Maybe I should thank them. Being fleeced by J.R. and Connie Mason probably curbed my spending among the miles of dealer tables. I lingered over of NECA's prototypes for upcoming Cult Classics figures -- featuring Dawn of the Dead's Flyboy and Bubba Ho-Tep himself! They say we can expect Bruce Campbell as Elvis in the next wave! Forgot to ask if the elder "E" will come with a walker -- or whether he'll be paired with Ossie Davis as JFK. In stores now are The Tall Man and a fresh Leatherface.

It was also cool to see how Anchor Bay packages some of its foreign DVD releases. Phantasm in a silver sphere of death. Hellraiser in a jumbo puzzle box. Probably did my biggest double-take at the Krypt Kiddies booth, though. So that's how John Wayne Gacy looked as a baby!?!

As I ranted before, with the dealer rooms effectively on lock down all Saturday afternoon, it was actually pretty easy for the leering press to speedily survey the available goodies. On previous trips -- 2001, 2002, 2003 -- I'd exhausted every moment of the 3-day convention. But I'd had it after almost six hours of the unorganized endurance challenge Chiller's become. Not even their legendary costume contest could keep me from beating feet outta there.

For fans' sake, let's hope Chiller returns as the world's premiere horror convention -- and not just a horror.