Vampire-Con, a zombie soiree and a Serendipity garden party aimed at L.A.'s night creatures

From L.A. Times

Los Angeles, like the rest of the country, may be infested with vampire culture, as evidenced by the "Twilight" juggernaut, "True Blood" and its TV spinoffs, and lots of clubs and societies for bloodsuckers, but it shows no sign of stopping. Angelenos ruing the departure of this year's high-profile Comic-Con will find this weekend ripe for a fantasy fix, with no fewer than four major opportunities welcoming woodland nymphs, drooling zombies and sexy vampires. Between Serendipity's secret garden party, two zombie walks and Vampire-Con, Los Angeles will be crawling with creatures . . . even more than usual, that is.

Friday's Serendipity party focuses on the sweet and sumptuous. At downtown's Madera Design House, a 3,600-square-foot art and design installation, Leila Fakouri and partner Alison Segura premiere a two-day performance-party where patrons are encouraged to interact with a menagerie of characters like the Stilt Circus' Winged Beast and other animal-human hybrids. Set in the whimsical, garden-like décor of the Design House, Fakouri says, "We want people to feel like they are stepping into another world, like Alice in Wonderland." Leaving no sense underwhelmed, the evening includes decadent desserts and drinks (plus vegan creations by Stephen Hauptfuhr), while Dublab's Carlos Niño provides an alter-dimensional soundtrack.

For those who prefer rotting flesh and guttural grunts, the Hollywood Outdoor Cinema (in the old Circuit City parking lot on Sunset Boulevard) kicks off a zombie soiree and screening of the Brit comedy "Shaun of the Dead" at 7 p.m. Saturday. A zombie makeup workshop and fashion show is open to anyone who wants to strut, shuffle and moan-for-brains down the runway. Seth Grahame-Smith, author of "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies," will be on site to sign his book, as will S.G. Browne, author of "Breathers." After a group zombie jaunt around the area, the moldy masses will settle down for the screening at 9 p.m. Remarkably, this coincides with another unaffiliated zombie walk in West Hollywood, though organizers listed on the event website ( www.socalzombiewalk.com) have not responded to Times e-mails. Hollywood Outdoor Cinema organizer Ryan Reiter says he hopes the zombie nation can combine forces.

Vampire-Con is the weekend's most sprawling event, a three-day bloodletting that is said to be the first convention of its kind devoted to "vam-pop culture." The brainchild of events producer Wendi Mirabella, (Moondance Events), Vampire-Con starts Friday with a two-day film festival at the New Beverly Cinema, screening classics that include "The Velvet Vampire" and "The Lost Boys" as well as a sneak preview of "Midnight Son," forthcoming from the production team behind "The Blair Witch Project."

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