FoCC Con Report: Creep I.E. Aftermath – Spooky Fun!
By Jason Delgado
Creep I.E. Aftermath, the horror-themed sister show of Creep I.E. Con, took place on September 23rd and 24th, 2023 at the Ontario Convention Center. This was my first time attending this convention, and I must say that it was a spooky good time!
This con did not have any panels, which is different from most such events, but there was plenty to do without them. Aftermath featured a retro arcade room (where I played some Popeye), a spacious exhibit hall, classic movies presented by Frida Cinema, a spooky-themed band outdoors, food trucks, and an interesting mix of celebrities who were available for photos and autographs (for a fee) such as Charlie Cox, Cassandra Peterson, Tim Curry, Rose McGowan, Holly Marie Combs, and many more.
It’s the little things in which I find joy at these kind of cons: finding out that Charlie Cox has an English accent by saying hello, taking candy from a realistic-looking and comical-acting Art the Clown (from the Terrifier franchise), seeing a Predator cosplay speaking into their arm device like in the movie, hearing an old crush like Rose McGowan sincerely say that it was nice to meet me, or talking about the late, great director Wes Craven with stuntman Lee Waddell (Scream 1 and 2) were all priceless interactions.
Waddell stated that Wes was always “as cool as a cucumber. He never yelled on set or lost his temper.” That’s amazing, considering the stories that we have all heard before from other prominent directors throwing tantrums. Waddell also said that Wes would tell a joke on a Monday, the crew would get the joke on Wednesday, and Lee would finally understand it on Friday. Craven was so intelligent, funny, and just an all-around great guy. I was lucky to have met him twice in film classes, and Waddell had an awesome time working for him. Rest in Peace Wes.
The cosplay at Creep I.E. was top notch, with so many original and creepy costumes, as were the many Halloween-type vendors in the exhibit hall. I picked up a cool Ghostface Scream hat that I had never seen before anywhere else. Then I stepped outside and got some delicious ice cream while listening to the DJ and band.
The Frida Cinema (an art house theater located in Santa Ana, California) brought a film projector (using actual film, as opposed to digital) and a big screen, where I stopped by to watch some of the film Creepshow, but great movies were shown all weekend, such as The Neverending Story, Scream, and Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors.
I look forward to seeing what other kinds of frightful delights that this Con has in store in the future! Check out CreepIECon for more information; they will be back in Ontario February 2nd through 4th, 2024!
