Scareacon 2015 Report

I made the trip to a new convention yesterday. Well, new to me at least. "Scareacon" formerly "Scareacuse" has been running for 4 years now from Turning Stone Casino and Resort and seems to be the one and only horror convention in the Central New York area. I've always been aiming to attend, but every time I want to, something always comes up. But, thankfully this time, I was able to debut.


I made the two hour trip from Rochester to Verona on a rainy Saturday afternoon(I've always said it's a very good sign if it rains during the day of a convention). I've never been past Syracuse but I've heard it's a great area. And it proved to be even greater than I imagine. I've never been to a resort or a giant casino, so Turning Stone was downright sprawling. So much to do! Clubs, food, gambling! What's not to love! But, while all that was nice, it was the convention that brought me there. One step into the convention center and I knew it was going to be a fun day. Before even ENTERING the convention center though, I ran into friends. Phil Fasson of Death-Ensemble, Mike C of IconsOfFright and my longtime Internet friend MonsterZero. That was a great feeling.

So after picking up my press pass and waiting for my friend Sean of VHSPS, I also ran into fellow UnderScoopFire contributor Kevin "Team" Hellions. I'm a huge fan of his contributions and he's just a very nice guy to boot! We'd sit and chat about our favorite sites and podcasts and our favorite bloggers. I hope this isn't the last time we get to hang and chat! Maybe RetroCon next year?

the captain of TeamHellions

Sean finally arrived. We entered the convention center and discovered that EVERYTHING was in the same room. Now, I'm used to a hotel or a convention hall being spread out and separated. But here, the vendors room and celebrities were all integrated together. So it was not unusual to see Barry Bostwick's table next an artists table. Now normally I'd think that's a bad idea, but as a former vendor, I can tell you it brings more eyes on vendors. So while it was weird at first, I felt more comfortable with it as I stuck around.

My biggest celebrity "must meet" was John Kassir, the Crypt Keeper himself. This was huge for me. I've always been told he's one of the nicest guys ever and this cemented it. Tales From the Crypt is my all time favorite show and this has been a long time coming. I had him sign a Tales From the CryptKeeper figure and we discussed him taking over the role of Buster Bunny from original voice actor and his friend Charlie Adler. We then took a photo op I've been planning for a while now...

Next up was Lloyd Kaufman. The first time I met him, he forgot to finish signing my vhs copy of Toxic Avenger 1. When I showed him, he laughed and said "yeah, sounds right to me!".  I've never had a bad experience meeting Lloyd and always walk away laughing. If you've never met him, do so! He never charges for photos or autographs!

I look so weird in that photo. Like more than usual.

So, not too many other celebs caught my eye other than Adrienne Barbeau, who looks absolutely fantastic, but I just didn't have the money to pay for a auto/photo combo. But it looked like she was all smiles which was great to see!

Barry Bostwick toward the end of a very entertaining Q&A session.

Panels were being held in the same area. The only thing that separated the panel stage and the vendor/celeb area was an ongoing cloth wall with speakers blaring throughout the convention hall. Again, as annoying as that CAN be, it was a pretty cool idea. It also gave fans a chance who would've normally scoffed at the idea at being at a panel a second chance to check it out. You can include me in one of them. When Sean suggested we check out the Barry Bostwick Q&A, I hesitated but Barry seemed to be enjoying himself and laughing with the fans, which was great to see. 

Other than a vhs of a tv movie called "Tails You Live, Heads Your Dead" starring Corbing Bernsen and Ted McGinley(I showed this to Joe Bob Briggs and he seemed to respond with a disgusted look. Even the host of Monster Vision has his limits) and a few pinback buttons, I didn't do much shopping. But here's I left with...

Now, the show closed at 7. With the abundance of food offerings in the resort, it was a no brainer I'd want to hit the buffet. And I'm glad I did. Because look at this beast...

After walking around for a few hours, an early Thanksgiving dinner is exactly what I needed. Sean and I sat and chatted for a few hours about life, movies and other things that we don't normally get to talk about. Which reminded me of why I love these shows so much. The food was great and the companionship was even greater.

After walking the grounds and doing a little gambling, Sean and I bid adieu until our next adventure. Which, after this, it's gonna be hard to top. 

Overall Convention Thoughts: This is a great show for those wanting to experience a horror convention for the first time ever. The prices were good for celebrities, the vendors selection were a good mixture, the panels seemed to be enjoyable, and everyone was having a lot of fun. It's a family friendly show, so don't be afraid to bring the kids!

.I really think this show will continue to grow and hopefully become a bigger show than it is now. I'd love to see this talked about in the same breath as Chiller Theatre, Rock and Shock and Horrorhound as one of the best shows out there. With the casino and resort as the location for the show, I imagine a lot of people getting a lot for their money. Whether it's just one day, or a weekend getaway, fans and families will have a great experience.

Thanks to Scareacon for the great show and enjoyable time! Hopefully, I'll see you next year!

-Chad