horror classic Strangeland, musician, radio personality and actor Dee Snider truly embodies the words “rock” and “shock,” which is why it is with great pleasure that we announce Dee Snider will be joining his Holliston cast mates Adam Green, Cori English and Laura Ortiz at Rock & Shock 2013!
After topping the charts with hits like “We’re Not Gonna Take It” and “I Wanna Rock,” Dee Snider took to the big screen – writing, producing and starring in the horror classic Strangeland. In 2001, he voiced characters in both the videogame Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy and Van Helsing’s Curse, a live horror musical. Snider then became a fixture on the then-burgeoning reality TV market, appearing on Gone Country, Kitchen Nightmares, Dead Art, House of Hair, Celebrity Apprentice and eventually his own reality series Growing Up Twisted.
Since 2012, Snider has appeared on FEARNet’s very first original series Holliston, which chronicles”two down and out aspiring filmmakers struggle with life, career, and the opposite sex as they attempt to make it out of the small New England town they are trapped in and into the big time.” Snider plays the outlandish boss of the show’s main characters. Snider will be meeting fans and signing autographs on Friday, October 18 and Saturday, October 19, 2013 at the DCU Center in Worcester, MA. For a complete list of events, please visit rockandshock.com.
‘Army of the Damned’ Cast Set to Invade this Year’s Rock & Shock
The filmmakers behind Inkubus, Infested and Self Storage will be showcasing their latest production Army of the Damned at Rock & Shock 2013. Along with a special invite-only premiere on Saturday, October 19, the film’s producer, director and cast will be meeting with fans all weekend long.
Some say that New England is quickly becoming the Hollywood of the East and thanks to Rhode Island based producer Chad A. Verdi and writer/director Tom DeNucci, they may just be right. The duo have cranked out hometown horror with Hollywood legends and their latest endeavor is no different. Boasting an all-star cast including Tony Todd (Candyman), Academy Award nominee Eric Roberts (The Expendables), *NSYNC ‘s Joey Fatone (My Big Fat Greek Wedding), Sully Erna (lead singer, Godsmack) and professional wrestlers Tommy Dreamer, Maria Kanellis and Thea Trinidad, Army of the Damned is poised to once and for all put the East Coast on the movie making map.
To celebrate the release of the Rhode Island helmed horror flick, Verdi, DeNucci and the film’s cast will be heading up to Worcester, MA to premiere the film at Rock & Shock 2013. Joining the film’s aforementioned stars will be David Chokachi (Baywatch), Nick Principe (Laid to Rest), Jackie Moore (Atlantic Rim), Tom Paolino (Inkubus), David Gere (Remains) and Billy Vigeant (The Fighter).
Army of the Damned follows the crew of a hit reality TV show as they chronicle the lives of local cops in a sleepy town. When things go horribly awry after a call that brings new meaning to the term “domestic disturbance,” these small town cops must put their lives – and their training – on the line if they want to make it out alive and avoid joining the Army of the Damned.
Rock & Shock, now in its 10th year is an annual convention that brings together monsters, music and mayhem for three days of frightening fun! This year’s event will see the likes of Robert Englund(Nightmare on Elm Street, Hatchet), Robert Patrick (Terminator 2: Judgment Day, The X-Files), Michael Rooker (The Walking Dead), Scott Wilson (The Walking Dead), Gunnar Hansen (Texas Chainsaw Massacre), Katharine Isabelle (Ginger Snaps, American Mary) and many more signing autographs, taking pictures and meeting fans from all over the world. In addition to Twiztid, this year’s live performers include Danzig with special guest Doyle and Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes; who will be screening their new film Jay and Silent Bob’s Super Groovy Cartoon Movie and answering fan questions with a live podcast.
For a complete list of attendees and up-to-the-minute announcements, please visithttp://www.rockandshock.com.
Extras Needed in Worcester Area this Saturday
The filmmakers, who brought audiences Mourning Wood (you can read a review here), needs extras in the Worcester, MA. area this coming Saturday for a short film, The P.U.S.S.Y. Committee.
Fat Foot Films needs extras at Green Hill Park in Worcester this Saturday, May 4, at 12 p.m. All extras will need to be dressed as Mexican thugs with gold chains, white tank tops, bandanas, collared shirts top button buttoned, high white sox, sunglasses, etc. (you must come dressed up.) The filmmakers need the angry mob of Mexicans to run over a hill after the 3 main actors in the skit, the shoot will take no more than an hour.
All extras will be credited, which will be listed on IMDB.com. If you are under the age of 18, they will need a parent present to sign a release form. The P.U.S.S.Y. Committee is a R-rated comedy short film.
This is also an unpaid gig, but the filmmakers promise that it will be a blast! They will be meeting at the Green Hill Parkway entrance off of Lincoln Street. This is considered the back entrance of Green Hill Park once you enter there will be a little parking lot on your left. You will see a bright yellow Scion XB, you can’t miss it. Any questions or problems, email ryan@fatfootfilms.com.
For more information on The P.U.S.S.Y. Committee click here.
Pictures from this Weekend’s Author Events
Pictures from this Weekend’s Author Events
by Jason Harris
On Saturday, Annie’s Book Stop in Worcester hosted A Dark Carnival of Authors, an event to remember Rick Hautala, who passed away in March. The authors who read were Eric Dimbleby, Jennifer Pelland, K.A. Laity, Jessie Olson, Errick Nunnally, Rose Mambert, Frank Raymond Michaels, Morven Westfield, Inanna Arthen, John McIlveen, TJ May, and Kristi Petersen Schoonover.
The event’s reading room.
Author Eric Dimbleby (taken with flash-on).
Author Eric Dimbleby (picture without flash). The author liked this one because of the way it captures the atmosphere of a reading of dark fiction.
Author Frank Raymond Michaels.
Author Erin Thorne read at The Book Shop in Somerville, Massachusetts on Saturday.
Author Events this Weekend
Author Erin Thorne will be in Woodstock, Connecticut, on Friday at Treasures and Trash Consignment Shoppe from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The consignment shop is located at 1115 Rt. 169.
On Saturday, Thorne will be at The Book Shop in Somerville, Massachusetts, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. reading from her latest book, Behind The Wheel: And Other Stories.
A Dark Carnival of Authors/Remembering Rick Hautala
Another event involving authors takes place at Annie’s Book Stop in Worcester on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
The authors involved in this day-long event of horror and dark fantasy are Eric Dimbleby, Morven Westfield, Frank Raymond Michaels, K.A. Laity, Errick Nunnally, Inanna Arthen, Kristi Petersen Schoonover, TJ May, Rose Mambert, and Jessie Olson. They will be there at different times throughout the day. They are sharing their own work and honoring award-winning horror author Rick Hautala, who passed away this past March.
Stop in to hear some amazing and chilling writing, chat with authors, and remember the kind and talented Rick Hautala.
Pictures from Rock and Shock, Part II
NEHW member Sarah Gomes. Photo by Jason Harris.
From left to right: NEHW members Chris Irvin, David Price, and Scott Goudsward. Photo by Jason Harris.
NEHW members Trisha Wooldridge and Kelli Jones. Photo by Jason Harris.
A birdeating spider being sold at Rock and Shock. Photo by Jason Harris.
Snakes being sold at Rock and Shock. Photo by Jason Harris.
A Rock and Shock attendee at the NEHW booth. Photo by Jason Harris.
Actor Eric Roberts talks with a fan. Photo by Jason Harris.
NEHW members Chris Irvin and David Price. Photo by Jason Harris.
A horror fan visiting the NEHW booth at Rock and Shock. Photo by Jason Harris.
Josh Letourneau, of Ridgefield, New Hampshire, and Jason Campbell, of South Florida, were at the convention with Fright Kingdom. Photo by Jason Harris.
Authors Trisha Wooldridge and Kristi Petersen Schoonover at the back of the NEHW booth. Photo by Jason Harris.
Tina Blamire, of Lynn, MA. in the Predator costume with Meg and her daughter, Fiona, both of Bradford, MA. They were with the vendor, Fiona’s Fright Shoppe. Photo by Jason Harris.
NEHW members Trisha Wooldridge and Kelli Jones at Viva Bene in Worcester. Photo by Jason Harris.
Author Tracy Carbone with actor Anthony Michael Hall. Photo by Stacey Longo.
NEHW members Tracy Carbone, Deb Eskie, and David Price. Photo by Jason Harris.
NEHW member Stacey Longo. Photo by Jason Harris.
Rock and Shock 2012
My Experience at Rock and Shock 2012
by Jason Harris
Another Rock and Shock has come and gone. The New England Horror Writers were there once again. We have been there for the past four years. This year saw less atttendees then last year, but last year’s guest line-up included Robert Englund, whose line went on forever and never seemed to get any shorter, and Ace Frehley, former lead guitarist of KISS. This year had Heather Langenkamp, of Nightmare on Elm Street fame, Anthony Michael Hall, of televison series The Dead Zone and movies The Breakfast Club and Weird Science, and another former KISS member, Peter Criss.
Before getting to Rock and Shock, the wife and I went to fellow NEHW member Trisha Wooldridge’s house, where we were staying over the weekend. We were also going to be joined by another NEHW member Kristi Petersen Schoonover, who would be arriving later that night. It’s always a party when the NEHW members get together.
After leaving Trisha’s house, we drove to Annie’s Book Stop in Worcester to talk to the owner about her bookstore. The wife and I were picking her brain since we’re opening our own bookstore called Books and Boos in Colchester, CT. It was a very informative 40 minutes.
I was there the entire weekend and Saturday was the busiest day. Friday started off with Breakin’ into the Biz panel, which included myself, T.J. May, Matt Bechtel, and Kristi Petersen Schoonover, who ended up as moderator since there wasn’t anyone from Fangoria magazine there to do the job like there were for the other panels during the weekend. The panel went well and there were a lot of suggestions and advice given to the people in the audience.
Heather Langenkamp, Tracy Carbone, Stacey Longo, Trisha Wooldridge, and Lisa Marie on the Women in Horror panel. Photo by Jason Harris
The audience grew a little bit for the Women in Horror panel, but that was to be expected since Langenkamp and Lisa Marie (Ed Wood, Mars Attacks!) joined NEHW members Tracy Carbone, Stacey Longo, and Trisha Wooldridge. This panel had Jack from Fangoria, moderating the panel. One thing surprised me was that the audience didn’t asked two many questions when that time came. Four questions were asked of people on the panel and two of those questions came from me. I asked Heather how was it working on Just the Ten of Us and if she would do another television show. She said, she would love to do another tv series. It was also nice to hear that she will be in the next Star Trek movie titled Star Trek into Darkness, but she couldn’t say what character she’s playing. It was also great talking to her and Lisa Marie when the panel was over.
Tracy Carbone, Sean Whalen, and Stacey Longo. Photo by Jason Harris.
On Friday, it was great talking with Sean Whalen who was in The People Under the Stairs and Twister, and many other movies. Check out his credits on the Internet Movie Database by clicking here. He gave Carbone, Longo, and myself some good ideas.
I introduced myself to Doug Bradley, who portrayed Pinhead in most of the Hellraiser movies except the last one, since I conducted a phone interview with him a few weeks ago. You can read the article here.
I was hoping to interview Hall on Sunday since that was the day his manager, John Boitano, said would be the best day since it’s the slowest of the convention. On Friday, I had the feeling it wouldn’t happen since there was a sign on Hall’s table stating he wouldn’t be at the convention until 2 p.m. on Saturday. When Saturday came, he didn’t show up at his table until 3 p.m. Later on Saturday evening, he took a break and a sign said he would be back at 5:45 p.m. He didn’t get back from his break until 6:15 p.m. Seeing those signs, physical and figuratively, told me that Hall wasn’t going to keep an interview with me on Sunday. It would have been cool to interview him, but it wasn’t disappointing. I did interview another filmmaker, Ryan Convery, on Sunday about his movie Mourning Wood, which is about “humping zombies.” There will be an article and a movie review coming in the near future.
It was great meeting Tony Todd (Candyman), Brian O’Halloran (Clerks), and Sig Haig (House of 1000 Corpses) this weekend. I won’t get autographs since I am not paying $20 or more for an autograph unless they are selling a movie or a book. I will shake their hands and tell them I love their work.
There was a Horror in the Movies panel on Sunday, which Rob Watts, Bracken Macleod, myself, and Stacey Longo were on. Longo ended up being the moderator when Jack from Fangoria couldn’t do it since he had to do something else. It was attended by a good number of people.
There will be another post with pictures tomorrow.
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