You may recall a little fiend (aka friend) I made at Flashback Weekend in 2021. It was the first time since the pandemic that we were finally able to go to a horror con again and she had the right idea on masking up.. as Sam from Trick ‘r Treat! She asked to take a photo with our Stripe gremlin and I myself just had to get a pic with her and her amazing cosplay.
Since then, Raven aka The Mini Creep has become a part of my horror community fam and I have stayed in contact with her and her Mom ever since. They are the ones I give credit to for getting to spend our anniversary getaway dinner at Famous Monsters Pizza. They have also given me lots of other travel advice including tips for when I finally get to take my dream trip to Salem, MA.
I have had the joy of buying some of the items she has put up for sale and supporting her fundraising efforts so she can continue doing what she loves…. going to cons, cosplaying her heart out, and meeting her fave icons and people (like myself) that love the genre. Something I would’ve loved to have done when I was her age if stuff like this has existed back then. Another thing I love about Raven is not only does she rock her cosplay to the fullest, she actually helps her Mom make the costumes. I have even had the honor of seeing sneak peek photos that she sends to me during their creation process. She has entered many costume contests at these cons and she impresses the judges with her abilities to act the characters out on stage. Not surprising though, as this little one is also a scream queen herself and has already landed a few acting gigs along the way.
As a thank you for my support she painted me a small painting which she sent to me with some other goodies, including her Pennywise cosplay logo sticker which is seen here displayed on my art drawing board. I just adore that she chose to use my fave galaxy colors for the painting she made me. They definitely scream “Nicole” and it is now displayed in my art space room.
So now that you know about The Mini Creep, here is where the Freaky Fanatic part comes in. She recently sent me this adorable photo of herself proudly displaying her print of my “Be Wise. Be Brave. Be Tricky.” painting of Coraline and I just had to share it (with her Mom’s permission of corpse) ….
Thank you for being so ghoul Raven and sending me this awesome photo! Keep doing what you love!
Want to see more photos of my Freaky Fanatics (aka happy customers) then be sure to stop by my official art portfolio website where you will see Raven along with all the others in my slideshows! It may just inspire you to buy something from my Etsy shop or display case at Closet Collectibles and become a Freaky Fanatic yourself!
I am dragging ass as I type this right now because I had quite the eventful non-stop weekend and it could not have ended on a higher note! Each day this weekend we had something going on, but Sunday my husband and I took my Daddio to his very first horror con in celebration of his (belated) 70th birthday!
His actual birthday was in January but my husband and I wanted to do something extra special for him for his milestone birthday. So when Days of the Dead announced Malcolm McDowel would be at their Chicago show I presented the idea of him going with us so he could finally experience one and get the chance to actually meet one of his fave actors. So instead of planning a whole weekend like we normally would do, we planned the perfect Sunday Funday!
The last time my husband and I met Malcolm was many moons ago and I had actually had him sign one of his A Clock Work Orange 8″x10″ photos to gift to my Dad. So this time since he was there with us we made sure we got him a photo op to commemorate the fun and memorable time we had.
When it was our turn to take a photo with him, I made sure to tell Malcolm that we were celebrating my Dad’s 70th birthday by bringing him to his first horror con to meet him. Malcolm looked at my Dad and was surprised he was 70, shook his hand and told him he was a youngster. It was a great feeling to see my Dad so happy in that moment.
I was pretty stoked to see that Heather Langenkamp was in attendance at this con. I had never met her before and growing up in the 80’s she has always been one of my favorite final girl/scream queens. So we decided to hop in line and meet her. Dad had so many great questions to ask her and she seemed to really enjoy the conversation we had with her. She was all around everything I thought she would be. She loved my pants and even asked me where I got my Kermit The Frog purse. Meeting her definitely moved her up my art bucket list.
During our con adventure I discovered where I get my “ohh it’s a pinball machine, I must play it” habit from. Dad saw me playing the Texas Chainsaw Massacre one and told me how much he has always loved to play pinball and joined in on the fun.
As an artist himself, my Dad really enjoyed seeing all the talented vendors and talking to to them about their creations.
Daddy’s little ghoul, didn’t gift any art at this show because I wanted it to be more of a chill laid back time, however my Dad still got to see me in full convention action mode while networking at the event. Passing out business cards, talking to fellow artists about their printing techniques, getting donation prizes for the swag bags I put together for Flashback Weekend, talking with others about our hearse and club, and even meeting up with our friend Jeff of Anthony’s Collectibles to exchange cross promotional items and ideas.
We ended the day with treating Dad to a meal at Bill Murray’s Caddy Shack restaurant before heading back home. Frank and I have always wanted to eat there but it’s usually packed. However being in Sunday and towards the end of the con we made perfect timing and got right in for a table and it wasn’t over crowded at all.
It was great finally getting to bring Dad to a show and I am so happy he had such a great time. Now this introvert is ready to use this week to recharge as much as possible for some exciting things that are on horizon for next weekend too! Stay tuned!
I would just like to start this off by saying that the real horror story begins when that “back to reality” feeling sets in Monday morning after being away in la la land during an amazing, extended weekend with your local horror community. The struggle is real, and my husband and I are definitely feeling it today after another memorable Flashback Weekend Chicago!
So needless to say I am happy to relive the adventure while sharing my latest post horror con recap …
So one thing I learned this weekend was that after 27 years, your 90s teen dreams can still become a reality. The inner teen that is still left inside my 42 year old body was all sorts of giddy gifting my “The Exorcist Was On” portrait to Billy Loomis himself.. Skeet Ulrich. He was in awe that he got to keep the original and thanked ME for making HIM look good (who would’ve thunk it). He got a kick out of me telling him that he was the reason I started watching Riverdale and told me that I was very talented and I definitely need to keep up the great work. I guess you can say he was encouraging the “psycho” in me to keep being “more creative” (pun intended).
Mad props go out to my husband Frank who was a trooper during all of this. He took these pics that I will cherish and didn’t end up threatening a divorce afterwards 😆. However, I think he had his special moment when Rose McGowan (who we’ve met before) voluntarily lit his cigarette when he was standing outside the hotel having a smoke break with our friend Ben.
This weekend we also got to reconnect with David Howard Thornton. The last time we saw him was when I gifted him my original #SELFIE art piece at Days Of The Dead Chicago in 2018. It truly was an eye opener to see the difference 5 years can make and how a sequel to something could actually go surprisingly in the right direction. When we first met David back then we were able to walk right up to his table and shoot the shit with him. However, now that Terrifier 2 has come out and people are starting to discover Art The Clown, we actually had to stand in a decently long line just to say hi. Not to mention the main cast members from both films were there so it was quite the “terrifying” event. For me personally I was excited that the cast reunions included Damien Leone who is not only the creator and director of the film, but also the special fx artist who developed the Art The Clown character. In a world of remakes and reboots, he literally gifted us a new horror icon and from what I have witnessed of the franchise growth over the years, I am not the only fan of the horror genre that has been craving his originality.
With that being said, I gifted both David and Damien wearable art print shirts of my #SELFIE piece. They both really liked them and thought it was great they got to keep them. The woman working at Damien’s table was even impressed by them and asked if I had more of them. Once again Frank gets mad props for capturing these candid images while I was talking with and gifting to them.
We waited to get an actual posed photo with them because we already had reserved a ticket for their in costume photo op that was an absolute must. It was so great to see Damien’s work up close and see David in full character. Just like in 2018, I made sure to get my hands on Art’s horn again. He flipped it around all funny to give it to me and then we all laughed and took the photo. David himself stayed in character the whole time on mute. It was pretty epic. The best part was that we didn’t know he made this face until we got the print out of the photo and it’s pretty damn priceless. Don’t worry I gave the horn back to him..this time 😉
We also had the opportunity to catch up with our dear pal and master of “dark, sticky fun”, Ron Fitzgerald. He is a local entertainer and illusionist that I have been following for close to 30 years. This is all thanks to my Dad who took me to be in the audience of Ron’s live tv/cable access show when I was in 6th grade. I have been catching up with him ever since at cons, events, and even around town. He is one of the nicest, and stylish guys you will ever meet. Frank bought one of his bad ass engraved razor blade necklaces to further support his work.
We made some other purchases from the vendors but the highlight was finally finding an “Audrey II” inspired plant that was impressive enough to buy! I have been on a search for a decently sized one for quite some time for a deadly plant display for our home. Most of the ones I have found are cheaply made plastic and overly priced, but thanks to Archives of The Underworld my search is over. This artist hand sculpts and paints each one beautifully. Of corpse Frank insisted on buying me the biggest one she had and I was not complaining. 💕
We took a break from all the lines and crowds to sit back and watch the costume contest hosted by horror host Svengoolie. To our surprise the room was packed this year and there were quite a few contestants. These being my top faves.
I of corpse had to get a pic with the fellow rebel in the amazing Pee Wee cosplay…
Being a musician, my husband Frank was very happy to be able to talk with composer Alan Howarth who has done music for a lot of the movies he really loves, including They Live. To top it off Frank was in awe that he was signing his autographs like sheet music. He had a ruler and was making the lines and adding the notes. For me, it was his shirt. I could not get over how awesome it was and need one in my life.
We unfortunately missed Alan’s live show because we were attending the Private Gala Cocktail Reception for the Ultimate ticket package holders and the celebrity guests. As someone who has been attending and supporting this convention for almost 20 years I joined forces with Mike and Mia (owners of the con) and donated bloody framed art prints which I put into 4 horror swag bags for party raffles. These bags included not only my artwork but prizes donations from my fellow fiends at Closet Collectibles, Fangoria, Creepy Acres, September Son Films, High On The Hog The Movie, Zombie Pumpkins, Resin Glitz Jen, Metal Movie Nights, Olivia Frankenstein, and Dead Sled Brand.
Zombie Army Productions‘, Chad Savage (the incredible artist who designed our Save The Date Cards for our wedding in 2009 and the Frankenskull lapel pins we display on the curtains of our Frankenhearse), and John LaFlamboy (haunted house extraordinaire) were announcing all of the raffle ticket numbers and handing out all of the prizes at the event. Mike got on the microphone and announced who I was and how I have been attending and supporting their convention since 2004 which made my creepy little heart happy. Then he handed the microphone off to me to plug my work and those who donated. Shoutout to everyone who kept this introvert laughing the whole time and for John making it a point to purposely “get my name out there” over and over again when he announced the winners. I truly appreciate your hilarious determination to help this ghoul out.
It was great to see the prizes being such a big success at the event after all the hard work that went into them. The attendees who won them really lucked out thanks to all the amazing boils and ghouls who joined forces and donated for them. Frank and I had some drinks and mingled a bit at the party but neither of us were comfortable pushing our way through the folks who were hoarding over the celebrity guests to get selfie party pics with them. Frank and I figured we would give them a break from their already long day of fan photos and let them be humans for the rest of their evening. Unfortunately, this made it hard to be able to just shoot the shit with any of them as they were sort of congregated to one spot with a crowd around them. However the party was a really nice perk for con attendees and we were truly honored to get to be a part of the whole VIP experience.
I would like to end this by saying thank you again to Mike & Mia and the crew at Flashback Weekend Chicago for all the hard work you put into making this such an immersive and unforgettable event each year. You guys are killer and we are so grateful for all you do and have done over the years to support our Midwest horror and art communities!
Is our extended weekend already over? That’s how I am feeling right now as I type this. Since the pandemic, my husband and I have not enjoyed one of our full blown horror con weekend getaways. We did a random one day drive to Flashback Weekend last year and prior to that we hadn’t enjoyed a full horror con weekend since Days of the Dead in 2019. That was until this past weekend when we decided to take some days off work, extend our weekend and take a road tip back to Indy for another Days Of The Dead con.
As in the past, I was especially excited to gift some of my original art pieces to those who who would be attending and inspired my work. Unfortunately Lori Petty cancelled at the last minute so this Tank Girl fanatic will have to wait until our paths hopefully cross one day in the future. However the guests who did attend that received my work were incredible and made the experience and road trip so well worth it.
First was John Kassir. It felt so great to be in his presence again (we met him in 2018 in Chicago). There are just some people in this world that you encounter that you get all the good vibes from and John is definitely one of those people. I had shared my “Deadtime Stories” art piece with him via the link to my blog post which he was so kind to stop by and comment on. He recognized it right away when I approached his table with the original and told me how impressed he was with my work and that not all things “Tales From the Crypt” that he collects/owns get put up on full display in his home. However, my piece most definitely will be. He gifted me a 8×10 signed Crypt Keeper picture and took this great photo with Frank and I. Later on we even had the honor of enjoying his company in the hotel bistro and he displayed my work on his table all weekend long. Seriously.. I can’t say it enough.. John really is the greatest!
Later after Patty Mullen arrived and was settled in at her table we visited her and I was able to gift her my “Tossed Human Salad” art piece. She also recognized my work and told me that she had seen it posted on Instagram. She said she was impressed with the way I captured her likeness in such a unique way. Especially her eyes. She said for some reason people have difficulty getting them right but I got her spot on. She was a blast to talk to. Even her interacting with the fans before us in line was a trip to watch. Especially when she was in full Frankenhooker inspired fashion from head to toe! So much purple I was loving it. She too gifted us a 8×10 signed Frankenhooker print and took this adorable photo with me. She was so sweet and so much fun to meet!
If that was not memorable enough. Frank and I decided to enter the That Damn Tattoo Contest that was taking place at the convention. Originally I talked Frank into entering his new They Live tattoo and the people hosting the event insisted I enter my Pee Wee’s Playhouse tattoo as well. We BOTH ended up winning in different categories. Frank took home Best Horror Sci Fi Tattoo and I won Best Small Color Tattoo. The judges who we met on stage during the show had nothing but great things to say about our work. We are now so excited to be able to share these plaques with our tattoo artist Luke Reubelt when we see him next.
It felt all around great to finally have a horror con weekend away just the two of us and experience such lasting memories in the process. An all around great weekend that went by way too fast. Thank you again Days of The Dead for another killer event and to John and Patty for being so kick ass!
