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Flashback Weekend Chicago 2025

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As excited as I was to type this up yesterday, I needed a little time to get back into reality mode and gather my thoughts after another killer artventure with my horror community fam at Flashback Weekend Chicago!

Frank and I started our Friday morning off by carefully loading 2 cart fulls of donated prizes and all our luggage into the truck and then ventured off to Rosemont.

For those of you that may not be aware, we have been attending Flashback Weekend since 2004 but I have been volunteering as the convention’s Prize Coordinator for the last few years. This means I am in charge of organizing and collaborating with various businesses, artists and vendors to collect merchandise prize sponsorship donations that are raffled off for the convention’s Ultimate VIP Cocktail Reception Party, held every year for Ultimate Ticket Holders and the celebrity guests. I collect, deliver, and set up the prize table at the event. I also market the sponsors by creating/maintaining the landing page, social media posts, and promotional flyers used to announce and market the prize sponsors online and at the event.

These are the 3 art pieces I chose to donate to the prizes this year. They included two oversized 16×20 canvas prints of Art and Victor (to be raffled off on their own) and one 8×12 canvas print of Freddy (to be raffled inside the Swag Bag of smaller prizes). All perfectly aligned with this years celebrity guests.

Despite there being a huge national sports collectors event taking place at the convention center next door, we were able to park in the hotel garage without any issues and were even able to check in early when we got there. A big difference from the stressfulness of last year which I think had a lot to do with the fact that there were no other big events taking place inside the hotel itself.

When we got there we unloaded and dragged all the carts and luggage to our room and then ventured off to get our badges at the registration booth, where we were greeted by the (always) amazing convention staff volunteers. We then hit up the dealer room to connect with some of the vendors who had prizes for me to pick up at their booths. Once we got those all back to our room safely, it was time to take everything in. Our first stop was to say hello to our very talented friend Chad Savage (Sinister Visions). I mean it just doesn’t feel like Flashback until we have this horror con family reunion.

After scoping out the amazing vendors and getting an idea on where everything was located, we went and got a bite to eat and had a few drinks at the hotel bar. Afterwards we got ready for a very exciting new event the convention was holding in the evening called Friday Night Frights Live. It was a fun on stage late night talk show hosted by local horror icon Svengoolie.

He interviewed horror legends, Robert Englund, Barbara Crampton, and Joe Dante and we got to hear so many great stories from all of them. They even had a musical guest who was the one and only Tuesday Knight! This new event definitely was a killer way to kick things off this year and we really hope the con continues to make this a fun new tradition.

The hotel at this point was jam packed with sports collectors from the convention center event letting out. It felt like hoards of zombies craving cards in every inch of the hotel. There was not a single place to sit in the bar or lounge areas and every table and floor area had cards spread out with groups of people standing and starring. Since I was a bit overstimulated with all the sporty chaos, we went up to the after party on the top floor to check out the panoramic views of Chicago skyline for a bit. The movement of the room itself was tripping me out, so we decided to end the evening by relaxing on our room’s quiet, private balcony.

We got up early Saturday and headed downstairs to get in before the con opened to the general public. It was time to get into full blown charity and art gifting mode.

First we stopped at Adam Green‘s table where I brought with me the 16×20 canvas print that we auctioned off for Yorkiethon 9. As soon as Adam saw it, he recognized it right away and came around the table and gave me a huge thank you hug.

He was beyond grateful for my contribution and talents and was so excited to also see the original piece in person. He got to signing the auction piece right away and then we walked over to Kane’s table to have him sign it as well.

Kane asked where the art piece came from and I was standing behind them holding the original ready to gift it to him. He was blown away when he saw it and intrigued that it was all hand drawn in pencil. I told him how the wood frame that I chose to put it in was ironically called “The Axeman” and he got a kick out that. He then told me “I really hope you’re doing something with all this talent.” while starring at all the details. My quick response was “I’m trying!” with an excited giggle.

He then told me we had to get a picture with the art piece and I was definitely not going to turn the man down..

I apologized to the folks standing in line that had to wait while all of this was happening and then Adam, as awesome as he is, had my back by saying “Sorry guys, this is for charity”.

When we were done with Kane we went back to Adam’s table where I gifted him a canvas print of the art piece as well as a Jason Voorhees squeaky toy for Arwen. We took photos with the signed auction piece and had a little one on one time with him for a bit where we told him how his work speaks to us as horror fans, and that thanks to Holliston, “piggly no wiggly” and “market basKET” now live in our vocabulary permanently, which he totally got a kick out of. He gave Frank a brotherly bond handshake when he told him how much mad respect he had for him including Dave Brockie aka Oderus Urungus into the show. He shared some fun and interesting facts with us about production and even the art used on the show. We even reminisced about our mutual dearly departed friend Sid Haig and his epic Scary Sleepover moment of kidnapping Axel the cat!

Once we safely put the the autographed art piece in our room it was time to mingle with our horror con fam and go exploring. We met up with our friends Ben and Jonathan of Dead Regime Media.

Ben surprised us with a very unique gift of horror history that he acquired from the set of The Amityville Horror movie from 2005. Apparently the crew hid trinkets on set in random places in hopes to ward off bad spirits after weird instances started to occur during filming. This included crew members would frequently wake up at 3:15 AM (the time of the real-life murders), a real body floating up on the water (where they filmed the boathouse scenes), and Kathy Lutz (who was involved in the remake’s production) whose family’s experiences in the house formed the basis of the story, passed away during the first week of filming. The piece itself is a Watkins Exposure Meter from the early 1900’s that was used to measure the power of light.

After having a late lunch and drinks with our friends, we were able to take a quick peak in as the annual costume contest winners were being announced, and then we immediately headed to our room to start gathering the prizes and loading them up for the Ultimate VIP Cocktail Reception Party!

This year, I did things a bit differently since the swag bags I created for the previous years were starting to get larger and larger each year. We offered prize sponsors the opportunity to donate a larger/higher value item to be raffled off on its own or donate smaller items to be put into one large swag bag that would be raffled off together. The thought process was to give more exposure to those who donate, sponsors not needing to donate multiples of one item, and to also give attendees more opportunity to win something. The outcome was incredible and we definitely ended up needing a much larger display table this year.

Due to so many generous donations and wanting to give props to each sponsor that donated, I assisted Chad when announcing each prize and pulled the winning raffle ticket numbers. Frank took photos of all of us live in action while Kat was getting photos of each individual with the prizes that they won.

Be sure to go to the Flashback Weekend Instagram page to see a video reel recap from the event.

It may have been a bit more work this year with the changes I made, but it was so rewarding to see the excitement from those hoping to win and the joy on the faces of those who did. During the event, four attendees came up to thank me and share that after all the years they’ve been coming to the party, this was the first time they actually won a prize. They were so genuinely happy to hear their raffle ticket numbers finally be called, and that made all the extra effort so well worth it.

I also got to enjoy a little time at the party with my horror con fam ghoulfriends Kat and Summer…

That evening, the hotel was once again filled with hoards of sports card collectors, but this time it didn’t phase us because we were excited to attend the live, late night performance of our friend and local master illusionist, Ron Fitzgerald. I snapped a few photos, then put my phone away to fully take it all in. The first time I saw Ron perform live was in the early 90s when my dad took me to be in the audience for a taping of his cable access TV show, Fitzgerald’s Realm. Watching him again as an adult at Flashback brought a wave of nostalgia rushing back. Even the music took me there. I vividly remembered sitting beside my dad, hearing music like Nine Inch Nails for the first time, and being completely in awe. It struck me how much Ron had influenced me. Goth culture wasn’t exactly common in our suburban bubble, but thanks to Ron’s dark, sticky, fun energy, I fell in love with it that very day. Since then, I’ve met Ron many times and become friends with him. He’s a true gem in the dark arts scene, and I’m forever grateful my dad took me to see him all those years ago.

When the show was over we didn’t get a chance to catch up with Ron because unfortunately he accidentally cut his thumb on a razor blade during the show and was getting it wrapped up. So we decided to have pizza and dessert delivered to our room and enjoyed another nice evening to ourselves.

On Sunday we were tired after a very eventful weekend. We checked out and loaded up the truck and then went back to the con to make a pit stop at Steven Luros Holliday‘s booth before heading out. On Saturday I had my “I need this to breath” moment in the vendor space when I discovered Steven’s 4 piece set of art called “Seasons”. Frank saw me attempting to pick my jaw up on the floor while the art was speaking to my soul and talked Steven into selling him the framed display for me. We agreed to wait to pick it up on Sunday so he could still display it at his booth. A killer way to end the weekend with a very happy wifey!

As I end this artventure con recap, I just want to reiterate what I’ve been saying for years…

Mike & Mia Kerz, and the entire crew at Flashback Weekend are the true beating heart of horror in the Windy City. They’ve created more than just a convention, they’ve built our midwest horror family and accepted all of us with open arms. There are plenty of horror cons out there, and we support them all, but the love, energy, and soul poured into this convention since the early 2000’s is why so many of us will always call it our forever horror home.

Thank you for keeping the spirit alive, and for giving us a place where horror isn’t just celebrated… it’s lived.

Until Next Year…

Stay Spooky & Magical,
LDG Nicole

Flashback Weekend Chicago 2024

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That “back to reality” feeling set in hard this Monday morning after Frank and I were away on another amazing, extended weekend with our horror community at Flashback Weekend Chicago!

Friday started off on a little bit of stressful note because Frank had to drive around for over hour looking for parking in the hotel garage(s). While he was doing that I was standing in the longest hotel check in line I have ever been in. None of this was at fault of the convention but more so the hotel itself. Ironically a majority of the folks I talked to in line were also split up from their group or significant other because they too were outside looking for parking as well. Later we found out that the hotel was hosting another event which had never been an issue before but they also now offer some sort of shuttle service where they let people park their cars there at the hotel garage for days after they shuttle them to the airport. Great perk for them, not so much for those of us actually staying at the hotel.

Once we got all our bags and our big cart full of raffle prizes unloaded from our truck and into our hotel room, we hit up the registration booth where we were greeted by the (always) amazing convention staff and picked up our VIP Ultimate Weekend passes and swag bags. We then decided to refocus our energy on getting a bite to eat and a drink at the hotel bar to cool off from the all the initial chaos. Once we were more relaxed we were ready to have some fun and headed to the convention floor to scope things out, get first dibs on vendor merch, and of course all the fun shenanigans a horror con brings. As always we had a blast the rest of the day and into the evening hours. The hotel may have been chaotic at the start of the day but it’s also one of the coolest ones around. I always joke that it feels like a shopping mall inside which is why I think the 80’s kid/90’s teen in me feels right at home whenever we are there. We also love getting a room with a balcony so we can take in the night sky and watch the planes fly over us.

For Saturday I represented the real OG of Cabin Fever by rocking my Cavity Colors Dennis shirt. I still think Matthew Helms should’ve been a guest for the cast reunion (even though I know that not all guests requests can be made you still can’t convince me otherwise 😆) but I also think I just wanted to yell “PANCAKES” with him and show him my best karate ninja moves. I would say the shirt choice was a success because when we started the day off meeting Eli Roth he immediately pointed it out.

This year was less celeb guest art gifting and more focused on being reunited and networking with our Midwest horror fam, including the one and only insanely talented Chad Savage of Sinister Visions. I stocked up on some of his Halloween art stickers and we were so happy to be able to catch up with him. Even more so later that evening when he was super ghoul to drag Frank and I out of the “shadows” to come mingle alongside him while he made his rounds during the after party festivities.

Fun Fact: Do you remember the Save The Date postcards we sent out for mine and Frank’s Halloween Masquerade wedding reception in 2009? Well…Chad was the talented artist who designed those for us!

We also met up with our September Son Films and High On The Hog movie fam who we got to enjoy drinks and lunch with while we hung out and caught up on all the great things they currently have in the works. As always we reminisced about our mutual friend Sid (Haig). It’s pretty obvious that we all feel a sense of emptiness every time we are at these horror cons without him. It’s also nice to have friends who can relate to what I can only describe as a bittersweet mix of gratitude and loss whenever you see his face on something but don’t see him sitting behind one of the guest tables or across from you at dinner. It’s moments like these that we are all reminded of how much of a blessing Sid was to all of us and how we will always have a unique bond because of him.

As an artist who loves supporting other artists and small business owners, we purchased a lot of fun things from the vendors this year. I unfortunately won’t be posting our full haul because we actually scored quite a few unique items that are going to be gifts for other people. However I definitely have to share this fun pic taken at the Nightmare 1984 booth. The lover of great mashups and the Jane Lane in me had to have this print. My husband being the big They Live fan that he is (and also has a tattoo inspired by the movie) immediately pulled out his wallet when I pointed it out!

Svengoolie made his annual appearance and this time we got to see him in full action mode filming his show throughout the event. Frank also got to see the Phantasm II car that they had on display. We are not sure if it is the same one we saw at a prior event many moons ago, but either way I always enjoy when he gets the opportunity to see cars that were in or inspired by his favorite films.

Saturday evening we attended the VIP Private Gala Cocktail Reception for the Ultimate ticket holders and celebrity guests. You may remember last year when I donated my framed artwork for the raffles and got some of my connections to send me marketing swag to throw in with them to create prize bags. Well they were such a big hit that I joined forces with Mike and Mia (owners and hosts of the con) to make them again this year. With next month being the 5 Year Anniversary of Sid’s passing and him being such a memorable part of our earlier years at Flashback Weekend, I wanted to do something special in his memory. So I donated prints of the portrait I gifted to him as well as some of the Memorial Fundraiser Necklaces I have in stock. I then still donated the money from the necklaces to his widow, my dear friend Suzie but on behalf of the prize winners.

When I announced that I would be making the bags again this year, so many generous artists, vendors, and businesses jumped on the opportunity to sponsor prizes and get their names in front of horror fans. So much so the bags were twice the size that they were last year and we even had some larger prizes that got raffled off separately from Trick Or Treat Studios (including what Chad referred to as “The Head of Svengoolie!”).

Due to there being so many donations and not being able to see all the amazing things inside the bags, I created and displayed a sign next to them that listed all the prize sponsors along with a QR code that attendees were scanning and taking photos of on their phones as they walked into the event. This QR code led them to a prize sponsor page that lists the website links of all of the prize sponsors so they can easily be found online and we can all support what they do. A smaller version was also included in the bags themselves incase the winners wanted to reach out to them directly.

People in attendance could not wait to see if they had won something and those who did were very pleased. Aaron who was a winner last year really lucked out! Not only did he win again this year but after he did he got down on one knee and proposed to his girlfriend! She said YES! Making true love the ultimate prize of the evening. A very memorable moment and we were all honored to have witnessed it.

Raffle Prize Bags on Display
Time for Raffles Prizes!
Chad Giving Me a Shoutout
Raffling Off Bag 1
Raffling Off Bag 2
Raffling Off Bag 3
Raffling the “Head of Svengoolie”
She said YES!
Raffle Winner Aaron & his FIANCE’
Raffle Winner & Podcaster Summer
Con Social Media Guru Kat
Con Owners/Hosts Mia & Mike

Be sure to go to the Flashback Weekend Instagram page to see a video reel recap from the event.

After all the hard work that went into the bags, it’s always so rewarding to see the excitement of those who want to win and the smiles on the faces of those who do. The attendees who won them really lucked out thanks to all the amazing boils and ghouls who joined forces and donated to them. I seriously can’t thank you all enough for your generosity and meeting my deadline to keep things going smoothly. You made some hardcore horror fans very happy and the event that much more fun for all.

On Sunday we were tired after a very eventful day and evening but we were also pumped to meet up and have a convention Sunday Funday with our friend Jeff from Anthony’s Collectibles. A great way to end a killer weekend before heading back home.

Fun Fact: I first met Jeff through my brother as they are great friends who served in the army together.

Once again I would like to end this by giving a mad shout out to Mike, Mia and the crew at Flashback Weekend Chicago. Like I told Mike when I saw him this weekend, you guys are the reason we have gotten to experience this convention and meet so many amazing people over the last 20 years and we are so grateful to all of you and the hard work and time you dedicate to putting on such a killer show. Thank you Mike and Mia for making our horror community feel like a family. There are many conventions out there nowadays, and we love them all the same, but the heart and soul you put into this one is why so many of us will always consider Flashback Weekend Chicago our forever horror home.

Stay Spooky & Magical,
LDG Nicole

Flashback Weekend Chicago 2023

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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.

Living Dead Girl Nicole gifting her artwork to Skeet Ulrich
Living Dead Girl Nicole gifting her artwork to Skeet Ulrich

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!

Stay Spooky & Magical,
LDG Nicole

Hardcore Hearse Club’s 5th Annual Show!

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The Hardcore Hearse Club’s 5th Annual Hearse show is just around the corner! Not only will we have Frankenhearse on display, but I will be vending my artwork again as well!

hearseshow

Each year I mark down my prices for in-person purchases at this event! So if you ever wanted to purchase from me this is the best time to stock up and save! Creep up your home or wardrobe or get ready for Halloween! All while having a ghoulishly good time doing it!

Order forms will be available for one of a kind custom orders. This is a great time to talk to me in person about making you a one of a kind creation. This includes Adopt The Undead Zombie props, Custom Dead Girl Decay Accessories and Ghoulish Garments! I will also have some unique creations not currently for sale online! They will be available at this event only. They will only be up for sale online if they do not sell at this event. So come get first dibs!

Stay Spooky!
LDG Nicole