Welcome to the Art of Monsters!
Monsterpalooza is a Horror Convention during March where people gather for the love of Horror. Monsters and creatures from the darkest parts of the imagination are brought to life here and they roam the floor searching for blood. Horror fans come from far and near to experience this three-day event filled with monsters, panels, make-up demos, vendors and to meet their favorite actors and directors of the genre. This is the wonderland of the dark and creepy, get lost amongst the strangest in the world.
Many talented make up artists display their work here and network with peers and experts in the industry. With every turn on the show floor new curiosities appear. Every day there are different creatures lurking about, both original creations and strikingly spot on cosplays. 

One of the most notable makeup recreations was Twisty The Clown from American Horror Story Freakshow on Saturday. The makeup artists from the show paid a visit to Monsterpalooza and brought Twisty back to life at the PPI (Premiere Products, Inc.) booth. Many fans of the show and curious onlookers gather to watch them turn a normal guy into the beloved TV monster.
Not only do we look forward to the monsters that lurk around the convention, but also to meet the people who are apart of the films that make these creatures infamous. These actors and directors only make an appearance once or twice a year in Southern California for the fans to meet them. Monsterpalooza is the grand party of the year where these fiends come out and play. This year, the one and only George A. Romero made an appearance. Zombie and Horror fans gathered to meet the grandfather of the zombie film. Other Horror legends such as Cloris Leachman from Young Frankenstein, Julie Adams from Creature From The Black Lagoon, Linda Blair from The Exorcist and many others also made an apperance this year.

You will find these talented people in the Monsterpalooza theater at specific times for a panel. A panel is when a horror expert takes the stage and talks about their art or their area of expertise. Some of the most popular panels at Monsterpalooza this year were the Halloween Horror Nights panel featuring John Murdy and Chris Williams from Universal Studios Hollywood, The American Horror Story Panel featuring the wonderful makeup effects artists from the show, and many others. There is always a Halloween Horror Nights (HHN) panel every year and hundreds of devoted HHN fans flock to Monsterpalooza to hopefully get a inkling or snippet of what may appear this year at the haunted attraction. Murdy and Williams talked about the fan favorite mazes from the last twenty years of Horror Nights and at the end gave away a VIP Backstage Tour of this year’s haunt to a lucky fan. A majority of these fans line up outside the Monsterpalooza theater a whole hour before the panel to get in first and grab a good seat. As a tip for many of the panels, get to the theater thirty minutes before so you can get the seat you desire. Highlighting Saturday evening was the Vincent Price panel featuring his daughter Victoria Price. Following her heartfelt panel about the life of Vincent Price was a 3D presentation of his film House of Wax. The theater room was filled with Vincent Price fans who have been dying to see the classic film in 3D, the original format that made it infamous!

After exploring the labyrinth of vendors, encountering monsters, meeting horror legends, and experiencing the enlightening panels there is one thing left to experience… The Museum. The crown jewel of Monsterpalooza is “The Museum” because it is the grand display of the work of many artists for the love of Monsters. From magnificent scenes of horror or sci-fi brought to life with large, realistic figures to the molds of actors for horror movie make ups. Figment Foundry brought to life a gigantic scene from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with the large realistic looking figures. Garnier Holt displayed an animatronic from the Haunted Mansion of the scared man holding the lantern in the graveyard. Many props, puppets, sculpts, scripts and memorabilia from many different Sci-Fi and Horror movies live in The Museum during Monsterpalooza. Every year there are different displays and creations there and it is a must see for everyone at this event. A little treat for you Stephen King, George A. Romero and Tom Savini fans; the picture to the left is the CreepShow display in The Museum. There are so many tributes to horror films that artists create for this event that will please those who love the genre. Just a tip for next year, be sure not to miss The Museum,  the line can get crazy so be sure to get to The Museum first thing!

So I have covered the Monsters, the vendors, the guests appearances, the panels, and the museum… what have I missed? Ah! The one additional element to all the madness that makes Monsterpalooza such a fun convention is… the Horror Community. This event brings everyone together, friends all brought together for the love of Horror. Sometimes life gets busy and conventions bring everyone together. It’s wonderful to run into old friends and chat about new Horror movies and the scary things in life. Monsterpalooza is truly a Horror party where everyone can get together, network, meet new fans of the genre and have fun. Thank you for joining me on this spooky journey to Monsterpalooza! Terror will return to the Marriott Hotel and Convention center for Son of Monsterpalooza September 18-20. Be sure not to miss out on this mini Horror Convention before the Haunt Season begins. Down below is the link to the video coverage of this event, be sure to check it out to see  more spookiness of this event. Thank you for reading and hope you have a wonderfully spooky day my fiend.

– Mary Imagination