TEXAS FRIGHTMARE WEEKEND 2016: Day One

Texas Frightmare Weekend 2016 was absolutely amazing, my fellow horror fiends, and I cannot wait any longer to tell you all about it! So let's just jump right in and talk about all the awesome that this past weekend had in store for me.

The show ran from Friday, April 29 to Sunday, May 1, but my weekend really began on Thursday night. I got to the hotel, and then later on that night, I met up with three of my online horror friends who I was seeing in person for the first time. Joseph, David, and Shaddai are Dallas natives who run a podcast called Cinefreak Critique, and I've actually been a guest on that show twice now (on the first show, we talked about Diabolique, and on the most recent show, we talked about Sleepaway Camp 2). They picked me up from the hotel and took me out dinner at this amazing place where we had the best burgers and sweet potato fries (marshmallow fluff dip, holy shit). It was so cool to finally meet them all face-to-face and we got on like we'd been friends for years.

But of course Friday night was when the awesome really began. I had again purchased a VIP ticket for the show, so I headed down into the main room to pick up my wristband and goodies. Here's what was inside my VIP bag:

Official TFW Day of the Dead inspired program.

Bub artwork.

Lots of movies!

TFW koozie and a Scream (TV show) cell phone cleaner pad.

Random goodies and magazines.



Official TFW t-shirt, and a shirt from Arrow Video promoting their
American Horror Project releases.

 

When the show actually started and we got to head into the rooms, I honestly spent much of my time just wandering around and feeling totally overwhelmed! This was my fourth year at Texas Frightmare Weekend, but I really didn't have much of a plan this time of what I wanted to do or what order I wanted to meet people. The first thing I ended up doing was meet up with a previous TFW friend Chris (who actually took me to Wal-Mart earlier that day - thanks again!), and we hung around the Full Moon table. Chris had a great Puppet Master record that he wanted Charles Band to sign, so we waited for our moment. We both had a great chat with Band all about Puppet Master and other Full Moon awesomeness, but unfortunately did not get a picture with him.

 

Actually, we had a wait a bit to talk to Band because he was chatting with TFW founder and showrunner, Loyd Cryer. I had met Loyd last year and got to thank him for what an amazing show he puts on every year, but for some reason I didn't ask for a picture then! I had a goal to catch Loyd sometime this weekend to remedy that, and was so happy that I got him first thing on Friday night.

 

 

After this and doing some laps around both of the rooms to take everything in, I was finally ready to get that first meeting under my belt. Since I had my Chucky doll with me and was wearing my Child's Play 2 t-shirt, I knew the first one had to be Mr. Gerrit Graham, who played Andy Barclay's foster father Phil in CP2 (he was also in Chopping Mall, hell yeah!). This guy was great, so high-spirited and engaging, and what he wrote on my picture was exactly what I was hoping he was going to write! And so I have added another awesome picture and autograph to my collection of Child's Play people! Yes!

 

 

Around this time, I caught a picture of a hilarious Dinosaur Freddy cosplay...

 

 

...and another great cosplay from one of absolute favorite movies, Carrie.

 

 

One big thing that I had to get done that night was my professional photo op with Robert Englund. You guys. ROBERT ENGLUND. I didn't actually meet him at his table until Sunday, but he wasn't doing photos at his table for the show (probably because they knew he was going to be crazy busy) so I couldn't pass up this opportunity. While waiting in line, I saw some of the pictures that other people were coming out of the room with, and was unbelievably excited to find out that he was wearing the Freddy glove for the pictures! One guy was like, "You're going to love it, he's having so much fun in there!" And it was definitely true. Robert was rocking the glove, putting each person in a different pose for their pictures, and just really getting into it and giving everyone a great experience. I love, love, love how the picture turned out! This shit is getting framed for sure.

 



 

I met up with Joseph, David, and Shaddai again as they were covering the show for their podcast and we spent some time enjoying the show, until I suddenly ran into my long-time TFW friend, Acacia! I met Acacia and her sister Heather at my very first Frightmare and we see each other every year, and hang out with each other as much as possible while we're at the show. I seriously love these chicks, they're so wonderful.

 

Now, I had changed into my Pet Sematary shirt (and put the Chucky doll away) because of the next person I wanted to meet, and that's where I was heading when I met Acacia. But while we were catching up, he left his table and I thought that I would have to get him later. Luckily, though, he was only gone for a bit and came back after about an hour, so now it was time to meet... Miko Hughes! Miko was of course Gage Creed in Pet Sematary and also Dylan in Wes Craven's New Nightmare, two more of my favorite movies ever, so I was ridiculously excited to meet him. The guy meeting him in front of us actually had a pretty badass Pet Sematary tattoo with Gage on it, and Miko loved it. When it was my turn, I couldn't decide which picture for him to sign and asked him which one was his favorite and he jokingly said none of them. I finally decided on the one below, and he was like, "That's actually my favorite one, I was testing you." So cute. I told him how great it was to meet him and that those two movies were so important to me. We also talked about the upcoming Pet Sematary documentary, which I cannot wait to see. Miko was so sweet, and when I asked for a hug, he hugged me back like he really meant it. Amazing guy!

 

 

The convention was over for the night shortly after this, but I still had the annual Friday Night Party to go to! The theme this year was for Halloween II, so the MC and other people were dressed up like doctors and nurses, and there was a cool hospital backdrop in the room where people could take pictures. I ran into another old TFW friend at the party and he ended up being my dance partner for the night, which started with the whole room singing "Bohemian Rhapsody." Then there was lots of dancing, a costume contest with some even more amazing and fun cosplays, and I got a picture with the winner! Great idea for a cosplay from Dream Warriors!

 

 

At about 2 o'clock in the morning, I had to call it quits because Saturday is the craziest day of the convention and I knew I needed to get at least some sleep! Everything I got to experience so far had been so amazing, but the best was still yet to come in the next two days! Stay tuned for more awesome!

 

Texas Frightmare Weekend 2015: Day Two

 

This is the big day, guys, let's get into it. On the Thursday night before the con, the Alamo Drafthouse hosted a special 35mm screening of Scream, with a Q&A afterward with Neve Campbell. But of course I didn't plan ahead well enough and didn't make it to that event. While I was groggy and trying to get ready for the day on Saturday morning, I'm flipping through the channels on TV and they were actually showing footage from the Q&A on the hotel's channel. This just gets me so pumped up for the day and I'm ready to get back at it!

 

The first thing I did really quick was check out the Dark Arts Show, which was a horror art gallery. Some pretty cool stuff here, but the main attraction was the original "Grandma" prop from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Very, very cool.



 

My first celebrity meeting of the day was with someone I was incredibly stoked about - Kim Coates from Sons of Anarchy! I could just tell that he was going to be an awesome guy to meet, and I was not disappointed. We posed for our picture first and I had no problem asking him for a hug right away. Then the guy taking our picture didn't do it right, so we had to get all close and snuggly again, which I of course didn't mind one bit. I was SHAMELESS this weekend, guys. Absolutely shameless. I told Kim that my dad and I sort of bonded over watching Sons of Anarchy together, and he thought that was great and talked about how so many different kinds of people love the show. I mentioned that I was the one who got my dad into watching it, and that got me a high-five. Love this guy!

 

 

 

As most of you may have figured out, I am just a little bit obsessed with Child's Play. So you can imagine how much I freaked the fuck out when they announced Alex Vincent and Brad Dourif as guests this year. I still wasn't quite ready to meet Dourif, so I went to Alex first. Again, great guy. Great at keeping up a conversation with me and answering my dorky questions. He said I was very sweet, so go me. Ah, you have no idea how big of a deal this was for me. Andy Barclay, people! Amazing!

 

 

 

By the way, I carried my Chucky doll around with me all weekend. People really liked him and kept asking me where I got him, even though there were obviously a lot of Chucky dolls there, some way bigger and better than mine. I still love my little guy, though, and I'm not sorry at all to say that I scared a bunch of children with it this weekend.

 

Now the one guy that I was the most excited about meeting wasn't at his table at this time because he was doing a podcast, so I went up to my room to get the poster that I brought to be signed by the one and only Malcolm McDowell. Where do you even start with how awesome this man is? I'm glad I brought my own item for him to sign because he had a ton of pictures from all different movies to choose from at his table, and I would have never been able to make a decision. I had him sign a picture for one of my friends back home, and then I finally put good use to this Japanese poster for A Clockwork Orange that I bought about ten years ago. I didn't really rehearse what I was going to say to Malcolm beforehand, so I probably sounded like a nerd but who the fuck cares. I met Malcolm McDowell!

 

 

 

 

I came back down from my room and my most anticipated guest was finally back at his table. AJ Bowen has been my favorite actor ever since I saw A Horrible Way to Die years ago, and I have loved him in everything I've seen. And yes, he's adorable so I've also got a bit of a crush. He was no doubt my favorite part about the whole weekend, because he was so easy to talk to and didn't mind my fangirling one bit. He seemed to like it when I mentioned A Horrible Way to Die because like he said, nobody ever talks about that movie (when they totally should). I complimented him on his natural acting ability, which is the reason I love him so much, and we just had a really great conversation. The people behind me in line were listening in, and he had us all laughing and loving him even more. All I could find at the show for him to sign was a mini poster for You're Next, and I wish I had been more prepared and brought something from AHWTD or The Sacrament. But again who the fuck cares - I met AJ Bowen. I sat down next to him for our picture and had to give him a hug first. Did I mention how shameless I was? Then I got a great picture with him and another hug goodbye and this meeting became my absolute best memory from the convention. Thank you for being awesome, AJ!

 

 

 

 

Also, he was wearing a Camp Crystal Lake shirt so that gets him extra cool points.

 

Across from AJ was Elvira. She was only dressed in costume for that one day and wasn't allowing pictures with her at her table. But they were allowing you to take a quick picture of her, so of course I did! I did meet her as herself, Cassandra Peterson, the next day so look for that. I love the expressions I got on her face!

 



 

The next thing on my agenda was my first of only two panels. I went into the room a little bit early and actually caught the last few minutes of Udo Kier's Q&A. I immediately wished I had been there for the whole thing, because he was so adorably funny. I heard the story of how he kissed Elizabeth Taylor and it was awesome.

 

 

Anyway, the thing I came into the room to see was actually a very cool and unique event. Victoria Price, daughter of the incomparable and amazing Vincent Price, gave a presentation in honor of her father and his legacy. She began the presentation by playing an audio clip of the voiceover that he did for "Thriller." I've always loved Vincent Price and the joy and glee that he seemed to have about his work, so hearing that actually almost made cry a little bit of happy tears. It was cool because that's what Victoria's presentation ended up being about - the memories of what her father was like off-screen and all the joy that he took out of his work, the people he met, and life in general. She had hilarious pictures and stories about him, and now I just want to go and watch all of his movies. Lovely lady.

 

 

Panels are always a good time to sit down for a bit and get your momentum back because the day was definitely not over. I did some more wandering, and actually went over to where to Victoria Price had a table, so I could talk to her more but she wasn't there. However, her table was near where Neve Campbell's room was and she had literally no line, so I had to take the opportunity to get her autograph. Like I said before, she wasn't allowing pictures with her at her table, and for some reason my mind went all blank on what I wanted to say! It was still very cool to meet her, because Scream was another big movie for me in terms of developing my love of horror. Neve needs to do more cons! I know she'll love it!

 

 

I ran into my TFW friends, Heather and Acacia, again several times over the weekend and we hung out together around this time while they got some of the autographs they wanted. Acacia and I spent some time at the table of Joseph Gatt (from Star Trek and Game of Thrones) and then Heather got in line for Angus Scrimm. I'm pretty sure Angus was staying in a room down the hall from mine, by the way.

 

 

Anyway, we all decided to get Brad Dourif together so I could have a photographer to take pictures for me, so my moment has finally arrived! Brad Dourif is freaking AMAZING, you guys, and I have been dreaming about meeting him for years. He was obviously very popular with everyone else, too, because whenever he was at his table, he always had a line. I just told him what an honor it was to meet him and how big Child's Play has been in my life. I also had to give him praise for the phenomenal One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, which is still one of my favorite films of all time, and he was a very nice, cool guy with a great smile for everyone. So going back two years when I met Chris Sarandon, and now Vincent and Dourif, I have actually met three of the major stars from the horror film that has probably been the most influential one in my life. I never thought that would happen.

 

 

 

 

I am now the happiest horror fan on the planet.

 

The show was almost over for the night, so Heather, Acacia, and I parted ways so we could have a dinner break before meeting back up again in an hour for another movie. We saw the vampire horror-comedy Bloodsucking Bastards, and it was really good! It's a very simple, straightforward story about a lowly office worker whose colleagues start turning into vampires, but the comedy is non-stop and perfect, and the minimal locations is something that I always like in movies. It stars Fran Kranz from The Cabin in the Woods and Joey Kern from Cabin Fever. Hey, they both got out of the cabin! Haha! Um, yeah... definitely see Bloodsucking Bastards if you get the chance!

 

 

After the movie, the three of us took our yearly picture together in front of the Texas Frightmare Weekend backdrop. Man, we're adorable.

 

 

This is also when a guy dressed as Ghostface came by and tried to scare Heather. He was literally the only Ghostface we had seen so far all weekend, which is weird because I expected there to be a ton of them there. Anyway, I grabbed him for a picture.

 

After this, I had to say goodbye to my friends so I could attend the cocktail party that was just for VIP passholders and celebrities. Again, I missed the beginning of the party so maybe there were more celebs there earlier, but I did see Don Coscarelli, Alex Vincent, and Jennifer Lynch hanging out and talking to people. Lynch was chilling with Sherilyn Fenn, who I really wanted to get a picture with, but they were both grabbing food and seemed to want to be left alone. When Sid Haig showed up, people yelled and cheered and he was cool about stopping to talk to people and take pictures with them. Camille Keaton asked me what I was drinking and got the same thing. Later I asked her how it was and we chatted for a bit. Probably the coolest thing about the party was that it was after midnight and Angus Scrimm was still there! I was so dead tired and he looked awesome. I talked to two other guys for a while, then headed over to the hotel bar to see what was going on. I was just hanging back checking my phone at one point when I catch eyes with Kim Coates as he's walking in front of me and he says, "Hey, sweetheart." I melted. Then I went outside to talk to more people, and one girl pointed out Loyd Cryer, the founder of Texas Frightmare Weekend, to me and I had to go over to him. I thanked him for the show and the great memories that he's helped to give me over the years, and he was a really cool and sincerely appreciative guy. Are you ready for ten more years, Loyd? Because I know I am!

 

Oh, Frightmare, why does my time with you have to go by so fast?? There's only one day left!

 

 

Read my Day One recap right... about.... HERE!

And read all about Day Three here!

OMG, Chucky is Coming Back and He Looks AWESOME

JENNY KRUEGER, IF YOU ARE READING, BEWARE! THERE WILL BE PICTURES OF CHUCKY IN THIS POST. PLEASE DON'T SHIT YOUR PANTS.

I absolutely have to comment on the first official stills from Curse of Chucky. It is the fifth Child's Play sequel and is coming direct-to-video in September. I'm still looking forward to a possible remake from original creator Don Mancini, however, some of the stuff I've been reading about Curse of Chucky have made me very happy and quite intrigued. Well, the plot sounds way off from the Chucky we know and love - how he's "finishing something he started 20 years ago" or some crap - so hopefully they've figured out a way to make it work for the character and the series. Anyways, I'm mostly excited about Chucky's look:

OMG, FUCKING YES. They have FINALLY gotten rid of those god-awful, ridiculous scars and brought back the Chucky that used to give me endless nightmares as a child. He's a bit updated, and more shiny and new, but still looks like the classic that he is. I've also heard that they've supposedly taken this film back to the series true horror roots and actually made it scary and less funny. I sincerely hope that's true because with Chucky looking the way he is again, I see myself possibly having some new nightmares about him.