By: John Allen
www.frightmareinthefalls.com
Autumn has always been my favorite time of year, the food, the fun, and the fantasy all combine into a delicious array of colour. The nip in the air, the vibrancy of the trees, the pumpkin patches all help create a kaleidoscope of wonder leading up to the spookiest of nights, Halloween. This is my favorite holiday. I enjoy the tricks and treats that go along with the season, including all things boogey man.
A perfect little slice of the pumpkin pie has come along in Niagara Falls called Frightmare In The Falls. Much like the familiar comi-cons, Frightmare is a fandom con specific to the horror genre. I sat down with organizer James Ponce to learn more.
John: How long has Frightmare In The Falls been running?
James: Frightmare in the Falls debuted last year in November, so October 27 & 28 will be our second show
John: How or where did you get the idea?
James: We also run Niagara Falls Comic Con and there is a small horror component. Due to the overwhelming response form horror fans at comic con, we felt the horror genre lacked a horror specific show, so we decided to create FITF.
John: What sets Horror apart from the other fan-doms?
James: Horror isn’t about vibrancy or superheroes or love stories, horror actually gets into the minds of people and brings out their inner fear, which everyone has. It creates emotions in people that other movie genres simply cannot. And by doing that, it has created a very dedicated and loyal fan base.
John: It must take a great amount of organizational skills, how big is your team?
James: Our core group of organizers is three people, however, when it comes to show time, we have over 100 dedicated volunteers that support the events we run.
John: You have a pretty impressive line up of horror icons this year, including Scream Queen Adrienne Barbeau. In your opinion, what makes a good or legendary final girl, and how do they transcend into being a Scream Queen?
James: A legendary final girl has to be tough and be able to go toe-to-toe to survive. When you consider some of the greats like Jamie Lee Curtis, Adrienne Barbeau and many others, they are not just damsels in distress – they are tough, strong women who manage to do what they have to survive, and that’s what’s important. The final girl always has to have some qualities that set them apart, and I think that both of them do.
John: Where do you see the future of Horror going, and do you think attractions like yours will continue in popularity?
James: The horror movie genre always shifts and evolves – we’ve had the slashers of the 70’s and 80’s, an explosion of found footage movies, a generation growing up on zombies, and even now, we see a new breed of lower budget films looking to maximize profits.
Then a blockbuster like ‘It’ comes along and reinvigorates the mainstream’s appetite for horror. Yet we feel like one thing is guaranteed – horror will always have a very dedicated fan base that craves something new and fresh, which is what our convention is all about. There really isn’t anything else like it across Ontario
Frightmare in the Falls takes place at the Scotiabank Convention Centre in Niagara Falls, Canada on October 27 and 28 2018.
The event features over 50,000 square feet of everything horror including celebrity guests, artists, vendors, tv and movie memorabilia, props, movie cars and over 35 free Q&As, screenings, panels and makeup demos.
Horror guests include Tommy Lee Wallace, Adrienne Barbeau, Doug Bradley, Tom Atkins, CJ Graham, Steve Dash, Kevin Yagher, Catherine Hicks, Bob Elmore, Zack Galligan, Tom Savini and many more.
Tickets available online now at www.frightmareinthefalls.com.