The Creature Feature Weekend horror convention held its 2024 event on April 19-21, returning to the Wyndham Gettysburg in Gettysburg, PA. It was a cool weekend in the historic town, with hundreds of horror fans filling the hotel and nearby movie theater for three days of horror convention fun.
The celebrity guest list included Ray Park (Star Wars), Tommy Lee Wallace (Halloween III: Season of the Witch director), Tom Morga (Friday the 13th Part V), Bill Moseley and Walter Phelan (House of 1000 Corpses), Betsy Baker, Theresa Tilly, and Richard DeManincor (The Evil Dead), Bill Johnson (Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2), Lochlyn Munro (Totally Killer), Kristi Angus (Jason X), Alan Howarth (composer, Halloween 3), James Duval (Donnie Darko), D.J. MacHale (Are You Afraid of the Dark creator), Alex Armbruster (Thanksgiving), Michael Tough and Mary Beth Rubens (Prom Night), Charlie Kraslavsky (Resident Evil video game), and Jim Krut (Dawn of the Dead). (During the convention, Scoop conducted interviews with Armbruster, Duval, MacHale, and Wallace.)
Creature Feature offered in-costume photos with Morga as Jason Voorhees, Moseley as Otis from House of 1000 Corpses and Chop-Top from Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, Baker as Deadite Linda, Johnson as Leatherface, Duval as Frank the Rabbit, Armbruster as John Carver, Kraslavsky as Chris Redfield, Phelan as Dr. Satan, and Tough as Alex Hammond/the prom night killer.
One of the best aspects of Creature Feature is that the celebrity guests go above and beyond the usual signings and photo ops. Many of the celebrity guests participated in Q&A panels. Angus did an in-costume photo as Adrienne from Jason X and participated in a live SPFX application. Howarth performed in concert Saturday night. The Evil Dead and Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 were screened with live commentary.
Gemstone Publishing and Hake’s Auctions co-sponsored the convention with Scares That Care. Hake’s previewed upcoming auctions and discussed consigning to premier and online-only auctions, Gemstone sold The Overstreet Guide to Collecting Horror, and Scares That Care hosted a charity auction all weekend.
The vendors and artists in attendance included Necronomnomnom, Horror Movie Night, Campe Nightmare Podcast, LB3D Designs, Madeline Deering, Mahoning Drive-In, Books-A-Million, Skull Island Relics and Treasures, Megan’s Art Work, Dead End Threads, VHSPS, Edward Jefferson, Phantasmaggoria Graphics, Jas Creations, Cine Tredici, Boo Croo Creations, Pretty Ginger Crafts, Studio Katoween, Scott’s Variety Shop, Things Forsaken, Hive Head Studios, Woodworking by Donovan, Creepy Canvas, Buffalo Bill House, Retro Daddio, Inkspitter Studio, Stitches, KHaotic Sweetz, Fuzzy Monkey Films, Vampire Robots, and Super Creepz, plus others.
Vendors sold an eclectic mix of memorabilia and other goodies. They had action figures, statues, and Funko Pops, and some sold magazines, books, and comics related to horror. There were masks and prop weapons, apparel, travel mugs, and posters, as well as VHS, DVDs, and Laser Discs. Gourmet cookies and chocolates were also available. One vendor room was dedicated to tattooing, which included a spin the wheel option in which brave tattoo aficionados would get inked with whatever design the wheel landed on.
Movies were shown throughout the weekend, featuring a slew of short films and full-length features. Saturday afternoon, kids were invited to participate in trick ‘r treating with vendors who offered candy treats at their tables. There was a hearse car show on Saturday, featuring many decked out with Halloween style decorations and accoutrements, and one modified into a limousine. Attendees could sing their hearts out at karaoke and cosplayers showed off their creations during the costume contest.
Another great aspect of Creature Feature Weekend is the food trucks. Some conventions suffer from a lack of food options or don’t have enough to feed the volume of attendees. Having food trucks in the hotel parking lot is convenient for hungry con goers who don’t want the hassle of leaving the hotel for meals. It also benefits the vendors and guests by keeping attendees on-site. The food trucks at Creature Feature Weekend offered tacos, sandwiches, burgers, fancy grilled cheeses, loaded French fries, and other greasy goodies.
Creature Feature Weekend is a small, but growing convention that engenders a feeling of community. Vendors greet each other like old friends and recognize attendees from previous conventions. Attendees get more time with their favorite celebrities than at other cons through concerts, movie commentaries, and make-up application demos. Events are held all day and through the evenings outside of the shopping and signings. It’s a great time for all those involved who are looking for a scary good time.
To see more photos from Creature Feature Weekend, jump to our In the Limelight coverage.
