It’s coming. In
fact, it’s almost here. Atlanta’s
biggest annual horror party is this weekend (Feb 1-3), at The Sheraton hotel in
downtown Atlanta. I’m psyched, the
winners of my ticket contest are psyched, hell, the entire Southeastern
contingent of horror geeks is psyched.
The guest list is sick, and there will be more cool stuff to buy
than…actually, I need to stop. If I
keep going I’m gonna start sounding like an excited little kid ranting about
Christmas. Actually, there’s a reason
for that.
Anyway, Adolfo Dorta, one of the promoters of Days of the Dead,
dropped by to tell us a little about what to expect this weekend. If you’re still on the fence about joining
us, here’s the low down straight from the horses mouth. Once you read this and inevitably decide
that you’ve been a fool and there’s no way in hell that you would miss it, you
can order tickets and get all of the details HERE.
SOC: Word has really
spread through the Atlanta horror scene about DOTD since last year, and there’s
a lot of buzz at ground level for DOTD:ATL 2013. How is the pre-show buzz
this year as compared to last year from a promoter’s standpoint?
AD: You know, despite it being hard to tell with me living out in the
midwest and being almost 14 hours away, I always have folks in the area
emailing me or calling me saying great things about the buzz going on for our
return to the area, especially given that we're settling into the heart of
downtown Atlanta this time. Ticket pre-sales have also already surpassed last
year's show with two weeks to go (which tend to be the time the majority of our
sales happen). We're all really stoked.
SOC: With the move from the outskirts
of town into the belly of the beast, along with moving into a bigger hotel that
somewhat knows what it’s in for (as a DragonCon host hotel), how do you think
the con will be different from last year?
AD: If last year's show in Peachtree City could be thought of as us dipping
our toe in the waters of the southeast, this time around we're doing a
cannonball off the diving board right in the middle of the pool. That said, I
think one thing we do try to do is keep all of our shows fairly consistent so
fans know what to expect from a DAYS OF THE DEAD event: great guests, great
events, and a wild party atmosphere that runs very late into the night and
ventures into the kind of debauchery few shows would dare touch. We're proud to
be a horror show and we wear our love for the genre like a badge of honor.
Everything our fans in the south loved about our first show will be back, with
much more of it to go around.
SOC:
There are three big reunions going
on at DOTD:ATL this year (Return of the Living Dead, House of 1000
Copses/Devil’s Rejects, Blair Witch Project). Are these kinds of “themed
guest lists” the direction you want to take in the future as opposed to
centering it around single big guests?
AD:
That's a great question. I’m usually not a fan of big reunion
based shows just due to the fact that you run the risk of alienating anyone who
isnt a fan of the movie being showcased, but with the case of this show, I
think an exception was warranted. Most of the cast members of House of 1,000
Coprses/Devil's Rejects are actors/actresses with such a rich body of work that
even if you aren't a fan of the Rob Zombie movies, chances are you are still a
fan of something else they worked on, ie. Sid Haig, Bill Moseley, PJ Soles,
Leslie Easterbook, Michael Berryman, Danny Trejo, etc. Return of the Living
Dead is such a great film that I consider an 80's classic, and the full cast has
only ever done 2 or 3 other shows before, so we thought it was a great
opportunity to bring them to the southeast. And in the case of the Blair Witch
Project, this will be only the second time ever that the trio has ever appeared
at a convention, and for us it provided a rare opportunity to do something
related to one of the most iconic and influential horror films of the last two
decades.
So while I wouldnt discount having similar big "theme reunions" at
our future DAYS OF THE DEAD shows (we actually just did a big Texas Chainsaw
series reunion in Indianapolis this past July), we tend to prefer having a
little bit of everything and not dedicate too much of the show to one or two
aspects of horror when the genre itself is so wide and diverse, much like our
fanbase.
SOC: Speaking of the guest list,
this year’s is absolutely huge. Is there ever a point when you say,
“Maybe we should stop or we won’t be able to top it next year?”
AD:
When we first started out, our goal was to cap it at about 40
guests. While the inclination is always that "more is better," you
also have to consider that most horror convention patrons operate on a limited
budget and we want to make sure that we don't overwhelm them with too much
where they wouldn’t be able to afford meeting everyone they want to meet and
still having some scratch left over to support the awesome vendors we have in
our dealer room. From a business standpoint, it probably also would have also
made sense for us to reel it in a bit, but we just had cool guest after cool
guest come to us wanting to get involved in the show and being big fanboys
ourselves it's often impossible to say "no," especially with guests
that we also happen to very excited about meeting.
In the end, we never worry about topping ourselves the following year - we
embrace the challenge. As long as the fans keep coming and supporting what we
do, we'll work to find new ways to wow them.
SOC: The last couple of DOTDs
have hosted members of KISS, and with Michael Graves and Eerie Von being guests
in Atl, is music something you’re consciously focusing on more?
AD:
Most defintiely! We're all big music fans and most horror fans
are as well so why not? Graves was actually booked for our first ever
Indianapolis show in 2011 but had to cancel due to touring so he's been looking
forward to making up the date with us. Eerie was a guest at our last
Indianapolis event in July and he had a great time and was a really cool guy
we're happy to have back. We're hoping to have at least a handful of music guests,
particularly from the world of punk and metal, at every show moving forward.
SOC:
You’ve obviously dealt with a lot
of big stars and genre icons. Is there one that left you star struck and
gave you that “Holy shit, I’m actually talking to ________” moment?
AD:
John Waters without a doubt. He was very down to earth and easy
to deal with which made it all the better. As you can imagine he also has a
great sense of humor.
SOC: After last year’s con, everyone
had a great Gary Busey story to tell. What’s yours?
AD: You know, surprisingly I don’t. Though I did see the video online of the
guy who gave him one of those exotic fantasy knives as a gift and am surprised
that nobody was seriously injured that weekend. Gary looks a little too excited
to be wielding that thing.
(SOC note: Adolfo, you have no idea. I’m surprised I’m not dead. Remind me to tell you that story sometime.)
SOC: Some killer independent
horror productions either premiered or had their first Atlanta screening at
DOTD in 2012. What can we look forward to in terms of screenings this
time around?
AD: Our friend Luke Godfrey with Chambers of Horrors is going to be putting
together a "Best of Buried Alive Film Festival" and re-screen some
selections at DAYS OF THE DEAD for those that may have missed it the first time
around. We should have the official titles posted in a few days.
SOC: You’ve only been doing this a
little over a year, but you’ve promoted some very successful and well-received
shows. Do other shows/promoters still see DOTD as the new kid, or are you
a veteran by now?
AD: Truthfully speaking, most promoters in this business dont tend to speak
well of each other in any capacity, and given that DAYS OF THE DEAD is a
grassroots show birthed by fans without any ties to a magazine or major
corporate sponsor, Im sure we'll always be the new kid in one way or another.
Personally, I kinda like the idea of continuously having to prove myself with
everything we do and carrying a big chip on our shoulders - it's not unlike the
horror genre we love so much. As long as the fans continue to love DOTD, the
other shows and promoters can see us however they choose - most of them are
businessmen and not horror fans so it isnt something that weighs on us.
SOC:
Some say the horror genre is at a
low point, while others say these are good days to be a horror fan. From
your unique perspective as an organizer of horror events, what is your
assessment of the state of the horror genre in 2013?
AD: I think that horror hasn’t been as popular as it is now for quite some
time - look no further than the fact that Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D was at the
top of the box office (2 weeks ago) and that The Walking Dead is one of the
biggest things on TV in years as proof. That being said, I think we're also at
a point where you're seeing a lot of new blood coming into the horror scene on
account of its mainstream appeal. I have tons of friends and co-workers who
tell me all the time "You know, I was never a horror fan, but Ive been
watching The Walking Dead and American Horror Story and I think I kinda like
this stuff." I always love using that as an opportunity to turn them on
into things I feel better represent the genre and hope something sticks. If the
extent of what someone thinks horror is about starts and ends with The Walking
Dead, I definitely find that disappointing, but I also think it makes for a
great gateway for people new to the genre to explore its roots and dig deeper.
On an independent level, I think the horror genre is absolutely rocking. As
proof of that, I urge anyone to check out your excellent write up of The Best
Horror Flicks of 2012, where all except 1 or 2 would be classified as
independent releases. (By the way, I think you hit the nail on the head with
most of your choices)
SOC:
DOTD is the only event of its kind
in Atlanta, and since this is only the second year, there are still a lot of
people who will be coming to their first ever horror convention. What
advice would you give to the horror con virgins to help them get the most out
of the experience?
AD: I usually just tell people to show up, not plan to
sleep for the entire weekend, and seriously check any pretentiousness at the
door and just have fun and let your hair down. I think our shows are like one
of those movies where the least you know going in, the better. A lot of first
timers make the mistake of spending too much time planning like they’re going
on some frou-frou cruise. Just come join us, be yourself, and let loose among
your fellow horror family. Free that inner monster from its dungeon for a few
days.
SOC: Last year, I tried to warn
you that the Atlanta horror freaks are crazy. Be honest; in terms of how
wild the party gets, how does Atlanta stack up against the other DOTD cities?
AD: We actually talk about Atlanta all the time in terms
of it being the city with the greatest collection of freaks. Our parties in
Chicago and Indianapolis may have been bigger, but there was something twisted
about Atlanta that the other locations just don’t have. I can’t quite put my
finger on what it is, but you all are some wonderfully sick f**ks down there -
just our kind of people!
SOC: Do you have any
announcements that you’ve been holding off on that you can spill the beans
about here on SOC?
AD: As of right now, we've announced everyone that is
already set to be there but I will say that I wouldn’t be surprised if a few
more guests don’t turn up on the weekend of the show. We've been hearing
rumblings of a few other people just showing up to the party at the last minute
so I would keep my eyes peeled!
SOC: Any last words
for the Cellmates?
AD: We just look forward to seeing everyone there and
encourage everyone to spread the good word to all their friends. Don’t be that
person that stays home and then spends the next year kicking themselves in the
ass for not going. Come on out and have a great time with us!
