Event Recap: Spooky Empire, Orlando, FL (June 18, 2022)

It’s been a minute since I’ve written about horror on here, but that’s going to change today.

Last weekend while I was on vacation in Florida, I went to the Spooky Empire horror convention in Orlando. With the event taking place in the middle of June, the theme was “Summerween” (think Christmas in July, but horror-centric), complete with pool parties and costume contests. The branding of the event had a big Friday the 13th influence, with logos looking like the Camp Crystal Lake sign (another name for the event was ‘Camp Spooky Empire’), which was fun to see because other conventions I’ve attended never adopted a theme like that.

I’ve been to Spooky Empire once before, at their October 2018 show, and had a pretty good time there, so I expected a similar experience this time around. Keep in mind, this was my first time going to a convention since the pandemic (my last one was literally a month before the 2020 lockdowns), so being back in that environment was a bit of a culture shock to me at first. Thankfully, I was able to get used to the crowds and everything pretty quickly, so it was still a fun time.

I was only there on Saturday (the BUSIEST day, of course), but I was able to see everything I wanted to see and meet everyone I wanted to meet within that timeframe. I’ve stayed at a convention for all three days once before and it’s going to take something special for me to do that again, because I feel like one day is plenty of time to experience everything (aside from certain panels taking place on specific days, obviously).

It was fun being in that environment again, and here’s a recap of everything I experienced:

THE VENUE

One of the most important things about a convention, or any big event, is the venue, and this three-day spookshow was held at the Wyndham Orlando Resort, a three-star hotel near Sand Lake. The hotel is a popular lodging space for tourists because of its close proximity to amusement parks like SeaWorld and Universal Studios, along with a ton of mini-golf facilities, arcades, and attractions such as Ripley’s Believe it or Not only being within walking distance.

Inside, everything was on the first floor, with enough rooms for every aspect of the convention. At most events, the celebrity guests are in the same room (or rooms, depending on floor plans and space) as the vendors and exhibitors; at Spooky Empire, however, the vendors had their own space, the celebrities had their own, etc. I like the format because, in theory, it would help disperse and reduce overcrowding and congestion in certain areas. It worked in the celebrity room, but the vendor room seemed to be crowded the entire time. I feel like the room was overbooked, and there were either too many vendors or they just weren’t spaced out in the best way. I’m not a promoter or event organizer, so I don’t know what goes into setting up these conventions, but I think there could’ve been a better way to provide more walking space.

The panel room was set up well, with a ton of available seating and an open mic in the middle of the room for fan questions. Sound issues are almost inevitable at events like these, but I didn’t notice any mic problems or anything like that at the panels I went to, so props to Spooky Empire for that.

The only real complaint I have about the venue, other than the occasional traffic jams in the vendor room, was the air conditioning. It’s already easy to get sweaty at events like this because of how crowded they can be, but there were some parts of the hotel that felt like the AC was just completely cut out. Granted, this was also in the middle of FLORIDA in the middle of JUNE, so it was probably always going to be hot, regardless of the AC situation. Other than that, it wasn’t a terrible venue by any means, and it’s easy to get familiarized with the place once you walk through it a couple times.

THE VENDORS

Obviously, a big attraction to horror conventions is the celebrity guests and the experience of fans being able to meet their favorite actors and filmmakers of the genre, but another great part of attending these events is the vendors and exhibitors. The coolest horror merchandise and memorabilia can be found here, and some things can’t be found online or in stores. I’m lucky enough to say I’ve met a lot of celebrities that were on the top of my priority list (some a few times) because I’ve been to a decent number of conventions by now, so the vendors have become just as exciting to me when I’m getting ready to go to another show because it’s always a game of chance as to what I’m going to find at the next one. I’ve run into a few of the same vendors at different events and have made acquaintances with them, so over the years my excitement level to run into them again has become comparative to how excited I’d be to meet the celebrity guests.

I didn’t know any of the vendors at this show, so I had no clue what to expect, but I still wasn’t disappointed. Over the last year or so, I’ve come to really appreciate fan art a lot more. Seeing unofficial posters and designs of my favorite movies from talented fans online is one of my favorite parts of being on social media, so coming to an event that was full of artists with their work for sale was a dream come true for the fan in me while also being a nightmare for my wallet. Some of my favorite works came from local creators, with the first booth I saw as soon as I walked into the room being Spooky Cat Press, an Orlando-based company that specializes in horror and gothic-themed designs in the form of greeting cards, stickers, apparel, and other accessories. They embraced the “Summerween” vibe all the way, with some of my favorite designs showing the Universal Monsters on the beach.

Speaking of the Universal Monsters, another vendor that caught my attention was From the Fog, an artist from Sarasota. There was body-horror inspired jewelry, such as finger necklaces and jaw hairclips, but my favorite thing was the art prints of the Universal Monsters. There was one of Dracula, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, and the Wolf Man, and they all looked incredible. It’s no secret that Dracula (1931) is one of my favorite movies, but I couldn’t resist buying the Wolf Man print; it was just so great, between the color scheme and the overall design of it. I probably should’ve revisited the booth and bought the Dracula print before I left the convention, but alas, there’s always next time.

The last booth I visited was a joint setup between two artists – Adam Michaels/‘Adam’s Artbox,’ and Steven Luros Holliday. I’ve seen some of Steven’s work on Twitter every now and then, but this was my first time seeing Adam’s art and it didn’t take much for me to become a fan. When I visited the tables, Steven wasn’t around and it was just Adam and his fiancé, Kali, at the booth. They were both super cool people, and I ended up talking with them for around thirty-ish minutes about horror, art, and so much more. It also happened to be Adam’s birthday weekend, with his birthday falling on the last day of the convention, and it was fun talking about how a horror convention is basically the ultimate birthday party for fans like us. Aside from being a fan of the art and geeking out about that, I had a blast talking to Adam and Kali, and I’m looking forward to seeing them at another show.

THE CELEBRITIES

With the summer camp theme, this convention featured a lot of guests from Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981), such as Adrienne King, Warrington Gillette, Amy Steel, and John Furey, along with genre mainstays such as Kane Hodder (Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13th Parts VII-X, Victor Crowley from the Hatchet series, etc.) and Danielle Harris (Jamie Lloyd from Halloween 4 + 5, Marybeth Dunston from the Hatchet series, etc.), as well as a reunion of the 1987 family-friendly film The Monster Squad.

As I said before, I’ve been very lucky to have met a lot of people over the years, but one person I had yet to meet until this event was Dee Wallace, most popularly known for her maternal roles in Cujo (1983) and E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982). Most of the questions asked at her panel were related to those two films, but my favorite movie of hers was always the 1981 werewolf film The Howling. I met her at her table, and she was really nice and super funny. For someone who’s been in so many movies and appeared at so many conventions, you would think it’s easy for people of her status to get jaded and not really be very gracious to fans, but she was the exact opposite. I didn’t feel rushed along at all, and she was really kind and considerate with her time and attention. We talked for a couple minutes about The Howling, Popcorn(1991), and the statues by artist Gabe LaPeer that she was selling at her table. I can see why she’s a fan-favorite and why every convention tries to book her for their shows, and she’s definitely someone I wouldn’t mind meeting again.

Someone I met back in 2018 at another show was Derek Mears, who played as Jason in the 2009 remake of Friday the 13th. I always knew him better from his work with Adam Green, whether it was Hatchet 3 (2013), Holliston (2012-2013), or Scary Sleepover (2015), but regardless, he was one of the nicest people I’ve ever met at a convention. Heck, not even just as a celebrity, he was one of the nicest human beings I’ve ever come across. In his interviews and at his panels, you can tell how much he cares about the work he does, as well as how appreciative he is of his fans. Meeting him face-to-face is the same way – on one hand, he makes sure that every fan has their time, and he always expresses his gratitude to everyone that comes to his table. On the other hand, he’s a really big horror nerd like the rest of us, so it’s fun to geek out with him about slashers and monsters.

At conventions, celebrities do charge money for autographs and stuff at their tables, and people often feel pressured to buy something even if they just want to shake the person’s hand. Derek Mears doesn’t play that game – I walked up to his table just wanting to talk to him for a couple minutes, and it almost seemed as if he was glad I didn’t buy an autograph. Showing him pictures from the last time I met him brought a huge smile to his face, and there were even a couple times during our conversation where he said “this is why I do what I do.” Just like with Dee Wallace, it's nice to meet a public figure that’s so appreciative of their fans. It’s one thing to hear them say that they care, but it’s something else when you can actually feel the same gratitude and appreciation that you feel for them as a fan. Derek Mears is a lot like Kane Hodder not just because they both played Jason Voorhees, but because they’re the kinds of people that you’d make an effort to go see them every time they’re at an event you’re at, because they’re just that cool.

Anyone who knows me even a little bit knows that one of my all-time favorite movies is Wes Craven’s 1996 meta-slasher masterpiece, Scream, so with the voice of Ghostface himself, Roger Jackson, in attendance, it was a no-brainer that I had to visit his table. I’ve met him once before, in the fall of 2019, but I didn’t have a lot of time to really talk to him then. This time, I had a few minutes, and I certainly made the most of it. There were a couple moments where he’d talk to me in the Ghostface voice, and while he also did this the first time I met him, it still tripped me out a little bit, just because it was the real deal. For a film and series that’s meant so much to me for most of my life, it’s one of those “pinch me” moments to hear the voice of that franchise talking directly to me, and I’m glad that I was lucky enough to be able to tell him face-to-face how important the series that he was such an integral part of is to me, and how much I appreciate the work that’s he’s put into his character over the years.

FINAL THOUGHTS

All in all, I had a great time at the convention. Was it hot? Yes. Was it crowded? Absolutely. However, it’s all worth it at the end of the day, and I’d do the same exact thing all over again if I had the chance. With me being such a big horror nerd, these events are a ton of fun for me, and I love being around people who love the genre as much as I do. Coming to these shows and talking to people like Adam and Kali are some of my favorite parts about conventions, because it helps remind me just how much this stuff means to me. It’s easy to say, “oh, they’re just movies,” but it’s more than that to me, and talking about it with like-minded people helps me remember why I love horror so much. Before Spooky Empire last weekend, I hadn’t been to a convention in about two and a half years – now, I hope it’s not another two and a half years until the next one.

Lastly, if any of the vendors that I mentioned interest you in the slightest and you want to learn more about them, you can check them out by clicking on their links below:

Adam’s Artbox

Art of Steven Luros Holliday

From the Fog

Spooky Cat Press

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