News
MegaCon Orlando Brings Horror and Geekdom Together!
I have attended many, many conventions all over the East Coast, and as a new resident to sunny Florida I just had to check out the notorious MegaCon Orlando at the Orange County Convention Center. To say the least, I was not disappointed from what this convention had to offer.
Enthusiasm and passion kept everyone in good spirits, even as they stood in the long lines to see celebrity guests such as James Marsters, Eliza Dushku, and Nicholas Brendon who were celebrating their 20 years of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fame that launched them all into the Whedonverse hall of fame. Equally long lines snaked their way to the autograph tables to see Rocky Horror Picture Show veterans Patricia Quinn, Barry Bostwick, Nell Campbell, and Meatloaf and of course the infamous Tim Curry in his private photo op!
Cosplayers made up almost half of the attendees, and many of them were nearly screen accurate! While many of the cosplayers were super hero related you can’t keep the horror fans down! Fans of the macabre came out to support their favorite genre characters as well. Jasons, and Michaels, and Freddys, oh my! There were also many cosplayers paying tribute to their favorite Walking Dead characters, with an overwhelming proportion of them as the infamous baseball bat wielding Negan.
However, one cosplayer in particular made my blood run cold; Samara from The Ring. This cosplayer fully committed to her character. Not only did she look the part with her entire body fully airbrushed in a shade of corpse white, but she also conducted terrifying poses. This girl contortioned her entire body into the ungodly positions as Samara did crawling out of the television screen! It still gives me chills just thinking about it!
Professional cosplayers Cecil Grimes and Richard Dixon took the act of cosplaying to a new level. In an experience affectionately called ‘set play’ cosplay actors Grimes and Dixon invited you into their zombie infested world inside a ‘Mega Con Safe Zone’ fort surrounded by barbed wire and completed with a lookout tower where you can take preparations to fend off the walkers. Once inside you choose your weapon to join Rick and Daryl as you fight off the zombies who broke through their safe zone in your photo!
This year for the first time Sinners and Saints, a horror film festival which began as a staple in Tampa in 2002, partnered up with MegaCon Orlando to show this year’s movies. Panels hosted by the independent filmmakers were showcased alongside their films. Fear Film Studio Fest also screened independent horror films as well as shorts over the course of the weekend and gave fans the opportunity to meet with the people behind the movies.
While horror merchandise was in short supply in the vendor room, it is a mostly a comic convention after all, the dedicated could find some fantastic discoveries! Local 13x Studios owner Rick Styczynski had his booth in its full glory, showcasing masks from the comic book world as well as the horror genre! Drop Dead Bizarre showcased a beautiful cabinet filled with hand painted machetes featuring who else but Jason Voorhees. I
f you were looking for something a little more cute and cuddly, Horror Show Jack’s booth had some adorably twisted stuffed bears in the likenesses of Sam from Trick ‘R Treat and Chucky from Child’s Play.
As a first time attendee of MegaCon Orlando I was not disappointed, and I will surely be returning next year! In the meantime the convention is gearing up for their next convention; MegaCon Tampa September 29 – October 1! It has already been announced Kevin Smith of Tusk and Red State will be in attendance. Check out MegaCon Tampa’s website here as their guest list grows for their September show!
Be sure to follow iHorror for upcoming news on horror guests at their next show, and keep up with our Twitter here and Instagram here to see our pictures as we attend the shows in real time!
Read more about MegaCon Orlando horror vendor Rick Styczynski in iHorror’s interview with him here!
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Movies
‘The Strangers’ Invaded Coachella in Instagramable PR Stunt
Renny Harlin’s reboot of The Strangers isn’t coming out until May 17, but those murderous home invaders are making a pit stop at Coachella first.
In the latest Instagramable PR stunt, the studio behind the film decided to have the trio of masked intruders crash Coachella, a music festival that takes place for two weekends in Southern California.
This type of publicity began when Paramount did the same thing with their horror movie Smile in 2022. Their version had seemingly ordinary people in populated places look directly into a camera with an evil grin.
Harlin’s reboot is actually a trilogy with a more expansive world than that of the original.
“When setting out to remake The Strangers, we felt there was a bigger story to be told, which could be as powerful, chilling, and terrifying as the original and could really expand that world,” said producer Courtney Solomon. “Shooting this story as a trilogy allows us to create a hyperreal and terrifying character study. We’re fortunate to be joining forces with Madelaine Petsch, an amazing talent whose character is the driving force of this story.”
The movie follows a young couple (Madelaine Petsch and Froy Gutierrez) who “after their car breaks down in an eerie small town, are forced to spend the night in a remote cabin. Panic ensues as they are terrorized by three masked strangers who strike with no mercy and seemingly no motive in The Strangers: Chapter 1 the chilling first entry of this upcoming horror feature film series.”
The Strangers: Chapter 1 opens in theaters on May 17.
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Movies
‘Alien’ Returning to Theaters For a Limited Time
It’s been 45 years since Ridley Scott’s Alien hit theaters and in celebration of that milestone, it is headed back to the big screen for a limited time. And what better day to do that than Alien Day on April 26?
It also works as a primer for the upcoming Fede Alvarez sequel Alien: Romulus opening on August 16. A special feature in which both Alvarez and Scott discuss the original sci-fi classic will be shown as a part of your theater admission. Take a look at the preview of that conversation below.
Back in 1979, the original trailer for Alien was kind of terrifying. Imagine sitting in front of a CRT TV (Cathode Ray Tube) at night and suddenly Jerry Goldsmith’s haunting score begins to play as a giant chicken egg starts to crack with beams of light bursting through the shell and the word “Alien” slowly forms in slanted all caps across the screen. To a twelve-year-old, it was a scary pre-bedtime experience, especially Goldsmith’s screaming electronic musical flourishes playing over scenes of the actual movie. Let the “Is it horror or sci-fi?” debate begin.
Alien became a pop culture phenomenon, complete with kid’s toys, a graphic novel, and an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. It also inspired dioramas in wax museums and even a frightening setpiece at Walt Disney World in the now-defunct Great Movie Ride attraction.
The film stars Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, and John Hurt. It tells the tale of a futuristic crew of blue-collar workers suddenly awakened out of stasis to investigate an undecipherable distress signal coming from a nearby moon. They investigate the source of the signal and discover it’s a warning and not a cry for help. Unbeknownst to the crew, they have brought a giant space creature back on board which they find out in one of the most iconic scenes in cinema history.
It is said that Alvarez’s sequel will pay homage to the original film’s storytelling and set design.
The Alien theatrical re-release will take place on April 26. Pre-order your tickets and find out where Alien will screen at a theater near you.
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News
Home Depot’s 12-Foot Skeleton Returns with a New Friend, Plus New Life-Size Prop from Spirit Halloween
Halloween is the greatest holiday of them all. However, every great holiday needs amazing props to go with it. Luckily for you, there are two new amazing props that have been released, which are sure to impress your neighbors and frighten any neighborhood children who are unfortunate enough to wander past your yard.
The first entry is the return of the Home Depot 12-foot skeleton prop. Home Depot has outdone themselves in the past. But this year the company is bringing bigger and better things to their Halloween prop lineup.
This year, the company unveiled its new and improved Skelly. But what is a giant skeleton without a loyal friend? Home Depot has also announced that they will release a five-foot tall skeleton dog prop to eternally keep Skelly company as he haunts your yard this spooky season.
This bony pooch will be five feet tall and seven feet long. The prop will also feature a posable mouth and LCD eyes with eight variable settings. Lance Allen, Home Depot’s merchant of decorative Holliday gear, had the following to say about this year’s lineup.
“This year we increased our realism within the animatronics category, created some impressive, licensed characters and even brought back some fan favorites. Overall, we are most proud of the quality and value we are able to bring to our customers with these pieces so they can continue to grow their collections.”
But what if giant skeletons just aren’t your thing? Well, Spirit Halloween has you covered with their giant life size Terror Dog replica. This massive prop has been ripped out of your nightmares to appear frighteningly on your lawn.
This prop weighs in at almost fifty pounds and features glowing red eyes that are sure to keep your yard safe from any toilet paper throwing hooligans. This iconic Ghostbusters nightmare is a must have for any fan of 80s horror. Or, anyone who loves all things spooky.
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