Review: Flashback Weekend’s Twilight Convention (February 6 – 8, 2009). By Brian Kirst
Flashback Weekend scored a glittery hit with their Twilight Convention at the Wyndham O’Hare this past weekend. Local horror legends Chad Savage and Kitty Zombie converged with moms, teens and long skirted crystal wearing vampire lovers to create a unique weekend in the horror canon.
After a whirlwind weekend of costume balls and fang hungry discussions, things slowed to a crawl on Sunday, although interesting vendors and participants dutifully remained. You could buy Twilight plated soaps from a friendly creator from Pennsylvania – Her Edward creation held gold flecks and a pleasant air and there was even a wittily (wooly smelling) Dog creation (assembled after one of the book and film’s furrier plot points). Savage sold his gorgeous and pointedly bloody (femme inspired) creations across the way from a woman selling blood speckled necklaces inscribed with the word ‘bitten’.
For the final celebrity panels, the questioners were a bit younger and gigglier than regular convention haunters – but their enthusiastic comments and wonder filled musings weren’t that different from those one would hear from a George Romero lover or a Tony Todd enthusiast.
Ashley Greene (Alice Cullen) regaled fans with her memories of her funniest onset moment (Rob Pattinson’s -Edward Cullen – incredible difficulty walking on wires) and the revelation that she turned 21 while filming (“Kellan Lutz – Emmett Cullen – got me a new digital camera.”) She also stressed that the rigors of filming have little to do with glamour. She faced intense cold for much of the filming and endured intensive pitching lessons for the film’s baseball scene. “I was running from wardrobe tests to pitching lessons constantly at the start of production,” she related. Her sore shoulders paid off, though, as many viewers have noted her authentic technique. Greene, who claims that just like Alice she is extremely devoted to her family, also stressed the difficulties involved in getting a show business career off the ground and acknowledged how lucky she has been. While many performers seem to merely pay lip service to this very true notion, Greene came off as incredibly convincing in her statements. (A very important notion, considering the eager star struck fans in the audience.)
Justin Chon (Eric) was a bundle of jocular energy for his last chat – even surprising fans by singing a bit of a Jason Mraz-like melody. Chon also expressed how important his friends and family were to him (“I’ve got one of them up in my hotel room waiting for me!”) and described some hilarious fan encounters (“It’s like they have to walk past me four times before they even can approach me!), as well. Unlike Greene, Chon admits to knowing nothing about the script for the second film, but he did describe a bit of improvisation that ended up in the first film. “I slapped Mike on his butt when urging him to go after Kristen. He wasn’t expecting it – but that was the take they used,” he laughed. Chon also embarrassingly noted his first film – the fun horror frolic Hack. “You saw that?” he surprisingly enquired of the one fan who shouted out his supreme approval.
Supreme approval is ultimately what Mia and the Flashback Weekend crew should get for organizing another spectacular festival. This Twilight appreciation, while not every horror lover’s cup of tea, definitely proves that the fright community is diverse and that there is truly room for everyone on it’s vast (and hungry) playing field.
