Horror convention “spawns” in June

Fan favorite horror convention The Scarefest Weekend descends upon Lexington each year in October, bringing with it celebrities and creators in the field of horror cinema and the darker side of pop culture. Each year the Central Bank Center is filled to capacity with fans hoping to meet their favorite horror icons, take advantage of photo ops, and peruse the vendor booths for memorabilia.

This summer, however, horror fans will be treated to what could be called a “bonus” convention. The first ever Spawn of Scarefest will be held this June at a smaller, more intimate venue that will allow horror fans to be more up close and personal with celebrity guests. The Scarefest Weekend Media Director Wes Forsythe said that although Spawn will share a lot with Scarefest, it really is its own personal nightmare.

“Scarefest Weekend is one of the top five horror/paranormal conventions in the country,” Forsythe said.

After each convention they do a review to decide what worked and what could be done better, he said, and they work on that for the next 12 months.

“But the one complaint we got every year that we couldn’t do anything about is when people say we have gotten too big,” Forsythe said.

That issue might seem to be a good issue to have, and for the most part it is, Forsythe conceded. But some of the people who regularly attended Scarefest wanted a smaller, more intimate version with a more personal interaction with the guests.

“So, because we couldn’t make Scarefest smaller, we came up with the idea to do another convention. We decided to put on a smaller hotel show,” Forsythe said.

“Everything is contained,” he continued. “We aren’t doing a bunch of offsite stuff like we do at Scarefest. The movie premiere on Thursday afternoon will be the only thing you have to leave the grounds to attend. So, if you wanted to come in on Friday and check in, you wouldn’t have to leave the building until Sunday.”

“You are going to be riding the elevator with the celebrities,” Forsythe said of the Spawn convention. “You’re going to be eating at the same restaurant as the celebrities. Your friends are all going to be there and you aren’t going to be chasing everything. So, that’s the difference. It’s a completely different concept.”

Forsythe said that they want Spawn to be successful, but they want to maintain the more intimate feel. That’s why they have capped the numbers of attendees and are not going to “let it get away from us” as far as size.

“We are looking for something more intimate and more relaxed,” he said of Spawn of Scarefest. “This won’t be as hectic for fans, volunteers, and everyone else involved. We are trying to get back to that family feel that people have missed for a few years. We try to keep it intact, but once you get so big that is difficult.”

Spawn of Scarefest will definitely bring back what some patrons of Scarefest Weekend have been missing. And of course, Forsythe said, some people will enjoy both the new convention in June as well as the larger one in October.

Spawn of Scarefest has around 25 popular celebrities scheduled to appear with more contracts out, but not yet confirmed, Forsythe said, opposed to the well over 100 celebrity guests that regularly appear at Scarefest Weekend.

“But we have a maximum cap on celebrities at 30,” he said.

The process of selecting celebrities for Spawn of Scarefest was also a bit different, Forsythe explained.

“We went into it and approached the celebrity agents looking for celebrities that were very interactive with their fans. Our regulars we already knew like Kane Hodder and Felissa Rose are part of the crowd. They enjoy interaction with the fans and they’re part of the Scarefest family,” Forsythe said. “When we approached the agents, we wanted celebrities that like to interact with their fans after the regular convention hours.”

Forsythe said that some celebrities are obviously interactive, and gave Skeet Ulrich as an example. “The first time we met him he was just standing out in front of the Hyatt Regency talking to everyone,” Forsythe said.

Another guest this year is Lochlyn Munro, a Canadian actor known for Freddy vs Jason and Riverdale, someone Forsythe describes as down to earth and accessible to his fans.

Spawn will be held on June 5-7 at the Griffon Gate Resort & Spa at 1800 Newtown Pike in Lexington. Tickets can be purchased through a link on the Spawn of Scarefest Facebook page or at spawnofscarefest.com.

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