Queen of Screams? Birmingham Horror Con 2018 Review

comic con Mar 27, 2018

I was rather excited about Birmingham Horror Con, I’ve not attended an event like this before, sure, I’ve been to a Walking Dead con. But, nothing dedicated to Horror as a whole!

The Horror of Edgebaston

The venue was Edgebaston Stadium. A place I never thought could hold a convention. But, turns out it worked well.

Rooms consisted of: a main dealers hall, an area for autographs and panels, cosplay area, and even a room screening some upcoming horror movies (Sadly 18+).

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The Cosplay Area

Everything from zombies (Events 2 Scare), to body painters and even a Rocky Horror cosplay group (Rocky Horror Hire UK). I’ve never seen this level of cosplay. the attention to detail was amazing. Where else would you see a Demogorgon from Stranger Things like this!? (West Midlands Bodypaint Project) Walking around the convention with so many of these characters was an interesting experience to say the least. Every time the lift doors opened, there was an on screen killer of some kind with their weapon of choice lurking behind the doors! Every single cosplayer, even though terrifying in looks, was extremely friendly, and always stopped for a picture if asked.

 

The Guests

The main reason I decided to go to this con was to meet 4 cast members from the first horrror movie I watched as a child. (Losers Club from the original screenplay of Stephen King’s IT.)

Pennywise was truly terrifying at 10 years old!

In attendance was Marlon Taylor (Young Mike), Brandon Crane (Young Ben), Adam Faraizl (Young Eddie) and Ben Heller (Young Stan), we even had the bully Henry Bowers played by Jarred blancard. I think all of us who have either read the book, or watched the movies can relate to one of them.

Meeting them was a brilliant experience. This wasn’t a huge con, so we had plenty of time to talk to each of the guests. They were all equally as charming, and very happy to answer any questions about the movie we had. A couple even crawled under their tables to have pictures with us. I’m usually a very polite attendee. I walk up to the guest, ask for what I need and try not to take up too much of their time. But, this time we had lots of conversation and even a giggle! The other guests in attendance were Ricky Dean Logan, Danny Hassel, Bob Elmore and The Bride in Black himself, in full costume I might add, Tom Fitzpatrick.

 

The Panel Hall

The panel hall was a fair size, and you were welcome to sit wherever you liked. We managed to make the front row of the IT panel, hosted by Supernerds UK. Because we only attended for the day I didn’t get to sit in on any of the other guest panels. I did however walk into the room whilst a little freak show was happening. Toby Le’rone, The Human Blockhead, asked me to staple a playing card onto his leg! Of course, being the polite person I am I obliged.

We left after the IT panel. But, there were plenty of things we didn’t do, so we could have attended another day. We missed out on the horror themed escape rooms and the gaming area. My friends and I are seriously considering attending the Halloween special on both days, because we had so much fun!

If you love horror, then I would highly recommend attending this in the future. The con overall was very well organized, and all staff were friendly and helpful. A con like this would be an ideal first con. It wasn’t a huge event with long queues and would ease any first timer in gently.

 

Find out more about Birmingham Horror Con and their forthcoming events.

 

Pictures: Dan Burgess Photography & Sarah Wilson


Sarah Wilson – CfG Queen of Cons


 

 

 

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