This was the fourth NJ Horror Con (the first was held in Spring of 2017), and the first to be held at the Showboat Hotel in Atlantic City, NJ. I must admit, there was some concern about moving the convention from Woodbridge, NJ down to Atlantic City. Was it "too far" from Northern, NJ? Would people be willing to make the trip? Well, from what I could see, the concerns were unfounded. The convention was busy, and I saw a lot of familiar faces. Remember folks, horror fans WILL travel for a good show!!
Let's start with the venue. For those that don't know, the Showboat is no longer a casino. It is now a hotel/convention center. It's kind of strange seeing a horror convention in a casino-like atmosphere, with all of the garish colors and flashing lights, but it works! What I really liked about it was the wide aisles and wide-open spaces. Even when the convention was busiest on Saturday afternoon, I never felt that "crush" of people. It was easy to browse the many vendor tables without being shoved, and everything was accessible. There were also large, open spaces which were great for photo ops. It was easy to stop and take photos of people in costume or just selfies with friends without being "in the way."
Now, on to the convention itself!
It's very clear that Ryan, Robert and their staff are getting better with every show. This time around, I also had a vendor table, and I can say that check-in and load-in were very easy. A staff member showed me where my table was and there were no issues.
I loved the "convention center" style layout, and in that respect, moving to the Showboat was a great idea. The layout was spacious, and the vendors were mixed in together with the celebrity guests, although the celebrities were seated together in groups. This was FAR better than being in a small hotel, where hallways are narrow and you have to search for specific guests by navigating different rooms. Guest lines were managed well, and I never really saw any of the "choke" points that tend to plague conventions that take place in hotel environments.
The lineup of celebrity guests was fantastic and varied. Headliners Cassandra Peterson (Elvira) and Dee Snider (Twister Sister) were, of course, extremely popular and they did not disappoint. One of the highlights of the convention was that they had a re-creation of the set from Elvira's TV show, where Cassandra was posing with fans for pro photo ops. That was a very cool addition to the show and was a great idea. Another amazing opportunity was the chance to take a photo with K.I.T.T., the car from "Knight Rider", along with William Daniels, who was the voice of K.I.T.T. I must admit, this fan had a true fanboy moment!
Some other notable guests were Kerri Cahill and Seth Gilliam ("The Walking Dead"), Ted Raimi and Dana DeLorenzo ("Ash vs. Evil Dead"), Lita Ford and horror legend Linda Blair.
One guest I want to make special mention of is Violet Ramis Stiel, daughter of Harold Ramis. I had a chance to interview her, and listening to her talk about her dad actually made me emotional. I don't get star struck very often, but Violet is a very special person. If you ever have a chance to meet her, don't pass it up.
Overall, the celebrity lineup was varied and well thought out. NJ Horror Con has done a great job over the years with their guest lineup and this year was no exception.
One last note about the celebrity guests.....It seems that at this show, the guests spend a lot more time walking the convention and hanging out after show hours which makes for a great convention experience. It's one thing to stand in line to get an autograph or selfie, and have a few seconds to say hello, and quite another to have a bite to eat or a drink with a guest and interact with them as a person as opposed to a convention guest (if that makes any sense!)
The Saturday night awards, hosted by Tiffany Shepis and Ming Chen were a blast and were very entertaining. Congratulations to all of the filmmakers who were nominated and who won awards. Artist Chris Waters did another awesome job in creating this year's trophies. He is a fantastic artist.
Chris Stiles once again hosted the many Q&A sessions and panels throughout the weekend. Yet another aspect of the programming offered at this event. I managed to catch an "Horror Artist" panel and a Q&A session with Cassandra Peterson, both of which were fantastic.
In closing, I will just say that I had a blast at this event. The convention and festival scene is getting very crowded, and fans have a lot of choices as to where to go and where to spend their money. I think that if there are fans out there who have not attended NJ Horror Con and Film Festival, they are missing out. The next one is coming March 29th, 30th and 31st of 2019 and The Horror Nerd says.....BE THERE!!
For all of my photos from the event, click the link at the bottom of this page.
For additional information, be sure to visit the NJ Horror Con website at www.newjerseyhorrorcon.com or their Facebook page at:
https://www.facebook.com/njhorrorcon/