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In the midst of the “Frankenstorm” hysteria, nothing could stop the bi-annual Chiller Theatre convention. The guest list was more jam-packed than usual this year, which was a good way to usher in the new Chiller venue. For those of you who have stayed away from Chiller for various reasons, this recap will explain why you may want to reconsider and check out the Spring installment.

A castle themed exterior seemed fitting for Chiller Theatre. The expo’s relocation to the Sheraton in Parsippany turned out to be positive on all levels. Lines were still long, but not as long and cramped as they were previously. Forget about parking at the hotel, even if you got there early you still had to park across the street. That’s not even a bad thing for a couple of reasons. Parking was free no matter where you parked and at least there WAS parking available. So in some respects this was a positive step forward. If they decide to move again it will have to be to some place really big like Metlife Stadium. (That is sarcasm in case you didn’t sense it.)

Chiller has grown to become such a huge iconic event. I’ve been going since I was a kid and it really has become a mega-con. While Monster Mania keeps with the horror theme, Chiller is more of a pop culture event. All kinds of stars came out this year including Joan Collins, Andrew McCarthy, and Samantha Fox. Dustin “Screech” Diamond was even there. There were rockers, wrestlers, pinup models, and artists, although I was only there to meet one guest in particular this year.

I didn’t think anything could top last year’s Chiller. You might remember when I was sandwiched in between Deb and Hilly from Weird Science. Basically my dream come true since 1985! This year was no exception. Star of Dallas and A Chorus Line, Audrey Landers, announced to yours truly on Twitter that she’d be in New Jersey for the Chiller convention this Fall. I was super excited because she’s one of my main celebrity crushes of all time. Getting the chance to meet her sounded great to me, and of course shopping around the dealer tables is always my idea of a good time.

Once she arrived at her table, Audrey looked literally dazzling in a green sequin dress. She was sociable and looking as radiant as ever. Of course what impressed me more was that she saw my Sexy Armpit T-Shirt and recognized me right away “Hey I know you from Twitter!” she said. Very good memory on her! After taking a photo, we chatted about her having a role in the new Dallas series on TNT, the big Halloween parties she has back home, and the hurricane that’s threatening the area. From there, it was time to do some shopping.

Director of Mary Horror, NJ’s own Ryan Scott Weber with Kristen Accardi, a star of

the sequel to Mary Horror, Sheriff Tom vs. The Zombies

I made it into the dealer rooms and met up with Jess Rajs from Gorgeous and Gory. The brand new zombie pinup calendar is OUT NOW! The theme this year is mermaids! Get yourself one HERE. Also, the official launch party is at Roxy & Dukes in Dunnellen NJ on November 2nd so we will see you there! It was also awesome to finally meet New Jersey’s own Ryan Scott Weber the director of 2011’s MARY HORROR, which was showing at midnight on Friday and Saturday at Chiller. Review of this cool horror movie is on it’s way here at The Sexy Armpit, so be on the lookout!

No Chiller Recap is complete without a run-down of what I picked up. My “shopping cart” wasn’t too full this year actually – I only bought one thing. I actually bought the first thing that caught my eye which was a Lily Munster T-Shirt. I’d never seen this particular one and I wanted it immediately! It was coincidental because my DVR at home was recording the underwhelming Mockingbird Lane at the same time.

That was the Fall installment of Chiller for me. I had a good time with @exiledinNJ and the new venue was cool. If prior Chiller’s left a bad taste in your mouth, I say give it another go in the Spring time. It’s definitely improved on some of it’s flaws.

It’s A Living
If you’re a movie freak like me you probably have a fantasy list of movies that you wish were properly released on DVD. Sure, lots of movies and shows can be attained by buying bootleg versions on the Internet, but most of them have questionable quality and simply lack the sheen of an official release. As silly as it may sound, numero uno on my list is ’80s TV series It’s A Living starring Ann Jillian. At some point during the rest of my life, I want to be able to own the complete series on DVD. As mentioned by Gail Edwards, one of the shows stars on her website, the DVD may never come out because there are around 300+ songs used that the release company would have to pay to use. So, it looks like I won’t be getting my fill of my favorite waitresses unless people miraculously read this and start clamoring for the DVD, which is highly unlikely. Oh well, I still have the memories. Play it for me Sonny!

Doritos Dinamita Nacho Picoso and Wheat Thins Spicy Buffalo
In the first edition of GGG I mentioned how I wasn’t impressed at all by the new Doritos Jacked chips. Over the summer I did find a new version of Doritos called Dinamita at Walmart that made up for them a little bit. The chip is rolled up like a taquito and is a few levels spicier and packs a bit more heat than usual. The question I find myself asking – why can’t they just keep making the few flavors of traditional Doritos? Why keep screwing with a good thing? What I enjoyed more than both of these Doritos versions were Wheat Thins Spicy Buffalo. I love these so much. Definitely try them if you are a fan of both Wheat Thins and buffalo flavor.

Monster High Skull Shores
Frankie Stein Doll

Monster High Skull Shores
My shall we say fondness for Monster High dolls is about as well kept a secret as our former New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevy being gay. Hiding the fact that I love these macabre looking dolls is futile. I was immediately drawn to them when they came out 2 years ago. They are a perfect way to slyly incorporate the Universal Monsters into a kids toy line. They were released at the most perfect time too – I was actually thinking of starting to buy a few Living Dead Dolls at Monster Mania and Chiller to add to the collection, but luckily these came along. At first I tried to get my niece into them, but she didn’t seem too crazy about them. At this point I don’t own more than a few, but the latest one I picked up a few months back is my absolute favorite. In fact, if I had to part with the others that I have, this black and white Frankie Stein Skull Shores edition is quite enough for me.

Twitter

Certain things make people geek out. For me, it’s usually the little things that make me flip. As a kid all that needed to happen for me to go ballistic was getting an action figure that I always wanted and couldn’t seem to find. Back then it was a $3 dollar piece of plastic or rubber and I was a happy camper. Now my elation is even cheaper – it’s FREE! It comes in the form of a simple re-tweet or reply on Twitter from people I have basically idolized or have had a crushes on. Sure I’ve had retweets/replies from a ton of cool people, but over the summer 2 retweets managed to make my whole year.

Audrey Landers
Probably one of the longest crushes I’ve had on a celebrity is with Audrey Landers of Dallas fame and the film version of A Chorus Line. Ever since I was a kid I’ve been crazy about her. She replied to me after I sent her out a tweet saying that the new Dallas on TNT should have her back on the show. After a nice “thank you” reply I asked her if she would ever consider appearing at Chiller Theatre con in NJ and well what do you know? She and her sister will be at Chiller in October! Hopefully I’ll make it to her table without having my heart beat right out of my chest.

King Kong Bundy
Getting retweeted by the walking condominium himself King Kong Bundy was a real avalanche into the turnbuckle. The legendary wrestling heel, Bundy, hails from Atlantic City, NJ. As a little wrestling fan in the ’80s, Bundy was one scary mofo in my eyes. He had a huge dominant presence and was one of the few guys who could legitimately scare people. After headlining Wrestlemania 2 and popping up in a memorable mixed tag match in Wrestlemania 3, Bundy returned to WWE in ’94. I was always a big fan of his and a retweet from him is something I’d love to go back in time and tell my young self about. Bundy retweeted the Instagram of me posted above in my King Kong Bundy T-Shirt standing on the Atlantic City boardwalk, the site of Wrestlemanias 4 and 5.

audrey landers

Chiller Theatre Recap Fall 2012

GREAT GEEK GORGE #5