It occurred to me that I could try to find something with Misty Mundae in it. She's a model I like, and she's done both softcore porn and horror. In fact, I think she's even been described as a scream queen; although, the Ladies of Horror lamented yesterday that the label "scream queen" has sort of lost its prestige these days, being diluted by the countless amateurs who grasp onto it hoping to make a name for themselves. Considering what I had seen in the Dealer's Room on Friday, I knew I wouldn't have much trouble finding a title featuring Misty Mundae, but I wasn't expecting to find a booth right outside of the Dealer's Room advertising various erotic features, including some of Misty Mundae's work! I suppose I should have taken it as a sign, but I ended up not buying anything, because I really didn't want to spend any more money. :-(
So what's the deal with all this porn at a horror convention? Well, it's no big secret that the 'sleaze sector' kind of runs through both the 'b' horror and porno genres. Actually, the Ladies of Horror mentioned yesterday the stereotype they have to deal with, where people will assume that if you're a female actress who does horror movies (careful you don't pronounce it "whore movies" ;D), then you also do porn. Which is not necessarily the case. Nevertheless, the naked fact is that there is indeed some overlap between the genres. Like how the exploitation genre covers both gratuitous sex and violence. Which brings me to the first panel I attended on Saturday.
It was a talk with 42nd Street Pete, who grew up around the grindhouse theaters on 42nd street in New York City, during their heyday. He had plenty of sleazy stories to tell about that scene, with all the drugs, sex, and bootleggin' you can imagine. The one thing I took away from it was that as cool as the exploitation genre can be, the grindhouse lifestyle was not very glamorous. The movies were good; but the lifestyle of the movies' patrons - not so great. Of course, there's a sort of cult of sensationalism around this kind of seedy lifestyle, and these guys are idolized for their participation in the history of this genre. But as the panel room just across the hall started drawing a crowd for the Pin Up Contest I had also wanted to see, it became obvious to me that hanging out with a group of guys bragging about their experiences with hookers isn't half as interesting as actually spending time with attractive women, admiring their impressive, and sometimes sexy, costumes.
Speaking of which, I tracked down one girl who had, hands down, the greatest outfit of the entire convention. I don't think it was even horror-related, but it didn't matter, because it was amazing. It was sort of a gold vinyl outfit, that didn't leave much to the imagination, with a huge peacock tail on the back. It was fantastic. I talked to the girl briefly, and I discovered that not only was she the fire-breather from the night before, but she was also going to be the DJ later that night! When I approached her, I was afraid that she'd be weary of the sort of attention she must have been getting a lot of, but she turned out to be incredibly friendly, in a way that very few people are. I guess that, if you're going to wear something like that, you have to be able to appreciate that kind of attention. Which, in my eyes, is a truly admirable quality. ;p (It didn't surprise me when I later learned that she's done some modeling).
So then I skipped off for some dinner at the food court across the street, then I got back just after dark to catch the first half of the Horror High Homecoming Party, which consisted of two bands (one after another) playing outdoors right next to the hotel pool (which was closed - it was rather chilly, anyway). The first band was Devilz in the Detailz, which was not as metal as I was expecting these bands to be, and the second band was River Runs Scarlet, which was very metal and just the sort of band I'd expect to hear at a horror convention.
The second part of the homecoming party was indoors in the restaurant attached to the hotel, with tunes provided by DJ Cy-Fi, the same girl with the fantastic outfit I was just talking about. Except she had changed, into another fantastic outfit.
There was also a costume contest, but the theme seemed to be skewed towards an '80s motif (since, you know, that was a great decade for horror movies), which I felt took some of the attention away from the great horror-themed costumes that were around. Like the chefs carting around a zombie wok, filled with disembodied limbs, and lots of brains! There were a lot more people in costumes today than there was on Friday. Several zombies - some of them really good. Lots of violent makeup effects - both on zombies and non-zombies. Spooky contacts were very popular - and I admit, they can have a very disconcerting effect. Have you ever tried talking to someone with fogged-over eyes? It's unnerving.
There were also quite a few goth fashions, though many of those were attached to the lovely Black Hearts girls. I discovered that DJ Cy-Fi is also the owner of Black Hearts Clothing, which had a booth set up in the Dealer's Room. Their clothing is awesome - they have vinyl corsets, and miniskirts, and all the sorts of things I wish I could wear, if only I had the right figure. You know, a girl wears these things, and she's just plain hot. A guy wears them, and it's some kind of bizarre fetish. Then again, maybe I'm just not hanging around with the right crowds.
I caught another well-dressed group who were advertising a stage adaptation (by the Rage of the Stage Players) of the film The Hamiltons, which you'll remember was one of the After Dark Horrorfest films a few years ago. Isn't that crazy? The one girl in the group, who I believe won first place in the Pin Up Contest, had a brilliantly themed "gothic lolita" costume. She was Little Miss Muffet, wearing an elegant dress, but covered in spiders - they were even in her bowl of curds and whey! Ick!
I'll admit that after the party was over, I was reluctant to go home. There was still activity in the halls, and I think there was a midnight show about to go on in the film room, but they looked to be running a little bit late, and I didn't really feel like waiting til after 2am to walk home. So with a heavy heart, I left. I wasn't expecting to have as much fun as I did at this horror convention, but it turned out really well. The only thing that would have made it better is if I had some friends of my own to go with (friends who live in my city and enjoy sharing my interests), and if I had had time to prepare a costume. I actually had one I could have worn, one that I've been looking for an excuse to wear, but the convention was a totally last-minute thing, so I didn't have time to plan it out. Plus, I don't know how comfortable I'd feel wearing that costume out in public all on my own...
Maybe I should stop by Black Hearts' store sometime and get myself outfitted. ;)
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