A few years ago my friend Brando wanted to meet WWE wrestler Lita at Chiller. When we found the room in which she was signing, there was a huge line to the left. Ian Ziering was there, and so was a horde of 30-year olds who’d been panting over him since his Beverly Hills 90210 days. A year later, he was Chiller again. This time he was in the dealers’ room sandwiched between a bunch of wrestlers. I could have walked up to him and had a three-day-long conversation, with the lack of fans he had. This October he’ll be at Chiller again, and I can guarantee because of SHARKNADO he’ll have a line that swells well beyond the one from the first time I saw him.
The question is, will I be at Chiller? I’m not sure yet. Chiller revealed its opening salvo last week, and if I hadn’t been holding off to celebrate Death Ensemble’s 500th post, I’d have posted my thoughts on it the day they released it. There are a few intriguing guests, foremost Herschell Gordon Lewis. I’ve only seen him once, and he had two awful 8x10s, one of which was a photo of him wearing makeup. Dyan Cannon used to be super hot, and Ron Ely starred in the kitschy DOC SAVAGE. The show’s added a few more intriguing guests since, including Kim Richards of DEVIL DOG and the WITCH MOUNTAIN flicks.
Problem is, most of the guests are not known for horror. Chiller is becoming more and more like the Hollywood Show out in Cali, with a bunch of stars from the 70s, and no emphasis on horror. Whereas it used to mix in a handful of those faded A-listers, they’re now Chiller’s focus. And with this different breed of celebrities, I fear exorbitant prices that would blow through a healthy convention budget in 2 autographs and pictures. And as we all know, I’m not about that.
I’m holding off making arrangements til I see some more of the guest list. Those two days a year when Chiller used to reveal its first guests used to be highlights of my year. Oh how I miss those days. Let’s see if I miss this Chiller like I did the last two. One thing I know is that a bunch of Ian Ziering fans won’t miss this one for the world.
-Phil Fasso
