Event Coverage: Terror Expo
by: Jenicide
Over the past few years, San Antonio has begun to shine for its resident horror fans. We already have the San Antonio Horrific Film Festival, Monster-Con, and now this year, Terror Expo, billed as the city’s “Premier Horror, Villains, and Sci-Fi” show, has emerged. Anticipated as the biggest horror show in town, Terror Expo was launched in January 2016 and is brought to you by the founders of Alamo City Comic Con. Located in one of the large exhibition areas at the Henry B. Gonzales convention center, downtown in the Alamo City, fans from here and abroad gathered together to join in on the fun.
The celebrity lineup was excellent, ranging from classic icons to modern day actors, fans were able to meet and greet with all the guests at their table. One of the headliners, Cassandra Peterson, donned her infamous alter-ego “Elvira” all day Saturday. Meanwhile, Robert Englund, best known as Freddy Krueger, reunited with his A Nightmare on Elm Street alumni Ronee Blakley, Leslie Hoffman, Jo Ann Willette, Amanda Wyss, and Lisa Wilcox. The Elm Street gang had a fun and playful Q&A panel on Saturday. “I’m outnumbered by the Ladies of Elm Street!”, joked Englund. Other guests in attendance included Tobin Bell, Sid Haig, Tara Reid, Denis O’Hare, Bill Moseley, C. Thomas Howell, William Zabka, Major Dodson, Scott Wilson, and Denise Crosby.
Of course, one of the big attractions when attending these conventions is scoring some sweet merchandise, whether it’s an awesome t-shirt, beautiful original artwork, or some obscure b-movies. One of the vendors that stood out was Pallbearer’s Press. At this table, a person could nearly flip out over the stacks of new and used horror soundtracks, all on vinyl. I myself picked up a clean copy of the original Fright Night soundtrack, plus a great t-shirt of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre II. Pallbearer’s Press resides in the Austin area, for all you horror fans interested. We also ran into another fellow Austinite, artist Dale Carroll, whose creative horror prints are hauntingly gorgeous. Some would even make better posters than the originals! Rock Rebel Shop also deserves a mention, offering horror fans attire and accessories, from a glow-in-the-dark Universal Monsters t-shirt to a Rocky Horror Picture Show handbag, this store made a perfect fit at the con.
Overall, Terror Expo offers an enjoyable horror experience. The guest lineup was impressive and the Q&A panels were both amusing and engaging. Likewise, the vendor stands were loaded with all sorts of appealing merchandise. Although the show ran slower than most, with no activities set for day 1, the rest of the weekend made up for it, with back to back guest panels and a greater amount of cosplayers in attendance. Hopefully, Terror Expo will become a horror staple in the San Antonio scene for years to come.
splatterjunkie 