Los Angeles: Win A One-Day Pass To The Halloween Convention!
Starting in 2003 with the 25th anniversary, every five years cast and crew from all of the Halloween films descend upon Pasadena (where the first film was largely shot) to celebrate the iconic franchise with a weekend full of panels, autograph/photo ops, and merchandise opportunities (including a few much-desired Mondo exclusives). I missed the first one because I still lived in MA, but I've been there for 2008 and 2013's installments, and it's always a blast. The actors all really love each other and are proud of their connection to a series that has lasted forty years, and fans come from all over the country (world?) to pay their respects. If you're a Halloween fan, there's really nothing like walking into a room and seeing so many of these people sitting side by side.
And this year's incarnation will be extra special, as it's the first time it has coincided with a new film to celebrate! Presented by HorrorHound Weekend along with Trancas International and Compass International, the convention will be held this weekend, from Oct 12th-14th, just a week before David Gordon Green's direct sequel to Carpenter's original hits theaters*. Green will be one of the guests at the show to talk about it, along with new Michael actor James Jude Courtney (and "OG" Michael Nick Castle, who appears in a few key moments in the new film) and FX man Chris Nelson. All ten other films will be represented well, in particular the first film which will have usual attendees like Charles Cyphers and PJ Soles, but they also located - for the first time ever! - Sandy Johnson, who played Judith Myers (plus her boyfriend, played by David Kyle). All four of the nurses from Halloween II will be on hand as well, which should make for a fun photo op. Also, my man Spitz from Halloween 5 (Matthew Walker) is coming, so I can tell him about how his death was the final straw for 11-year-old me trying to watch the film when home alone on Halloween night - I had to stop it there and wait for my parents to come home before I could finish the film. I'll be moderating the panel for that film along with a few others (including the original, no pressure!), as will Steve "Uncle Creepy" Barton and Rob G from the Shock Waves podcast (who will be recording a special episode at the event), so you can be assured the questions will be good for all the films - no budget or camera questions allowed! There will also be tours of the shooting locations and things of that nature - no (rune)stone is left unturned!
Sound fun? Want to come to the show? I have a Sunday pass to give out to one of you fine people: all you have to do (besides be able to be in Pasadena, CA on Sunday) is comment below with your favorite kill scene in the series. Make sure it's easy to contact you (a Twitter handle would be ideal) and get the answers in by Thursday. I'll be notifying the winner then, and his/her name will be on the list for Sunday (which is the day of the panels for the series' best entries far as I'm concerned: 1, 3, and 4). If you don't want to pin your hopes on a contest, head here to buy tickets, plus check out the current lineup of guests (which keeps growing!) and schedule. It's gonna be a great show - don't miss out! And come say hi if you see me!
*My review will be up soon, but I've already seen it twice and I still plan to use my ticket for opening night, so that should at least clue you in to my final verdict.
