Tromeric Takes On Crypticon 2014

My favorite weekend of the year has come and gone. I have made it to most of the Crypticons over the years, and each one has been an amazing experience. The first one was huge for me, as it was my first legit horror con. The second was great, but I was so broke at the time, I realistically should have skipped it, but that's not my style. I then missed a couple, but three years ago, made my return. Last year was great, but it was also the first time I was a vendor, and not just an attendee. This year, time did not allow for that. Jacob VonKlingele and I let it sneak up on us, and we knew we just couldn't get enough stuff ready to make it worth it. Even with that knowledge, I couldn't miss it. It has always been such a great event. As the guest list was announced, it became more apparent. Lynn Lowery, The Soska Sisters, Tristan Risk, Jeffery Combs, John Kassir, and many more. 

 Jump ahead, and it was finally time. I worked a bunch of extra days beforehand, just to make sure I had enough cash to fully enjoy . My train left Friday morning, and I worked all the way up until Thursday night. I work graveyard, so that didn't leave much time for sleep, but I am more than happy to make sacrifices, to make an event better. I got off work, got everything ready, tried to sleep, but it just wasn't in the cards. So I prepared with coffee, smokes, and herb. Peter Poison gave me a lift to the train station, and it began. 

There was a water scare here in Portland, the day I left. It affected my trip, as the train had been filled with water from Portland, which now was known to be unsafe to drink. The worst part of that was that due to the potential risk, no coffee was able to be brewed. That is not a good thing when you have already been awake for 24 hours, and still have a trip, and a ton of planned events left in the day. Luckily I am a man of action, and compromise, so I did the responsible thing and just drank whiskey. 

I got into Seattle, and was greeted by Mr. VonKlingele. We instantly started hunting for VHS, and other things. A few great finds right off the bat, it gave me hope this weekend was going to live up to my expectations. We then returned to his house, where he gave me a stack of things that he had found for me over the last few months. Included in that, was one of the Dr. Tongue HorrorBalls he surprised me with. It hadn't even officially started, and I already had a full weekends worth of finds. Not a bad way to start.

Love the look of this cleaner.

Oh shit! So excited

So stoked on these. I need the rest.

Just a start on the VHS for the weekend.

After our initial hunting, we loaded up the car, and headed to North Bend for some Twede's Diner. If you're not familiar, that is the diner they used for Twin Peaks, as well as Fire Walk With Me. Not only is it a filming location for one of my favorite shows of all time, but it is also an amazing place. They have over fifty burgers to choose from, and that is just the beginning. They of course have plenty of cherry pie, and coffee. It had been a couple years since I had made the trip, so I was more than excited. Got a little bonus, when I found out that an old friend from Twin Peaks Fest was going to meet us.

After this, we headed back to his place, and readied ourselves for a relaxing evening, preparing for the next day, which would be the day we had been waiting for. Crypticon. We grabbed some food for the house, and I got myself some Adult Chocolate Milk, to go along with the other treats I had brought. We spent the remainder bullshitting, smoking, and having some nightcaps. In the end we got some sleep, but not nearly enough after being awake for roughly 40 hours, but hey, that is part of the experience, right?

Once we made it into the con, we got right to it. Checking everything out, seeing old friends, and meeting the guests. I will just let the pictures do the talking for this. I will start with some friends. 

Nick Gucker holding up his amazing Re-Animator print, and to the right some stickers, and a copy of From Beyond he did the cover for.  I have a few of his posters, and they are all amazing. Check him here. 

 Two of my favorite ladies at Crytpicon,  Becky Hansen, and Michelle Kilmer,. Check them out here.

My good friend James R. Beach. Always selling me those tapes.

From our neighbor last year, Devon S. Devereaux. Check him out here.

Now lets move onto the guests. This year was a very eccentric list, which I enjoy. There were a ton of great people to meet, but these are the ones I was able to hit up. Some truly memorable moments were had. 

 

Jeffery Combs who you may recognize from a little movie named Re-Animator. Who am I kidding? Of course you know. Well, he was a true gentlemen and told us all kinds of stories about the making of Cyclone, as Jacob VonKlingele had him sign the VHS. 

 

Tristan Risk from American Mary, was both insanely nice, and insanely beautiful. 

Zach Galligan from Gremlins and Waxwork. Nice guy, didn't have much time to talk, or get a picture, but glad to meet him, and get this badass pic.

 

John Kassir, who you may know better as The Cryptkeeper was hilarious. He was very excited to sign the Tales From The Cryptkeeper VHS that Jacob had graciously given me. 

 

Lynn Lowry has always been one of my favorite ladies of horror. So many roles of hers I love, but in the end I had to go with this Shivers print. She was so sweet. 

The Soska Sisters were just as nice in person, as they have been online. I really appreciate it when directors and actors take the time to reach out to their fans online, but find it even more impressive when they remember you in real life. Not only were they great, beautiful, funny, and nice, but they even took the time to write me on Twitter, a gesture that I know I am not the only one who received. That is a whole new level of appreciating your fans. 

There were so many others I would have loved to have met, but timing just didn't allow it. I will finish this up with the rest of my acquisitions from Crypticon.

After the con, we went back to the VonKlingele household. We made some fish tacos, had some drinks,smoked, and bullshited. A little sleep then it was onto a full day of hunting. Alisha VonKlingele was able to join us for this day, which was nice, as I had barely been able to see her. We went all over digging for tapes. Some good scores overall, and Jacob and I did some trading while we were at it. No holy grail or anything, but some solid finds, including a couple of laser discs.

The best tape I have ever found in the wild.

 I had a ton of luck with book finds, including a ton of non Goosebumps related R.L. Stine's. 

The covers on these things kill me. So classically nineties. I also found some Indiana Jones books he had written. I had no idea those even existed, so that was a nice surprise.

I also found a pretty sweet Goosebumps toy at Half Price Books.

When we returned after an amazing dinner at a Japanese restaurant, I ended up getting a huge Goosebumps collection from Jacob's son Elias. I love me some Goosebumps, and had what I thought was a pretty impressive collection. Well, now my collection is insane with all these new additions.

It is impossible for me to put how amazing this weekend was into words, but I still tried. Hopefully you enjoyed seeing all of the random things I found, and great people I was able to meet, and see again. Thanks to everyone involved in the making of this weekend. From the organizers, the vendors, the guests, the friends, and anyone else who made it happen. Until next year.


- Tromeric

Crypticon 2012 or: My Last Horror Con Before John Cusack Saves Me In His Limo

Poster by Nick Gucker

    Growing up I would always see adds in Fango for different conventions full of actors and directors that I would gladly give HJs to if I had the chance. I dreamed of going to one the same way Andy Dufresne dreamed of his freedom from Shawhank.  The problem was I was in Washington State and all the adds were for East Coast or occasionally LA.  I had no way of making it and it killed my insides. Through the years I made it to a couple Comicons and even a Couple Twin Peaks Fests that made my nerd boner twitch like a madman.  I went to a tiny Comicon here in Portland before I moved here that Brinke Stevens was at and that was amazing. At the time it felt like it might be the closest I would ever get to a real horror con. Well jump ahead a couple years and I heard that there was going to be one in Seattle. That was only two hours away from me at the time. My pants were more full of shit than your unwanted child. I along with Gabe Nye, Jacob Von Klingele, and the Keith Innitive went and nerded out like Bobby Carradine. It was amazing. I felt at home. Great people, so much shit to buy and drinks and fun that I can't even explain. Jump ahead to the next year I had just moved to Portland. I made the trip but I was lower on cash than MC Hammer. It was fun but not quite the same. Over the next couple years responsibility and obligations got the best of me and I missed the third and fourth year. Well I am glad to say that this year I said fuck everything and just did it. I took a week off work, bought a train ticket to Seattle, booked a room in a hotel way nicer than I had any business being in and stroked my nerd boner in a path of chaos and nerdgasm.

My trip was like this but less Asian and I didn't have a cute Japanese girl sitting across from me. 

Gigantor the nerd vs this bed. I lost. 

     So because life is an evil bitch I got insanely sick right before I left for the con. I spent the day before I left in bed watching horror films on so much NyQuil that my liver was begging for my normal abuse. I got up Thursday and went to work then came home got shit ready and Peter Poison took me to the train station. The train was more packed than a 711 on welfare day.  I met some good folks which made for a fun trip outside of feeling like death.  I arrived in Seattle pretty much three hours later and Jacob Von Klingele picked me up and we headed back to his place. A couple hours of catching up and checking out his progress on what will be one of the grog's most amazing contests yet. I may as well let it slip here. Soon you will have the chance to win a custom Dear God No! action figure set and let me tell you your shit will be rock hard. Well back to the point. We nerded then I attempted to sleep but being as I assumed I could sleep in his son's bed which was two twin mattresses  surrounded by cartoon VHS and a Sharktopus figure. Needless to say sleep didn't really happen.
 


     The next day I hung out with Jacob Von Klingle's own mistress of the dark Alisha Von Klingele. I took her to get a burger and coffee to thank her for letting me take over her lair. She then dropped me off at the Hilton and I checked in and fought the urge to lay down on the much more fitting bed for me they offered.

Cody(Sadistik) and his bad ass girl showed up and we lounged around learning about Songs in the key of Murder which was up to like seven views after their Fango add. We then headed down to the con and were of course given a very warm welcome and headed into the real version of Heaven. Right away I see Doug Bradley, Danielle Harris, Dee Wallace, Marilyn Burns, Richard Kiel, Don Coscarelli along with tons of other horror icons. We walk around some more and I am overflowing with shit I want to buy. Movies, books, art, posters, toys, and pretty much anything you can think of. We just wandered around and took it in. Cody hit up Marilyn Burns who you might know as the bad ass final girl from the best horror film ever made The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. 

    We then went and talked to Pinhead himself, Doug Bradley. He had such sights to show us. He was a true gentlemen and with his soft spoken British accent answered our questions signed our swag and gave no indication he wanted to rip our flesh off with the Lament Configuration. We spent some money, had some fun, met some badasses and ran into old friends. It was a great start but sleep dep and starvation was starting to win so we headed down the road to hit up 13 coins for some late night grub. Cody and Alexis left as he had to fly out to Minnesota for a show the next morning and I felt like I was in Jacobs Ladder. I layed down in probably the best bed I have ever slept in and found that they were playing the shitty Pumpkinhead sequel that Doug Bradley was in so I put it on and passed out like a girl at a frat party.

The Grog and The Splatterbeast!

     The next morning I woke up, walked the like five hundred feet to the Starbucks down the hall got a coffee and sat out in the smoking area drinking my breakfast waiting for Jacob Von Klingele.  He arrived and we got right on it. We wandered the halls talking and spending. We spent lots of time at our new friend Reuben Splatterbeast's table. This guy makes some of the best art for a horror nerd you can even fathom. I could of easily spent all of my cash at his table. Horror and metal all done in a way that will definitely piss your mom off, unless of course your mom is as cool as mine. She's not!

 I ended up getting a severed hand painted like Henry: Portrait of  a Serial Killer, A Coffin Joe Candle and a ton of prints that make my house way more bad ass than yours.   I also ended up running into an old friend that has for years now covered my ass with threads that would make Tangerine from Garbage Pail Kids jealous. Lix Online.  I got a bad ass Video Dead shirt as did Jacob Von Klingele. The Kieth Initiative and Sadistik hooked up her beautiful Torso shirt. Wow!

NILBOG!!!

     While checking out all the great shit I met The Comic Critic Mark Monlux who I had the pleasure to talk to and  bought his book while I was at it. He said he would draw me into a movie. I of course first asked for C.H.U.D. II which he hadn't seen, I then went for Ghoulies 3: Ghoulies Go To College which was also a bust. I finally met him at Troll II which he was able to draw me into by memory alone. I highly recommend checking him out. Reviews less drunk then mine but full of humor and spoiler free.

Little Keith is so excited right now.

The rest of the day was full of talking to other badasses of horror. Dee Wallace who had so many posters and prints I wanted. I ended up going with the Popcorn print as, well Popcorn owns my soul. I went and talked to Marilyn Burns some more as well as Don Coscarelli and  the surprise highlight of the con Robert Jayne who you might remember as Melvin from Tremors as well as one of my favorite sequels this side of Troll, Night of the Demons 2. Don Coscarelli remembered me from three years ago which was insanely impressive but at the same time he is such a genuine dude it kind of makes sense. We went and watched his Q and A and spent a while talking to him after. The Keith Initiative got a Phantasm II poster which Don graciously signed  with his memories of dinner. I think there may be some shenanigans going on with this story but regardless it is a great moment in history.

Hey Melvin. Wanna make a buck?

Now back to the man, the myth. Robert Jayne. I had so much fun talking to this mad man. I don't think he did very many cons as he seemed to be surprised how much people like Night of the Demons 2 as well as feeling guilty about charging for an autographed picture. We all stood around talking to him for a while about everything from movies he had done with other guests there such as Cerrina Vincent and  Dee Wallace to how Joey Lawrence had been all growed up and went by Joe now. While talking to "Melvin" we found out he was there working with Vern Fonk. Being that I am a Portland kid and not a Seattle kid I had no idea who that was when he announced it. Quickly Jacob Von Klingele and The Keith Initiative were like " I love Vern Fonk. Honk for Fonk." at which point he turned around in slow-mo. It was priceless. I have since checked into him and let me tell you if I lived in Seattle I would definitely get my insurance from the Fonk. Check out one of many awesome commercials I found. Yeah. You know you want to get insurance from him.

   After the day of awesome we headed down the road to get some food and decided we were gonna go by 7-11 to get some snacks so we could just relax and watch some movies in the room. I was beyond exhausted by this point. While walking to the store a beam from heaven shined down and low and behold there was a liquor store that was still open. We hit it up and headed back to the room for some much needed relaxing and bullshiting time. Kicked the old Ipod on random and put down a fifth of Evan. It was like heaven but real.

    In the end Crypticon was more of a blast than your mom felt on prom night. It may not be the biggest con but for us kids on the West Coast it has a  special place in our heart and is given more love by the organizers than the alter boy is given at St. Josephs. 

Some of the swag I picked up.

 As long as John Cusack does his job I will see everyone in 2013.


Tromeric