Apr 21 2009
Chiller Theatre Expo 2009 Convention Report
Chiller Theatre Expo is a New Jersey convention suffering from an identity crises and a growth problem. I attended Chiller Theatre Expo 2009 this past Saturday with my boyfriend, and a friend of mine from Orlando, and our general consensus was a resounding: “ehhh.”
Chiller Theate Expo was held at the Hilton Parsippany, in Parsippany, New Jersey April 17 - 19, 2009. The hotel is obviously not meant to host conventions of any substantial size. There was only one large ballroom, which was dedicated to the vendor room. Small side conference rooms were mostly reserved for artists and displays (of which there was a pretty limited number). The celebrity guests were squeezed into an area of the lobby, some side conference rooms, and a tent outside. Yes, a tent. The tent was crowded. It was hot. And I’d hate to have been one of the poor people forced to sit out there.
The corridors that led to the various conference rooms were narrow and crowded. We likened the experience to being inside a submarine. The aisles in the vendor room were too narrow in most places, and it made it extremely difficult to walk from one end to another. There were some moments where we just gave up trying to get down certain aisles, and walked all the way around the room to approach them from the other side.
The Hilton Parsippany wasn’t all bad. I will say that the location had free parking, and ample overflow parking lots. It also had a decent selection of food options available to attendees. Although food areas were a bit crowded right around the peak of lunch time, there were few (if any lines) throughout the majority of the day. Yes, the food was pricey, but that is to be expected and is not something I hold against the con.
As for the guest list, while we did appreciate the variety it had to offer, the convention did seem to be struggling with its identity. The name “Chiller Theatre” implies a horror convention, and yet there were Star Trek stars, former rock stars, wrestlers, Playboy Bunnies, and even the woman who voices the pink haired chick from the Esurance commercials. The crowd seemed to be there for the horror, however. The autograph lines for the Star Trek actors were practically non-existent, and I saw one attendee in a Starfleet uniform. In contrast, the line for George Romero seemed endless. Even the vendor room seemed mostly geared toward the horror fans.
Despite the way it might sound, the location and the odd mixing of genres was not the reason we can’t give this con rave reviews (I mean, those elements contributed, but weren’t the reason). The fact is, there was a complete lack of stuff to do. Once you looked at the vendor room and got your autographs…that was it. I actually overheard someone say, “we could bang out this whole con in two hours!” The three of us ended up going home before the con even officially ended because we were completely bored.
There was one discussion panel on Italian horror, there was one movie that was screened (over and over and over), and there was a concert on Saturday. There were no celebrity guest events. They had all of those great people there, and there wasn’t a single guest Q&A session. There were no workshops. No costume contests. No independent film contests. No real activities to speak of, aside from the three I mentioned. We couldn’t think of any real reason to buy a two or three day pass. My friend actually had a second pass for Sunday, and decided not to even use it. “Why bother going back?” he said.
Chiller Theatre Expo has a lot of potential. But I think the organizers need to strongly consider a new location, plan more activities, and figure out what audience their convention is meant for. A con doesn’t have to be exclusively for one genre (look at Dragon*con or MegaCon for example), but it does need to find ways to keep people entertained and coming back for more. It is in the convention’s interest to get people to buy those weekend passes, and want to stay for the whole thing. Otherwise the con turns into a giant geeky mall, where people come in for a few hours and then leave.
You can take a look at our Chiller Theatre Expo 2009 photos at the official Convention Fans Flickr Stream! Or just check out the slide show below:
(Note: There was hardly anyone in costume, and hardly any events, which left little to actually take pictures of.)
Nice site here i like your layout. Thanks for stopping by.
Thanks for the review. Can you give us the prices the stars were charging for autographs and pictures?
Thanks
@ Jason
There wasn’t a set price for all guests. Each one determined their own. I saw a lot of the standard $20-$35 prices for autographs, and the most common price for photos was $10. Some included a photo if you bought an autograph.
Hope that helps!
Looks kind of mediocre. Hopefully they will fix that identity problem!
I have to say that if this was your first visit to Chiller Theatre you did not get the full understanding of Chiller. There is immense history with the convention and moves over the years.. the venue they are at, presently, is huge (in comparison to prior locations). The event is out-growing it’s venue very quickly.
This Saturday was heavily toned down (than in prior years) predominantly due to over-crowding. Chiller has been running 2 yearly events since 1990 - and has grown from strength-to-strength.
The convention was, originally, geared towards the horror angle of cons, but has grown.. but the name is what people know. Think about it, how many science fiction films crossover to the horror genre? (more than a few, would be the correct answer). But Chiller has become more than that… it has expanded to pop-culture - wreslters, singers, “even the woman who voices the pink haired chick from the Esurance commercials.” It is far beyond the “SNL - William Shatner” view of conventions, it still keeps it’s strong roots of horror (George Romero, and many other horror movie stars) but has expanded to include everyone and not just the horror movie ‘geek’.
The subculture now has a more secular appeal… the costume contest is held for the October show (I highly recommend you attend for costume characters)… which shows the far and wide reach of this show. Something for everyone, mainstream, subculture (sub-universe?) to come and meet those who come together for the pure enjoyment of it.. that would be like attacking the New York Comic Con and shouting about video game producers being there (what does a video game producer have to do with comics?) or Big Apple Con and arguing their inclusion of Randy Jones (The Village People)….
It is true that Chiller does have a lack of ‘workshops’ or ‘movie screenings’, but Chiller does not advertise that, nor does it push events as such.. it is what it is. A show to come and meet those of screen (small and big), comics and the imagination to discuss your enjoyment of whatever they do.
Give Chiller another go.. get there in October and then tell me they don’t have costume characters. Keep an eye out for the costume contest before the music starts. Stick around for the band performance - a number of their musical guests have hit the stage more than a few times.
Perhaps there should be a disclaimer… “Chiller Theatre, not just for horror.”
@ Michael,
The name isn’t what I really had a problem with. Its that the artists/merch/audience didn’t match the guest list. The guest list was varied, but the rest wasn’t.
And while it’s great that the fall show has costumes and activities, the fact is people were indeed bored at the spring show. Not just me, but the people I was with, and people we overheard making comments in the dealers room, autograph rooms, and hallways.
And I wasn’t attacking…I was making commentary based on our experiences as a group, and the experiences we overheard from others. I realize its just our experience as “first timers” and perhaps that is easy to dismiss. But I assume con organizers want a con that is friendly and appealing to first timers as WELL as regulars so that it keeps growing. (shrugs)
I was there this time around and last October. The “artists/actors” regardless of their genre were gracious and plentiful. Both seemed to draw tons of people. My group stayed for about 10 hours, including the Saturday concert. We were not at a loss for things to do. Just being there, meeting the “guests”, people watching, talking to others, made the time fly. In fact, we are thinking of making the spring show an annual get together…we already have others asking to come with us.
I’ve been to just two Chiller Cons — Oct. 2007 and April 2009.
Chiller’s attraction is not the convention itself, but the after parties.
The report above misses the point.
However, the writer is dead on regarding the identity crisis. I went for horror wackiness.
The latest Chiller (coming up Halloween 2009) is a HUGE disappointment. It’s become a crappy nostalgia show.
Ann Margaret and Mickey Rooney?
I’d just dying to know why they turned their backs on horror.
@hollywoodchain
Wait a second, so the attraction of the convention is not the convention…? If the whole point is to have a bunch of parties at a hotel, then why not just throw some parties at a hotel and not mess with a con at all?
If you are hosting a con, and the con itself isn’t fun or the reason to go, then why would anyone pay for it? The after parties, I imagine, are free, right? That doesn’t sound like a good business plan for those running Chiller Theatre.
man, Halloween weekend was PHENOMENAL!!! THAT’S WHEN PEEPS DRESS UP IN COSTUME!!!