Horror Realm, Pittsburgh’s modern horror convention, has announced that actor and veteran stuntman Steve Dash will be appearing at its fall show on September 16-18. Horror fans know Dash as Jason from Friday the 13th Part 2. He has continued to work in the movie industry including roles in Mr. Hush, Stagemore and Hemo. This will be Dash’s first Pittsburgh convention appearance.

Local television and radio legend Bill Cardille will be appearing at the convention on Saturday, September 17 from noon until 4 PM. “Chilly Billy” is the beloved host of the iconic local television program Chiller Theater, which Cardille hosted from 1964 to 1983. This is a rare joint appearance by Cardille and his daughter Lori, who starred in the George Romero film, Day of the Dead. Lori Cardille will be appearing all weekend.

Horror Realm has also added director Danny Steinmann (Savage Streets) and scream queen Linnea Quigley to the guest line up.

The convention has also released details on its free fan events taking place throughout the weekend:

• Pittsburgh Film Workers Awards program will take place Friday at 9 PM. The festival honors local independent filmmakers and will hand out “Creech” Awards for feature length and short films.
• Horror Cabaret features entertainment beginning at 10:30 PM on Friday. Acts slated to appear are cast members from Evenings in Quarantine: The Zombie Opera, mentalist/magician Chris Handa, ElectroBelly Dance Troupe and musician Weird Paul.
• Horror High Homecoming Party starts outdoors at PJ’s Backporch Tropical Bar at 8 PM with live bands Devilz in the Detailz followed by River Runs Scarlet. The party moves indoors to PJ’s Grille and Bar at 10 PM with DJ Cy-Fi providing the music. Attendees are invited to dress as their favorite 80’s horror film villain or victim, or to just dust off their Member’s Only jackets, leg warmers and big hair for the costume contest with a $100 cash prize. The event includes a cash bar and is open to individuals 18 and older with valid ID.
• Barnabus Bailey and the Greatest Show Unearthed makes its “underworld” premiere on Saturday at midnight. The Greatest Show Unearthed is a dark carnival themed program in the spirit of Chiller Theater, hosted by zombie ringmaster Barnabus Bailey. The program, which launches its web based premiere on October 31, will showcase independent films as opposed to classic public domain midnight movies. The premiere episode will feature the film “Rotkappchen: The Blood of Red Riding Hood.”
• Little Monsters event for kids 12 and under returns on Sunday morning at 9 AM, featuring creepy cartoons, a monster drawing contest, costume parade and goody bags for the kids.

Convention sponsors include: Rue Morgue Magazine, Twisted Library Press, Duquesne Beer, Clique Vodka and Black Hearts Clothing.

Horror Realm takes place at the Crowne Plaza Pittsburgh South, located at 164 Fort Couch Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15241. The hotel is located across from the South Hills Village shopping mall.

The 13th annual Horrorfind Weekend convention is September 2 through 4 in Gettysburg.

Remember the scary movies you watched maybe when you were a kid or maybe just yesterday, now you can meet and get autographs from celebrities who starred in some of those movies – that’s HorrorFind.

Read some good scary fiction that gave you nightmares, can’t get enough horror fiction and have thought to yourself how cool it would be to meet some authors – that’s HorrorFind.

Love Halloween, like getting in costume or decorating the yard to have fun with Trick or Treaters, want to learn the scare secrets of the pros by attending a prop seminar and meet others who love Halloween and haunting as much as you – that’s HorrorFind.

Like a good ghost story, have an interest in ghosts or the paranormal, want to ask questions of experts who deal with ghosts, demons and supernatural or just hear what they have to say – that’s HorrorFind.

Just want to shop for cool movie memoribilia, videos, dolls, masks, Halloween props or hundreds of other items you won’t find anywhere else – that’s HorrorFind.

Just want to have dinner at a restaurant, have a few drinks and see an outside showing of an old horror movie on a warm summer night – that’s HorrorFind.

Here is the author programming schedule:

Friday

5:30pm – 6:30pm: Zombies – Authors Christopher Golden (moderator), Tim Lebbon, Jason Gehlert, Jeremy Wagner, and Scott Baker discuss why the dead just won’t stay dead, and why the literary zombie craze is far from over. (Reading Room)

6:30pm – 7:30pm: Ronald Malfi and Rio Youers (Reading Room)

7:30pm – 8:30pm: The Life of Forrest J. Ackerman – Author Deborah Painter discusses the horror genre’s favorite Uncle. (Reading Room)

8:30pm – 9:00pm: James Newman and Norman Prentiss (Reading Room)

9:00pm – 10:00pm: Women in Horror – Authors Monica J. O’Rourke (moderator), Kelli Owen, Mary SanGiovanni, J.F. Gonzalez, James A. Moore, Sheri White, and Lesley Conner discuss the history and contributions of women in literary horror, and their future roles. (Reading Room)

Saturday

10:00am – 10:30am Spooky Stories for Kids with Robert Gray (Outside – Rear Carport)

10:00am – 11:00am: Thomas F. Monteleone and Chet Williamson (Reading Room)

11:00am – Noon: What We’ve Learned So Far – New authors Kevin Lucia (moderator), Sheldon S. Higdon, Lincoln Crisler, Stavros, Jacob Haddon, and Bryon Morrigan discuss the perils, pitfalls, and lessons learned from publishing in the new millennium. (Outside – Rear Carport)

11:00am – Noon: James A. Moore and Mary SanGiovanni (Reading Room)

Noon – 1:00pm: Jason Gehlert and Jeremy Wagner (Reading Room)

12:30pm – 1:30pm: Politics and Religion in Horror – Politics and religion are two things many prefer not to discuss, yet horror fiction examines them regularly. Authors Kim Paffenroth (moderator), Andersen Prunty, Ronald Malfi, Kelli Owen, Rio Youers, Norman Prentiss, and James Newman discuss why. (Outside – Rear Carport)

1:00pm – 2:00pm: Tim Lebbon and Christopher Golden (Reading Room)

2:00pm – 3:00pm: Monica J. O’Rourke and Nick Cato (Reading Room)

3:00pm – 4:00pm: Brian Keene and Kelli Owen (Reading Room)

4:00pm – 5:00pm: Dustin Warburton (Reading Room)

5:00pm – 7:00pm: Bizarro World – Authors Andersen Prunty, Jeff Burk, Gregory Hall, Eric Mays, William Pauley III, Jordan Krall, Kevin Donihe and Nick Cato discuss the origins and future of the Bizarro genre, and offer some select readings and performances. (Reading Room)

5:30pm – 7:00pm: Author Q&A – Authors Tim Lebbon, Christopher Golden, James A. Moore, Brian Keene, J. F. Gonzalez, Kelli Owen, Mary SanGiovanni, Chet Williamson, and Thomas F. Monteleone answer your questions about anything in this no-holds-barred Q&A. (Outside – Rear Carport)

Sunday

11:00am – 11:30am Spooky Stories for Kids with Robert Gray (Outside – Rear Carport)

11:00am – Noon: Charles Colyott and Brent Abell (Reading Room)

Noon – 1:00pm: Sheldon S. Higdon, Lincoln Crisler, and Bryon Morrigan (Reading Room)

1:00pm – 2:00pm: Robert Ford and Kevin Lucia (Reading Room)

2:00pm – 3:00pm: Jeff Burk and Scott Baker (Reading Room)

3:00pm – 4:00pm: Jacob Haddon and Lesley Conner (Reading Room)

4:00pm – 5:00pm: Wesley Southard and Jay Franklin (Reading Room)

Learn more here: Horrorfind Weekend

Just in time for summer reading, Horror Realm teams ups with Eljay’s books to present a showcase of local horror authors who are either self published or work with independent publishing companies. The series will take place on Saturdays at 3 PM beginning July 9 at Eljay’s Books in Dormont. Each event will feature a local author reading selections from their book(s), participating in a question and answer session, and signing books. Schedule is as follows:

July 9 - Tim Gross is the author of a series of horror movie review books. Tim doesn’t just review the blockbusters, so you’ll find tons of reviews on indie film from all over the world in each of his books. Chat with Tim and get an autographed copy of one of his review guides.

July 16 – Christine Soltis discusses and signs her book Final Moon as part of the series. Christine is the author or a number of books and ebooks ranging from poetry to horror.

July 30 – The only thing we have to fear, we’re told, is fear itself. In Phobophobia, the first fiction collection from award-winning screenwriter and journalist Mike Watt, ordinary people going through everyday events are subjected to nightmares beyond their imagining. In Phobophobia, nothing is what it seems … – Not a classic cherry red Mustang… – Not a run-of-the-mill art exhibit… – Not a Valentine’s Day gift… – Not even Christmas Morning…

August 6 - Jon Towers is known for his stunning zombie art and his series The New Apocypha. Jon will be signing his latest book in The New Apocrypha series: The Order of the Shining Hexagon. Jon is both an artist and writer, and has been self-publishing his comic books for about ten years. Jon is also an indy pro-wrestler.

The series is part of Horror Realm’s Summer of Scares, which also includes a 12-week classic horror film program, a screening of the film Basket Case accompanied by a live performance by cast member Beverly Bonner and a joint lecture series with Ghost Story TV and Shadow 3 Media titled Beyond the Paranormal, all of which will be held at The Hollywood Theater in Dormont.

Horror Realm is planning a Summer of Scares for horror fans in the Pittsburgh and surrounding area to whet appetites for its fall convention. The cool events in the middle of a hot summer include:

• 12 Weeks of Horror – a creepy classic film series for 12 consecutive Wednesdays beginning July 6 at the Hollywood Theater in Dormont. The series includes a spooky cartoon, an installment of the serial The Phantom Creeps starring Bela Lugosi and a classic horror film. Patrons who attend all of the first 11 shows will receive free admission to the 12th and will be eligible for a drawing for free weekend passes to Horror Realm’s fall convention.
• Horror Author Series – in conjunction with Eljay’s Books of Dormont, Horror Realm is presenting a weekly series of readings, question and answer sessions and book signings by local horror authors. The series kicks off July 6 with Tim Gross of Gross Movie Reviews and Bastards of Horror discussing his latest release, The Big Ass Book of Gross Movie Reviews. Admission is free for all events.
• Basket Case Night featuring Beverly Bonner – an evening of film and entertainment opens with a Q&A with freelance artist Joshua Emerick, who is the illustrator of the Basket Case: The Comic serial slated to appear in Fangoria magazine. Then enjoy a screening of the original film followed by the premiere of Beverly Bonner’s stage show Casey – 30 Years Later. The show catches up with Bonner’s character from the film series, who is running an old age home for prostitutes. The evening finishes up with an after party to celebrate Ms. Bonner’s birthday. VIP tickets will be available which include balcony seating, a poster autographed by Ms. Bonner, an exclusive meet & greet and free admission to the after party. The event will take place at the Hollywood theater on August 12.
• Horror Realm, Ghost Story TV and Shadow 3 Media present: Beyond The Paranormal, the first in an ongoing informational/educational lecture series which will examine the latest information, theories, and science practices which delve into the mysterious realm of the paranormal. Each event will feature noted guest speakers from around the country whose work and significant contributions are helping to lead toward a better understanding of the scientific and spiritual aspects of the world of the paranormal. The series debuts on August 13th and will feature David M. Rountree, an acclaimed paranormal investigator and author of the book Paranormal Technology. The evening will also feature additional noted speakers from the local paranormal community as well as a private screening of the debut episode of Ghost Story TV, a locally produced paranormal investigation show.

Horror Realm, Pittsburgh’s modern horror convention, is also pleased to announce the return of its one day Spring Break Massacre show, which returns on March 10, 2012 to the Crowne Plaza Pittsburgh South. The 2011 fall show takes place September 16-18 at the same location. For details on the convention, including exhibitor and sponsor rates, schedule, guests, advance ticket purchase and hotel reservations, please visit Horror Realm Con.

By Darkeva

Long Island, New York – Stoker Weekend 2011

It really was a dark and stormy night. Waking up at 5am from a thunderstorm isn’t exactly the way that most people would want to kick off a convention weekend, but it didn’t seem like such a big deal knowing I had to get up only a half hour later for my commute from Manhattan to Long Island. And for the rest of the day, it rained. And it poured. And it rained some more. It is a horror convention so it only seems fitting, right? I arrived at the train station in time, then at the bus depot after that, and, after quite a schlep to the hotel from the parking lot, eventually got to the Long Island Marriott Hotel and Conference Center where this year’s Stoker Weekend took place.

At registration, I was greeted rather warmly by Martel Sardina and HWA Chairperson Vince Liaguno (just about the sweetest person you could ever meet) and I received my badge, goodie bag, and the revised schedule of events, updated for some last minute changes.

First up was Michael Arnzen’s workshop called Horror Unbound, which was about horror writing in general. An informal workshop, Michael allowed those assembled to talk a bit about the fundamentals of horror plot structures and we examined a comic strip that represents horror in the grandest way. A kid sees a ‘wet cement’ sign and chooses to jump in anyway, sinking like quicksand as the last panel depicts the construction worker paving over him like he never existed. Truly disturbing if you think about it. This workshop was a fantastic way to get the weekend started, and if you haven’t seen Michael speak in person, he’s a hoot. I like to think of him as the Jeff Foxworthy of the horror world.

The first thing I noticed was how intimate Stoker Weekend was – this definitely wasn’t your standard con, which features celebrity guests from popular films and tv shows, an endless dealer’s room, costume contests, etc. If anything, the weekend felt more like a close knit writer’s retreat, and I personally loved the small scale of it.

After Arnzen’s insightful (and hilarious) panel, I was off to the pre-Horror Pitch panel where all of the editors/agents who had agreed to hear pitches that day gathered for the afternoon. Those accepting pitches included Don D’Auria (formerly of Leisure, now at Samhain), Leah Hultenschmidt of Sourcebooks (also formerly of Leisure), Tom Colgan of Penguin, moderator R.J. Cavender from Dark Recesses Press, and Beth Fleisher of Clear Sailing Creatives, Medallion Press. Ginjer Buchanan of Penguin, who showed up later on, didn’t participate in the panel. R.J. was the perfect moderator as he knew to address the key things: how to pitch, how not to pitch, what the panelists were looking for in a pitch, and some general useful guidelines that it helps to go over, because although some are veterans at pitching, it’s not always possible to determine who is completely new to it (it’s definitely an art form; I will say that).

Then I had the pleasure of meeting a fellow blogger, Midnyte Reader, which was a lovely highlight for me as one of the few book bloggers in attendance. I also had the pleasure of meeting some amazing fellow writers, and although horror is such a tight-knit community to begin with, one of the best parts of the conference was meeting those people for whom it was also their first time out, forging new connections, and best of all, coming together in a pre-pitching huddle. We were all pretty nervous, making sure that we had all the information we needed, but there was such a strong sense of camaraderie as we got to know each other and laughed at each others jokes that we put one another at ease and basked in each others company.

The celeb sightings were restricted largely to writers, which made me feel like I was at some kind of horror equivalent of the Oscars. Jeff Strand, Michael Knost, Jonathan Maberry, Peter Straub, Joe Hill, Ellen Datlow, David Morrell – the list goes on. But the who’s who of the community definitely had a very strong presence at the convention. I don’t think I’ve ever felt this much at home as I did among the horror community at Stoker Weekend. I’ve been to my fair share of conventions, but it’s a completely different experience from going when the Stokers partner with the World Horror Convention. There’s more room to do things that may not necessarily be able to happen when attached to WHC, for instance.

I then visited Jonathan Maberry’s workshop on how to write comic books in which he gave a frank and detailed description of how everything in that universe works, his experiences with companies doing adaptations, including Marvel, and his general views on how best to break in to the industry.

Overall, I had a successful first day and a fantastic time. Saturday kicked off bright and early with a panel on horror blogging, in which published authors such as Chad Helder, Scott Kenemore, Jonathan Maberry, Lisa Morton, and Sally Bosco joined moderator John Cozzoli in discussing what strategies have worked for them in terms of social media, finding a unique perspective from which to blog, connecting with other horror writers, and basically finding a way to integrate themselves within the community. Self-promotion is definitely an art form, and as Scott pointed out, there needs to be a balance between how much time a writer spends on social media and on actual writing time. “You don’t want to use up all your writing juice on Facebook,” he said. I couldn’t agree more.

Chad’s perspectives were also interesting, having come from a background rooted in queer horror (read his fascinating piece on the subject here, a decidedly niche carving in an already niche-y area, but he made it work and eventually expanded his site to create a strong presence.

After this, I went to one of the most enjoyable sessions of the weekend, a Graveside Chat (interview) with Fangoria hall-of-famer Anthony Timpone, interviewed by former Fangoria correspondent (and fellow Canuck) Michael Rowe, who now writes for the Huffington Post. This was one of the most insightful chats I had the privilege of attending, and the room was decorated with scary figures in bloody/violent poses, including a green-skinned skeleton wearing a top hat and sitting cross-legged. I’m still embarrassed that every time I walked into the room, I would think one of the figures at the door was a person.

Anthony went into how the magazine business, specifically horror publications, have changed. Though Fangoria’s subscriptions are on the rise. Asked if he ever thought horror films would get the recognition they deserve as cinema, or whether those films that are clearly horror (such as Black Swan) will ever be called by that name, he said he wasn’t certain at this point but that the main thing is for people to continue to enjoy these works whatever they may be called, because we all know they’re horror.

He also lent insights into the horror film making boom of the ’70s and ’80s with such genre mainstays as the Halloween films, Nightmare on Elm Street, Hellraiser, etc. and he had several options to pick from in terms of which films to feature. The early ’90s, with the exception of the Scream films were a bit light in terms of films made, and the magazine struggled in deciding what to put on the cover. But in the early 2000s with the advent of the Saw franchise and the remake boom that has currently overtaken the genre, he could easily pick four or five films to feature on the cover.

Anthony’s answer to whether he thinks of the people who label Twilight as horror was frustrating but ultimately true – the real fans of horror who prefer their vampires vicious and remorseless, not sparkly and docile, know that Twilight isn’t horror. It has vampires and werewolves, but it’s a teen paranormal romance that borrows its speculative elements from horror. He said that although he understands peoples’ disdain, he thinks that if it leads people to buy more horror and to move from Stephanie Meyer to Anne Rice, that’s the ideal situation.

The Masters of Horror panel was also highly entertaining, a great revelation into what constitutes horror according to the panelists. And no, sitting beside Ellen Datlow is not intimidating at all. Not! I was so scared I would say something stupid, but thankfully I didn’t. The back and forth humor and the stories between the panelists, particularly David Morrell and Peter Straub, was delightful. Gillian Flynn had some moments to shine, as well, as Horror World editor Nanci Kalanta asked if Gillian has encountered any difficulties in the male-dominated field, to which she surprisingly replied that she hadn’t and that although horror is still very much dominated by men, she’s never had someone tell her that she ought not to be writing horror because she’s a woman or that she’s not writing good horror because she’s not a man. In fact, she receives emails from people who tell her to tone it down as they’re shocked at how brutal the mother character is in Sharp Objects.

Douglas Clegg moderated a hilarious but also insightful panel called Night Terrors: Why We Write Horror, which explored the roots of each panelist’s foray into the field. Sarah Langan, also one of the few female novelists in attendance, recounted a hysterical story about how she enjoyed the thrill of upsetting people very early on, much to the chagrin of her teacher and classmates who had to endure a whole report on starving African children.

“What a Wednesday Addams thing to do,” Clegg remarked, eliciting more laughter.

For Norman Prentiss, his mother provided much of the source of his inspiration. An agoraphobe who didn’t want to go outside, she tried to get her son to do the same but like Xavier Dolan’s character in J’ai Tué Ma Mère (I Killed My Mother) albeit for different reasons, Norman would tell people his mother was dead. And she once answered the phone as “Norman’s dead mother.” Perhaps the craziest of all childhood tales was an honor belonging to Stephen Graham Jones, who described poking dead cow carcasses and coming home one day to find that his family had painted themselves and lay on the ground pretending to be dead, and it was all part of an elaborate joke that left young Stephen unsettled.

One of the most interesting points of discussion came when an audience member related to Sarah’s frustrations of going through an MFA program and being discouraged (quite vehemently) from writing genre fiction, especially horror. As a professor, Stephen forces his students to take on genre writing assignments and he often clashes with the other professors in the department who he feels are doing students a disservice by forbidding genre works in their classrooms.

The highlight of the day came with the So You Want to Write a Graphic Novel panel, which included perhaps my favorite author at the event, Joe Hill. He was kind enough to autograph my review of Horns (which you can read here, incidentally) and to pose for pictures. I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again – I respect the hell out of Joe for not taking the easy road and using his father’s name to catapult to fame. He did it on his own merits and with his own talents, and boy does he bring quite a few. He has a deep-seated love of comic books and it felt like watching an excited kid in a comic book store (albeit a very polite and well dressed one).

And the last day ended on a positive note with two equally interesting panels, the first on debut novelists and their roads to success, which featured Michael Louis Calvillo, J.G. Faherty, and Benjamin Kane Ethridge, who related familiar but nonetheless touching stories of their journeys to the publication of their first novels.

The horror journalism panel was the last official panel of the weekend, and it was great to see Anthony Timpone moderating this one, not only because of his rich experiences with Fangoria but also because of the tips of the trade and the advice from the other panelists, such as Michael Rowe’s assertion not to get into flamewars with authors who didn’t like a particular review. There have been instances when Derek Clendening of Dark Scribe wisely sat those types of situations out, not wanting to add fuel to the fire. But when asked about how to bring about a unique voice, Rowe cautioned reviewers not to be mean for the sake of being mean. Snideness and viciousness have no place within reviews, especially when one thinks of how much effort a writer put into the project and struggled to get review coverage. “It’s so much easier to be sarcastic, rude, and just plain mean,” Rowe said, adding that some writers get off on how funny they think they sound when they’re writing negative reviews, “but what’s the point?” It’s unfair to the writer, and it’s unfair to the publication/blog, who may choose to turn down work from the reviewer if a situation escalates in a bad way.

All in all, I had a complete and utter blast at my first Stoker Weekend. I made connections and friendships that I hope will last for a long time to come, I got to rediscover that same sense of feeling at home that I so rarely get to experience these days, and I came out of it feeling like a bigger horror fan than I ever could.

If you missed the Stoker Award ceremonies this past weekend, you can still experience the event vicariously through the many photographs taken by Ellen Datlow of the event. Check them out here: Stoker Weekend

The Alt.Fiction Literature Festival returns to QUAD, Derby on 25 and 26 June, with two days of science fiction, fantasy and horror writing events. With over 50 top authors, agents and editors participating, the weekend is packed with readings, discussions, workshops, podcasts, films and much more.

Alt.Fiction has announced this year’s program of events, with science fiction writer Alastair Reynolds and acclaimed comic book writer Dan Abnett as Guests of Honour.

Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in workshops with leading authors Graham Joyce, Tony Ballantyne, MD Lachlan and others to gain advice, inspiration and ideas. The weekend is packed with panel discussions such as Publicizing Yourself and Your Writing, Scriptwriting and What’s Next for the Genre. Readings and Q&A sessions will be featured throughout both days, with the Guests of Honour as well as other leading names such as Paul Cornell, Robert Shearman and Mark Chadbourn.

The highlight of the weekend for film fans will be an exclusive preview of Hobo with a Shotgun starring Rutger Hauer, one month before its UK release, along with a series of classic screenings across the weekend in association with Mayhem Horror Festival.

Henderson Mullin, Chief Executive of Writing East Midlands says: “Alt.fiction has rightly become a landmark in the genre calendar and we’re delighted to be organizing it. Interesting people talking about interesting writing – what’s not to like!”

Alt.Fiction is truly a weekend not to be missed for book lovers and writers alike.

Weekend tickets are £45, available from Derby QUAD. Day passes are also available. The full schedule is available to download at Alt.Fiction Fest