It’s that time of the year: The leaves are changing, jack-o-lanterns flicker in the dark, and Rock & Shock is about to make its return to the DCU Center and the Worcester Palladium. From Oct. 17-19, Worcester will be all about Halloween, as the annual horror and music spectacle takes over with an abundance of special guests, live performances and events certain to scare you into the holiday spirit.

After last year’s 10th anniversary celebration, Rock & Shock established itself as a bona-fide, tried-and-true horror convention that knows exactly what its fans want and never disappoints. This year looks to continue that trend.

“We take the passion of our fans very seriously,” said Marketing Director Jill Miller, of MassConcerts, which owns The Palladium. “We know how lucky we are to have them, and it helps us to strive to put on the best convention possible.”

There is already an impressive lineup of guests for the loyal fan base to meet, and that list will continue to grow until opening day. Be sure to bring your Good Guy Doll with you, because among the attendees is Brad Dourif, the voice of the ginger-haired, murderous doll Chucky, in a rare and special appearance. Other distinguished names include special FX legend Tom Savini, WWE wrestler and They Live star Roddy Piper, and a Frighteners cast reunion, featuring Dee Wallace, Jake Busey and Jeffery Combs, who you might know as Herbert West in Re-Animator. 

There will also be live panel discussions with genre guests and insiders, the seventh annual Rock & Shock Independent Horror Film Festival and vendors with awesome goodies, contests, games and more.

But if that’s the shock, where’s the rock?

What helps make Rock & Shock such a unique event is its inclusion of the music that the horror genre inspires, creating a wholly immersive experience. Produced by MassConcerts, Rock & Shock is an anomaly in the convention circuit with a distinct advantage.

“Our year-round job is concerts, and in being at so many shows, management began to see that many of our concert-goers were wearing horror-themed T-shirts,” explained Miller of the rock and metal concerts that are MassConcerts’ specialty. “The strong correlation between music and horror films became evident, and the idea for Rock & Shock came about.”

It comes as no surprise, then, that Rock & Shock has become a beloved tradition over the past decade. When you’re done meeting your favorite actors and personalities at the DCU Center, you can head on over to The Palladium and rock out with awesome live music fit for the occasion. On Thursday night, King Diamond will perform and kick off a weekend of music mayhem that will also feature headliners Machine Head on Friday, the one and only GWAR on Saturday (providing both rock and shock, indeed), and Twiztid on Sunday.

Of course, a packed weekend such as this takes a lot of time and energy from all those involved, and although they may not know it, it all starts with the fans.

“Their passion is infectious,” Miller said. “The day after Rock & Shock ends, we get to work on the next year’s event. It’s a lot of hard work, but seeing how happy it makes people is the ultimate payoff.”

After waiting all year, the weekend of horror heaven for fright fans of all ages is right around the corner. There is no better precursor to Halloween, and while the holiday itself is known for supplying a trick or treat, don’t count out Rock & Shock.

“Let’s just say that we still have a few tricks up our sleeve,” Miller said, “but you are going to have to come out to the show to find out what they are!”

For information on VIP packages and tickets, visit rockandshock.com.

Photos by Jeremy Saffer
By Jason Savio