“They’re baaaaaaack…”
From its debut in February of 2022 , the bi-annual fright-fest known as “CreepIECon” (the IE capitalized for the Inland Empire region of SoCal), returns every February and September (as “CreepIECon Aftermath”) for SoCal residents (and a few out-of-staters) to partake in their shared love of horror and the supernatural. It’s Halloween in February, or as I’ve heard it called, “Valloween.” CreepIECon 2025 (January 31-February 2nd) had a healthy turnout, at least for Saturday, with a long line outside the Ontario Convention Center, where hordes of horror fans gathered patiently for the doors to open at 11 am.
The three-day event actually began on Friday evening from 5-10 pm, though that’s more of a preview and party night, as the main events (including panels and other attractions) begin Saturday morning at 11 am until closing at 7 pm, continuing Sunday from 11-6 pm (though Sunday is much less busy than Saturday). In addition to the Dealer/Vendor Hall, the interactive exhibits, and a few panels, there was a lot of talent on tap for this event, including “Elvira” herself, Cassandra Peterson, as well as cast members from “The Lost Boys,” “Scream,” “The Terrifier,” and a 40th anniversary reunion of “Re-Animator.”
With my standard 3-day weekend pass (ranging anywhere from 40-to-50-odd bucks, depending on when you buy), I did not have access to the VIP ticket-holder perks of the convention (such as the upstairs Fangoria lounge and shorter autograph queues), and there were no press passes issued, though a cheaper standard pass gives you much of the same access as its more-expensive alternatives.
Deadly Deals in the Exhibit/Vendor Hall
The Exhibit/Vendor Hall (a Dealer Hall by any other name…) is the largest and typically most-crowded gathering at the venue—once again featured a variety of macabre merch, cool collectibles, clothing, dolls, posters, books, snacks, and more. Even if you have no interest in any of the other venues at this ever-expanding convention, you could spend most or all of your day at the Exhibit/Vendor Hall and still have a decent CreepIECon experience. Most of the autographs are to be found in there, too; with a few additional, high-demand autographs available across the hall in a dedicated Autograph Room.
Panoramic view of the Exhibit/Vendor Hall.
Top, Left to Right: ‘Michael Myers’ from the “Halloween” franchise, “The Terrifier” and his spawn, ‘Billy the Puppet’ from the “Saw” movie series. Bottom, Left to Right: “The Toxic Avenger” looks he has a nasty itch deep within his tutu, while two fashionably-attired phantoms show off their booth’s wares, including “Scream for Me” and “Fools N Ghouls” garb.
From this particular CreepIECon, I managed to grab a book (“Oh Mother What Have You Done? The Making of Psycho II”), a few treats for my wife to take to her classroom, a couple of small, UV-light reactive shark skeleton toys (3D printed) and a handful of autographs. These days, I don’t collect nearly as much as I used to (“Is one ever ‘too old’ to enjoy geeky things?“), since it’s become increasingly difficult finding adequate storage space. However, I like to think that my many photos are my own way of taking it all home with me somehow… and sharing it with you.
Sideshows and Other Attractions
This year’s CreepIECon added a new “Comics Room,” where dealers buy and sell horror comics as well as collectible VHS tapes (no offense to newly-minted VHS collectors/hipsters, but I hated that mushy, ill-defined format even back when it was popular; I was a dedicated laserdisc snob in those days). Actress Gigi Edgley (“Farscape”) was on-hand in the Comics Room to sign autographs, too. And of course, there was also the “CreepIE Arcade,” featuring vintage video games and consoles, along with “Art’s Sideshow” of life-sized horror-themed displays, “LM treasures Life Size Statues & Prop Rentals” dinosaur displays, and of course, the interactive walk-thru exhibit known as “Fear Farm”… muuaaahahahahaha.
LM treasures Life Size Statues & Prop Rentals, based in Fontana California, once again rented out some of their dinosaur props for the exhibit area at CreepIECon. The tyrannosaur, velociraptors, stegosaurus and triceratops all looked terrific. The more dramatic gel lighting at this year’s exhibit was an improvement over last year.
Art’s Sideshow returned with a few displays returning from last year, such as the “Terrifier,” “Annabelle,” and “Saw” mise-en-scènes, but they also added displays for “The Lost Boys” (1987) and “Fright Night” (1985) as well. Fitting, since there were several “Lost Boys” autographing in the vendor area (including star Jason Patric), as well as original “Fright Night” screenwriter Tom Holland.
Welcome to the “Fear Farm,” with a “Fallout Shelter meets Area-51” theme…
Cassandra Peterson, the Elusive “Elvira”
The biggest draw by far at this year’s CreepIECon was “Elvira” herself, actress/author/comedian Cassandra Peterson. Last year, I had the chance to listen to Peterson’s Audibles audiobook of her autobiographical best seller, “Cruelly Yours.” I was impressed with her courage and candor to give all the details into her professional and personal life (many of them painful to recall, no doubt), including her years as a rockstar groupie, a Vegas showgirl, a struggling comic, and eventual fame as her buxom, brazen, larger-then-life TV/movie persona of “Elvira, Mistress of the Dark.” The book also chronicles her troubled past marriages and relationships, ending on a happy note, as Peterson found love with her partner of 19 years, Teresa “T” Wierson. Having owned the book via Audibles, I went and bought a softback copy of “Cruelly Yours,” hoping to get it autographed at this event.
Unfortunately, Peterson was only available for Saturday after cancelling her photo ops and table selfies due to minor surgery; meaning that the line for her autograph was huge. So, I and a few others made the difficult choice of abandoning our places in line to enjoy the rest of the convention (otherwise, I’d probably still be in line right now; typing this out on my iPhone). Often at conventions, you have to budget your time wisely by making a few hard choices here and there; such as waiting in a long queue for a single autograph versus exploring the rest of the convention and possibly getting many other autographs and photos in that same span of time. Also, my arthritis gets angry at me when I stand in one spot for too long, so there’s that. I hated leaving the line, but I don’t regret it, either.
Further disheartening were the tickets that event staffers were giving to us in the Peterson line; they acted as placeholders only, and did not guarantee an autograph, even if you waited in line the whole day. Despite being an Elvira fan for the past 40+ years or so (since her days of hosting “Movie Macabre” on local Los Angeles TV), my hopes were thoroughly dashed. Right before I left the autograph queue, I saw a lesbian couple break away from the line a few spaces ahead of me, and they were visibly disappointed. Cassandra Peterson has long been an icon of the LGBTQ+ community, well before she came out publicly herself. Given the current unrelentingly hostile anti-LGBTQ+ political climate here in the United States, I can imagine their heartbreak.
However, not wanting to leave my readers vicariously disappointed as well, I found an excellent candid photo of Cassandra Peterson in full “Elvira” drag that I’d taken at San Diego Comic Con back in 2010, so I added that photo (taken with a real camera, not an iPhone) into this handy-dandy collage, along with a spot-on cosplayer from this year’s CreepIECon. Enjoy!
“Re-Animator” Reunited After 40 Years
I’ve been a fan of the horror movie “Re-Animator” (1985) since seeing it theatrically the year of its release. That TV movie critics Gene Siskel & Roger Ebert would not show clips from director Stuart Gordon’s very R-rated film on their weekly series “At the Movies” only piqued my curiosity. The movie was unsurprisingly filled with over-the-top blood, viscera and zombie action, but it was also darkly hilarious as well. The main characters were surprisingly vivid and memorable too, with Bruce Abbott (“Dark Justice”) as the stalwart, yet easily-manipulated medical student ‘hero’ Dan Cain, Barbara Crampton (“From Beyond”) as his wholesome girlfriend Megan Halsey (who was also the dean’s daughter), and the scene-stealing Jeffrey Combs (“Star Trek: Enterprise”) as sociopathic med student genius, Herbert West; the titular ‘re-animator’ whose green fluidic concoction revives dead animal tissue–and unleashes hell. The three actors, along with the film’s composer, Richard Band, were at CreepIECon. Having already met Jeffrey Combs 12 years earlier at a Star Trek convention in Burbank (where he autographed my old laserdisc of the film), I got autographs from his costars.
Spine-Tingling Talent
There were quite a few other actors on deck that weekend, including stars from “The Lost Boys” (Jason Patric, Alex Winter), “Saw” (Tobin Bell), “Terrifier” and “Scream,” but with a cap on my available funds, my interests went to Oscar-nominated actress Barbara Hershey (“Beaches,” “The Right Stuff,” “The Last Temptation of Christ”), actor Ken Foree (the original “Dawn of the Dead,” 2007’s “Halloween” reboot) and writer/actor/director Tom Holland; the writer behind several 1980s horror classics (“Psycho II,” “Fright Night,” “Child’s Play”). Yes, the man who brought Norman Bates home after 22 years and the cocreator of Chucky was in the house…
Vampiro Vents
The former professional wrestler known as “Vampiro,” aka Ian Richard Hodgkinson, used to host a short-lived TV show discussing the paranormal called “Vampiro: Unleashed,” (2020-2021), where he and panelists discussed their sometimes controversial experiences and opinions. He was also the subject of a panel on Sunday at CreepIECon that I happened to be sitting in on, coincidentally, as I caught up with some texts and photo-editing on my iPhone. That’s when the panel began…
During this panel at CreepIECon, Vampiro denounced his former TV show as “bullshit,” as he ranted about his own bizarre beliefs that the COVID pandemic was (and is) part of an elaborate conspiracy to stop Illuminati and Freemasons–like himself–from getting too close to the ‘truth,’ along with other lunatic-fringe crap. After a half-hour or so of listening to this rambling conspiratorial nonsense, I had to leave for the sake of my remaining brain cells. As more of a science and facts-kinda guy, this sort of thing is most certainly not my bag…
Spirited Cosplay
My favorite part of sci-fi/fantasy/horror conventions is the cosplay. Cosplayers are the heart and soul of any fandom event, and while there weren’t quite as many cosplayers at this year’s CreepIECon, there were a few of them who really caught my eye (though they were kind enough to give it back afterward). Enjoy!
These Killer Clowns graciously gathered for giggles and mayhem in this spontaneous photo-op.
Four “Ghostface” cosplayers from the “Scream” movie franchise. “Scream” may not be my favorite of horror movies, but clearly there’s something to it, as it’s still going strong nearly three decades after I first caught at a midnight screening in early 1997 at my old neighborhood theater. My own response was somewhat tepid, to be honest. Maybe I need to reevaluate it…?
Frightful Photos
All of my 94 CreepIECon 2025 photos (and one video) are in this Flickr album link. Enjoy!
Summing It Up
Despite my disappointment with not meeting Cassandra Peterson, aka Elvira, I still managed to have a great time at this year’s CreepIECon, coming back with a few stories to share, and some nice autographs, trinkets, and even some goodies for my wife (she doesn’t attend CreepIECon, since horror isn’t really her thing; the beauty of our marriage is that my wife and I don’t have to do every single thing together). As usual, I’m always grateful to see this once tiny local convention growing steadily and sometimes explosively with each new year.
This bi-annual event is now a fully-fledged horror happening like any other, and I’m grateful to see healthy lines and full parking lots (as well as a few out-of-state license plates, too). Local conventions are blessings whenever and wherever you can find them. Sure as hell beats braving Los Angeles traffic (particularly after the devastating wildfires that have gutted so much of the city), or diving four hours into Las Vegas across the Mojave desert in my 24 year-old car. I would urge–no, implore any and all readers to attend local conventions in their own areas, no matter how small (if they’re affordable), since fan participation is the sunlight in which these events grow.
Take care … beware!
