This past weekend Scare Zone was back in Burbank, CA, to attend Monsterpalooza 4. This event is geared toward the horror film industry and fans. The convention focuses on “the art of monsters,” such as horror makeup, sculpture, and artwork. It’s a must-attend for anyone interested in horror makeup, art, and special effects. And of course, the presentations from horror makeup artists can be very useful for haunt actors and haunt makeup artists.
Like the previous years, this year’s convention’s was at full capacity. We attended on Saturday and had to wait nearly 2 hours just to get inside. even with the few “scareactors” roaming around the line offering some minor entertainment; the wait was still tedious. We’re not sure what their arrangement is with the Marriott but the convention has obviously outgrown this location and would be more enjoyable at a larger location. In addition, their ticket purchasing system at the door was slow with an inefficient set up that seemed to be the main cause of the unnecessarily long and slow moving line.
Besides the wait to get in, Monsterpalooza 4 offered another year, for lack of a better phrase, monster fun. There were many familiar vendors along with some interesting new monster designers and artists. Our favorite exhibit, the Monster Museum, was back with a new collection of infamous Hollywood movie monsters and characters.
Monsterpalooza 4 also offered a some compelling and fun panel sessions including the Fright Night panel which reunited the original 1985 cast, writer and director, and FX artists. This session was a nostalgic look back the classic horror movie where they deconstructed the movie’s key scenes and reminisced about what it took to make them come to life.
We also attended an interesting panel on Jack Pierce, “The Man Behind the Monsters” hosted by John Murdy, creative director of Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood. The panel provided a look back at how the classic Universal monsters such as Frankenstein, the Mummy, and the Wolfman were brought to life from the 1930s and 40s.
We enjoy going to Monsterpalooza each year and feel that it’s a great way to start our countdown to haunt season. For those of you who weren’t able to attend, this year you’ll have a second chance with Son of Monsterpalooza coming this Halloween weekend. In the meanwhile, here’s a short video of Monsterpalooza 4.
