The Cthulhu Mythos Convention
August 20-22, 1999
Providence, Rhode Island
at the Marriott

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Guests of Honor

Guest of Honor:	Fred Chappell
Special Guest:	W. Paul Ganley
Artist Guest of Honor:	Jason C. Eckhardt

Convention Committee Members

David Hammann, Franklin Hummel, Friday Jones, Marc A. Michaud, Charles D. Morgan, and Joan C. Stanley.

Program Participants

Greg Agostini; Dr. Timo Airaksinen; James Anderson; Peter Cannon; Robert Cappelletto; Michael Cisco; Don D’Ammassa; Les Daniels; Scott Dexter; Stefan Dziemianowicz; Bruce Gehweiler; David S. Hammann; Daniel Harms; C.J. Henderson; Chris Jarocha-Ernst; Friday Jones; S.T. Joshi; Robert H. Knox; Geoff Leatham; Robert McLaughlin; Brian McNaughton; Marc A. Michaud; Will Murray; Robert M. Price; Joseph Pulver, Sr.; Philip C. Robinson; Esther Rochon; Christopher Russo; Darrell Schweitzer; John Stanley; Christophe Thill; Jason B. Thompson; Jody Trout; John Tynes; Aaron Vanek; Bob Waugh; and Corey Whitworth.

Commentaries

• Convention Report: NecronomiCon 1999 by A.M. Kuchling
• My Own Private NecronomiCon (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5) by Steven Marc Harris

Programming Schedule

Friday, August 20, 1999

9:00 AM to 5:00 PM – Exhibit at the John Hay Library

Brown University’s John Hay Library, 20 Prospect St., will have an exhibit of Mythos-related items on display. [Stanley (Librarian)]

1:00 PM to 6:00 PM – Dealers’-Artists’ Room (Sessions)

Afternoon
3:00 PM to 6:00 PM – Walking Tour # 1 with Jason Eckhardt (Meet in Lobby) Artist Guest of Honor Jason Eckhardt leads a walking tour of Lovecraftian sites on College Hill. [Eckhardt (Guide)]
Time	Bounty	Republic-Defiance (A/V Room)	Lincoln	Resolution	Washington
12:00 N		The Lurker in the Lobby A collection of great Lovecraft short films. Includes The Music of Erich Zann, The Outsider by Aaron Vanek, The Necronomicon, McLaren, The Outsider by Andrew Hooks, From Beyond, The Hound, Cthulhu Wore Tennis Shoes, and 2 music videos from The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets, “Worship Me Like a God” and “Colour Me Green.” (90 min.)
12:30 PM
1:00 PM					Why I Write Mythos Fiction Three authors explain why they use the Mythos in some of their fiction. [Murray, McNaughton (Moderator), Pulver]
1:30 PM		The Maze (1953) Directed by William Cameron Menzies. After inheriting a fabulous estate, a young husband abandons his wife and shuts himself away in it, and she is determined to find out what has happened. While not directly inspired by Lovecraft, this fascinating film offers more Lovecraftian mood than many more recent efforts to come from Hollywood. Stars Richard Carlson, Veronica Hurst. (80 min.)
2:00 PM				Gaming: “D.C. Noir” CoC Game Investigators find themselves caught between differing and powerful factions in 50s Cold War Washington D.C. [Hammann (Keeper)]
2:30 PM
3:00 PM	Reading by Brian McNaughton A reading by Brian McNaughton, the author of The Throne of Bones. [McNaughton]	Dark City (1997) Directed by Alex Proyas. A man awakens in a mysterious twilight city, trying to remember who he is. But the more he uncovers, the less he knows about his real self. An eerie science-fiction film with some very cool Lovecraftian touches. Stars Rufus Sewell, William Hurt, Jennifer Connelly. (100 min.)			Lovecraft as a Fictional Character A discussion of the use of H.P. Lovecraft as a character in stories and novels. [Cannon, Chappell, Price (Moderator)]
3:30 PM
4:00 PM			The Origins of The King in Yellow A presentation of what might have been the original inspirations for Robert Chambers’ fictional play. [Thill]
4:30 PM
5:00 PM	Reading by Joseph Pulver, Sr. A reading by the author of the novel Nightmare’s Disciple. [Pulver]	The Haunted Palace (1963) Directed by Roger Corman. Charles Dexter Ward returns to the New England town that his ancestor, Joseph Curwen, laid under a curse as he was burned to death. Stars Vincent Price and Lon Chaney, Jr. Based on The Case of Charles Dexter Ward by H.P. Lovecraft. (87 min.)			In Memory: James Turner of Arkham House A look at the contributions of the late James Turner, editor for Arkham House. [Cannon, Ganley (Moderator), Joshi]
5:30 PM
6:00 PM

Evening
8:00 PM to 10:00 PM – Reception for NecronomiCon Attendees (Courtyard) Happy Birthday, HPL! Meet our Guests and Participants for free coffee and a cash bar. No autographs please. Held in the Grand Ballroom if bad weather. [Chappell, Eckhardt, Ganley, and all participants]
Time	Constitution	Republic-Defiance (A/V Room)	Grand Ballroom	Resolution	Washington
6:30 PM		Babylon 5: Thirdspace (1998) Space travel is made possible by shifting into another dimension. However, it now seems that the other dimension is inhabited! Feature-length TV movie based on the television series. (90 min.)
7:00 PM
7:30 PM
8:00 PM		The Sect (1991) Directed by Michele Soavi. A young woman finds herself mysteriously involved—or even connected—with a cult that worships Yog-Sothoth, in this creepy Lovecraft-flavored tale. Stars Kelly Curtis, Herbert Lom. Also known as The Devil’s Daughter. (112 min.).
8:30 PM
9:00 PM
9:30 PM
10:00 PM	Gaming: “Powerful Spirits II” CoC Game Investigators uncover Mythos secrets hidden within Hawaiian mythology in the 1920s. (4 hours) [Leatham (Keeper)]	Army of Darkness (1991) Directed by Sam Raimi. An amiable dolt ends up transported in time to medieval Europe where he must fight an army of the living dead! Few horror films have paid such devotion to the Necronomicon and the legendary difficulties of pronouncing its magic phrases. Stars Bruce Campbell. (95 min.)	Reading by Fred Chappell A reading by our Guest of Honor, Fred Chappell. [Chappell]	Gaming: “The Nest” CoC Game Horrors in present-day Kosovo. (4 hours) [Thompson (Keeper)]	Godzilla as a Metaphor for Cosmic Indifference Just how Lovecraftian is Godzilla? [Daniels, Knox (Moderator)]
10:30 PM
11:00 PM
11:30 PM

Saturday, August 21, 1999

9:00 AM to 6:00 PM – Dealers’-Artists’ Room (Sessions)

Morning
9:00 AM to 12:00 N – Walking Tour #2 with Chris Jarocha-Ernst (Meet in Lobby) Author of The Cthulhu Mythos Bibliography, Chris Jarocha-Ernst leads a walking tour of College Hill and its Lovecraftian sites. [Jarocha-Ernst (Guide)] 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM – Bus Trip to H.P. Lovecraft’s Gravesite #1 (Meet at Main Entry) First bus trip to Swan Point Cemetery, where Lovecraft is buried. Please go to the Registration Desk for further information and tickets. 11:00 AM to 12:00 N – Bus Trip to H.P. Lovecraft’s Gravesite #2 (Meet at Main Entry) Second bus trip to Swan Point Cemetery, where Lovecraft is buried. Please go to the Registration Desk for further information and tickets. 12:00 N to 1:00 PM – Bus Trip to H.P. Lovecraft’s Gravesite #3 (Meet at Main Entry) Third bus trip to Swan Point Cemetery, where Lovecraft is buried. Please go to the Registration Desk for further information and tickets.
Time	Bounty	Republic-Defiance (A/V Room)	Enterprise	Lincoln	Reprisal-Britannia	Resolution	Smithfield	Washington
9:00 AM		The Real Ghostbusters: “Collect Call of Cthulhu” and “Russian About” An animated version of the Cthulhu Mythos? Why not? Saturday morning cartoons for the Lovecraft crowd. Trivia note: “Russian About” was written by J. Michael Straczynski, who went on to create “Babylon 5.” (60 min.)
9:30 AM
10:00 AM	Reading by Michael Cisco The author of the novel The Divinity Student reads his own work. [Cisco]	“The Inhumanoids” (1986; animated) Pilot for a cartoon series by the G.I. Joe/Transformers team. Lovecraft-for-kids meets Godzilla-type giant monsters . . . researchers wearing robot suits explore underground and fight giant immortal monsters with the assistance of these alien races who just happened to be hiding out on the planet for the last million years. (90 min.)	Gaming: More Tips for CoC Keepers and Players An open discussion for all “Call of Cthulhu” players on how to improve playing and experiencing the game. [Hammann]				The Independent Mythos Film Is the last, best hope for Lovecraft and the Mythos the independent film-maker? [Cappelletto, Jones (Moderator), Russo, Vanek]	23 Years of Necronomicon Press: Past, Present, Future A look at one of the oldest of Lovecraftian publishers. [Eckhardt, Joshi, Michaud (Moderator)]
10:30 AM
11:00 AM			Eerie Nights at the Peabody Essex Museum A discussion of the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts and its Eerie Nights festival. [Museum Staff]	Lovecraft and the French A look at how Lovecraft and his writings are seen by the French, from both sides of the Atlantic. [Rochon, Thill (Moderator)]		Gaming: Mythos Card Gamimg Demonstration A “How-To” demonstration of the card game Mythos and a warm-up session for the afternoon competition. [Robinson]		New Mythos Legends: the Book, the Panel A look at the just released book New Mythos Legends by its publishers and some of its contributors. [D’Ammassa, Gehweiler (Moderator), Henderson]
11:30 AM		Suspense: “The Dunwich Horror” (1945; audio) An unnatural birth in Dunwich leads to a more unnatural man and a most unnatural horror! Suspense was one of radio’s best, and longest-running, mystery programs. Whistle along with the whippoorwills—if you dare! (30 min.)
12:00 N	Reading by C.J. Henderson A reading by the author of The Things That Are Not There (as Robert Morgan). [Henderson]	“The Rats in the Walls” (1970s; audio) The restoration of Exham Priory raises more than old walls—it uncovers a secret that should have stayed buried forever! A very good radio adaptation by Eric Bauersefeld. (30 min.)	Mathematics and the Mythos A lecture by an assistant professor of Mathematics at Dartmouth College. [Trout]		If Lovecraft Had Lived, Part 1: The Man What if Howard Lovecraft had not died in 1937? How might he have changed in later decades? How might he have seen and reacted to the 50s? The 70s? [Airaksinen, Anderson (Moderator), Joshi]			Crypt of Cthulhu: 101 and Counting A discussion of one of the oldest and not dead Mythos publications. [Cannon, Dziemianowicz (Moderator), Murray, Price]
12:30 PM		Event Horizon (1997) Directed by Paul Anderson. The crew sent to rescue the long-lost experimental spacecraft Event Horizon have no idea where it’s been—or what it’s brought back with it. Stars Laurence Fishburne, Sam Neill. (97 min.)

Afternoon
1:00 PM to 2:00 PM – Bus Trip to H.P. Lovecraft’s Gravesite #4 (Meet at Main Entry) The last bus trip to Swan Point Cemetery, where Lovecraft is buried. Please go to the Registration Desk for further information and tickets. 2:30 PM to 5:30 PM – Walking Tour #3 with Daniel Harms (Meet in Lobby) The author of Encyclopedia Cthulhiana, Daniel Harms, leads a walking tour of College Hill and its Lovecraftian sites. [Harms (Guide)]
Time	Bounty	Republic-Defiance (A/V Room)	Enterprise	Lincoln	Reprisal-Britannia	Resolution	Smithfield	Washington
1:00 PM		Event Horizon (cont.)
1:30 PM
2:00 PM		2:15 PM – The Case of Howard Phillips Lovecraft (1998) Directed by Patrick Mario Bernard and Pierre Trividic. A literary and biographic portrait of the American writer H.P. Lovecraft: follower and reformer of gothic tradition, master of gothic literature. A French documentary (in English). (45 min.)
2:30 PM			Gaming: Cthulhu Live! Workshop A workshop on the hows and wheres and whens of live-action Mythos roleplaying. [Agostini, McLaughlin (Moderator)]		The Worst of H.P. Lovecraft They all have their favorite stories, but what do they think really stinks? [Cisco, Ganley (Moderator), Henderson, McNaughton]	Gaming: Mythos Card Gaming Competition Competition play of the card game Mythos. [Robinson]	An Interview (and Signing #1) with Fred Chappell An interview with NecronomiCon’s award-winning author and poet, Fred Chappell. About 1 hour. Followed by a ½-hour autograph session with Mr. Chappell. [Chappell, Dziemianowicz (Moderator)]
3:00 PM		Possession (1981) Directed by Andrzej Zulawski. A man returns home from a trip and discovers that his wife has taken a lover. The lover, though, is not a man but something less—or more. A very strange, inexplicable film. Stars Sam Neill, Isabelle Adjani. Heavily cut in the US; this is the original, opaque 127-minute European cut. In English with small Japanese subtitles.
3:30 PM
4:00 PM	Reading by Darrell Schweitzer A reading by the editor of Weird Tales. [Schweitzer]			Mysteries and the Mythos How well does the Mythos and the Mystery genre mix? [Henderson, Jarocha-Ernst (Moderator), Pulver]	If Lovecraft Had Lived, Part 2: His Writings What if Howard Lovecraft had not died in 1937? What might he have written? How might his writing and what he wrote about changed over later decades? [Cannon, Dziemianowicz, Murray (Moderator), Price]			Lovecraft Studies: Academic Criticism of HPL A look at how academia looks at Lovecraft and his works. [Anderson, Joshi (Moderator), Rochon, Waugh]
4:30 PM
5:00 PM				HPL & Y2K It was too good of a title to resist. [Eckhardt, Ganley, Knox (Moderator), Trout]			Television Horror! Why is horror on television getting better? [D’Ammassa (Moderator), Daniels, Henderson]	Behind the Yellow Sign: Robert Chambers A discussion of the man and the writer of The King in Yellow. [Joshi, Pulver, Thill (Moderator)]
5:30 PM		“The Haunter of the Dark” (1970s; audio) Adaptation of the Lovecraft tale by Erik Bauersfeld. (60 min.)
6:00 PM

Evening
7:36 PM to 12:00 M – WaterFire (Downtown Providence) WaterFire is a multi-media event on the Providence riverfront at Waterplace Park. It begins at sunset and lasts until midnight. Ask at Registration Desk for directions.
Time	Republic-Defiance (A/V Room)	Enterprise	Resolution	Smithfield	Washington
6:30 PM	Out of Mind: The Stories of H.P. Lovecraft (1999) Directed by Raymond Saint-Jean. A “documentary” in which H.P. Lovecraft himself tells you about his stories. Unique and excellent! Stars Christopher Heyerdahl, Art Kitching. Created by the Canadian Bravo! Arts cable network. (56 min.)
7:00 PM
7:30 PM	The NecronomiCon Mythos Film Competition Showing We will show all of the entries in the Lovecraft Video contest, and the filmmakers attending will be on hand to answer your questions. The showings will culminate in the announcement of the winner! To Oblivion: Directed by Robert Cappelletto (attending). A loose adaptation of HPL’s “Ex Oblivione.” It is the tale of a young man, Randolph Carter, who, in dreams, finds a little of the beauty he vainly searches for in life. With the use of a passage from the Necronomicon, he is able to escape the desolate monotony of his life. (15 min.) The Hound: Directed by Anthony Reed (not attending). The Hound is a simple and very direct horror story. Two young men delve into the occult, and having found out too much, are destroyed by it. (22 min.) Babylon Park—Frightspace: Created by Christopher Russo (attending) and produced by Brian Roe (attending). An animated parody of the Lovecraftian TV-movie. (40 min.) Return to Innsmouth (1999): Directed by Aaron Vanek (attending). Hot off the film reels! Plus a trailer for Bob Fugger’s From Beyond, Vanek’s earlier short, The Necronomicon, and a short documentary on the making of RTI. (45 min.)
8:00 PM		Gaming: “Preacher Man” Cthulhu Live! Game Stories of faith-healer Justin LaCroix have spread like wildfire throughout the South! You must sight up at the Fantasy Flight Games table in the Dealer’s Room to play. [Agostini, McLaughlin (Keepers)]	Gaming: “Return of the Nibelungen” CoC Game A 1920s adventure set in Berlin. [Hammann (Keeper)]	Readings by Robert Price and Fred Chappell Robert Price will read Lovecraft’s “The Music of Erich Zann,” followed by Fred Chappell’s unpublished “sequel” story “In the rue D’auseil.” [Chappell, Price]	Looking at “Pickman’s Model” A discussion of the story by artists and writers. [Daniels, Eckhardt, Knox, Waugh (Moderator)]
8:30 PM
9:00 PM					The Necronomicon A lecture on what the Mad Arab wrote. [Harms]
9:30 PM
10:00 PM
10:30 PM	The Lurker in the Lobby (various years) A collection of Lovecraft short films. Includes The Music of Erich Zann, The Outsider by Aaron Vanek, The Necronomicon, McLaren, The Outsider by Andrew Hooks, From Beyond, The Hound, Cthulhu Wore Tennis Shoes, and two music videos from The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets, “Worship Me Like a God” and “Colour Me Green.” (90 min.)
11:00 PM
11:30 PM
12:00 M	Saturday Night Special This will be something decidedly different.

Sunday, August 22, 1999

9:00 AM to 3:00 PM – Dealers’-Artists’ Room (Sessions)

Morning and Afternoon
10:00 AM to 12:00 N – The Cthulhu Prayer Breakfast (Grand Ballroom) Our Guests of Honor will speak, the Bloch Award will be given, and Rev. Robert Price will give a sermon, Cthulhu help us! Tickets not available at the convention. [Chappell, Eckhardt, Ganley, Price]
Time	Bounty	Republic-Defiance (A/V Room)	Lincoln	Washington
9:00 AM		The Real Ghostbusters: ”Collect Call of Cthulhu” and “Russian About” An animated version of the Cthulhu Mythos? Why not? Saturday morning cartoons for the Lovecraft crowd. Trivia note: “Russian About” was written by J. Michael Straczynski, who went on to create “Babylon 5.” (60 min.)
9:30 AM
10:00 AM		Cast a Deadly Spell (1991) Directed by Martin Campbell. In a 1940s Los Angeles where magic really works, private eye H.P. Lovecraft (who refuses to use magic) is hired to track down a stolen copy of the Necronomicon. A Lovecraftian mystery tale. Stars Fred Ward, David Warner, Julianne Moore, Clancy Brown. (93 min.)	The Philosophy of Howard Phillips Lovecraft What did HPL believe, about humanity, about life, about the universe? An informal discussion. [Airaksinen, Joshil]
10:30 AM
11:00 AM	Reading by Don D’Ammassa A reading of his own work by Science Fiction Chronicle’s reviewer. [D’Ammassa]
11:30 AM
12:00 N		“The Outsider” (1970s; audio) A man feels isolated and alone in his home and goes in search of companionship. Adaptation of the Lovecraft tale by Erik Bauersfeld. (30 min.)
12:30 PM		Forever Evil (1987) People trapped in a remote cabin are set upon by cultists. Several Lovecraft deities’ names are invoked, but they are always hilariously mispronounced. Stars Red Mitchell, Tracey Huffman. (107 min.)
1:00 PM				Lovecraft’s Poetry A discussion of HPL’s poetic writings. [Chappell, Joshi, Schweitzer (Moderator)]
1:30 PM
2:00 PM				Signing #2 by Fred Chappell Our Guest of Honor Fred Chappell will sign autographs. [Chappell]
2:30 PM		The Lurking Fear (1994) Directed by C. Courtney Joyner. The town of Lefferts Corner is under siege by burrowing monsters who only attack during thunderstorms; when a group of townspeople band together to destroy the menace, they are interrupted by gangsters. Stars Ashley Lauren (Laurence), Jeffrey Combs, Jon Finch, Blake Bailey, Jon Mantee. Based on “The Lurking Fear” by H.P. Lovecraft. (78 min.) This will be followed by a making-of segment.
3:00 PM
3:30 PM