Movie lover scares up annual Flashback convention

I know all about the sacrifices that Mike Kerz made to turn his dream of a horror convention into a reality.

I met Mike when he was a manager at One Schaumburg Place Cinemas, and he had this crazy idea that if a celebrity came to visit, more people would know about the theater and come to see movies at it.

So he invited Karolyn Grimes, who played little Zuzu Bailey, Jimmy Stewart's daughter in the Frank Capra classic "It's a Wonderful Life," to visit the Schaumburg theater. More than 2,000 fans streamed into the place to meet her.

And the Loews employees grumbled.

"These people aren't buying tickets!" they complained.

Then, Mike brought in cult idol Bruce Campbell, star of the infamous "Evil Dead" horror films, to promote his book "If Chins Could Kill."

An estimated 3,000 people lined up around the theater to see Campbell.

And the Loews employees grumbled even more.

"They tortured me," Mike said, describing the constant ridicule from his fellow workers.

Little did they know that Mike had an even crazier idea percolating.

He wanted to create his own horror convention. He called it "The Flashback Weekend HorroRama and Drive-In Convention."

Loews' assistant managers didn't get paid much money then, and it would take a whale load of cash to start up a first-rate horror convention in the Chicago area.

Mike explained his dream to his wife Mia. He laid out the risks and the costs and the likelihood they might lose lots of money.

Mia had three words for her husband: "Great. Do it."

Mike said with understatement, "Not every man has a wife who would say that."

Flashback Weekend now celebrates its eighth annual convention today through Sunday at the Wyndham O'Hare in Rosemont.

The headliners this year will be Robert Englund, alias Freddy Krueger from the popular "Nightmare on Elm Street" films, plus a "Near Dark" cast reunion of actors Lance Henricksen, Jenette Goldstein and Tim Thomerson. In addition, there will be shows and a costume contest.

I will again be serving as the event's master of ceremonies, a duty I have performed from the very first Flashback when the guests included Bruce Campbell and original goremeister Herschel Gordon Lewis, creator of such messy cult classics as "The Wizard of Gore" and "Blood Feast."

Longtime Flashback supporters WGN radio superstar Nick Digilio and Ain't It Cool News critic Steve Prokopy will join me as co-hosts for the three-day horror spree, featuring Chicago's own Rich Koz as Svengoolie.

Now, back to the story of Mike and Mia, who live with their two children in Buffalo Grove.

Mia is a native Chicagoan. Mike graduated from Niles West High School and attended Chicago's Columbia College, along with Oscar-winning cinematographer Janusz Kaminski.

"I originally wanted to go into filmmaking," Mike said. "But my first love was for theatrical exhibition. I loved those old rep houses playing midnight features, like the old Parkway."

Mike's first job was as an usher at the Pickwick Theater in Park Ridge. Once he became a manager at the now-defunct Golf Mill Theater in Niles, the business changed quickly and mercilessly.

Locally owned Plitt Theaters sold to Canada's Cineplex Odeon, which merged with Loews, which then merged with AMC.

"The creativity in the booking and the programming of features went away when the big corporations bought up the theater chains," Mike said.

"But I sensed from audiences that they still craved that sense of excitement and enthusiasm that wasn't being satisfied by corporations that don't allow promotions. There is no love or affinity for the things they are offering. They might as well be selling shoes."

Mike's first convention guest, Herschel Gordon Lewis, was something of a personal, lucky triumph.

"He's amazing," Mike said about Lewis. "He owned a theater in Chicago on Wells Street. He used to offer onstage decapitations between double bills of horror movies. That's the style of old-school promotion that made me fall in love with the business. That's when going to the movies was fun."

After their horror convention started to show a profit, Mike and Mia set their sights on another dream, to own and run their own drive-in movie theater. They looked for suburban drive-ins they could restore to their original glory.

They considered buying a drive-in near Rockford. That didn't work out.

They waged an unsuccessful bid to buy the beloved Hi-Lite 30 Drive-In in Aurora. The city council voted to let a developer take over the property in a move that stunned local drive-in supporters.

In 2007, Mike and Mia finally purchased the Midway Drive-In in Dixon. It's closed for the season now, but will open next April.

Mike and Mia have also expanded their Flashback business by offering conventions devoted exclusively to rabid fans of the "Twilight" books/movies and the "Angel" television series. These have been far more successful than the duo ever imagined.

The two are quick to thank the fans who've made their conventions possible. They also give thanks to Mike's friend Chuck Gekas (and Mia's cousin) for arranging their first date at a Billy Joel/Elton John concert in Milwaukee.

"I owe him big time," Mike said. "Without him, I never would have found a wife with the tolerance to withstand my obsessions with the movies."

<p class="factboxheadblack">The Flashback Weekend Horror Convention</p> <p class="News"><b>Where:</b> The Wyndham O'Hare, 6810 N. Mannheim Road, Rosemont</p> <p class="News"><b>When: </b>Starts 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23; 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 24; and 11 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 25</p> <p class="News"><b>Admission:</b> $20 Friday and Sunday, $25 Saturday. Weekend passes cost $50.</p> <p class="News"><b>Information:</b> <a href="http://flashbackweekend.com" target="new">flashbackweekend.com</a> or (847) 478-0119</p> <div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=330361">Englund looks back on a killer of a role <span class="date">[10/23/09]</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>