My First Convention Experience: The Colorado Festival of Horror

I am proud to say that during my 40-plus years on this Earth, I’ve been to many places, and I’ve done many things. I’ve traveled to the Oregon Coast over 20 times; I’ve done karaoke in Canada; I’ve lolly-gagged in downtown LA; I’ve gambled in Las Vegas, and I’ve traveled all over the Pacific Northwest for various concerts and attractions. But never have I ever, been to a convention.

I’ve been part of Fandoms (which are, as defined by Wikipedia, “a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of empathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest,”) my whole life; I just didn’t know it. For me, my first love was for KITT, of the NBC series “Knight Rider,” in the early eighties. I was absolutely enchanted by every aspect of that show: The characters, the storyline, and yes, David Hasselhoff. As I grew up, television, movies, and books became a hobby that I fully immersed myself in. Before I knew it, I was a fanatical connoisseur of the magical world of the arts. I was yet to discover that I wasn’t alone: Fandoms existed! Not only did other people feel the same way about pop culture as I did, but on top of it, they gathered together to celebrate it in the most extravagant and extraordinary of ways: THE CONVENTION. I had to go to one!

Growing up in the eighties, I got to watch the rise of the horror genre. Campy, cult-thrillers like “Friday the 13th,” “Jaws,” and “A Nightmare On Elm Street,” were just debuting. Kevin Bacon, Richard Dreyfus, and Johnny Depp were just getting started. Watching these movies are some of my earliest memories. Fittingly, my first convention was “The Colorado Festival of Horror,” AKA COFOH, where I felt right at home because I am a horror fiend. The horror genre is my favorite, and for my first convention, it seemed only right to celebrate my favorite genre. Not only was this MY first convention, but this was also the inaugural event for The Colorado Festival of Horror. (And I plan on attending every year henceforth!) A passion project from horror fans Bret and Jeanie Smith, Dwight and Lisa Thompson, and Daniel Crosier, The Colorado Festival of Horror was the perfect introduction to the convention world.

I was in my element. Being surrounded by fellow horror fans, some dressed in full regalia as their favorite horror characters, was exhilarating. I saw Freddy Krueger..many times. I saw Pinhead of Hellraiser, and was so impressed by the attention to detail on the costume, which included a stomach-turning special effect on the back of a very realistic spine protruding through broken flesh. Several people stalked the corridors in Jason Voorhees cosplay, depending on which movie they represented, so some Jasons had on a hockey mask, and some did not. Micheal Myers was a popular attendee; I saw about 10 of them. Despite the grim characters being portrayed, everyone behind the masks and the makeup was so nice and eager to say hello.

The vibration of energy coming from the conventional was practically palpable- I had goosebumps from anticipation as soon as I stepped out of the car into the blazing heat of a beautiful, early September Colorado afternoon. Dressed in my own Jason Voorhees cosplay outfit for the first day of the convention, I was excited to experience firsthand everything that COFOH had to offer, which was a lot. There was a costume contest; panel discussions varying from the works of Stephen King to special-effects makeup; workshops and games. “Scream Queen” Brink Stevens was in attendance; and Vincent Price’s daughter, Victoria, hosted a virtual panel and, plans to be in attendance physically, next year. The hotel was decorated in a horror theme that included everything from bloody handprints on the walls, to cobwebs, to giant murals of scary monsters and ghouls. Even the menu at the bar was horror-themed.

Not knowing what to expect from my first convention, I was thrilled to see hearses lined up in front of the hotel where the COFOH was held, at the Embassy Suites by Hilton in Denver Central Park, Colorado. A replication of “Ghostbusters,” iconic “Ecto-1,” was parked in front of the entryway, fully equipped and looking just like the one from the movie; as well as a black modified Batmobile, which had actual flamethrowers attached to the top, a customized skull on the hood and huge black wings anchored to the roof. Everywhere I turned there were gory ghouls hiding in corners and people streaming about, masked up to adhere to the mandatory Covid-19 regulations. This was the inaugural event for The Colorado Festival of Horror, and I was giddy the entire time. I talked to practically everyone I encountered; screamed three separate times as I rounded the corner and into something, or someone, unexpected; and took selfies with as many cosplayers as I could.

In the “Death Dealer’s Room,” where everything from art to caricatures was for sale, I happily spent way too much money, and chatted up each vendor. I learned so many new things. I found so many treasures to buy. I bought books and DVDs, some autographed; I bought statues and stickers; by the time I was through, I could barely manage to close my suitcase when it was time to go home.

I’ve never been to a convention before, and I don’t have any good explanation as to why. Oh, but now that I have… that’s all I want to do! I want to go to conventions, every weekend, every chance I get; to every genre or platform that is offered: comic cons, anime cons, sci-fi cons, all of them. I want to take my children with me so that they can experience the thrill of joining together with other people who love the same things that they do. There’s nothing like a convention. I’ll keep going until I’m old and grey. I’ll be the oldest person there, in full cosplay, celebrating and living it up, because conventions are my newest favorite thing, and I see myself going to as many as I possibly can, until I can’t.