Rocky cast, Misfits, & a Runaway at Mad Monster

A bevy of horror and sci-fi actors and pop culture favorites roll into the University Hilton this weekend for Charlotte's third annual Mad Monster Party, which takes place Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Musicians with horror ties and actors with musical connections populate a guest list that also includes William Shatner, Corey Feldman, Elvira, Hulk Hogan, Rowdy Roddy Piper, and Henry Winkler.

Barry Bostwick, Patricia Quinn, and Little Nell (aka Magenta and Columbia) from the seminal cult
musical "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" will be on hand for the Saturday midnight screening of the film as well as signing autographs and snapping pictures with the rest of the guests.

"The Dukes of Hazzard's" John Schneider - who was also a country singer - will screen his new film "Smothered" Friday with several of the film's cast members including "The Devil's Rejects'" Bill Moseley, who was in the band Cornbugs with guitarist Buckethead.

Other rock n' roll guests include Skinny Puppy's Nivek Ogre, who has appeared in films like "Repo: The Genetic Opera" and other horror fare, Doyle (who joined Glenn Danzig on stage in Charlotte last fall) and former fellow Misfit Dr. Chud, and the Runaways' co-founder Cherie Currie, who appeared in "Twilight Zone: The Movie" and recently "Hansel & Gretel: Warriors of Witchcraft."

Rock n' roll and horror are so closely related. They're like cousins. Actors from Rob Zombie's "House of 1000 Corpes" and "Devil's Rejects" Moseley, Sid Haig, Ken Foree ("Dawn of the Dead") and Michael J. Pollard, for instance, join the fine faces that have donned Jason, Michael Myers, and Leatherface's masks and wrestling figures like Jimmy Hart, Ox Baker, Hogan (who will only be there Sunday) and Piper. That rock n' wrestling connection really never disappears either.

You might not know all the guests by name, but if you grew up with `70s, `80s and `90s horror, you know Heather Langenkamp ("Nightmare on Elm Street's" Kruger-kicking Nancy), Ed Neal (the original "Texas Chainsaw" hitchhiker - yikes), Jane Badler (Diana, the queen lizard from the original "V"), Dick Miller (the ill-fated neighbor in "Gremlins"), and Richard Kiel (Jaws from James Bond films like "Moonraker"). The entire guest list as well as screenings, Q&A sessions, and performances is online here.

Single day tickets, 3-day passes and VIP weekend passes are available at that link as are pre-sale tickets to get Shatner and Hogan's autographs. Kids 12 and under get in free.