Halloween may fall on Oct. 31, but for New Englanders, Halloween always comes early. From Oct. 16-18, Worcester will once again become Halloween Town when the annual Rock and Shock horror convention and concert series makes its anticipated return to the DCU Center and Worcester Palladium for a weekend full of horror happenings and loud music.

The brainchild of radio personality Kevin Barbare and Mass Concerts Promoter Gina Migliozzi, Rock and Shock has become one of the most popular horror cons in the country and is now entering its 11th year. Rock and Shock started to take shape in 2002, when Barbare, a native of South Carolina, got the idea to bring a horror convention to New England after landing a radio job here.

“I traveled to cons around the country for years and wondered why we didn’t have anything similar here, with so many horror fans and roots available,” said Barbare. But Barbare didn’t want to make Rock and Shock just another convention. “At the time I worked at a rock radio station, and I realized no one thought of combining live music with a convention,” he explained. “This led to trying to tie the two together.”

This also led to concert promoter Gina Migliozzi, friend of Barbare and the go-to person to organize such an event. “For us, it was natural to say, ‘Let’s add national bands to the mix,’” Migliozzi said. “Heavy rock/metal and horror go hand-in-hand, (and) it also gave us something different to offer, as well, in the growing convention scene.”

According to Barbare, Rock and Shock had to endure a slow beginning its first time around, on a weekend that included a power outage, a Presidential debate and Red Sox playoff games. But like a stubborn member of the undead, Rock and Shock would rise again, and it hasn’t looked back since. “Now, there are people lined up the day before the show even starts,” said Barbare. “Word of mouth does wonders, especially when it comes to what celebrity guests tell other stars and how fans are treated.”

One such fan is BrokeHorrorFan.com editor-in-chief Alex DiVincenzo, a devoted Rock and Shocker and overall horror buff who has attended the event for eight straight years. “I’ve attended several other horror conventions,” DiVincenzo said, “but Rock and Shock remains my favorite. I like that it’s in a big, open space, (and) I also love the concert aspect, which really sets it apart from other conventions.”

It’s not hard to tell why Rock and Shock would remain anybody’s favorite; just look at this year’s guest list, which includes the “Godfather of Modern Horror” himself, icon and legend George A. Romero. Other guests to be featured include John Kassir, voice of the Crypt Keeper from the HBO series Tales From The Crypt; Bill Moseley of The Devil’s Rejects; Felissa Rose of Sleepaway Camp; Pinhead himself, Doug Bradley; and a colorful assortment of others personalities. And that’s just the celebrity portion of the event.

Described by Barbare as “Woodstock for horror and music fans,” Rock and Shock wouldn’t live up to its name if it didn’t also deliver a healthy dose of hard and heavy music, and it is set to do so with a stellar, three-night music takeover. More than 25 bands are scheduled to perform, with headliners Danzig, who will bring his Blackest of The Black tour to town, and Hatebreed, as they celebrate their 20^th anniversary with a special set sure to please both older and younger fans.

With the growing success of Rock and Shock, the event has a very promising future, one that could continue its trend-setting ways. “We have talked about maybe doing a tour based on our event,” Migliozzi said. “Logistically, (it could be) a bit of a nightmare, but I love the challenge so it’s a personal goal to get it out there at least once.”

While a Rock and Shock tour might be a little way off, the horror stars and bands will continue to come together in Worcester every year, to the delight of their fans, including the convention’s founders. “There are still guests to this day we haven’t had that we’ve always wanted,” Barbare said. “I have a list that I cross people off of every year. I’d like to see that list completely empty one day.”

Having become a revered tradition by horror and music fans alike, Rock and Shock never disappoints, and this year (Oct. 16-18) looks to be no different. For more information, including how to purchase tickets, visit rockandshock.com.

Photo credit: Rock and Shock

By Jason Savio