Pop Rock ‘n Horror Convention
A Change in Plans
To tell the story of how I wound up at the Eisenhower Hotel in historic Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on Sunday, June 2 for the inaugural Pop Rock ‘n Horror Convention, I must rewind to the prior day, when I headed into Philadelphia to see The Distillers play at Union Transfer.
I’d been anticipating the show for months. Despite the hike to Philly from Harrisburg, I was nonetheless convinced that the investment was worth it (the things we do for live music…). The traffic that tends to bottleneck on the Schuylkill Expressway was mostly smooth. After parking and walking to the venue, I saw the line was snaking around half the building.
After waiting less than 15 minutes, the line began to break up. I ingratiated myself to a trio of people close by, who told me the show had been postponed unexpectedly. Union Transfer staff echoed this sentiment shortly after, stating that tickets would be honored at the rescheduled date (August 14). With a “just roll with it” attitude, I joined the mass exodus of concert-goers headed back to their cars (or maybe a nearby bar). A day or so later, an Instagram post revealed that singer Brody Dalle had been hospitalized with a herniated disc.
I didn’t linger in the city, even though Philly is one of my favorite places in the world. Instead, I got in my car and drove back to Harrisburg, contending with some pretty fierce thunderstorms during the latter half of the trip (the type of pelting rain that sent motorists to the shoulder with their four-ways flashing).
I arrived back home and took the show postponement as a sign: I’d been following Pop Rock ‘n Horror’s Facebook page, debating a Sunday drop-in, but lamenting the fact that a late night in Philly would likely drain my motivation for any Sunday activity.
So, this unexpected change in plans realigned my priorities.
An Unexpected Journey
On Sunday morning, I decided to make the 50-minute drive out to Gettysburg for the con. I had been to the newer Wyndham Hotel for two editions of the now-defunct Horrorfind Weekend, but the Taneytown exit led me down an altogether unexpected path – for the couple miles of winding road where I wondered if I’d plugged the correct address into my GPS, I finally passed the Eisenhower Hotel.
I was immediately charmed by the place – from its out-in-the-country location to its decades-old façade. Wandering inside, I caught the attention of a convention newbie who’d come from San Diego(!) to check it out. He guided me to the main entrance (at the opposite end of the hotel), where I picked up my wristband for the day.
2019 marks my fifteenth year of convention attendance, and in that time I’ve seen the size of cons expand – and, in some cases, explode – to the point of being physically uncomfortable to navigate. Having to writhe through the human equivalent of a sardine can detracts from the experience, flustering attendees and volunteer staff alike.
Pop Rock ‘n Horror’s Sunday edition had none of those issues. While Sundays tend to be less busy (even at well-established cons), there was plenty of room to move around and explore, without feeling like someone was breathing down your neck or trying to push you aside.
I admired what an ambitious effort it was – while I didn’t get to attend the Terrifier Q&A with director Damien Leone and actor David Howard Thornton (“Art the Clown”), I did get to wander the large rooms where vendors and celebrity guests commingled.
Vendors a-Go-Go
The Pop Rock ‘n Horror organizers are clearly interested in variety: from hand-made art pieces, to crafts bearing the likeness of famous (and not-so-famous) horror icons, to limited-run Funko Pops and figurines, to those involved with haunted attractions (I had a nice talk with the proprietor of The Land of Fear), to old issues of genre magazines, to independent filmmakers talking up their efforts, there was something for even the most discerning genre fan.
Based out of New Hope, PA, I was most taken with the Phantasm Comics table, which had a variety of boxed figurines, foreign horror posters, and a fine selection of horror DVDs, Blu-rays, and Laserdiscs. The pricing tiers were reasonable, and there were used options in addition to brand-new discs from the likes of Vinegar Syndrome, Synapse, and Mondo Macabro, to name a few. I wound up purchasing DVDs of Fraulein Devil (part of Full Moon’s “Grindhouse” series) and Death Machine.
After that, I migrated across the aisle and found myself wrapped up in a conversation about boutique labels (Severin, Code Red, Arrow, and many more were discussed) with filmmaker Mike Lombardo. A genuinely friendly and down-to-earth guy, he gave the impression that he really enjoyed interacting with fans and expressing his appreciation for the horror genre. In good faith, I purchased a copy of his film, I’m Dreaming of a White Doomsday, which he autographed.
Celebrity Encounters
The celebrity line-up was a pleasant mix of convention veterans (Sleepaway Camp’s Felissa Rose and Halloween’s Tyler Mane, among others) and unique choices (Nathan Baesel and Angela Goethals, from Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon). My prime motivator in checking out the con was a Return of the Living Dead reunion that included the lovely Linnea Quigley. As she had to leave by 2 to catch a flight, I made a beeline to her table after acquiring my wristband. Though she had a photo op to get to, she was gracious in signing an autograph and taking a photo before departing.
My other celebrity encounter was incidental – I found myself walking down one of the hotel’s outer corridors, following someone who exchanged a few words with the authentication table outside of the Q&A room. I recognized the voice as the one and only Dee Wallace (The Howling; Cujo; The Frighteners; and many more). I’d first met Dee a decade ago (at Horrorfind), where she’d signed my poster for Rob Zombie’s Halloween. The signature was in black, and a bit lost in the artwork’s dark hues, so I decided to get her to autograph a shot from The Lords of Salem.
In a funny aside, she signed my Halloween poster and spelled my first name as “John” instead of “Jon.” Even after giving her the proper spelling this time, she defaulted to “John.” I laughed and recounted the story from a decade ago, and told her it was okay. She tossed the glossy aside and said, “nah – it’s just a picture,” before signing another. I didn’t ask for a photo (since I already had one from our previous meeting), so she instead offered a hug.
Dee is one of my favorite people to see at a convention – she is always approachable, and has the same “cool mom” sensibility as most of her characters.
In my observations of people’s interactions with other celebrities, there was no ego present – just a real sense of gratitude running both ways. This, along with the easily-identifiable and attentive event staff, went a long way toward cementing my favorable opinion of the con.
With Horrorfind having been gone for at least half a decade, it is genuinely exciting to see Pop Rock ‘n Horror and the upcoming Creature Feature Weekend reclaim Gettysburg – with its historic battlefields and ghost tours – as a prime location for horror conventions in Central Pennsylvania. If these burgeoning festivals continue to grow and thrive, they could become local alternatives to New Jersey’s long-running Monster Mania and Chiller Theatre weekends, and I’m all for that.
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Crash Analysis Support Team
Jonny Numb
Jonny Numb (aka Jonathan Weidler), despite aspirations to the contrary, kills nothing but time on Twitter and Letterboxd @JonnyNumb. He also co-hosts THE LAST KNOCK podcast with Billy Crash.
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