So this was our first time to Texas Frightmare Weekend having never been much of a horror fan but have loads of respect for the genre.
However as a fan of cons & fun I’ve been intrigued but it wasn’t until this year’s lineup was announced that sealed my participation.
First, my old buddy & WWE Hall of Famer Diamond Dallas Page but then Mischa Barton making her first appearance at a con of any kind it became something not to be missed. Whereas I was also pulling double-duty of covering Dallas International Film Festival simultaneously I did my best to make the most of it.
Texas Frightmare Weekend – May 4th-6th – Hyatt Regency Hotel – Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport
So let’s get a few of the basics out of the way first:
The Good:
It’s a unique gathering, with more of an adult flavor given that horror is adult-related content, with night time parties. It’s pretty small so it’s intimate vibe was cool but could also be problematic. The cosplay at a Horror-Con is a breed unto itself. Mischa Barton was there.
The Bad:
The location is a nightmare, as in it’s not at a hotel by the airport, it’s at a hotel that’s IN the airport across from a main terminal.
So going multiple days if you weren’t staying on site is the same as going (& leaving) the airport everyday for an entire weekend & parking was impossible which also required validation. For me it was so small that while I enjoyed it’s intimacy, after about an hour of walking around I was done. Not much to see & if having it in the basement of this in much need of a facelift hotel on purpose was designed to add to it’s trashy factor, it did it’s job in spades.
Again, for me the most exciting aspect was Mischa Barton’s participation, not only it being her first time, but I was a HUGE fan of the O.C & she’s the kind of actress that no matter the film or project, if she’s in it, I’m interested.
She was here to premiere not one but two movies – The Toybox & Ouija House which we saw back to to back on Saturday evening.
The Toybox
This was actually a really fun movie, well done, creepy, campy & Mischa is magnificent in it. Lends itself to multiple sequels with an all-around great cast with Denise Richards who was equally superb.
Mischa Barton (left)
& with Denise Richards
With Producer Jeff Denton
& Director Tom Nagel
Ouija House
Sadly the same can’t be said for Ouija House, this film is a real piece of shit. All film fatigue aside, getting through this, especially the last 30 mins was a painful chore. First it started seriously almost 40 mins behind schedule so it was after 11pm when it BEGAN.
It’s easy to get caught up in cinematic magic when your watching a film in public, that’s what makes going to the movies so fun. However if this was home video or Netflix, this turd would be easily spotted as hot garbage.
Besides Mischa, the only saving grace (pun intended) is Grace Demarco who’d I love to see in more projects & Carly Schroeder who was also in attendance.
Grace Demarco (left)
& Carly Schroeder (right)
Lots of other great guests, vendors & cosplay too –
Matt Lilliard
Diamond Dallas Paige
A staple of this convention we notice was tattoos & body modifications so we did a small piece called The Tattoos of Texas Frightmare Weekend 2018 – Enjoy!
Ale Kat (left)
& Kitty Korvette
Rachel Lee Wright, Sara Rafter
& Kirsten Watts
Diana, the artist Alee & Logan
Photos –
Roy Turner
IMDB
