Event Report: Crypticon Seattle 2010: Home Sweet Home
Erik Van Der Wolf
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The Pacific Northwest was once again invaded by Crypticon, and if you missed it, you missed a devil of a good time. Held the weekend of June 18th-20th, the big change this year for this growing event was the switch of venue from downtown Seattle to the Holiday Inn in Everett, WA. A transition that caused more than a few to scratch their heads.
Why the change from the heart of the Emerald City to a location some thirty minutes north? “In order to keep ticket prices affordable for the fans, we had to make the change,” says Mickie Bunnage, one of the event’s organizers. “The Seattle Center was just too expensive, and if we wanted to keep costs down for the fans, we had to move.”
And if the reaction from those in attendance is any indication, the move made little difference and gets a big thumbs up.
All three days the hotel was bustling with fright fans eager to take in the wide array of panels covering all things horror, meet beloved genre icons, seek out collectibles in the dealers room, or simply hang out with fellow horror enthusiasts and discuss the state of the genre and what films they were looking forward to (if there was a drinking game based on taking a drink every time you heard the words “fucking remake”, we all would have all died from alcohol poisoning).
One of the big draws was the Nightmare on Elm Street panel consisting of original cast members Heather Langenkamp and Amanda Wyss along with Brook Bundy and Ronnie Eastman from Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors and Andras Jones from Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master. Hosted by Dread Central’s own Heather Buckley and Sean Smithson, the cast’s panel provided insights about their experiences during filming and how being involved in the franchise has affected their lives.
Not to be left out, “Freddy” himself, Robert Englund, made an appearance at the show via Skype at the previous night’s Radio 8 Ball party, much to fans’ delight.
Kane Hodder was also on hand (always a crowd favorite) signing autographs, answering questions about his days donning the iconic hockey mask as “Jason” in the Friday the 13th franchise, and teasing fans with tidbits about the upcoming Hatchet II.
Attendees also had the pleasure of meeting Black Christmas’Margot Kidder, Ernie Hudson of Ghostbusters and The Crow fame, Hellboy‘s Doug Jones, Felissa Rose of Sleepaway Camp, and horror authors John Skipp and F. Paul Wilson.
Participants in the zombie walk definitely, er, made the most of the experience (let’s just say there are some customers from a nearby Denny’s who will have a story to tell for years to come), and the costume contest was once again a parade of impressive creativity and originality.
Come Sunday, as the show began to wind down, it was clear the change in venue made the show better and, most importantly, more accessible to fans in these tough economic times, which is what really counts to Bunnage and her fellow organizers. “I think we’ve finally found a home,” she concludes. “We’ll have to see, but I think we have.“
Home sweet home, indeed. Click any of the below pics to check out the full Crypticon Seattle 2010 photo gallery.
– Erik W. Van Der Wolf
Categorized:News
