by Kimmie Chameleon:
The Southwest’s premiere horror convention, Texas Frightmare Weekend in Dallas, scared up a fangtastic time May 3-5th 2013. The Hyatt Regency hotel located near the Dallas/Ft.Worth airport was gracious enough to bravely host the horrific event. Guests and convention goers from all over the globe gathered to celebrate the macabre. At every glance you could spot a celebrity gleefully signing items and taking photos with fans. Among these celebs were Danny Trejo (Machete), Sean Patrick Flanery (Boondock Saints, The Devil’s Carnival), Sean Clark (Horror’s Hallowed Grounds), Tom Skerritt and Veronica Cartwright (Alien), Gary Busey, Denise Crosby (Star Trek: The Next Generation), Chris Sarandon (Fright Night, The Princess Bride),Tom Savini (Django Unchained, From Dusk Till Dawn), and Dee Wallace (The Frighteners), just to name a few. The biggest draw to the event had to be AMC’s The Walking Dead’s Norman Reedus who had to cancel his appearance at the last minute. Although many of hoards of Reedus fans were disappointed, they were more than delighted by the extra attention received from The Walking Dead’s Jon Bernthal, Theodus Crane, Nick Gomez, Chandler Riggs, and Vincent Ward. They more than made up for Reedus’s absence with their hilarious antics and fan interactions.
Throughout the weekend many screenings took place to standing room only crowds. Some popular choices were ‘Maniac’ (starring Elijah Wood), and ‘The Last Will and Testament of Rosalind Leigh’. DarkMedia’s own contributing writer, Michele Pearson, described the crowd reaction at the screening of ‘Maniac’ as, “The crowd was really into it. BIG reaction…from laughter to shrieking.” Pearson also notes that ‘The Last Will and Testament of Rosalind Leigh’ was, “a thinking horror movie”. The highly anticipated Saturday midnight screening of the classic ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’ was filled to capacity as soon as the doors flung open. Many people were tearfully turned away due to overwhelming attendance. What made this showing even more special was the fact that the movie’s own Magenta, (Patricia Quinn) was present for the screening!
Vendors lined the floors of the convention with opportunities to purchase some killer t-shirts or even a taxidermied creature. DarkMedia proved to be a prominent presence when fellow contributing writer Kevin A. Ranson showed up. It was even pointed out that Grim D. Reaper from http://moviecrypt.com/ was floating down the aisles. Now being a Southern California native, I am used to these types of conventions being huge. This convention, however, seemed more intimate. There were quite a number of people, but the ambiance was very friendly…even with a sea of fake blood covered cosplayers. The afterhours parties and events were lively, and the hotel restaurants and bars were buzzing with activity. The downside of being an out-of-towner to this convention was the fact that the hotel is located in a fairly isolated area…completely surrounded by the gigantic airport. This means that you are at the hotel’s mercy for feeding you, which is expensive. Next time, I’m gonna bring a lot of snacks. In the meantime, check out this slideshow from Texas Frightmare Weekend 2013! See how many celebs you can spot hangin’ out with Michele Pearson and I (Kimmie Chameleon).
DarkMedia contributing writer Kimmie Chameleon was born and raised with a healthy appreciation for horror and science fiction. She currently covers Supernatural, Ghost Adventures, BBC’s Being Human, Syfy’s Being Human, and Sherlock. When she’s not out ghost hunting with her kids, you can find her stealing a moment to add to her own pieces of fiction. Follow her on Twitter @dvsduo and “friend” her on Facebook.
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