Rock n Roll Meets Horror with the First Catastrophicon
The villain in a horror movie is much like the frontman, or frontwoman, of a legendary rock band – both are larger than life, and both elicit screams.
For David Hoffman, the creator of Catastrophicon, an event that combines the fandoms of horror films, and rock music, he sees a common personality trait that draws a straight line from Mick Jagger to Jason Voorhees, “Rock stars are bad boys, and so are horror movie villains.”
Hoffman continued, “It’s about the attitude … You’re not looking for perfection, you’re looking for imagination, and aggression, style.”
Then there’s the case of Ari Lehman, the horror movie villain who’s an actual rock star.
Lehman was the first person to play the role Jason in Friday the 13th – he was the boy who came up from the lake at the end of the first movie – and Lehman’s band, aptly named First Jason, will be headlining the initial Catastrophicon on July 15th at Reid Castle on the campus of Manhattanville College in Purchase, NY.
While this will be the first Catastrophicon – featuring celebrity appearances, including a Warriors reunion, as well as autograph sessions, vendors, and a concert – rock n roll and horror have a plethora of shared qualities that have made them perfect bedfellows for quite some time.
The Rebel Yells Of Rock & Horror
Of all the qualities rock and horror share, Lehman says, “On the most basic level it’s that rebel spirit. It’s that rebel spirit in music, and it’s that rebel spirit in the film industry, when we’re just ready to go, and break down the walls, go outside the box, do things that are not so mainstream. That’s how rock n roll was born, and, if you will, that’s how horror was born.”
Steve Barton, aka “Uncle Creepy” (co-founder of Dread Central, producer of Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy, executive producer of Terrifier 2), seconds this, adding, “They both thrive on evoking strong emotions, and pushing boundaries.”
The acts of pushing boundaries, and having a rebel spirit both involve something else Lehman sees in both art forms – the courage to take risks.
“The best rock stars, the best rock artists you know, have had albums which you love, and albums which you don’t love so much. Why? Because they’re willing to take those risks. A horror director is always willing to take those risks.”
Hoffman notes there are also interesting linguistic, and visual connections between the two art forms. “What do we call a guitar?” he asks, “It’s an axe, so immediately I think of Jack Torrence announcing himself ‘Here’s Johnny’ like he’s about to take the stage.”
He continued, adding, “Look at the end of the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, with Leatherface in the street swinging the chainsaw around. You could easily picture that being a guitar.”
Barton sees all of these qualities as the reasons why both rock and horror have developed their own subcultures, and similarly passionate fan bases, noting, “They often attract individuals who appreciate alternative forms of expression, and who find solace, or empowerment in embracing the darker aspects of art and culture.”
Lehman combines rock and horror with First Jason, whose first album, Jason Is Watching! came out in 2009. The band’s growing popularity has made them true road warriors, playing close to 200 shows per year over the past two years.
Catastrophicon is a perfect fit for First Jason, although the original inspiration for the event came from the most unexpected of places – Disneyland.
Living On The Edge
When one thinks of Disneyland, the only terrors that come to mind are long lines, and high prices, but it was while chaperoning his son’s middle school rock band on a trip there in the spring of 2022 that Hoffman had the initial brainstorm for Catastrophicon.
“I approached the whole (trip) from the point of view of being a Dad,” he says, “not too interested, just there to help my kid have a great time. That all changed when we got to Galaxy’s Edge. After waiting on line for 90 minutes, suddenly I found myself standing inside the main part of the Millennium Falcon. It was overwhelming, just a purely exciting experience. At that moment, I sort of got it. I had been sort of aloof to the idea of superfandom until that moment when I felt the exhilaration of experiencing this thing with all my senses.”
Hoffman, who’d run events before, including the Hudson Valley Music Summit in 2019, and the Music Video Film Festival in Chappaqua in 2020, began thinking of all things anti-Disney. “I started about thinking about something that was maybe instead of for people who were kids at heart, it was for people who were older, rebellious teenagers at heart. Disney represents the establishment. I wanted something for the indie world. I was attracted to the DIY ethos of both horror, and rock n roll.”
Rock N Roll Dreams
While Disneyland was an unexpected inspiration for Catastrophicon, Hoffman’s love of rock music was a more obvious one. His first arena concert was Zakk Wylde’s first tour with Ozzy Osbourne back in 1988.
His appreciation for Wylde would continue to grow over the years. “I read his book, and he is my muse for this project, because in addition to being a fantastic guitarist, he really knows how to put on a show.”
Hoffman adds that when it comes to Black Sabbath, and Ozzy, he feels, “Nobody brings together horror and rock n roll better than they do. They just do it perfectly. There are other great bands that have a great approach, but they all owe a lot to that original line up.”
Lehman brings up two more icons that fit that mold, saying, “You’ve got Rob Zombie, and Alice Cooper, who are on tour right now, so this is a current thing we’re talking about. Their reimagining of horror rock on the grand scale, I think is absolutely mainstream now, and people love this concept of a rock show.”
Erika Anderson (A Nightmare on Elm Street 5, Twin Peaks), seconds this, saying, “Rob Zombie is a terrific example,” adding that in addition to his music, and live shows, “He makes great horror films that echo his music, and blend seamlessly with the worlds that he creates with his sound.”
Anderson also notes that the list of bands that have at least a visual connection with horror is far ranging, saying, “If you look at the image that certain rock stars project – bands like Insane Clown Posse, GWAR, Twisted Sister, Ozzy, The Misfits, The Cramps, even Mötley Crüe, you can see the influence of a horror film aesthetic.”
Lehman adds that current bands like Ice Nine Kills, and Black Veil Brides, have carved out their own places, creating a new version of this scene.
Grateful For The Dead
In addition to Ozzy and company, Hoffman found inspiration for Catastrophicon from Dead & Company, although in a radically different way.
He says while he was attending a Dead & Company show back in 2016, “I had a realization that at any moment all any of these people were doing was playing the next note, and then the next one, and I suddenly understood that that was all I had to do … That had to do with much more than just making music, it was a guideline for life. Play the next note, take the next step, and then see what’s next.”
He also felt an underlying Jason Voorhees element to the proceedings, noting that with both a Dead & Company show, and a Friday the 13th movie, “You’re waiting for those transcendent moments,” adding that those moments are, “An experience that you’re willing to be patient for because they’re like no other.”
Horror Villains As Rock Stars
Dead & Company leading Hoffman to think of Jason Voorhees is another example of the continuity to between rock n roll, and horror, and Voorhees is inarguably one of the biggest rock stars of the horror genre.
Barton points to Voorhees, along with Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers, and Leatherface as the four biggest rock stars of horror, saying, “They have become cultural icons, and have left a significant impact on the horror genre, making them the biggest rock stars among horror movie villains.”
He adds that all four have a memorable visual aspect, and in the case of Freddy, a charismatic personality.
Much like the lead singer of a rock band, charisma is a trait a number of horror villains posses.
Thomas G. Waites (The Thing, The Warriors, and the band The Thomas G Waites Project, which will play at Catastrophicon) points to the legendary villain Hannibal Lecter as a prime example, saying, “He’s just so charming, which goes against his cannibalism, and savage behavior.”
Going back even further, Lehman feels the Phantom of Phantom of the Opera, could fit this mold, saying, “He’s like the Svengali. You really have that Svengali story in horror from jump.”
For Anderson, it was the charisma of another classic character, Count Dracula, that hooked her. “I remember seeing Christopher Lee playing Dracula, and being completely struck by the way he inhabited that character. He was elegant, scary, and lithe, and it always stayed with me.”
It’s All About The Fans
Discussions of favorite villains is standard for fans attending events like Catastrophicon, as Lehman notes, “People just love a monster.” Barton, however, says that those walking the aisles, and attending the panels, aren’t the only ones having those conversations. “At the end of the day, most of the talent? We are fans, too.”
Lehman is constantly floored by the love shown to his legendary character, saying “I never take it for granted how much the fans of Friday the 13th have really taken to this character, Jason Voorhees, and made him a mythological figure in their imagination,” adding, “It’s a very surreal kind of role. People’s love of Jason Voorhees is so wonderful, and so dedicated, and they’re so loyal to this character. It’s like when I jumped out of the lake at the end of the movie, which is a scene that was not in the initial script, that’s when people forgot the whole movie is about mom, and Alice, and all the counselors.”
Just as Jason grew from being the boy in the lake to a murderous masked man, many local conventions that started small have grown into massive undertakings. Terrificon has grown from being in a hotel in Trumbull, CT, to being at Mohegan Sun, and CT HorrorFest has grown from being at a moderately sized venue in Naugatuck to the XL Center in Hartford. Hoffman feels this makes it the perfect time to launch Catastrophicon, as he sees an opening for something a bit more indie.
When Cons become huge, he explains, “They become a bit calcified. It’s not a bad thing, it just means they’ve got their thing together, they’ve got a critical mass of fans who know what that want, but that also leaves (out) a lot of fans who are looking for something new, or just looking to discover something they haven’t seen before.”
With Catastrophicon, he says, “This gives up and coming artists, or actors, a chance to connect with a new audience where they can get a bit more of the spotlight than they might at the larger events. It’s part of the ecosystem.”
Post-Catastrophicon
After First Jason closes out the initial Catastrophicon the band will continue to hit the road for a litany of shows, including a major festival date in October on – of course – Friday the 13th. This is when Lehman and crew will perform at Devil’s Fork Metal Fest in North Carolina at a haunted attraction.
Hoffman, meanwhile, is already coming up with ideas for the second Catastrophicon. He has hopes of the event growing from year one to year two, but says it will continue to be for those in both horror, and rock n roll, who “never wait for permission from gatekeepers.”
Ari Lehman, Steve Barton, Erika Anderson, and Thomas G. Waites, will all be featured guests at Catastrophicon. For more info, including where to purchase tickets, check out catastrophicon.com.
Also, if you attend, and mention this article to Ari, he’ll give you a free gift!
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