Final girls, Cenobites, superheroes, the Gill-man, and several others descended upon Hunt Valley, Maryland last weekend for Monster-Mania. The annual convention hosted celebrity guests, vendors, and plenty of horror fans at the Delta Hotel Marriott on September 29 through October 1, 2017.

Media guests were Rose McGowan (Charmed), Malcolm McDowell (Clockwork Orange), Adrienne Barbeau (Swamp Thing), Dean Cain (Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman), C.J. Graham (Friday the 13th Part 6: Jason Lives), Ricou Browning (Creature from the Black Lagoon), Alex Vincent (Cult of Chucky), Andrew Divoff (The Wishmaster), Michael Biehn (The Terminator), Curtis Armstrong (Revenge of the Nerds), Jen and Sylvia Soska (American Mary), Jennifer Blanc (The Crow), and Sharni Vinson (You’re Next).

There was a Hellraiser reunion with Doug Bradley, Ashley Laurence, Simon Bamford, Barbie Wilde, and Nicholas Vince, plus a small Saw reunion with Tobin Bell, Dina Meyer, and Betsy Russell.

Vendors were spread throughout the hotel selling all manner of horror memorabilia. Movies from the rare to mainstream were available, as were popular action figures and statues, original movie posters, first edition books, horror comics and magazines, games, incense, and spiritual memorabilia. Artists sold an impressive array of merchandise from prints, paintings, and posters to scary dolls and mechanical sculptures.

Monster-Mania was also the site for the launch of Gemstone Publishing’s newest “how to” reference book, The Overstreet Guide to Collecting Horror. It was a great site for the book’s debut as the content in the guide encompasses material that was available at the con. The book’s author, Gemstone Associate Editor Amanda Sheriff, was at the con, along with contributors that included Gemstone Assistant Editor Carrie Wood and Hake’s Americana & Collectibles’ Senior Cataloger Mike Bollinger, as well as the book’s designer, Gemstone Creative Director Mark Huesman.

“I always have fun at Monster-Mania, but this was my first time behind the table,” Sheriff said. “The response we got from collectors was very positive. I enjoyed sharing my love of horror in person with fellow fans.”

In addition to meeting fans at their tables, several of the celebrity guests participated in panels. There were Q&As with Wilford Brimley, Michael Biehn, the Soska Sisters, Rose McGowan, Saw cast, Hellraiser cast, and Malcolm McDowell.

Professional photo ops and a costume contest were held. Films shown during the weekend were Hellraiser, Wishmaster, Planet Terror, Creepshow, and Aliens.

There were scary and funny cosplayers portraying characters based on the guests and other popular horror properties, a plethora of shopping opportunities, and entertaining guests that had attendees laughing and scared – sometimes both. The next Monster-Mania is scheduled for March 9-11, 2018 in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.