Zombie Rob: Liverpool DeadCon 2014

Zombie Rob October 11th 2014.
Liverpool’s LivingDead Con

8.23am

I’m sitting yards away from from Envi Nightclub, a barn of a venue & site of the first Living Dead Convention. Myself and the other disparate band of brothers of The Slaughtered Bird (The BlueTook, FolkLore Art, Dammaged Comics Dave McCluskey and FolkLore’s wonderful daughter Taylor & myself) are convening to attend as stall-holders. I’m the first to arrive in the metropolis, realising that I’ve only ever been in Liverpool at this unfeasibly early hour on the arse-end of a savage night out. It’s quite the novelty to be here sober, smelling fragrantly and not having blood/someone else’s vomit/curry sauce down my front. The city is yet to blink fully into life and, aside from a couple of dourly unenthusiastic retail workers and one spectacularly pissed man, I can’t help but feel like Cillian Murphy in 28 Days Later: all bemused by the silence and knowing NOT what to expect of the day. The BlueTook & I have never been to a convention of any kind so it’s with a wide-eyed naivety that we’ll hurtle, pell-mell, into the day.

I shall continue to scrawl happenings, thoughts & musings throughout, it’ll be like you’re all with us. In the meantime though - BREAKFAST.

The venue is all but set up & ready to receive now. David Prowse & Barbie Wilde are already in attendance and The LivingDeadCon is cocked & loaded to welcome our adoring victims, sorry, public. Ourselves and the other traders make a curious collective but each one we have met all have something to offer & fascinate. We’re all here for a specific reason in pushing whatever product we have BUT the one thing that is most prevalent, the thing that binds us all together: we absolutely, positively fuckin’ LOVE LOVE LOVE horror shit. I don’t think I’ve been this surrounded by so many like minds and it’s strangely comforting. There’s nothing I can say today that will draw odd looks or disapproving glances. For instance, there’s two punters just arrived in FULL zombie cos - not only have they obviously spent hours getting ready to achieve the true look & demeanour of the living dead but they’re totally in character as well. I love them both already but can’t help but think: what if they have come on the train? They’d have caused near-hysteria and sent the Liverpool survivalists screaming to their gun cabinets and tinned-food filled bunkers (sheds). In DeadCon however, these wonderful patrons are celebrated , revered and more importantly, they’re not only allowed to be but they’re encouraged. I grant you, this could be considered to be more their world than mine but I like it here.

People are really arriving now, to talk to us and ask us questions and discuss their favourites - I’m vibrating with excitement. Hang on….

Now I know that that they’re purely fictional characters and they simply don’t exist but Freddy Krueger & Jason Vorhees have just walked in: fully scarred, fully tooled up and here now in real life. Gotta go, I’m trying my hardest not to cry, more later…..

It’s about 12.30ish now and it’s been a whirlwind meeting all these tremendous people who love horror and just talking about horror in all it’s forms. We’ve met the more unitiated seeking advice about which films to watch, we’ve met people actually involved in films and comic books & literature and I can’t think of anything I’d rather be doing. AND - the bar’s open and TheBlueTook and I have gently taken to the drink, animatedly discussing that Freddy & Jason arrived together and seem, for today at least, to finally have patched up their differences - which is sweet. However, we’d still quite like it if Jason Versus Freddy kicked off again LIVE. As we stand & sup, it gives us a moment to survey the room. There’s a shirtless fella wandering about in a leather trench coat and gimp mask (like a naughtier Eric Harris - think of that!), there’s the previously mentioned full-tilt zombies, we spot 2 kids with horrific facial injuries (I might call ChildLine), there’s an evil clown who I think is going out with the lass that fell out the telly in Ringu, 2 female Dexters and so on & on. We’re spellbound by these sights but also oddly reassured because in here, it all seems very normal. I like a world where these people can go about their troubling business without hindrance or derision.

The BlueTook and I strike out and make a bee-line for the very zenith of the Cenobites and spend some time with the magnificent Barbie Wilde & Nicholas Vince. While I’ve no doubt they could tear my soul apart in a heartbeat, they’re both so bewitchingly gracious, funny and verbose all thoughts of hell & tearing hooks are quickly banished. They don’t hesitate to enthrall and delight with anecdotes of creating the HellRaiser world and working with the almost mythical Clive Barker. There isn’t a question that TheBlueTook & I bombard them with that they don’t answer with unbridled enthusiasm. We can’t monopolise their time any further (however much we’d love to) so we invite them both to our’s for Christmas dinner and reluctantly express our gratitude with gushing & heartfelt hyperbole before moving on to Darth Fucking Vader himself. David Prowse still strikes an imposing figure and I won’t lie when I say we’re both a little nervous until Mr Prowse reaches across the table with a hand the size of a thick-sliced loaf and cordially invites us in for a photo & a natter. Never a warmer & naturally friendly celebrity have I met, and let’s face, Darth Vader is a pretty big name to meet. His wonderful West Country tones belie his place in cinema and he seemed completely unfazed by the impact he, and his cohorts, had on probably everyone in the place. A gentleman, in every sense of the world.

A screen suddenly drops from the ceiling and the first ominous chords of “Before Dawn” strike up. I’ve seen the film but I’m still mesmerised. Directed by and starring Emmerdale’s own Dominic Brunt, “Before Dawn” is a truly exemplary zombie film, so couched in reality it’s like we’re watching the genesis of the zombie apocalypse live. If you haven’t seen it, you must and I’ll envy you every second of your first watching. It’s difficult to think it was made on a shoestring budget as it’s so utterly convincing in it’s brutal portrayal of ordinary folk colliding head-on with the resurrection of the recently dead. Half an hour in we’re joined by the man himself, Dominic Brunt, and he pauses awhile with us to watch & discuss his film. Once again, there’s not a question he won’t answer, detailing some of the difficulties faced by the indie film producer when shooting with no money and 14 days available. It’s a fascinating insight into the other side of the camera, and also gives us a breakdown of his new Film, The Taking. It’s about a brutal & sociopathic loanshark, and his impact on the world of two marketstall holders. It’s premiering at the Leeds International Film Festival and I for one, can’t bloody wait to see it. Once again, Dominic is just a great fella, with a genuine love for horror, and more specifically, zombie films but he obviously also feels a great affinity with us as fanboys - he’s a fanboy himself. With The Taking though, he seems to be interested in the horror that we as a species bring on ourselves. I’ve no doubt there will be a review coming soon to The Slaughtered Bird.

The afternoon is winding down now, and as we pack away we all vociferously agree: it’s been a GOOD day. We shall retire to one of Liverpool’s inns & taverns for the inevitable post-match analysis and general carousing.

Thank you for joining us through our day….

Review by- Zombie Rob
@bate_bobbiebobb
@SlaughteredBird