Tattoo & Horror Festival Attracts Biggest Names in the Business

The 7th Annual Full Moon Tattoo & Horror Festival in Nashville on Easter weekend will feature an early opportunity for horror fans to see the newest George A. Romero zombiefest Diary of the Dead. The festival features the best in horror actors and the best tattoo artists in the region.

About this time last year, I was at the Egyptian Campaign, a gaming convention on the campus of Southern Illinois Unviersity when one of the vendors mentioned that Tom Savini was going to be at the 6^th Annual Lone Wolf Tattoo and Horror Festival in Nashville later in the spring.

I know the name Tom Savini because my husband is a huge horror movie fan and Tom Savini is a master of makeup effects in dozens of movies, including the original Dawn of the Dead. You may know him from that or from one of his many acting roles including the sheriff in the 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead or Sex Machine in From Dusk 'til Dawn. But I had heard nothing about the horror convention. Quickly, I changed that.

My friend Dawn, her fiancé and I made plans to head to the show just to meet Tom Savini. Dawn and Jerome also enjoy tattoos, so they liked the entire focus of the show. I was just there for the horror portion. And, none of us were disappointed.

Special guest last year included Savini, Gunnar Hanson (from the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre), Tony Todd who played Candyman and several others. My husband was away at school, but I got him the appropriate autographs.

We also got to see a trailer for the new Bloody Moon Films production "Shudder" and enjoy the art that accompanies horror films. All in all, it was a good day trip.

Having heard me talk about, my husband was disappointed to miss the trip, until we began looking into the 7^th annual show. This year, the show is being held Easter weekend, March 21-23 at the Airport Marriott Hotel in Nashville. Thankfully, Tom Savini will be returning so that my husband can meet his hero. But this year, that is only a minor draw to the convention.