ORLANDO, Fla. – For a horror fan, every day can be Halloween if you try hard enough.
But starting Friday afternoon, horror convention Spooky Empire will help make the passage of time a bit easier for spooky season devotees.
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The convention runs through Sunday at the Doubletree by Hilton at SeaWorld, and is billed as the largest horror convention in the United States.
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Spooky Empire organizers run a much larger show around Halloween, but Gina Mongelli says they’ve been putting on this mini-version in the summer for the last 10 years or so.
“We feel like it’s a nice break between in the middle, like halfway to Halloween just about,” Mongelli said. “We like the summertime because it kind of gives everybody a little reason to take a break and a vacation, so it’s more of a little destination spot for fans of Halloween and horror.”
Around 30 celebrities of the horror genre will be on hand to meet fans throughout the weekend. They include:
- Danny Elfman, legendary film composer (Saturday only)
- Simon Pegg, actor from “Shawn of the Dead,” Star Trek and more (Saturday only)
- Malcolm McDowell, who became a horror legend as Alex in “A Clockwork Orange,” but also starred in dozens of other films and TV series
- Chris Sarandon, actor perhaps best known as Prince Humperdinck in “The Princess Bride” who also played Jack Skellington in “A Nightmare Before Christmas” (Saturday only)
- Ray Wise, an acclaimed character actor who played Leland Palmer in “Twin Peaks”
- Alex Vincent, best known from the Child’s Play franchise
- Victoria Price, daughter of horror icon Vincent Price
Attendees can get some ink at a tattoo festival all weekend featuring 75 tattoo artists, and buy horror merchandise in the vendors room, which Mongelli said will feature some 200 vendors.
In addition to question-and-answer sessions with the celebrities, Universal will host a panel for its Halloween Horror Nights festival on Friday evening.
Mongelli couldn’t tell News 6 what the theme park was going to share at the annual panel.
"I have a little bit of an insight on it, but I’m not allowed to say it’s a surprise. They usually put on a really cool panel. There’s usually some kind of surprise element to it, so we’re really excited for that," she said.
Mongelli also couldn’t share what surprises are in store from Ripley’s Believe It Or Not, which is hosting an exhibit throughout the weekend.
"There’s supposed to be some really cool movie props and displays and things like that that they’re going to bring here this weekend," Mongelli said.
SeaWorld Orlando will put on a panel for its Howl-O-Scream festival on Sunday. Mongelli said the panel will feature creators. She believes it’s the first time SeaWorld has hosted the panel.
Other activities include a Lego room, a games room, a poolside double feature on Friday night, and live bands on Saturday night.
And while it may be a bit hot outside to host the customary Zombie Walk, Spooky Empire will still host a costume contest.
Mongelli said they try to make Spooky Empire a nonstop celebration, a testament to how the horror genre and the love of Halloween have grown in the last decade.
While box office returns have declined, horror films continue to find success.
The vampire film “Sinners,” with its nuanced story of horror and history, is one of the few films this year to pass the $250 million milestone in domestic ticket sales.
The latest entry in the Final Destination franchise, which opened in May, has made more than $130 million domestically and is the highest-grossing film in the franchise.
“We’ve really seen a boom in attendance at our events over the past few years, just based on movies that have become mainstream like the Scream series and things like that,” Mongelli said.
”Now we just see so many more people embracing it and bringing their kids and families, and so it’s just become kind of a family event," she said.
A weekend pass for Spooky Empire is $80 at the door. Friday passes are $50, Saturday passes are $60 and Sunday passes are $50. Kids 10 and under are free.
For more information about the convention, head to the Spooky Empire website.