At first it was off to a rocky start, as we weren't really sure who was who, and a lot of the familiar faces from Twilight and True Blood that I was expecting to see did not show up on the red carpet, although we did see them later in the awards ceremony. True Blood's Rutina Wesley ("Tara") and The Vampire Diaries's Nina Dobrev ("Elena") raced quickly through the line. And I could have sworn that Dobrev's castmate Ian Somerhalder ("Damon") was lurking in the shadows just outside the runway posing as a freecreditreport.com billboard.

However, we did manage to find some familiar faces on the red carpet, and it seemed that everyone was abuzz with excitement for the awards. Godsmack frontman Sully Erna, whose band is headed into the studio to record their fifth record due out in April 2010 to be followed by a world tour, said that what brought him to the awards was "Well, screaming! Yeah, gore, horror, blood! I want someone to scare me. I'm waiting to go in - I want something good to happen! Vyxsin from The Amazing Race TV show, exclaimed, "This is so awesome! Tonight is the night to celebrate sci-fi, fantasy, the "macabre", all things we totally enjoy, so we're thrilled to be here." Her partner, Kynt, added, "I think we fit in pretty well at the 2009 Scream Awards."

David Paymer, whose current film Drag Me to Hell was up for Best Horror Movie, commented, "I'm having a great time - I met a unicorn. They told me that Keith Richards is performing, and I'm very excited." And Richards himself, who received the Rock Immortal award from his Pirates of the Caribbean son Johnny Depp, breezed down the red carpet with wife Patti Hansen, entourage and flashbulbs galore, leading Zach Lord (A Christmas Story, Transformers, Titus), to explain Richards' participation in the show: "I believe Keith Richards is one of the undead..."

The lovely Kate Vernon, star of Battlestar Galactica, commented on the show's final episodes this past season, "It's a bittersweet finale...I'm sad to see it go. But we ended on a high note, so we didn't peter out or fizzle away...the fans really supported us. Unfortunately we left everybody really hungry." Vernon, who with the rest of the Battlestar Galactica cast was honored in a tribute by the cast of the Big Bang Theory, said, "I'm in the dark about this - I think we are getting some kind of tribute and I'm very excited about it. I can't wait to get in there and really discuss with somebody really what is going on [laughs]"

Many of the attendees were unsure what to expect from the awards show. Erna said, "I'm just here to enjoy the experience. It's the first time I've gotten to the Scream Awards. I don't know what to expect, and I like it that way. It's kind of like, it's a bummer when a magician tells you how to do the trick. All of a sudden, you go, awww, that's it? So, I don't want to know much about what's going on tonight. I just want to come here and see how the whole night flows, and I'm looking forward to the afterparty at the cemetery! That's going to be killer!

On the other hand, some had definite ideas about what they were hoping to see. The Amazing Race's Vyxsin said, "I love all the vampire stuff." When asked which of the many vampire shows was her favorite, there was no contest to Vyxsin: "True Blood for me...I've read all the books; I'm a huge fan. I hope they take the million, 15 hundred awards they're nominated for." [that they did] AR's Kynt had his preferences as well: "I'm rooting for True Blood for Best TV show, and also cheering on Twilight for the Ultimate Scream." Zach Lord, who stars in the upcoming Last Stop, a suspense/thriller/horror film along the lines of "The Blair Witch meets Hitchcock" currently shooting down in Roswell, New Mexico (which I might add is the home of Area 51, most apropos for this evening of horror, fantasy and sci-fi) commented that he was here for "the crazy costumes and to see what's coming up next, all the trailers. I like all the spoiler alerts."

Erna, who is a fully ordained Wiccan priest, spoke about the connection between heavy metal and horror films: "You know, it's adrenaline. I think it's all about adrenaline, it's about energy. I think that's what hard rock/heavy metal and action films and horror films all kind of have in common, is just it's a rush." And a rush was definitely felt, with new trailers from the forthcoming Shutter Island, V, New Moon (the new Twilight flick), and never-before seen footage from the forthcoming Star Trek DVD.

As Michelle and I headed out shortly before the end of the award ceremony, the security guard directed us out the long way, which took us all the way through a dark and isolated Griffith Park with no one in sight, and on an empty tank of gas at that. It was a perfect environment for Jason and/or The Blair Witch to jump out at us, but fortunately we eventually made it out of the park without a scratch. What an appropriate way to end an evening at the 2009 Scream Awards!

Keith Richards & Johnny Depp:

William Shatner/JJ Abrams:

Stephen Moyer/Alan Ball:

The Scream Awards air Tuesday, October 27, 2009 at 10pm on Spike TV. Check back right here as we post the winners!

2009 Scream Awards Categories:

All videos courtesy of Spike TV.
All photos courtesy of Michelle Nati