If you’re a horror nut who also happens to live in (or close to) Seattle, you’ll definitely want to free up some time this weekend. Friday marks the return of the largest horror convention in the Pacific Northwest — Crypticon!
While we’re not going to have a booth there, a few of us will be wandering around meeting guests, playing games, and seeing all of the show’s gory offerings.
If you’re thinking about checking it out, read more to see things that you shouldn’t miss.
2011 Seattle FX Makeup Competition
I’m a total gore freak and, as you can probably tell by my profile picture, a sucker for FX makeup. If you’re a fellow lover of prosthetics, fake blood, and latex (or silicone, if you’re feeling fancy), you shouldn’t miss this year’s event. On Saturday starting at 3:00 pm, five contestants will compete in a two-hour session to create the best horror get up.
Last year’s winning entry was pretty freaking sweet, so I’m really excited to see what this new batch of artists can create.
Zombie Tag
Yep. Zombie tag. How awesome is that? Picture a big area with a bunch of survivors armed with nerf guns and a handful of zombies geared up to eat brains (OK, fine…take flags). The point of the flag-football-like game is to avoid the zombies, who are trying to “infect” people by snatching their flag. If a survivor gets infected, they lay down their weapon and run around, trying to infect other people.
You can guess what happens from there. I’m looking forward to checking this out and seeing how long I can last — let’s call it training for the apocalypse 😉
If you’re interested in participating in this event, it runs on Sunday from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm.
Hunted — A Live Action Horror Event
If you’re the kind of horror fan that watches slasher flicks and thinks that you’d survive a hell of a lot longer than most of the people in them, Hunted may be your chance to test that theory. This team-based live event sets you on an adventure where you’ll collect clues, solve puzzles, and have to face “an onslaught” of exclusive horror characters.
Sounds cool, huh? To check this event out, set some time aside on Saturday.
Awesome Celebrity Guests
There are a bunch of people I want to meet, so here’s a short list of my must-sees.
- Bill Moseley — I adore this man! The first time I saw him was as Choptop in Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, and later as Otis in House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil’s Rejects. Both of these characters were amazing, so I’m really looking forward to meeting him in person.
- Barbara Magnolfi — If you’re a fellow Argento fan, I’m sure you’ve seen Suspiria (probably more than a few times). Barbara Magnolfi is the girl who played Suzy’s roommate, Olga. She’s also worked with a slew of other Italian directors, so I’m excited to hear what she has to say about her experiences with these guys.
- Linnea Quigley and Jewel Shepard — Return of the Living Dead is still one of my favorite tongue-in-cheek zombie movies — after all, who DOESN’T love Tar Man? Well, Linnea played Trash in that movie. Remember the orange-haired chick who comes back as that super freaky nude zombie? Yeah, that’s her. Jewel was also in the film playing Casey, the girl with the rad blue and purple fauxhawk. Very cool stuff.
These guys may be my personal highlights, but they definitely aren’t the only people that will be at the show. The original Lynda from Halloween will be there, as will the kid from Child’s Play and the guy that played Leatherface in the 2003 remake of Texas Chainsaw Massacre. For the full guest list, check out this page.
There will be plenty more to see at the show, so if you’re in the area, hurry up and get your ticket now.
See you there!
Emily