Maggie V. Here….
To put it lightly, ‘Texas Frightmare Weekend‘ was AWESOME. From the amazing guests to the outrageous costumes, to the comics, toys, posters, and movie props – all of it was a blast! This was my first time at Texas Frightmare Weekend so I wasn’t sure what to expect. But needless to say my expectations were succeeded. It was at the Hyatt Hotel at DFW airport and by the time I got there on Friday, there were already a ton of people there. This hotel is perfect for this event. There was ample room for everyone to move around and everything was easily accessible. I immediately went to see Mr. George Romero (the godfather of zombie films) and Tom Savini (makeup artist extraordinaire). Their lines were fairly long but they moved quickly. Romero looks great and seemed to have a great time while Savini looks like he is tired of the convention circuit. It made me laugh. Everyone who worked at the event was very helpful as well.
As I walked around I was happy to see so many other horror lovers. From slashers to torture to gore. It was all on display for myself and others to enjoy. There were actors and directors from schlocky B-movies to big blockbusters. I was happy to see Asami from ‘Machine Girl‘ ( a Japanese action shock/gore film) to the Soska Sisters ( directors of ‘Hooker In a Trunk‘ and ‘American Mary‘) to Scott Wilson and Chandler Riggs from ‘The Walking Dead‘. As you can tell, there is a little something for everyone.
The guest list was amazing. Everywhere I looked there were actors, actresses, directors, movie monsters whose work I had admired for years! There were also a lot of vendors showing off their wares. Anything from t-shirts, to paintings to horror memorabilia. There were also some directors who had their independent horror movies for sale. It was nice to meet some of the actors and directors who really put it all out there and showed their love of the horror genre. It was quite infectious.
There were also some musical guests as well. Ace Frehley (KISS), Twiggy Ramirez from Marilyn Manson, Dee Snider and some members of the excellent heavy metal band Ghost. The guests of honor were George Romero and Tobin Bell from the “Saw” franchise. They had tons of blood thirsty fans clamoring to get an autograph and ask questions.
It was such a wonderful experience to be able to meet and talk to such great personalities and look at all the different sub genres of horror displayed right out in front of you. There were some people that had some pretty amazing costumes and I was astounded on what all went into making these incredible costumes. It was also fun to be able to be around fellow horror fans. Everyone was so nice. It just seemed like we were happy to find that there are so many other people with the same love of horror in one place. It was like we were all one big weird happy family who loved all things gore, horror, and monster mayhem.
It was a lot busier on Saturday but it was not chaotic. There were panels and Q&A sessions with actors from ‘The Terminator‘ movies, the ‘Hellraiser‘ films, ‘Aliens‘, and many more. People got to ask their favorite stars questions about making their favorite films. I really liked that there really was something for everyone. Whether it be 80’s slasher picks, torture porn, epic block buster films, or cheesy B-movies, there is something you’ll find specific for your tastes It’s perfect. In closing, it is something that can be fun for the whole family and there is a lot to do. If you are a fan of any type of horror, you won’t want to miss this convention. As for me, I will definitely come again next year.
And don’t worry, we will be posting all of our interviews very shortly. So stay tuned.
– Maggie Villarreal