TEXAS FRIGHTMARE WEEKEND 2016: Day Three

 

It may have been Sunday and the last day at the con, but there were still so many more things to experience and do! I usually use Sunday as a shopping day, so here is all the cool stuff I picked up from vendors that day (and the other days, but I'll just put them all here). I said before going to the con that I was going to slow down with the t-shirt buying this year, but of course that didn't happen.

 

 

 

And thanks to one of my favorite vendors, I finally got an original one-sheet for Child's Play!

 

 

Still haven't seen Green Room yet but I'm sure I'll love it! The Alamo Drafthouse table had these mini posters for free so I snagged them both.

 

I had also said before going that I was going to find at least one cool art print this year, and I actually got a bunch. This is a great collage poster from Pallbearer Press.

 

And another nice mini print for Return of the Living Dead.

 



 

Mondo always has the best art that is usually only available at the convention, so I finally got one this year! I loved this Scream one, but I really could have bought all of them - there were awesome ones for Jaws and A Nightmare on Elm Street as well.

 



 

And because I don't have enough movies already (JK, I do, but you can never have too many movies) I got these import Blu-Rays of Night of the Living Dead 90 and Night of the Creeps from Severin Films.

 

Actually, one of the coolest things of the whole weekend happened before the convention even started for the day. I went downstairs in the morning to get my coffee (which was muchly needed) and then went outside to drink it and enjoy the weather. As I'm just out there chilling, Lance Henriksen came outside for a cigarette and sat down next to me on the bench. I was kind of freaking, but didn't want to say anything until a guy came up to talk to him. I took a picture for him, and then we all just chatted for a bit. I mentioned how fun one of his latest movies, Harbinger Down, was and then when the other guy left, Lance kept up the conversation with me. We talked about how nice and friendly everyone was at the con and where we were from, and holy shit, I couldn't believe that I had just had the most casual talk with Lance freaking Henriksen!

 

There were still some huge names I had to meet today, so I headed right for Robert Englund before the show started. His line was of course huge (there were actually people who were waiting all day the day before that had to come back!) and I actually had to leave it after a while because he had a photo op and then I had a photo op, but don't worry! My time will come!

 

During this break that I had, I got in two more meets. First was Matthew Lillard. He was so wonderful to the fans, just sitting on the edge of his table and giving everybody a great meeting. I of course got a hug from him (he gave my shoulder one of those real squeezes as I was leaving), told him how much fun he was in Scream, how great the Scooby Doo movies were, and thanked him for being there at the convention for Wes. And he wrote "Liver Alone" on my Scream picture that I picked out for him to sign, which made me so happy! This guy just rules.

 

 

Another big name that I never expected to meet in my life was Rose McGowan. I love her as an actress and a person (there's a video on the TFW Facebook page of her singing karaoke at the party Saturday night!), and this was another honor. I had bought my autograph ticket the day before and picked out a Planet Terror picture for her to sign. I told her how fun that movie was, and she was just like, "Yeah, it's so rad, isn't it?" I asked her if she had a quote from the movie to put on my picture, and we talked a little about her gun leg and how real it looked, not like CGI at all, and then I just thanked her for being there and what a pleasure it was to meet her. Thank you again, Rose!

 

 

 

Now it was time for yet another amazing, once-in-a-lifetime experience. With all the big names from Scream there, they were doing a Scream Team Up photo op with Rose McGowan, Matthew Lillard, Skeet Ulrich, and David Arquette. It was expensive, but who cares! When I was the next person in line, David Arquette glanced over at me, noticed my Wes Craven shirt and was like, "Oh, you got one of those!" Then he pointed it out to the other guys, and said, "Guys, look at this, it's a tribute to Wes." They loved it. When I was getting into position for our picture, I said, "Oh my god, this is like a dream come true!" and Rose said, "For us, too." Just look at this picture! It fucking rocks!

 

 

Only two more meets left! I skedaddled back to Robert Englund's table because there was no way I was going to miss him. A guy a few people in front of me in line had this awesome standee of Robert as Freddy in New Nightmare, and Robert stopped for a second to show it to everybody and said how rare it was. I love seeing how amazed and surprised the celebrities are by the stuff fans bring to them, it shows how much they appreciate the experience. One reason Robert's line took so long was that he was being awesome to everybody that came to meet him and having a great conversation with each of them. I thanked him for being there and said what an honor it was to meet him. Then I said that he reminded me a lot of Vincent Price, which he was thankful for, and talked about how being in horror movies was such a blessing for him because it made him known all around the world, just like Vincent Price. Wow, dudes. Another bucket list item checked off! Robert Englund is the man!

 

 

It seemed like every time I went by Lance Henriksen's table, he wasn't there, so when I finally caught him, it turned out to be the perfect time because after these last people in line, he had to go to a screening for his new movie, Daylight's End, and then he was done for the day. It was kind of funny when I got up to him because I was like, "Well, I already got the chance to talk to you earlier today!" and he laughed and said he remembered me. We chatted a bit more, he talked about his new movie, and I absolutely love this guy! What a great picture from Aliens, right?!

 

 

I met up with my podcast friends Joseph and David after this last meeting, bought some of my swag, and then they saved my life by offering to take me out to dinner when they were done getting their interviews. But first, I had to catch this Freddy cosplayer, who was totally into it and gave me some great pictures!

 

 

We all said goodbye to Texas Frightmare Weekend for the year and then went to get some food. I went to their place so we could record a quick wrap-up episode for their podcast, and met their dog who tried to eat my face.

 

 

I may say this every year, but I really think that Texas Frightmare Weekend 2016 was my best convention experience yet! Thank you once again to Loyd Cryer for putting on one hell of a show and bringing in so many people that I have wanted to meet for years. I will absolutely treasure every meeting I had with every celebrity, all the other attendees, my new friends, the vendors, and the dedicated and hardworking TFW volunteers. The show was absolutely KILLER and gave me so many awesome memories and experiences. I will most definitely be back next year, and every year after that if I can! Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU Texas Frightmare for the most phenomenal weekend of my life!!!

 

 

TEXAS FRIGHTMARE WEEKEND 2016: Day Two

 

Oh, wow. What a fantastic day with so many great people, experiences, and pictures! Here's a picture of the crowd waiting to be let into the doors:

 

 

How could that not make you excited?! One important event I wanted to get to this weekend was a not-to-be-missed panel, which started at 1:00 on Saturday, so I had two full hours to get in as much as I could. My podcast friends were back, but they had their own stuff to do, and we split off after a little while of hanging out. I still had a ton more people to get and swag to scope out, and I got right down to it!

 

First meeting of the day was with a lady who should need no introduction - Danielle Harris! She's super talented, super adorable, super nice, and of course a horror icon. I couldn't wait to meet her. I told her how much I loved pretty much everything she did with Adam Green, gave her huge praise for her fantastic directorial debut Among Friends, and asked if she had any plans to direct more in the future. She said she would probably do something later this year (I think), and that it would of course still be in the horror genre. Awesome. The last thing I blurted out was that her tattoo is beautiful (it is, go check it out!). I was nervous about taking a pic with her because I thought I would just look like an idiot and maybe I do, but I don't care! This woman was the best and I loved her!

 

 

Aside from meeting your horror heroes, one of the best things about conventions is making connections with other fans. I had already reconnected with a few people as I said in the previous day's post, but there were also a bunch of other new friends that I kept running into throughout the convention. One of them was this guy Dean, who traveled all the way from the UK for his first convention and his first visit to the states ever! I met him either on Thursday night or Friday morning, I can't remember which, but we were both down at the coffee bar Friday morning so we had breakfast and a great conversation together. He's actually a really talented artist that does book covers and he showed me some of his stuff, which was stellar. Anyway, it was after meeting Danielle that I saw Dean again, and we both wanted to meet the same person at that time so we went together. Here's to new friends!

 

 

But who were we meeting? Only one of the most awesome men in the business, TONY TODD! We talked to the really nice woman who was working his table while we were waiting and trying to pick out a picture for him to sign. I saw a pic from Sushi Girl there, and the woman and I were telling Dean and this other lady in line how good it is and how much they need to see it. I let Dean meet Tony first, and I could tell how excited he was, which made me so happy for him. Then it was my turn, and Tony immediately commented on my Hatchet Army t-shirt. Then I said that I feel like I should be bowing down to him in an "I'm not worthy" way and actually bowed down to him, and he just laughed and started bowing back! We talked about Sushi Girl a little, he signed my Candyman picture, and I also told him about the article I wrote for Wicked Horror about the Five Horror Actors I'll Watch in Anything, and that he was one of them. He was very appreciative of that and told me to Twitter a link to him. Before posing for a picture, I asked for a hug which he was happy to give and then I got another one as I was leaving. Tony Todd seriously could not have been more cool - he was so nice and chatty to everyone, and just a down-to-earth, real guy. What a blessed meeting!

 

 

Dean and I reveled in the high of meeting Tony for a bit, then I had to say goodbye because it was time for my panel. A huge draw of the convention this year was that Loyd Cryer put together a large roster of guests from Wes Craven's films. To honor him, there was a "Remembering Wes Craven" panel with guests Robert Englund, Heather Langenkamp, David Arquette, Skeet Ulrich, Ronee Blakely, Mitch Pileggi, Amanda Wyss, and Miko Hughes. The moderator asked a few questions and each person got their opportunity to share funny and touching stories about what Wes was like on set and in life, what he meant to and taught each of them, and what his legacy means for film. I loved hearing all of it, and even though I didn't full-on cry, I definitely teared up at times, especially when David Arquette said Wes was like a father figure to him and you could see the emotion on his face. Great, great panel.

 

 

 

 

After the panel, it was time for a meeting that I was so freaking stoked about that I couldn't contain myself. Unfortunately, just as I got in line to meet this person, they left their table! They had a photo op scheduled at that time and I was right near the beginning of the line so I decided to wait. Heather and Acacia stopped by and kept me company for a while and we took a selfie version of our yearly group photo together.

 

 

Our line got moved closer to the guest's table, and a short time later he came back. I was finally going to meet Kane Hodder! I saw how he could come off as intimidating to some people, but I felt like I knew how he really was so I wasn't nervous at all. Just like Tony Todd, the first thing he said was that he loved my Hatchet Army t-shirt (I knew it was the perfect one to wear when I met them both!). I told Kane "thank you" for his book Unmasked, and he was like, "Oh, did you read it?" and I said of course, man, and that I cried while reading it. And he said, "But then you were laughing out loud, right?" Absolutely! He said how amazing it was that something like that could make you feel all these emotions and I totally agreed. Then I mentioned how excited I was for his upcoming documentary, and he was, too, saying that it was going to be really good because they were going to talk to the woman who helped save his life the day he was burned. I can't wait to see it! I sat down for a picture with him, and before I left I asked him if he gave out hugs, to which he replied "You know I do," and pulled me in. He told me again that he loved my shirt, and this was truly a fantastic meeting!!! I fucking love Kane Hodder!

 

 

As Matthew Lillard was a guest this year, one of the cool, extra special things they had for the convention goers was the Mystery Machine from Scooby Doo! It was parked outside the hotel all day Saturday, and later on, Matthew was doing a photo op with it, but for now I just got a picture of me with it!

 

 

I went back onto the convention floor and noticed that David Arquette didn't have much of a line at that time, and I jumped right in to meet him! It was so hard to pick a picture for him to sign because he was in so many movies that I love, but I didn't have anything from Buffy the Vampire Slayer yet so I had to go with that one. I told him as much when it was my turn to meet him, and he was so sweet and smiley, such a doll. I mentioned the Wes Craven panel from earlier and how great he was there, and he appreciated that. As you've probably gotten by now, I am all about the hugs, so I got one from David and another great picture!

 

 

I caught some more super creative and fun cosplays while deciding what to do next, including...

 

 

 

Have I mentioned yet how much I love my fellow horror fiends?? These cosplays were so awesome to see! Other horror fiends I love are the wonderful vendors that come to Frightmare and the fantastic goodies that they bring with them. My favorite people are the folks behind Atomic Cotton t-shirts, Erica and Zach. I think I have bought a shirt from them every year since my first con, and this time I scored an Event Horizon one and finally asked them to take a picture with me!

 

 

It was around this time that I got a Facebook message from my good online buddy Craig Edwards, who asked me if I had met Adrienne King yet. I was very grateful for this because I actually kept forgetting about her! Her table was in a different room than the rest of the celebrities, with the Dark Arts exhibit. I headed straight there and didn't have to wait long at all to meet the totally sweet and personable Adrienne! She was wearing this badass hockey mask necklace that I commented on, and then we talked about how cool her wine business is, her art, and I dropped Craig's name for him! She was happy to know that I knew him (well, sort of, I guess!) and mentioned their ghost hunting trip together. She signed my Friday the 13th picture, gave me a "camper hug" as she called it, and like most everybody I met this year, she could not have been more sweet or gracious. One of my best meetings ever!

 

 

It was dinner time now, and I met up with my bud Chris again, who sat down with me while I ate. We were in the same room where they were having the Twisted Trivia game, and we tried to play along in the back. I also got some pics with the Tarman display they had!

 

 

But oh no, the night still wasn't over yet! Acacia and I were going to the VIP party that night, but she was running a little late because the photo op with Matthew Lillard and the Mystery Machine got backed up. I met her out there and got some cool pictures myself!

 

 

We made it to the VIP party where all kinds of awesome shenanigans went down! Okay, maybe not really shenanigans, but we had a blast hanging out and getting all kinds of great pictures with the celebrities who showed up! Matthew Lillard and Skeet Ulrich were there together and with so many people wanting to take pictures with them, they just started a little line to get everybody. Couldn't pass up this opportunity!

 

 

Next, we caught the guy who is just a super class act, Lance Henriksen! I have a great story about him that happened the next morning, but for now, I have this!

 

 

I had just watched Nightmare 4: The Dream Master again shortly before I went to TFW and was reminded of what a good movie it is, and what a great character Rick is, so when I saw Andras Jones at the party, I had to go up and tell him. We talked about Nightmare 4 and then we all just joked and laughed about random stuff. Another great guy and one I wasn't expecting to love so much, but I did! Meet him if you ever get the chance!

 

 

We met Andras on our way to Kane Hodder and I was so freaking excited that Kane was at the party because there was something I still needed to ask of him. When he saw me, I think he recognized me from earlier and before I knew it, he grabbed me in the best bear hug of my life!

 

 

Now this coming up was one of the best moments of the convention (and again, of my life!). When I had met Kane earlier that day, he had just come back from a photo op and was maybe not in the groove yet of the meet and greets, so I hesitated to ask for what I really wanted. But not this time!

 

I FINALLY GOT CHOKED BY KANE HODDER!!! Anybody else that has ever experienced this, you know how awesome it is. And in case you were wondering - yes, he really does choke you! He doesn't just place his hand on your neck, he really squeezes, and it was the most amazing goddamn feeling ever. I couldn't stop laughing while he was doing it, so after Acacia got the picture, he was like, "Oh yeah, she really likes that" and he was pulling my hair, and again it was fucking awesome. I got another hug goodbye and he told me again that he loved my Hatchet Army shirt. Life mission accomplished.

 

Some other people we met up with at the party were...

 

 

...Nora Hewitt, the winner of Face Off, and the badass who helped apply Howard Sherman's Bub makeup for the photo op that day. Really cool chick, wish I had more time to talk with her. After Nora, we caught James Remar!

 

 

James was also a very cool guy, of course. In the picture behind us is Sean Clark, an all-around horror guy who does all kinds of stuff in the genre including representing a lot of celebrities for conventions. I told him that I had heard his episode of Killer POV and marveled at the fact that he owns a screen-used clown doll from Poltergeist. Then, while we were talking, Adrienne King came up to Sean to talk to him, saw me, and said "Hi, Michele!" I had just met her a few hours before and she remembered my name!

 

Composer Alan Howarth was also a guest this year and he was sort of DJing the party for a bit, and even played a little guitar. There was a video screen that was playing some experimental-type footage from movies, and it was so boss to hear him play the Halloween theme music! Later on that night while I was talking to some other friends, he just randomly came up to us and asked us how we enjoyed the party and the music. What a guy! I got a picture with him, too.

 

 

Soon after this, it was time to call it a night. This whole day was absolutely fantastic, and I just can't believe all the amazing experiences I had! One more day to go but even more awesome to come, of course!