Each year the Zombie Walk (and pub crawl) gets a little bit bigger and a lot creepier. The walk started off as a just that – a walk. This year there was more of a concentrated effort to make sure that the event would make a lasting impression on participants (both voluntary and involuntary). I was particularly impressed with the arrival of John Peckham from Ride in Peace (Funeral & Formal Auto Society). He brought with him a small fleet of shiny black hearses, complete with couch-coffins. John’s addition to the event brought the entire show up to an entirely different caliber.
Another stellar contribution to the walk was Gregory Lamberson from Buffalo Screams Horror Festival (bet you didn’t know there was one). He, along with Tim Hartnett and Christan Malmin, managed to acquire a professional looking trophy for each of the zombie contestant winners – there must have been upwards of 50 categories this year. Judging the contest must have been a real chore considering the amount of talent roaming Elmwood Avenue. From bikini-clad crypt-keepers to terrifying toddlers, the street was crawling with some wacked-out creepsters having the time of their former lives.
I don’t know what it is about Buffalo in years of late, that has driven the horror buffs to a frenzy. It seems that more and more we’re seeing twisted people creating ghastly movies, events and art – every time I turned around at the zombie walk someone was handing me a card or a movie or attempting to paint my face with ‘blood’. Take Jim Breidenstein (Born to Die) for example – creator of the Buffalo Monster Fest being held July 30th at D’Arcy McGee’s.
The film fest will bring horror producers, directors, authors, celebrities, actors, bands and fans together to witness the chills and thrills of regionally-produced horror films, videos and shorts. Word of the Monster Fest has been buzzing on the streets for some time – I was happy to see that the date and the coordinates had been solidified.
These days you don’t have to wait for the zombie walk to get your creep on. You can attend regionally-produced movies, catch weekly b-movie film showings on the West Side, find horrific plays… or you can take part in the madness by hooking up with any one of the aforementioned people and their insane antics.
