back to normal

I have returned! Cinema Wasteland was a pretty decent little show, I must say, although I'm not nearly pierced, tattooed, or black-clad enough to really be one of the gang, you know? Bah! BAH I SAY. I made some purchases, and judging from what I brought home, I think we can all expect Animals Run Amok Week 2 at some point in the not-so-distant future. Even that excitement pales in comparison to the weekend's highlight for me (and I mean really, really highlight), which might have gone something like this:

Something like that, but yes, a few things were different, such as:

-I am a real person, not a stick figure drawing
-Marilyn Burns was not upset, nor was she dirty and/or bloody
-She did not tower over me- if anything, it was the opposite
-It was not 1974

However, that thought did run through my head, at least twice. Yeah, I got to have a nice lengthy chat with Ms Burns, and...let's just say I've got nefarious plans to be revealed soon.

AND DID I MENTION THAT I GOT TO HANG OUT WITH MARILYN BURNS? Sorry, it was just a little (read: a whole fucking mega bunch) exciting to talk with one of my heroes of the genre.

The other highlight of the show was...well, have you ever watched a movie for the first time and felt...I don't know, as if your life was completely changed in even a tiny little way? Have you ever watched a movie for the first time and become immediately obsessed with it? That happened to me on Saturday, where, yes, for the first time, I finally saw

Oh. My. GOD! I can't believe I've been on this planet for 57 years and I've never seen this film. Sure, I knew of it, like everyone does- the title, at least, is a huge part of pop culture. I'd never ever seen it before, though, and the second the screening was over I wanted the movie to start again. Until some other flick comes along to take its place, as far as I'm concerned it's The Best Movie Ever. Really- I liked it that much. It very well may be the love of my life.

Dennis Busch, Tura Satana, and Haji were all in attendance at the show, and they put on a great panel after the movie. Man, what a treat to have instant access to the cast of the film you just fell in love with! I sought them out later as well and spent some time with Haji talking about Charles Napier and getting career advice from her ("You need to move to Hollywood and be a stand-in for Jodie Foster for all her movies!").

Yes, folks, that's how square I am, that I get excited to talk to someone at a horror con about Charles Napier. No amount of black clothing is gonna help that.