New Jersey may be experiencing a heat wave, but that wasn’t enough to keep the horror film fans from heading to Cherry Hill for Monster-Mania Con. The celebration of the horror genre was held last weekend on August 12-14, 2016, once again at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, at 2349 W. Marlton Pike, Cherry Hill, NJ.
Monster-Mania is known for hosting reunions and this summer they delivered with A Nightmare on Elm Street 4 reunion with Robert Englund, Tuesday Knight, Danny Hassel, Andras Jones, and Lisa Wilcox, The Walking Dead reunion with Austin Amelio, Jason Douglas, Tom Payne, and Michael Traynor, and Halloween 6 reunion with Marianne Hagan, Susan Swift, J.C. Brandy, George P. Wilbur, Devin Gardner, and Mariah O’Brien. (Read our interview with Traynor in our In the Limelight section.)
Additional guests included Tara Reid (Sharknado), Adrienne Barbeau (Creepshow), Charles Cyphers (Halloween), Martine Beswick (Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde), Caroline Munro (The Abominable Dr. Phibes), Bonnie Aarons and Bob Adrian (The Conjuring 2), Jason Patric (The Lost Boys), Tom Atkins (Halloween 3), Linnea Quigley and Thom Matthews (Return of the Living Dead), C.J. Graham (Friday the 13th 6), Lee Majors (The Six Million Dollar Man), Curtis Armstrong and Don Gibb (Revenge of the Nerds), Max Thieriot and Nestor Corbonell (Bates Motel), Steve Dash (Friday the 13th 2), Amanda Bearse and Stephen Geoffreys (Fright Night), The Amazing Kreskin (author, TV personality), and Ric Flair (pro wrestler). (Check out our interview with Quigley in our In the Limelight section.)
Vendors filled three convention rooms and two large hallways selling a plethora of horror films, t-shirts and hoodies, hats and jewelry, etched pint glasses, movie soundtracks, novels and comics, monster masks, and lots of great artwork.
Throughout the weekend guests participated in events with fans. There were Q&As with Lee Majors and Jason Patric and reunion panels for Fright Night, Revenge of the Nerds, The Fog, Halloween 6, Bates Motel, and Nightmare on Elm Street 4.
Films were shown throughout the weekend, including Friday the 13th Part 2, Revenge of the Nerds, Jason Lives: Friday the 13th Part VI, Drag Me to Hell, Creepshow, The Lost Boys, Nightmare on Elm Street 4, Fright Night, Dracula, Urban Legend, The Fog, Rocky Horror Picture Show, Swamp Thing, Halloween III, Escape from New York, and Abominable Dr. Phibes.
The costume contest was held Saturday night and the Auction for Yorkie Rescue was held Sunday afternoon.
It may have been a hot weekend but everyone had a good time at Monster-Mania Con.