Heard about this Monster-Mania 2013 convention happening up in Cherry Hill, NJ from 16-18 August and, having never been to a monster convention, and my brother living nearby so I had a place to crash, figured, what the hey? After a Western omelet at the Red Lion Diner, the place to see and be seen in south Jersey, I went off to the Crowne Plaza on Marlton Pike.
Thought I was at the wrong convention, at first: 
Comic books, instead? Campy 60’s TV shows? No. Turns out Batman was here for another reason: 
Place was spiffy: 
Tip your bartender or this guy shows up: 
4
Some of the things for sale: 
and some of the people selling them: 
Ran into Michael Myers: 
Me and author R. Conine discussing the differences between the Air Force and Navy. 
Security pat down. 
How this guy got a flamethrower past the troll, I can’t figure. 
Hey, scifi is next week, bud. 
Met George Romero. 
Nicest guy in the world. Didn’t bite anyone.
This guy didn’t either, but he did get a bit ax-y. 
No biting here, either. 
Edward X. Young, star of Mr. Hush. 
Uh, no, I never heard of ‘em, either.
Me and Bruce Davison. 
No, I am not drunk, I’m talking to him about his role in Ulzana’s Raid, dammit.
Malcolm McDowell eating his cake (see below). 
Just the coolest guy. Told us stories about his early days. He was part of the Royal Shakespeare Company as a “super” extra, which meant he actually got lines. He said acting was the best job for a dissolute youth, a great way to meet women since there were thousands of them at Avon-on-Stratford where he was working. While auditioning for his role in “If…”, Lindsay Anderson asked him what he was doing and he said he was in a modern-day production of Twelfth Night as Sebastian. Anderson then railed on it, said the production was awful, that McDowell was wasting his time and McDowell’s own Twelfth Night director was terrible. After a while, McDowell started to agree with him, but then Anderson revealed he was on the board of the RSC and was friends with the Twelfth Night director. So, probably not going to get the If… job, right? But Anderson said, “Not necessarily.” And the rest we know.
McDowell said he sees both stage and screen as acting, just that on screen you’re doing things in a context while on stage you’ve got an audience. Most actors prefer the stage, but he doesn’t do plays anymore because they simply don’t pay enough, and he’s got three kids to raise. So there.
Then it was dessert time. George Romero, with the assistance of Bruce Davison and Malcolm McDowell, 
cut the George cake. 
Malcolm McDowell 
cut the droog cake. 
I had a piece of droog.