Macabre Daily invades April's Edition of the New Jersey Horror Con!
The wonderful Kathy Najimy, possibly putting a curse on me.
This weekend was another great edition of NJ Horror Con. The ever-expanding event returned to Edison, New Jersey with more guests, more vendors, and a VIP experience after the show closed on Friday night. We were more than happy to consume as much as possible this year and it did not disappoint!
If you like this pillow, Ghost Girl Greetings will “send you a copy.”
Starting with vendors, there were several rows of artists, artisans, and even some bakers making fudge and cookies. For the first time, the con is sponsored by Fangoria, everyone’s favorite horror magazine. There are also a plethora of local sellers like Buzzkill Shop and Ghost Girl Greetings. You also can’t go to an NJ con without stopping by Catfight Coffee, made by local Jersey legend Acey Slade (bassist for The Misfits and Joan Jett) and his wife Meiling. They sell bags of coffee, merch, and even coffee creations on-site if you need a pick-me-up. This year’s special drink was a lavender cold brew. I always stock up. There aren’t a ton of vendors compared to a few other cons, but they definitely go for quality over quantity, at least until NJHC overtakes the entire NJ Expo Center. It’s bound to happen someday.
The autograph room in full swing.
If you go on a Friday night, try to stop by the autograph room. The lines are shorter compared to Saturday’s onslaught of people. Showing up Friday night also afforded me some time to meet Adam Green and Kathy Najimy, and have an extended chat with Vinessa Shaw. The con had a “Hocus Pocus” reunion, and while we love it at Macabre Daily, I had to ask her about the blistering desert heat of Morocco, where she filmed “The Hills Have Eyes.” I’m glad I got in when I did because the lines for them, Omri Katz, Jason Marsden, and Thora Birch were in full swing all day Saturday. I also caught up with Steve “Uncle Creepy” Barton and chatted about his upcoming autobiography. And of course, Felissa Rose was all smiles meeting fans of all ages.
Me and Acey Slade from Catfight Coffee, the man who keeps me caffeinated.
I was thrilled to sit down with “Jason Goes to Hell” director Adam Marcus to talk about the legacy of his polarizing film. Check back here for an interview with Marcus later on where we dive deep into the upcoming documentary about the film, which is still available to back on Indiegogo (My shelf needs that Blu-ray). Marcus also sat down with the man himself, Kane Hodder, and V.C. Dupree (“Julius” in “Friday the 13th part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan”) to reminisce about their time with the franchise. The night before, Hodder was presented with a VIctor-Crowley shaped Icon Award, so he was primed to go into detail about his time behind the mask. Moderator Chris Stiles of Pop Culture Punk even got him to tell the story of faking out the producers of “Jason X” so that he could keep the “hero” mask he wore for most of the film. Dupree also shared priceless stories about taking his “severed head” prop on the plane with him home from Canada, which had the crowd rolling. The panel capped off with Marcus showing the sizzle reel and trailer for the doc, along with a montage of Hodder’s Jason kills throughout the franchise. And yes, Julius’ death got a massive burst of applause. It gets us every time.
Kane kept the “hero” mask of every Jason film he’s done.
I had to include this awesome NOES 4 cosplay. We need more Alices!
For upcoming events, including the upcoming August show, check out their official website.
Stay up to date with “The Dark Side Of Pop Culture” by following Macabre Daily on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
