It's time once more for Monsterpalooza: The Art of Monsters, a richly ritualistic orgy of deliciously lurid monster worship. Fueled by a flabbergasting array of perfectly executed, often authentically larger-than-life monster figures and set pieces – expect a towering, old-school King Kong, Robbie the Robot and others – and supercharged by an atmosphere that crackles with overstimulated excitement, it's an unrivaled thrill for fans. Plunge into a dizzying array of props, memorabilia, makeup and FX demos, a horde of vendors, all manner of bizarre artwork, plus equally bizarre costumed attendees and celebrity guests galore, including the last surviving original Universal monster, legendary marine stuntman/Creature From the Black Lagoon gill man Ricou Browning, and members of the Lugosi, Karloff and Chaney clans (the Chaney merch table is astonishing). There's a veritable army of infamous horror and sci-fi – stained actors: Bill Mumy, Russ Tamblyn, Nancy Allen, Earl Holliman, Richard Kiel, James Hong – even, er, Dee Snider. Program highlights include a Friday screening of Vampira & Me, a new doc loaded with recently discovered, heretofore unseen footage, audio and home movies; on Saturday, a rare 3-D showing of Creature From the Black Lagoon; and Sunday's live onstage monster makeup clash, with participants attempting to create the scariest visage in one hour. A really great, grotesque, exciting, fun affair. Marriott Burbank Hotel & Convention Center, 2500 N. Hollywood Way, Burbank; Fri., March 28, 6-11 p.m.; Sat.-Sun., March 29-30, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; $25 Friday & Sunday, $30 Saturday at the door (cash only), $60 for three-day pass. (818) 843-6000, monsterpalooza.com/march2014/index.html.

Fri., March 28; Sat., March 29; Sun., March 30, 2014
(Expired: 03/30/14)

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