All of your scariest nightmares come to life at HorrorHound
HorrorHound started the year off at the Sharonville Convention in Southern Ohio with a three-day convention the weekend of March 17-19. It was a wall to wall event filled with actors, vendors, panels with enough cosplay costumes to rival a character parade and grisly gore to fill one of Jigsaw’s favorite playrooms.
Saturdays after-party costume ball across the street at the Ramada continued the festivities with an adult costume contest, performance art by the Pickled Brothers Circus, & Chump Change Variety Show, dance routines by Cleveland’s masked mistresses, The Monster Dolls, a concert by Mummula, music by DJ Joel, burlesque routines fit for a house of dead things and a ‘king.’ The king and queen of the ball were also crowned.
It was an all ages affair, though as night fell things got a little freaky and creepy, but was mostly the good-natured environment and dug up entertainment you’d expect at an after party with a white rabbit carrying a decapitated head, an over-sized Count Chocula causally walking around with a cosplay Negan going psycho on unsuspecting women in homemade showers.
The evening began with the adult costume photo shoot. From Ash to Leatherface, Zeke the plumber, fatal shower takers, Frankenstein, scare bears, Leslie Vernon, and a chrome skulled Z-Squad all milled and stalked around, to the Joker who was all smiles that night.
Traditional event hosts Alexander J. Hamilton and Joe Woody Oaken took the crowd through to the witching hour. D.J. Joel played some industrial, gothic tunes in between performances for the children of the night, in case anyone wanted to dance, boogie or do the “Thriller.”
The monster dolls came out with their opening routine, proving Dr. West’s formula really does help with post-mortem movement. The ladies had that special glow about them all night as they performed several group routines with solo performances by Bellatrix Blade and ScarrieAnne Stalker as Angelique Graves came for some soul reaping. While ringleader Frankie Von Doll kept, the group organized and above ground for the evening. Madame Sin made the pointed horns glow red with crimson laced taunts and teases as the temptress with the hottest touch. The southern swamp delivered some God smacked voodoo via Samara Zombina’s spell casting bone-rattling motion.
The costumed crowd continued to pour in with Dr. Lady and his lady joined by Wolfie. A possessed Regan brought some lightly spewed appetizers. An enchanting Harley Quinn and other indescribable hideous creatures that only came out at night made the trip, drag and stagger in for some camera and stage time.
Travis and his lovely better half took to the stage to begin the painful and potentially lethal shenanigans with pointed variety. Showing the depth of his talent, he swallowed the evenings first…and only sword/ceremonial dagger. With the help of a ‘somewhat’ nervous volunteer that ‘slowly’ pulled the blade out, the end came bloodless without injury, spillage or screams.
Inflated cartoon creatures were role played and toyed with in stylized adult-storytelling fashion in exchange for cool prizes and the audience’s envy.
For the ladies’ pleasure and some men, “House of 1000 Corpses” came on as the first bit of burlesque hit on stage. The painted, cowboy hat wearing ‘country boy’ Michael Salem Gonzalez came on stage ready to let the fire fly after disrobing and having his way with the cute little crying bunny rabbit. After most of the garb was gone he took grinding to a new level, pulling out the industrial tool sending sparks searing off his tool belt. Blackie Lawless would be proud.
Next for the men and some ladies, a burlesque dressed masked maiden made her presence known making her entrance to the haunting sounds of King Diamond. Wriggling into her groove and out of her garb, she tempted and teased the crowd. It was Tourist Trap meets Hellraiser III and Amadeus mixed in with the devils makeup as the falsetto from hell rang out loud and spellbinding. Adding some pain to the pleasure she clamped on a dangling mousetrap, like a hardcore multi-tasking labret for the tongue.
Straight from the cursed and sandy grounds of the stately Mummula Manor, Mummula came for a full set of fun, sundown, surf and turf, garage rock, resurrecting tunes from the ancient pyramids and dunes bringing sounds of the ‘60’s west coast and southern Ohio.
An hour of instrumental, twisting, turning and bebopping began as the guys wrapped their way through a full set of tunes conjuring everything from the mummies to the Munsters and the Beach Boys flying high with Martians. Everyone’s favorite aquatic predator of homo sapiens opened the show with “Black lagoon.” The “Hex’s Marked the Spot” like an enchanted treasure map to the grave.
Making a pun on the most famous cult director of all time, they serenaded Hollywood with “Ed Woodn’t.” Showing good historical business sense, they played “Pyramid Scheme.”
It was a late-night arrival at the dinner party of the damned, better hope the “7th Guest” doesn’t show. It was “Iggy’s Night Out” and a bloody good party was had. It was near the end so time to “Hang Ten” and watch out for those killer waves dude.
There was an improvised, somewhat awkward karaoke contest with friends and random strangers joining together singing songs they either winged or figured out on the spot. “Time of my Life”, Grease’s “You’re the One that I Want” and Abba’s “Dancing Queen” all got some love.
The unholy horde of monsters, creatures, monstrosities, cagey ghosts, bats, demons, one well received Jurassic owner, a facetime loving Jason, clowns, cowboys, aliens, Hellboy and the mad marionette with his lovely doll-face lady came across the stage.
Costume winners in their respective categories included The White Rabbit, Hellboy, Count Chocula, the very stuffed and creepy Scarecrow, Dr. Douglas Capitate M.D. and his staff and the Z Squad.
To end the evening celebration the king and queen of the ball were chosen as Con Jesus and the blood-splattered by choice Sara Elizabeth were symbolically crowned with a head-full of red confetti. Good thing Miss Elizabeth was a good sport, taking it in jest so everyone could walk out alive and unscathed.
The Monster Dolls returned for one more dance of death before Travis and company returned to nail the ending. Most couples share in their partner’s interests but getting up on the wrong side of a bed of spikes is true commitment. To test their trust and devotion to each other they took turns, boards on chest and stomach, including ‘help’ from crowd volunteers.
Images by Mike Ritchie
