Scare-A-Con is coming to the Rochester Riverside Hotel, Rochester, NY on October 18 thru the 20th, and to shed Lucifer’s light on the whole arcane affair your’s cruelly recently had a chance to chat with the show’s promoter JV Johnson!
Dan XIII: Please tell my revoltin’ readers how you came to be involved in that creepiest of conventions Scare-A-Con!
JV: Once I discovered the world of horror conventions, I realized that there were many people who shared the same passions as I did. That revelation made me decide to bring a similar event to my town of Syracuse, NY. I owned & operated a group of radio stations there and I used those resources to have the first SCARE-A-CON in 2011. After a couple venue changes and the addition of the New England show, we have become one of the biggest horror conventions in the Northeast.
DXIII: What can all of your faithful n’ fearsome fiends expect to experience at this years ghoulish gathering?
JV: We also pride ourselves at bringing in a wide variety of celebrity guests. We do it a little differently though. We are less impressed by some names, and more concerned with the fan experience. We watch how celebrities interact with fans at other conventions, and if they can’t be bothered to take the time and engage and talk with a fan that have traveled far to meet them, then they aren’t SCARE-A-CON material. An autograph is far more meaningful if you feel like you’ve had a chance to get to know the celebrity that signed it for you. In addition to the celebrities, we have our awesome parties (including SCARY-OKE), a complete film festival, panel discussions, great vendors & costume contests.
DXIII: What is your favorite experience at the con to date?
JV: There are too many to count. Mostly, I love that I have made so many friends – celebrities, vendors, fans, volunteers – so many people have become important in my life because of SCARE-A-CON. AND, many attendees say the same thing.
DXIII: Are there any guests you haven’t snagged yet that you’d like to?
JV: Of course there is a list of celebrities that I would love to see at SCARE-A-CON, but the reason they haven’t been with us yet is because we do not feel they appropriately appreciate the fan experience. We will not bring in a celebrity who thinks it’s okay to stare at the table, sign autographs without so much as a word to the person who is paying for it. That’s far more common than it should be and we go out of our way to only invite the celebrities that are as eager to meet and socialize with the fans as the fans are with them. Having said that, there are many that have died since we began SCARE-A-CON that I wish we had a chance to host, including Angus Scrimm – who will be sadly missed at our Phantasm 40th Anniversary Reunion.
DXIII: Where can the cats n’ creeps find out more about Scare-A-Con?
JV: Most information is right on the website – www.scareacon.com. The Facebook page is also a good place – like it for updates!
Fangs JV!
Say, any of you creeps located around the Rochester New York area and want to attend the show? Head to my Facebook page, located right here, and comment on my post about this article for a chance to win a pair of tickets to the show!
