Imagine a place where you get a chance to come face-to-face with your favorite horror icons. P.J. Soles from Halloween, Sid Haig from House of 1,000 corpses, Tobin Bell from Saw.  Go a little further and visualize endless tables of horror artists who are hand crafting pieces at every turn.  Here there are rows upon rows of scary gifts and collectables that tempt you and your wallet.  Now to finalize the dream, there are new horror films being played in a non-stop film festival that literally runs for three days straight?

This isn’t a dream.  It’s Real!

The wonderful fan-driven horror convention, Days of the Dead landed in Los Angeles this past weekend to hordes of eager fans, cosplayers, and film makers.  They all descended upon Burbank in a show that celebrated the horror film community.  Here films were screened and people could literally come face to face with their favorite horror icons.

The interesting thing about Days of the Dead is that it is a traveling convention.  This year, Days of the Dead started off in Atlanta, then headed over to Los Angeles.  There are three remaining city stops including Indianapolis (June 24-26), Louisville (September 2-4), and Chicago (November 18-20).

The roster of celebrities rotates by city.  In Los Angeles we had the chance to completely geek out over meeting the likes of P.J. Soles, Bill Mosley and Reggie Bannister.

P.J. Soles from Halloween.

Reggie Bannister from Phantasm.

Bill Mosely from Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, Anderson’s Cross, The Devil’s Rejects.

Also in attendance were Tobin Bell (Saw), Tony Moran (Halloween), Sid Haig (The Devil’s Rejects), and Lisa and Louis Burns (The Shining Twins).  What was so surprising was how accessible each and every horror icon was to their beloved fans.  What’s more, these are some of the most genuinely kind and generous people you will meet.

In addition to that were the countless booths of collectables. and artistry.  Ridiculous.

Of course with this many horror fans you know there will be some cosplay.  The costume contest featured two Jasons, a Freddy, Elvira, and countless other icons.

This was my first time having the chance to cover Days of the Dead and I have to say that I was impressed. To be able to meet some of my idols was, in a word, AWESOME.  If you missed the Atlanta or Los Angeles editions of Days of the Dead there are still three more dates through 2016. Go check out their website for tickets and information.

Mary will soon be delivering her own account of the weekend with a photo trip report.  See you in the dark!