Micro-Shock Spotlight On: Horror Hound Weekend 2007

(November 16th-18th 2007)

A Convention Report Card by Michael O'May

This is something I think the world of geeks needs. Many times you go to a convention expecting one thing and get another, and it helps to let people know what’s coming.

  Today we look at upstart convention, Horror Hound weekend that takes place in Indianapolis IN.  Horror Hound weekend is put together by Horror Hound magazine which has turned a few heads for its editorial slant towards 80’s horror and a focus on the different collectables associated to it (which is a good thing trust me).

Location: B: It’s located in Indianapolis which to many in Middle America is a godsend, conventions tend to bunch on the east coast and for a change they don’t have to do hours of driving to get to a convention. The part of Indy is also a very nice one that doesn’t border on any crime ridden neighborhoods like Monster Mania for example so if you get lost its pretty easy to just stop and ask directions. I would have given an A but the fact they are in Indy kind of isolates the convention goers who live on the east and west coast, it was a 10 hr drive for me and that will defiantly factor in if and when I return.

  Both the hotel the con was held at and the one next to it were above average with plenty of restaurants nearby. If you were looking to party afterwards though don’t expect much.

Cost: C: A little steep. The ticket prices were a little above the standard but they did there best to make up for it in other ways, like some nice give-aways and cool screenings. Things like this though hurt the dealers and the guests who need that last minute splurge which goes away when tickets eat that cost.

Date: D: Throwing a convention close to Christmas and Thanksgiving is a bad idea period. Money is tight for all parties because of the holidays and it just makes for a restricted convention. Guests don’t spend as much money and Dealers don’t bring as much because they don’t expect the sales so both parties loose.

Dealers: C:  There simply wasn’t a wide variety of dealers at the convention to make picking up some stuff worth it. They did have two very cool poster dealers, on vintage, the other international but both had prices so high it was way beyond any normal convention goers means to buy. The rest were the same old bootleggers and people promoting this or that. Missing were good T shirts and anyone selling cool toys that you normally find at a con.

Guests A+: Horror Hound thankfully understood you don’t need to give one guest special treatment over another by having separate lines to meet someone. They just put them in the same room with the dealers and the fans worked it out themselves. They also had a really cool mix of old and new guests that even if some canceled (Jason Mews) they would have a very solid line up. And they also scored the very VERY cool John Landis who may just be one of the best guests alive. Landis stayed and signed everyone’s autograph, for free and took the time to bust everyone’s balls on a one on one basis. That’s value.
Extras: B: They scored some pretty sweet screenings including Beware the Moon and Hatchet not to mention some pretty cool posters from anchor bay and other upcoming movies.

Set up: A: There was enough room for everyone including wheelchairs to move about pretty easy, guests and dealers in one room worked out pretty well. Also if need be food and drinks as well as ample bathrooms for everyone, no complaints at all.

Fans: A: One thing I noticed from the start was the difference between east coast fans and Middle America Fans. Middle America doesn’t suffer from that chronic asshole syndrome many of us Easterners do. Everyone was pretty laid back and in no rush for anything which always works better at a convention. Plus I didn’t see a single asshole with wheelbarrows full of shit he was going to sell on eBay once it was autographed which is great.

Staff: A: Helpful and not assholes which is all you can ask for.

Overall: B: For just their second convention Horror Hound was a pretty solid setup. If you don’t have a 10 hr drive I recommend it for the guests alone and I’m guessing in time you’ll see better prices and vendors as they run a tighter ship.

Check them out at http://www.horrorhoundweekend.com/

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