David Howard Thornton Archives

Days of the Dead, the only horror convention that takes place four times a year, returns to Indianapolis July 16-18. Entering their 11th year of celebrating horror, heavy metal, rock & roll and all things pop culture, DotD has been busy hyping up convention attendees with one announcement after another. And this year features one head-turning roster full of outstanding names available for meet & greets and photo ops. This opportunity to meet these iconic celebrities and musicians is one horror fans and pop culture nerds everywhere won't want to miss! DOTD Celebrity Guest List Grab your Jaws memorabilia, horror fans! Attending this year's DotD is the one and only Richard Dreyfuss! This acclaimed Oscar winner is best known to horror connoisseurs by his work with Seven Spielberg in the aforementioned cult classic and Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977). Other memorable character roles include Curt in George Lucas' American Graffiti (1973) and Elliot in Herbert Ross' The Goodbye Girl (1977). Other Jaws (1975) cast members who will be joining Dreyfuss at DotD are Susan Backlinie and Jeffrey Voorhees. Dreyfuss won't be the only Oscar winner making a DotD appearance. Also in attendance will be Louis Gossett Jr. who is best recognized by horror fans as Calvin Bouchard in Jaws 3-D (1983). However, what earned him an Academy Award of Best Supporting Actor was Sgt. Emil Foley in An Officer and a Gentleman (1982). Also meeting eager fans will be Butch Patrick aka Eddie Munster from the quirky classic TV show The Munsters. And this coincidence is perfectly timed with the recent news of Rob Zombie's next project (read our news here). It will be interesting to see if Patrick has inside information or perspective on the shock rocker turned filmmaker bringing the beloved family-friendly monsters to the big screen. Speaking of Rob Zombie, Scream Queen Danielle Harris will also be in attendance. With her horror roots going back to a young age starring as Jamie Lloyd in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988) and Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989), the actress returned to the franchise in 2007 as Annie in Zombie's 2007 and 2009 remakes of Halloween and Halloween II. Having established herself in the slasher subgenre, Harris later became known for her role as Marybeth in Adam Green's comically insane Hatchet franchise. Another DotD celebrity attendee who has seen his fair share of Rob Zombie directorials is Bill Moseley. Making his first horror breakthrough as Chop-Top in Tobe Hooper's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986), Moseley went on to become best known to horror fanatics as Otis in Zombie's Firefly trilogy: House of 1000 Corpses (2003), The Devil's Rejects (2005) and 3 from Hell (2019). And, if you like music with your blood and guts, you may remember Moseley demonstrating his singing ability in Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008). Other legendary actors and notable names from film expected to attend: Tom Sizemore (Natural Born Killers 1994, Saving Private Ryan 1998), Tony Moran (Halloween 1978), Tony Todd (Candyman 1992), Stephen Geoffreys (Fright Night 1985), William Forsythe (The Devil's Rejects 2005), cast members from George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead (1978), Kevin Sorbo (Andromeda TV series), Damien Leone (Terrifier 2016) and David Howard Thornton (read our interview here). Heavy metal, rock & roll and horror movies all undoubtedly go hand-in-hand. So, it's with great pleasure to also announce that legendary rocker Alice Cooper will be in attendance as well as Corey Taylor of Stone Sour and Slipknot, Philip Anselmo of Pantera and Andy Black of Black Veil Brides. What Else? Priding itself as “the fan convention where horror comes to party!” and an inclusive social gathering for like-minded individuals, Days of the Dead promises more than a simple meet & greet photo op show. Pinball manufacturer Spooky Pinball LLC will be unveiling their first Halloween franchise themed pinball machine, which features stunning retro artwork. And a DotD collaborative horror community project titled A Scorched Earth will be making exciting pre-production announcements to those interested in taking part in creating horror. Convention attendees can also look forward to The Chaostume Showdown, a costume contest scheduled for Saturday, July 17th. And if you've ever been to a horror con, you'll know genre fanatics go all-out when given the chance! Other DotD attractions include celebrity guest panels (time slots below), a tattoo contest and vendors offering horror/pop culture merch to add to your undying collection. Tickets, Times & Location Tickets with a pre-sale discount are currently available at the Days of the Dead website. However, horror fiends who procrastinate can still gain entry by paying at the door: $35 for Friday, $40 for Saturday, $35 for Sunday and $80 for a weekend general admission pass. Military and ages 10 and under get in free. DotD runs from Friday 5pm – 10pm, Saturday 11am – 7pm and Sunday 11am – 4pm. Hosting this event of horrors is the Indianapolis Marriott East located at 7202 E. 21st St. Indianapolis, Indiana. With so much happening this year at Days of the Dead, this is sure to be one weekend to die for! -30-

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