Corey and Kendall are back with part two of DonnaJean’s jaw-dropping journey, and trust us—this is an episode you can’t miss. From laughing (and maybe crying) over celebrity encounters with horror icons like Matthew Lillard, Dee Wallace, and Kane Hodder, to her inspiring work helping others in need, DonnaJean shares the kind of stories that’ll leave you cheering—and maybe Googling tickets to the next Monster-Mania. Oh, and there’s some breaking news about her recent health scare that will make your heart do a happy dance.

Blood, Sweat, and a Whole Lot of Horror Love

Episode Highlights:

• The Matthew Lillard Experience: DonnaJean describes watching him step away from his table to hug fans, chat like an old friend, and radiate genuine kindness. Spoiler alert: He’s as cool as you hoped.
• Horror Legends with Heart: From sharing hugs with Kane Hodder to chatting with Dee Wallace about the love she gives (and receives) from fans, DonnaJean offers a front-row view of what makes these icons unforgettable.
• Community Building, One Line at a Time: Whether it’s calming an anxious fan, offering a listening ear, or making a new friend, DonnaJean talks about how she’s turned the chaos of conventions into a welcoming haven.
• Health Scares and Silver Linings: DonnaJean opens up about her recent medical uncertainty, what it’s like to face those moments with humor and grit, and why she’s still here to share these stories (spoiler: it’s good news!).

Why This Episode Will Stick With You:

This isn’t just another podcast episode—it’s a heartfelt rollercoaster with laughs, life lessons, and a reminder that even when things get tough, there’s still joy to be found in the little (and spooky) things. DonnaJean’s story will inspire you to show up for others, embrace your passions, and maybe even rock a VIP badge at your next convention.

DJ: I had one woman come up to me this past show, and that was amazing to me. And she said, Oh, someone else told me I had to meet you because you were just so nice. You're so kind. And I thought, Oh, what a nice thing. You know, they're not saying. Go and meet Matthew Lilliard, because he's amazing, but he is, by the way.

DJ: but like, wow, somebody took the time to mention she should say hello to me. That's what a, what a, an honor that is. That's another thing, working at the line. If any of people watching this are contemplating volunteering at Monster Mania, or at any other show, you know, one of the neat things that happened was Matthew Lilliard's table was right next to the VIP skipped a line table at this last show.

DJ: And we just saw people, somebody in a wheelchair, he walked from his line to the next line they wanted to be with. He hugged everybody and listened to them and talked to them. And it was just like such an amazing thing. I didn't have a chance to stay and talk to him myself. I have before, but that was okay.

DJ: Because the interactions he had with everybody were so special for them and you could tell that it wasn't like he was just doing it. He was doing this and he meant it because it's who he is. So that was just such an amazing thing to see.

C&K: Well you can really sense like who's genuine and who's not, you know, they're, and I've had a couple of like, Not great interactions that were a little disappointing, but again, you don't know what's going on in the moment with that individual. So you try not to be too, too hard on them, you know, just, you know, then you just brush it off, you know, they say don't meet your heroes, but I disagree with that because, you know, 99 percent of them are fantastic and they, and they, you know, they take the time and they

C&K: do the stuff,

C&K: you know, I mean, I'm sure you've met

C&K: Dee Wallace

DJ: Oh, I love the Wallace.

C&K: One of the best with the fans, like, just, gives, gives, gives, because she's getting this love back, you know, and who doesn't want more

C&K: love in their

C&K: life?

DJ: of the. Things I'm dealing with right now, and I actually think. At this point, it's just going to be a matter of finding out what's there. And what to be done with it, even if it's just watching things or. Exercise or whatever. But I've had a cough since last Christmas. So I talked to I being a type one diabetic and having 50 percent kidney function.

DJ: Due to that, I get a full renal panel done quarterly. So, when I was in talking to my doctor, I said, by the way, I've had this call off since about Christmas last Christmas, so he sent me, for a CT scan. And said, okay, you know, we see something, I don't see any, any cancer or any tumor, your lungs look clear, but there's something going on with your heart.

DJ: So he sent me to see a cardiologist, the cardiologist said, I believe that there's calcification around the valves of the heart. So they sent me for a stress test, and the stress test did not come back with anything major. So I'm going for an echocardiogram next week, and I'm not sure because I've been a type one diabetic my whole life.

DJ: If somebody tells me, Oh, they're thirsty and they're peeing a lot. I'm like, what's your blood sugar? You know, if somebody is having like a really anxious time, I'm kind of like, okay, I don't, I don't have clinical anxiety, but I have PTSD. So I understand this. I'm like, okay, do you need a minute? Do you need a hug?

DJ: Do you want to, you know, sit? But I don't know anything about the heart because it's new to me. So I'm, I'm kind of waiting to find out. It's, I was kind of hoping if we found something out, it would be something to help back with my memory because ever since the coma, my memory is like, so if I'm ever talking to somebody and I forget their name, I'm like, so I'm so bad with names.

DJ: I always was, and since the coma, I'm even worse. But it's one of those things, like we got to find out what it is and then do whatever we got to do. I know I'm 61 years old. I know I'm gonna get something at some point. I'm not gonna get better from, because we all do. And when I went in for the lung surgery with the cancer, they gave me a 6% chance of not living through the surgery because of my diabetes and all the other issues.

DJ: And interestingly, the surgeon said, and your kidneys are gonna shut down. And you will wake up in the ICU. We want you to know that. Well, you know, they didn't and I didn't. And I just woke up in the room It's kind of amazing that i'm as healthy as I am and i'm so grateful for that.

DJ: I am so grateful for that

C&K: Yeah. Well, I think part of it is just, you know, you've got a lot of positivity around you and you, push that out into the world. So, you, know. that could be very healing as well, you know. and of course,the name of the show is horror heels.

DJ: Exactly

C&K: we truly

DJ: and cats Cats help me.

C&K: yes.

DJ: That was my Hibble. I lost him to

DJ: cancer two years ago,

C&K: Oh,

DJ: but he's always with me.

DJ: Horror

C&K: Ours are literally

C&K: with us right now, because they don't let us get to these interviews alone. So we've got 6 dogs with us right now, and they're just fortunately being quiet. And then we have 2 kitties in their room.

DJ: I Love you both. you're my kind of

DJ: crazy

DJ: people.

C&K: thank you. Yeah. Like horror and pets. I think our top two passions, a woman came into my office the other day and Corey made me this great collage photo of our pets and, and our best friends, huge Rottweilers in one of the photos too.

C&K: But what the woman who came into my office, she's like. Are these all yours? As if, as if to say that that was not appropriate and I was like, yep, except that great big one that everybody else is ours. It was just comical. And she was like, okay, then it was like, it was like, you know, some people have children and we have a whole bunch of these furry children.

C&K: So I think I already know the answer to this question without even asking it.

C&K: But because you, you know, you mentioned you were a shy child, but you have such a fantastic rapport with people at the con is. I mean, I guess that's maybe just because I know my shyness kind of melts away. When I'm there, of course it helps that I'm wearing the crazy, suits that people will come up to me and compliment me in that way.

C&K: That's the conversation starter. But, was your rapport with the guests always as easy as it is with,

DJ: You know, um, the weird thing about my shyness is after I stopped breathing when I was 23 with the uh, the

DJ: diabetes and the, and the alcoholic drinking,

DJ: when I came back from that because I did have this out of body experience thing, I'm not shy anymore. Because for some reason I saw the connectedness of everybody because I was loved, but I didn't feel like I was loved.

DJ: I felt weird. I felt like a freak, you know, you know, everybody is just whatever watching whatever they're watching on TV or listening to the radio and I'm, I'm reading Nietzsche and, you know, all this kind of weird stuff. But when that happened, I did see the connectedness of everybody, and the connectedness in a crazy way, and I don't mean romantically, is love.

DJ: And I did start to see the world that way. So when I did my first interview, this is kind of a jump for that reason, when I did my first interview was with Nathan Basil. I was sitting at the Behind the Mask, The Rise of Leslie Vernon table with he and Angela Goffles. Who I have both come to absolutely love and adore and consider friends and I'm honored to know them.

DJ: They're such good people. And, I just out of the top of my head thought, Hey, Nathan, I'm kind of watching you with all these people and people who are not here aren't hearing it. Is it okay if I do an interview with you? He's like, sure. So, and actually how my show got the name of Coffeehouse of Horror was this was pre pandemic.

DJ: So, I just stopped at Dunkin Donuts on my way in, got us both a big coffee, and then that same weekend was the first interview I did with David Howard Thornton, and was the first interview I did with Felisa Rose, and I've become friends with all of them, and I brought them all coffee. So, when the pandemic did happen, and, we started doing interviews online, and it was my, my editor, Who is on nerd box, who suggested we start to do interviews to kind of keep people connected.

DJ: So it became the Coffee Hells of Horror because I always brought people coffee in the morning when I was interviewing them. And to answer your question, yes, it's, it's, I'm, I like people. I'm interested in people. my daughter is an illustrator and I'm amazed by her talent. You know, Phyllis arose. Is an actor and I am amazed by her talent and I think the fact that I, I also have to take jump back.

DJ: I'm so sorry. This when I was recovering from the cancer surgery was when walking dead was 1st out. And my husband actually connected me with walking dead and my daughter connected me with doctor who. And my daughter got me these, the, the, the new doctor who, you know, starting from with, Christopher Eccles and I fell in love with David Tennant.

DJ: Doesn't everybody? So, between Doctor Who and my husband getting me into The Walking Dead, I found so much hope. The, after the surgery, they had to cut through all the nerves and muscles. And when they started to wake up, I was in, I, I've always had a high pain tolerance. I thought I did. It was a pain. I really can't describe.

DJ: It was, I felt like my skin was dried out paper and I couldn't move in any way. And they didn't want to put me on any more serious medication to block that from my brain in case something went wrong. And I was like, but it already hurts this much. How do I, you know, what else can go wrong? But between the Doctor Who and The Walking Dead, and then my husband, and he kind of blames himself now for my love of horror conventions and going to so many conventions, he took me to my first Walker Stalker.

DJ: And so that was kind of, between that and then the Monster Manias, but the Walker Stalkers and meeting some of them, and the kindness and the humility of so many of, of them. and the sacrifice my husband has made ever since then, knowing now that I'm going to be going away so many weekends. Carrie Payton, who played Ezekiel on walking dead. It was the anniversary of when I 1st met him was the anniversary. Of my cancer surgery, I think I was like, a year cancer free or something like that. His father was dealing with cancer and he and I started talking and we're both crying and we were hugging and ever since then he just told me, whenever you see me, you just come up to my table.

C&K: And, so I kind of had weird openings with the celebrities because I never put people in different categories separate from myself while at the same time. I honor and respect the talent that they have that got them the recognition that they got and that they deserved. it would be absolutely cruel on our part to ask you who your favorite guest is.

DJ: You know,

DJ: it's, it's tough because those coupler people are people I've come to consider friends, you know, so it's a, it's a very different, like if, if, there's only 1 person that I met and I actually had a very disappointing experience meeting and this was in my.

DJ: Walker stalker days, and I'm not going to say who it is because he may have been having a bad day. but so when I meet somebody

DJ: new. I also and I also, it probably helps, For 10 years, I've worked caring for adults with intellectual disabilities. In a personal care home. Before that, I did volunteer work, with folks in the, the area psychiatric hospital.

DJ: I have mental illness in my family, and there's been violence in my family due to the mental illness. So, it was my way when I was in my mid twenties of trying to understand it as best as I could, was getting in to do volunteer work. So, really, what it comes down to Is I try not to have high expectations for somebody that I haven't met yet.

DJ: Because I don't know if they're going to be as awesome as I hope that they will be. But at the same time, I also don't know what else they have going on. You know, if somebody meets me and my blood sugars are running down in the 40s. And I can't talk to them and I'm sitting and shoving, you know, hard candy in my mouth.

DJ: I would probably appear to be very different than if my blood sugars are fine. So I guess how I kind of think about somebody who has anxiety or any kind of a mental illness. We don't know what's going on with them, you know, but I definitely have people that

DJ: I'm so glad that I met that. I do hope I have the opportunity to see again.

C&K: Well, the final question that we ask every guest is who is

C&K: your

C&K: favorite final person in a horror movie?

DJ: Oh, my gosh, you know,

DJ: That's tough because I do have a couple of favorite. Final girls, it would be hard for me. Not to mention Adrian King, it would be hard for me at this point, not to mention Lauren. but I have to say, I'll preface it with saying. 2 of my 3 cats are named Jonesy and Ripley. so I have to stick with Ripley.

DJ: She's a.

C&K: you know, to me, she's kind of what it's all about. Yeah. Well, great answer. thank you for mentioning Adrian King because that's Kendall's favorite, and she's been on the show and she's just. Remarkable, you know, just great.

DJ: I adore her character, and I

DJ: adore the woman, so.

C&K: Yeah. Yeah. And I don't know what it is. I just have this real affinity for Friday the 13th. There are so many great, franchises, but that's just one that, we go back to probably way too often. I bet a two months doesn't go by without us watching at least one of them, you know, and that's, a lot to say because we're watching a horror movie every day,and there's so many new ones, so many great ones,

DJ: I know I have a lot of indie filmmaker friends,

DJ: and

DJ: I actually, of the interviews that I have to line up, there are three indie filmmaker friends that have all requested interviews, and I am so behind on being able to watch them, just because it's my life. I don't have, and my, my husband is also not too much into, some of the indie stuff, and he's, he's not completely into horror the way I am.

DJ: So if we're, if he's gonna be home and we're gonna try to watch something together, it's probably not gonna be one of those because we wanted, so really just the time factor. I don't have enough time!

C&K: Well, I was only able to make it out to one Monster Mania this year, but my goal is to hit at least two, next year, and hopefully get Kendal out to one. he's not big on the crowd, so I don't know if Cherry Hill would be a good option, but maybe Oaks.

C&K: Pennsylvania might be better because I'm, I imagine there's some spaces where you can just at least sort of, since it's a convention center, kind of get away from the throngs of people.

DJ: There's also a show that, I've come to very, very much like, and love the owners. Harry Carpenter and his wife, Audrey.

DJ: They're such good people, and they have a show called Fright

DJ: Reads.

DJ:

DJ: Last year I worked with Bill Perry, who was an actor and stuntman and author of The People Under the Stairs, and they had a People Under the Stairs reunion the year before.

DJ: They had Linnea Quigley, so I was able to work with her. And I know that they're working at growing a bit this coming year, but it's not a mega convention size. something

DJ: that

DJ: you'd think about. And it's,

DJ: such good

DJ: people. It's a good show, you know.

DJ: Plus, I'll be there.

C&K: Awesome. Well, I knew this was going to be a lot of fun, but we really appreciate your openness, for sharing your story. It's, that's why we're doing this, you know, to, to help people. We don't know what everybody's going through. but we, we certainly have shared experiences aside from just a shared love of horror.

C&K: I think, you know, we all have a little bit of anxiety, you know, worries, health stuff, you know, but, horror definitely helps in so many ways

DJ: you know,

C&K: the strength of us on the inside beating the monsters, whether they're on the inside or the outside. we can do it better together than we can do it alone, for sure.

DJ: So

DJ: thank you guys so much for doing

DJ: this.

C&K: Yeah. Thank you so much.