Wrapping up our first FOF

Well, it was a hell of a weekend. We beat standing for hours on the concrete floors and didn't once reach for the back pills! The three days flew by thanks to the parade of fine, funky folk strutting their stuff as they stalked the aisles searching for their fetish trophy.

Reception was awesome for our new DVD, still-smoking-from-the-duplicator [that would be the 'AAAAAH!! Indie Horror Hits, Volume 1' DVD for the chronically inattentive]. Seems lots of people want to know more about the great indie short horror films that slip under their radar and disappear beyond the horizon. Thanks to everyone who bought a copy as we made our convention debut.

The brand new discs will be available in September through our web site & shortly from other fine retailers.

You know, you don't get through one of these conventions without a helping hand from many folks. If you'll indulge me I'd like to thank some unsung folks for their kindness, good humour, encouragement, and generosity. They include my stalwart boothmates, Marc Lougee and Jill Cooper, who kept the cool banter & hot coffee flowing. There are my immediate neighbours, Alexia Anastasio (Salome) [pictured] & Kevin Sean Michaels (Vampira the Movie) who couldn't have been sweeter or funnier respectively. I hope the cheetah found a place to stay.

Thanks also to the carnivorous folks from The Butcher Shop across the aisle who must have heard our growling stomachs over the din and crossed the aisle to share a box of Tim Bits on two separate occasions. Good on ya, mates! The Rue Morgue & convention staff were super cordial and helpful, especially Lisa Russell at Showtech.

Louis at Merch Guy pulled our chestnuts out of the fire and delivered some wicked looking Cryptwear shirts. Thanks for the technical assist and perseverance. That's the artwork for the back of the work shirt that I'm wearing in the photos. We're debating whether to offer the shirts for sale on-line or keep them as a personal appearance exclusive for conventions and festivals. Whatcha think? Let us know via e-mail.

Then there's Paula Watters at The Source Shop for busting her hump sourcing [get it?] our swag items for us. The Crypt Club key chains are on their way to becoming coveted collectors items for discerning drivers & key keepers.

Thea, Adam, and Rory from the Toronto Zombie Walk offered us some brains [don't you go there] and handed out fliers for us as they ambled about sizing up people's cranial capacity. March on you crazy, hungry, undead-type people.

And I'd really be in the dog house if I didn't mention my childhood friends Daryl & Derek Pullen, who dropped by to say "Hi" and stayed to anchor our load out from the bowels of the convention centre. Thanks a million.

One of the weekend's more pleasant moments was a visit from Kevin Greutert, who's back in Toronto working on the mix for SAW 5. He's edited all of the SAW films and his short film, 'Old Friends' is on our new DVD. It's the film he showed the producers of the SAW films to land the directing job on SAW 6 next year. Guess he's just checking up on how the new disc is doing. I'd better not piss him off or I'll end up on the cutting room floor - literally.

All in all, the FOF was a great debut for AAAAAH!! Indie Horror Hits, Volume 1. We'll be back at the FOF next year, so watch for volume two by then...

AAAAAH!! Indie Horror Hits store