Monster-Mania Convention 2018 Hunt Valley Review
Wow, what a turnout for Monster-Mania Con 2018 (41) at Hunt Valley this year.
I’ve been going to MMC at Hunt Valley since 2012, and this year’s fan turnout was by far the biggest.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Monster Mania Con 2018 in Hunt Valley was a horror lover’s dream come true.
A stellar cast of actors and a costume contest weaved a tapestry of terror, elevating the convention to new heights of frightful fun.
The presence of horror royalty such as Cassandra Peterson (Elvira), Heather Langenkamp, Bonnie Aarons, Sid Haig, Robert Patrick, Glenn Jacobs (Kane), Lou Diamond Phillips, and Steve Dash created an atmosphere charged with the energy of icons.
Engaging with these legendary figures was a surreal experience, with each actor sharing their unique insights and stories from the world of horror.
The convention floor was a labyrinth of horror wonders, with vendors showcasing an array of spine-tingling treasures.
From Elvira-themed merchandise to Nightmare on Elm Street memorabilia, the offerings catered to every taste, and my collection of horror goodies expanded once again.
With their terrifying mazes and immersive experiences, the haunted attractions provided an adrenaline-fueled journey into the heart of darkness.
The actors’ commitment to their roles and the intricate design of the attractions left attendees gasping for breath, creating an unforgettable fusion of fear and exhilaration.
The Monster Movie Marathon paid homage to the rich history of horror cinema, featuring films associated with the attending actors.
From Elvira’s comedic horrors to Sid Haig’s cult classics, the screenings added excitement and nostalgia to the convention.
As the event reached its climax, the Costume Contest emerged as the crowning jewel—a macabre spectacle that showcased the creativity and passion of Monster Mania’s attendees.
From the sultry elegance of Elvira’s look-alikes to the nightmarish Freddy Krueger, the stage was transformed into a living canvas of horror.
Contestants paraded their meticulously crafted costumes to the delight of the cheering crowd. The judges, including some of the attending celebrities, had the challenge of selecting winners from the diverse and impressive array of entries.
The creativity on display was staggering, with each participant bringing their favorite horror characters to life with astounding detail and dedication.
The winners announced amidst thunderous applause, were rewarded with a treasure trove of horror-themed prizes, ranging from exclusive memorabilia to coveted meet-and-greet opportunities with the attending actors.
The Costume Contest added extra excitement to an already thrilling convention, leaving attendees with memories of a night when horror fans became the show’s stars.
Monster Mania Con 2018’s Costume Contest was the perfect finale for a weekend filled with horror delights.
Interestingly, the first few MMCs I’ve been to were way more laid back and less crowded than this year. I remember sitting comfortably during the Q&A segments, and nowadays, you’re lucky if you can get a seat.
I remember feeling bad for the actors during the Q&A because there were maybe 30 people attending.
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Monster Mania Convention 2018 (41) Hunt Valley
Eventually, a more prominent venue will be needed to accommodate the crowds at MMC Hunt Valley and, from what I can tell, also the MMC in New Jersey.
This is a good thing because it shows MMC’s growth. One new thing this year was scannable wristbands, and people at previous Cons had been using counterfeit wristbands.
I want to say “Thanks” to Dave Hagan, his family, and his crew each year for putting on such a great show at Hunt Valley and Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
“To make Michael Myers frightening, I had him walk like a man, not a monster.” – John Carpenter
MMC Stars
I go to MMC for two reasons.
- To meet and get a photo with my favorite horror movie stars.
- The Q & A with the stars.
Who was at MMC this Year?
>Cassandra Peterson – Elvira – Mistress of the Dark
>Robert Patrick – Terminator 2, Fire in the Sky,
>Kane/Glenn Jacobs – See No Evil Series, WWE Wrestler/ Mayor, Knox County, Tennessee
>Lita – WWE Wrestler & Total Babe
Mick Foley is a WWE wrestler and one hell of a nice guy!
>Lou Diamond Phillips – Young Guns, La Bamba, Route 666
>Eugene Clark – Land of the Dead
>Nancy Kyes – Halloween
>Ryan Hurst – Sons of Anarchy
>Steve Dash – Friday the 13th, Part 2
>Larry Zerner – Shelley, Friday the 13th, Part 3
>Jonathan Breck – Jeepers Creepers
>Thom Matthews – Return of the Living Dead, Friday the 13th, Part 6
>Toy Newkirk – Nightmare on Elm Street Part 4
>Key Huy Quan – The Goonies, Indiana Jones Temple of Doom
>Bonnie Aarons – Conjuring 2, The Nun
>Kane Hodder – Friday the 13th Parts 7-10
>Sid Haig – Legendary Actor and the star of House of 1000 Corpses, Devil’s Rejects, and many more classics! House of 1000 Corpses would have flopped if it wasn’t for Sid’s Captain Spaulding character.
>Bill Mosely – Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, House of 1000 Corpses, Devil’s Rejects, and Yale Graduate.
>George P Wilbur – Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers
>Ray Wise – Twin Peaks, Jeepers Creepers 2
>Vinny Appice – Drummer for Black Sabbath
>Jackson Robert Scott – Georgie, IT 2017
>Robert Englund – Freddy, Nightmare on Elm Street Series
>Heather Langenkamp – Nancy, Nightmare on Elm Street Series
I would love to get a photo and autograph with every Star at Monster Mania; however, since I am a “frugal spender,” I must limit them to three or four.
Lou Diamond Phillips
I was lucky to meet one of my long-time favorite actors – Lou Diamond Phillips. I remember when La Bamba came out back in the day, and the one scene where Richie Valens had to retake the song, Come on, Let’s Go, at least a hundred times always stuck in my head.
Young Guns 1 and 2 is one of my all-time favorite films, and LDP, in my opinion, was my favorite actor in the movie. LDP is a super cool guy, which I already knew, and it was an honor to meet him and get a pic of him with my family and me.
Cassandra Peterson/ Elvira
Cassandra Peterson/ Elvira was my priority for a photo. First, she is still hot, and second, I would have quickly paid $100 to get a picture with her if she were in costume as Elvira.
Speaking of paying up for in-costume photo ops, if Bonnie Aarons, who played the Evil Nun character in The Conjuring 2 and The Nun Movie, had been in a costume, I would have paid $100 for a pic with her as well.
I’ve been a fan of Elvira’s since the best decade ever, the 1980s. I recall one episode of the Fall Guy TV show where she was a special guest star. That episode was remarkable because it aired on Halloween night, 1984 after I returned from Trick-r-Treating.
Cassandra has an interesting backstory for how she created the Elvira character. She states that Elvira is a hybrid of Morticia from The Adams Family and a Valley Girl, you know, totally, fer sure, man.
Cassandra was as lovely and sweet as they came, and it was a pleasure meeting her and getting a photo with her. A special mention to her assistant, who did an excellent job handling all the raving fans!
Kane/ Glenn Jacobs
First, I’ve been a wrestling fan since the early 80s, thanks to my Dad, who got me into watching it. So it was my pleasure to meet Kane – The Big Red Machine. Kane is the kayfabe half-brother of wrestling Icon The Undertaker in the WWE Universe, for those who don’t know.
It was a stroke of brilliance that whoever came up with the “Kane idea,” as Glenn Jacobs at the time, was underutilized in the WWE.
I’ve been a massive fan of the Kane character since he debuted in 1997, and if I may add, I liked the Kane character best when he was unmasked with the whited-out eye and buzzed haircut. I also enjoyed Corporate Kane, as well. Also, Kane did two horror movies, See No Evil 1 & 2.
Glenn Jacobs, the real man behind the mask, is the current mayor of Knox County, Tennessee.
Let me tell you, Kane is a beast of a man. He is at least 6’7” – 6’-8” max and has been hitting the gym hard. Yes, Kane was super cool when I met him. He was happy to oblige my request for a ‘Chokeslam’ through his autograph table after we had our photo op.
Glenn is also very passionate about this country and wants to do something about it by becoming a Mayor. I do see a future as Governor for you, Mr. Jacobs!
Mick Foley was also at MMC on Friday night only but had to leave to attend wrestling legend – Vader’s funeral. I would have gotten a photo with Mick had he been there Saturday. WWE wrestler Lita was also there, but I didn’t see her at the table when I went into the room where she was set up.
Back in the day, Lita used to wear a thong pulled up high with her pants lowered below them on WWE. Man, that was a hot look. 🙂
Why Are Wrestlers at MMC?
Some of my Facebook Friends asked why wrestlers are at MMC. Well, many of us like them and enjoy meeting them. Nature Boy Ric Flair was at MMC Hunt Valley a couple of years ago. I didn’t get a picture with him because I already had one.
In the mid-’90s, he signed autographs at The Baltimore Arena when WCW was in town, and I was the last to get his signature. He was super cool and laid-back. I also got a picture with him while we were both doing his famous WHOOOOOO!!!!!!.
Good Times.
I’m a Long-Time Wrestling Fan
As I mentioned before, I have been a wrestling fan since around 1982, and I went to my first WWE (WWF back then) wrestling match in 1985 at the Civic Center in Baltimore. There were many undercard matches that night, but the main event was Bob Backlund vs. Jesse “The Body” Ventura.
I remember being there because we had floor seats about ten rows back from the ring. Backlund was a very “vanilla” wrestler, while Jesse was bold and colorful. It took Jesse about 5 minutes to remove all ten of his clip-on earrings. This drove the fans mad, but I loved it.
WWF House Shows the Mid-90s
I also went to several house matches for WWE in the mid-’90s, which were a lot of fun, and the most memorable match was Shawn Michaels vs. Hunter Hearst Helmsley (this was pre-Triple H – HHH).
Even though house shows aren’t filmed, Shawn Michaels was entertaining. Shawn Michaels would lay on the ropes while waiting for Triple H to return to the ring.
Then Shawn would put his arm around the referee and count with him as he counted out Triple H outside the ring. After the match, Shawn Michaels invited about ten kids from the crowd into the squared circle, and they all did muscle poses with Shawn.
I became a fan of Shawn Michael’s after that incredible display.
I was a weekly watcher of WWE during their infamous and probably their best run during the Attitude Era. I watched WCW Monday Nitro right around Scott Hall, and Kevin Nash left WWF for WCW.
They were known as the Outsiders, and fans believed the WWF was still employed while crashing WCW.
Monday Night Wrestling Wars
I would flip channels between WCW’s Monday Nitro and WWF’s Monday Night Raw on Monday nights.
This was wrestling gold at the time because you had two competing businesses vying for the #1 rating spot. Each program would try to “one-up” the other by pushing the limits of what was once the boundaries of professional wrestling.
One of the best live wrestling events I ever attended was WCW Monday Nitro in 1998 at the Baltimore Arena.
A friend of mine wrestled locally and told me that the WCW wrestlers would be at the hotel bar down by BWI airport afterward. He asked me if I wanted to go, and of course, I said sure. Who was hanging at the bar that night?
Every famous wrestler from WCW was at the hotel bar except:
- Scott Steiner
- Buff Bagwell
- Ric Flair
- Randy Savage
- Brett Hart
- Booker T
- Stevie Ray
Getting Autographs
While at the bar, I got autographs from Lex Luger and Sting, who were hanging out together and were both very cordial to me, which I thank them for. Sting and Luger stood side by side while talking to a lady and signing autographs for fans.
Sting and Luger were about the same height and size. Luger was somewhat taller and more prominent but not drastically bigger than Sting. As I mentioned before, they were both super cool to me and the rest of their fans.
Chavo Guerrero Jr. (Cheat to Win!) was superb, and I also got an autograph from a newbie at the time, Bill Goldberg. Goldberg walked into the bar and was instantly hounded by autograph seekers; he took it all in stride and kept his composure the whole time.
He signed autographs beginning at the entrance to the bar, and while walking towards the bar, he was signing autographs.
Hanging out with Wrestling Stars
It was surreal hanging out in a bar with legendary wrestlers and fans. I’ll tell you who was cool: Fit Finley and Chris Jericho. They were as pleasant, genuine, and fan-friendly as they came.
Later that night, I witnessed Arn Anderson chewing out an annoying autograph seeker; watching it was painful, so I took my attention elsewhere. I recall seeing Dean Malenko and Chris Benoit keeping to themselves at the Bar while sipping cold brews.
I remember watching Hollywood Hulk Hogan and The Big Show that night, eating a steak at the bar. The Big Show cut and fed a piece of his steak to Hogan.
In the back corner were a lot of N.W.O. Members. One of my favorite wrestlers, Scott Hall, was back there, and many more. I walked right past Kevin Nash, and I remember seeing one of my all-time favorites, Ravishing Rick Rude, who was hanging with Mr. Perfect Curt Hennig, and both of them were a hell of a lot bigger than I thought they were.
Also, I saw Raven, “Mean Gene” Okerlund with Miss Elizabeth, and Juventud Guerrera making out with a lovely senorita in the corner. It was an incredible night, indeed.
Whom would I like to see at the next Monster Mania Hunt Valley?
Growing up as a horror fan of the ’80s, below are some actors I would love to meet someday (Sadly, after researching, a lot of my favorite horror actors have passed away):
- Danny Trejo
- Pam Grier
- Paul Ehlers
- Amelia Kinkade
- Wesley Snipes
- Kristy Swanson
- Jamie Lee Curtis
- Michael Berryman
- Warwick Davis
- Jill Terashita
- Linda Blair
Conclusion
As I left with autographs, photos, and the echoes of chilling laughter, I couldn’t help but marvel at the event’s ability to celebrate the spirit of horror fandom.
As attendees left the convention with autographs, photos, and the echoes of chilling laughter, the spirit of Monster Mania 2018 lingered—a testament to its ability to celebrate the spirit of horror fandom.
The convention provided thrills and entertainment and fostered a sense of community among fans who share a profound love for the macabre.
Here’s to the resounding success of Monster Mania 2018 and the nightmares that will continue to unfold in the years to come.
May the convention remain a beacon in the darkness for horror enthusiasts, offering a space where the love for the macabre is celebrated and embraced with open arms. ???
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