This summer horror fans in Newfoundland can look forward to the first horror-themed convention on the island.
Traditionally, fans had to either go to a local sci-fi convention and hope horror-sci-fi hybrids such as the Alien or Predator series got some attention, or travel out of province to a major horror-themed convention.
But for Carl Penny, the creator of NL Horror Con and a horror enthusiast, bringing a horror convention to Newfoundland is a matter of pride.
“We haven’t got what Ontario has or what Montreal has or what Edmonton has. As a province we’re on the side when it comes to certain big events and whatnot,” he says.
Penny argues it’s time for Newfoundlanders to have the chance to meet the actors and writers they admire without having to worry about an expensive trip.
“I’m not doing this for me, so I’m doing my best and talking to individuals that I’m pretty sure everyone who’s a horror buff has seen before.”
Penny is a diehard horror fan whose passion has led him to getting a tattoo of Pinhead from the Hellraiser series on his back.
“I wanted to do something for likeminded individuals who have a passion for horror,” he says of his organizing efforts.
NL Horror Con started as an idea after a conversation Penny had with his neighbour’s daughter, who had attended several conventions previously as a vendor.
“I started going down through a list of conventions and the names of individuals that have been at those conventions, and personally out of probably 10 conventions and around 20 or 30 individuals, there would only be one or two that I would be interested in seeing or meeting owing to being a horror buff.”
Putting pen to paper, he quietly began outlining his vision for a horror-themed convention. Penny jokingly recalled his fiancé’s reaction at first.
“She said, ‘You’re half nuts,’ that kind of thing.”
But he was sure he was on to something.
“I put it like this: there is no horror-dedicated convention on the island.”
But before proceeding, he asked himself if there was even any demand.
“The first question I asked myself was, ‘I cannot possibly be the only horror fanatic in Newfoundland?’”
After some initial planning, Penny realized there was a demand.
“Anyone who is a horror fan has seen certain sci-fi movies,” he says. “There are certain horror films that tie into sci-fi, like the Aliens series.”
But it is not enough to draw horror fans to a sci-fi convention, he added.
NL Horror Con attempts to tap into this market of horror fans.
“At a sci-fi convention the possibility of bringing individuals from anime, Star Trek or other sci-fi series is very cool and the chance to meet some really talented people is there.”
But for people like Penny, this comes at the expense of meeting idols such as Robert Englund or Pinhead actor Doug Bradley who would rarely be seen at a sci-fi convention.
“Who’s going to go to a sci-fi convention and see headline horror characters like Freddie Kruger, Jason, Leatherface or Michael Myers? You are not going to.”
Aiming for an early September date, Penny hopes that people being off in the summer will help boost attendance at the convention. Dates in June and July or on Halloween were considered.
“But due to some of the bigger conventions in the United States and worldwide, a lot of talent is already booked up.”
As for Halloween, Penny mentioned how “there are conventions that have talent booked for years in advance.”
Preparing for NL Horror Con has kept Penny busy. Irving in Victoria has been sponsoring promotional materials, and NL Horror Con has a partnership with Von Stytch Studios in Carbonear.
“We also recently launched a GoFundMe page, and are excited about an online auction we have planned.”
The most eye-raising promotion, though, has been two events with burlesque company Here Kitty Kitty Productions.
Around Halloween, “A lovely lady by the name of Melissa Somerton from St. John’s, who is one of executive producers with Here Kitty Kitty Productions, contacted me and liked the Facebook page, and they were getting ready to do a horror-themed burlesque show.”
Both saw how their events tied in perfectly with each other, and Somerton invited NL Horror Con to set up a table at Velvet nightclub during the show.
“We went in and handed out flyers and answered any questions people had,” Penny said.
A month after that, another collaboration happened at Here Kitty Kitty’s freak-show burlesque event. Penny noted that both events were successful.
“As soon as we did the shows, the numbers each day started going up on our Facebook page of people liking or confirmed going.”
While Penny has been in contact with agents and has talent confirmed, he said he was unable to name names until a little later.
But he was able to reveal a few things convention-goers could expect. Penny wants to create an interactive convention, saying he, “just doesn’t want to make it a show or convention, but an experience.”
“There is going to be a sort of ‘haunted area’ and a well known Newfoundland author who is onboard with doing a reading from one of their novels, and I really want a side area for people to come in and showcase their local short horror films.”
Penny wants to support local artists and sees this as a chance for people to showcase their horror-related work. He also added that they are looking for a horror-themed band to close out the final night.
You can still expect convention staples such as vendors, though.
“The NL Horror Con inbox literally blew up. I would say conservatively I have at least 100 people who want to set up a table,” Penny said.
A local business even approached him about setting up a table for people to play Call of Cthulhu, a tabletop roleplaying game, while they had free time in between workshops, meeting people and getting autographs, and browsing the vendor tables.
Anyone who wants to be kept up to date on NL Horror Con can follow the NL Horror Con Facebook page or Instagram account.
