Creature Feature Weekend returned to the Wyndham Gettysburg in Gettysburg, PA on August 26-28, 2022. The horror convention hosted celebrity guests, indie filmmakers, other horror-themed entertainers, and dozens of vendors. The show was sponsored by Scares that Care, Gemstone Publishing, and Hake’s Auctions.
Celebrity guests included Omri Katz, Vinessa Shaw, and Jason Marsden (Hocus Pocus), Tom Savini, Edwin Neal, and John Dugan (Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise), Tyler Labine (Tucker & Dale vs. Evil), Tim Cappello (The Lost Boys), P.J. Soles and John Michael Graham (Halloween), Peter Cowper (My Bloody Valentine), Kimberly Beck and Lawrence Monoson (Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter), Mark Patton, Jack Sholder, and Beatrice Boepple (A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise), Hal Havins (Night of the Demons), Kyle Labine (Freddy vs Jason), Greg Cohen and Alyssa Kempinski (The Velocipastor), and Bob Heckman and James Taffurelli (Victim No More). (Interviews with Omri Katz, Vinessa Shaw, Jason Marsden, Tyler Labine, P.J. Soles, and Mark Patton are in our In the Limelight section.)
This was the third installment of Creature Feature Weekend, which has established itself as a convention that provides many activities throughout the entire weekend. On Friday night, Sholder and Patton provided live commentary for a showing of A Nightmare on Elm Street 2, then Saturday night an outdoor screening of Hocus Pocus included live commentary by Katz, Shaw, and Marsden.
Dugan and Neal did a special effects application demo with graduates of the Savini School of FX and there were Q&As with the Hocus Pocus cast and the Labine brothers. Saturday events also included a Karnevil Circus Sideshow performance and Cappello live in concert. Scares That Care hosted charity auctions on Friday and Saturday, they had trick ‘r treating for the kids, there was a costume contest, and a hearse car show in the parking area. Screenings of indie films like The Barn 2, Victims No More, Beneath the Old Dark House, and Zero Budget Heroes were also held throughout the weekend.
Another aspect that keeps attendees at Creature Feature all day long are the food trucks that were conveniently located in the hotel parking lot. This year, the food trucks provided gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches, Italian subs, a selection of wraps, cheeseburgers, and cheesesteaks. A coffee truck was also on hand to caffeinate attendees with hot and iced beverages.
Gemstone and Hake’s were both set up at the con selling Overstreet “how to” reference guides and discussing consignments to upcoming auctions. The vendor room hosted LB 3D Design who sold limited edition action figures made specially for Creature Feature Weekend. The variety of vendors sold action figures and toys, comics and magazines, movies, apparel, and novels, plus horror masks and crafts, and others sold hot sauces, coffee, and candy.
In addition to the three-day convention, Creature Feature also hosts special one day events at drive-in theaters. Those events include vendors and a few celebrity guests with screenings of popular horror films. They are held at the Cumberland Drive-In Theatre in Newville, PA and The Mahoning Drive-In Theater in Lehighton, PA. News on the drive-in showings and the next Creature Feature Weekend convention are available on the con’s website.
