Another Chiller Theatre has come and gone, and not without some interesting developments. Many of the fine users at MarkedOut.com passed on Chiller this time around, due to the perceived weakness of the guest list, especially relative to other recent cons. I too felt this way, and had only 3 guests I needed to meet - Ann Margret, Patrick Stewart, and Joan Severance. To my surprise, this was one of the more crowded Chiller shows in recent memory.

I arrived on Sunday, the “light” day where there are no lines. Color me shocked when there was a huge line out the door just to get in, and huge lines for several guests. Davy Jones, Ann Margret, Patrick Stewart, Richard Dreyfuss, and Linda Blair had pretty substantial lines throughout the entire day. I asked one of my vendor friends how the crowds were on Friday and Saturday, and she told me they were “insane.” I guess some markets are recession-proof. On to the show…

I first stopped at Patrick Stewart, and got him to autograph my Star Trek ships poster. I then went back around and waited another 15 minutes in his photo op line, which was run very smoothly by Froggy’s. Mr. Stewart was very friendly, contrary to many things I’ve heard.

Me with Patrick Stewart

Next, I went over to Ann Margret, whose line moved very, very slowly. This was mainly because she was extremely talkative. Her prices and demands were rather absurd, though. No video or photography was allowed in her separate room, at all. Furthermore, every item had to be personalized. Even with such rules, she charged $40 to sign an 8x10, $55 to sign memorabilia, and $60 to sign a poster. Since I really needed her on a particular poster, I paid the $60, though not without a bit of hostility.

Finally, I had Joan Severance sign my No Holds Barred Poster. Joan was very friendly, and seemed to be enjoying herself at the show. She was very interested in my poster, asking me how I met the various other people I had sign it.

Me and Joan Severance

While my stay at Chiller was brief yet expensive, I did accomplish what I intended (minus a photo with Ann Margret).