Houston Marriott Westchase, August 11-13th
Hell descended upon H-Town once again as the Houston Horror Film Festival returned to the Houston Marriott Westchase over the weekend. The event was a massive success, with an excellent crowd on Friday evening and a shoulder-to-shoulder group in attendance on Saturday. I was unable to attend on Sunday, but more on that later. For now, let’s talk about the festival.
As I’ve mentioned quite a few times over the last few months, HHFF was absolutely loaded with awesome guests. The event also featured some amazing independent films. I arrived on Friday afternoon and after checking into the festival early, I headed to my room to clean up (because it was friggin’ hot) and change into my The Ghost Who Walks Phantom shirt. Why did I put that on, you wonder? My primary mission for the weekend was to acquire Billy Zane’s autograph. I was the third person in his line and waited for him to arrive. When he did get there, I managed to get an autograph and a few photos with him. It was cool, but rushed, as the line was growing behind me. In all honesty, I wish that I would have waited to get his autograph because I noticed that he spent a lot more time with fans later in the evening and on Saturday.
After meeting Mr. Zane, I headed over to Lee Waddell’s table. For those who don’t know, Waddell was the original Ghostface in the Scream films. He’s the guy that “killed” Drew Barrymore on screen. He was a riot. He talked with me and all of the other guests for a good while. He also gave out limited edition “Original Ghostface” wristbands to the first lucky fans to meet him. After acquiring his autograph, my next mission was meeting the lovely PJ Soles from Halloween, Carrie, Private Benjamin, Stripes, Rock N’ Roll High School, and so many more amazing films. I completely wigged out and told her that I loved her! She was very nice and was really happy that I went with a Riff Randell autograph. I wish that I had better control of my nerves at the time, because she was as sweet as could be to me.
After meeting the love of my life, I visited with one of my biggest crushes from high school. I was ridiculously infatuated with Emily from Beverly Hills, 90210 back in the day. She was the wild girl of my dreams and I got the opportunity to meet the wonderful lady that brought her to life, Christine Elise, who also starred in Child’s Play and the Chucky series. Elise definitely put a lot of herself into the character of Emily, as she oozed “bad girl” cool. I really enjoyed meeting her.
My final autograph of the night came from the lovely Kristy Swanson. I’ve met her before, getting a Phantom autograph from her, so I decided to get a Buffy The Vampire Slayer autograph from her this time. She was as sweet as she could be to myself and every other person that came to her table. She also gives the best hugs of any celebrity that I’ve met!
I spent the rest of the evening perusing the many vendors and artists at the festival. I purchased a few items including some awesome Scream coasters for my daughter. I retired for the evening a very happy horror fan.
Day Two was all about having fun. I slapped on my Pugsley costume and headed to the event. I debated on getting a couple of more autographs but ultimately decided to hold off because I wanted to roam around and check out a few films, visit with friends, and maybe take a few photos. I did all of this in spades on Saturday. I had an amazing time. I made more vendor purchases, won a free ticket to Purgatory Scream Park, and was even asked by Lee Waddell to take a selfie with him in my Pugsley costume. I must admit that a few people called me Uncle Fester and one person called me Wednesday! It was still a lot of fun to take photos with people. I will most likely bring Puglsey (and Thing) back with me next year.
Now for the reason that I had to skip out on Sunday. After attending the festival on Saturday, I went to Mass, as I’m Roman Catholic. Near the end of the service I felt strange. I blacked out for a split second and apparently slammed my shoulder into the pew in front of me. I was sitting at the back of the church, so no one was around me to assist me, but after I came to (it was literally for a split second), I was covered in a cold sweat. I sat down for the remainder of the service and managed to walk to my car. I cranked up the AC and once I felt confident enough in myself to drive, I made my way to the local grocery store and picked up supper from the deli. I got back to my hotel room and recovered. So what happened? Silly ol’ me didn’t eat for nearly twelve hours, sweated excessively at the festival, and clocked over five miles on my feet. I exhausted myself. After recovering, I slept in a little late on Sunday morning and made the decision to make my way slowly back to Lake Charles, LA. I stopped at Buc-cee’s and had a brisket sandwich and a Body Armor drink. Then I stopped in Bridge City, which is out of the way but avoids the hell that is Interstate 10 in Beaumont, TX, had a snack, and drank some Gatorade. After that, I drove up to Mauriceville, and grabbed supper from the deli. I’m perfectly fine, I just need to watch myself closely when I go to events. While I’ve never blacked out before, I have exhausted myself a few times from all of the walking at events.
So, kids, Houston Horror Film Festival was a huge success. I just need to learn how to pace myself, eat at events, and stay hydrated. I missed out on getting Shawnee Smith and Heather Matarazzo’s autographs (something that I was going to do Sunday), but I hope to have another opportunity to meet them in the near future. Overall, it was an amazing experience and I can’t wait until next year!
Thanks to everyone that took photos with me and thank you for checking out my post. I honestly can’t wait until next year!
Ken's Alternate Universe! 