John Carpenter Texas Frightmare Weekend

The was a LOT of buzz about Frightmare this year. It was all because of John Carpenter. Everyone wanted/needed his autograph.  And even though I had gotten him once before, I did want another. However, when I learned there was a VIP lottery, it fell off my radar. I had only bought the general admission ticket.

Then, on Fright night, the convention announced that some extra tickets were available to common unwashed fans like me. There was a scramble to get the box office. I wasn’t going to get trampled (I exaggerate), so I skipped.  While I was back at Frightmare on Sunday, another announcement came. There were more autograph tickets available. That was interesting.

After I finished with my current autograph quest, I checked the box office. They still had some tickets available. Since I didn’t need to pay in advanced, I picked up one.  I figured, if I completed my autograph list before my ticket was called, I would go home. If I was called before then, I would get Carpenter.

I finished up my list and was ready to head out. I was tired. I spent a lot of time on the road Saturday to drive to Houston for another convention.  As I moseyed out, I bumped into some buddies. We ended up going to lunch just down the street. After a long relaxing meal that was full casual conversation, we wandered back to the convention center and parted ways. 

I made my way over to the signing area and was told I was late. My number was called a long time ago but they still let me in line.  I ended up being the second to last to get an autograph.

It was a quick ‘no fuss, no muss’ encounter. Just ‘Hi’ and ‘Thanks’. Then he moved to the last person in line. I took my photo and slowly made my way back to the car and to head home.

AH

The Thing Cast Texas Frightmare Weekend 2023

Frightmare had six cast members and the director from the movie, The Thing. It’s one of my favorite movies. I first saw it in a semi empty theater at night and was thoroughly creeped out and paranoid by the end. Every time I watch it, I think about the feelings I had in the theater.

There was a some really nice cosplay from this movie. Mostly it was the MacReady character. It’s nice to know this movie is still known and loved.

I picked up the three actors I haven’t gotten before: Joel Polis, David Clennon, and Peter Maloney. All three were friendly. It was great to see them. I hope they all do more conventions so others can meet them too.

I had gotten Thomas G Waites before but that was from The Warriors. I splurged and got him on a photo from this movie. As before, he was very nice. We chatted and he told me about the movie, Target that he recently made. He did everything on that movie. Wrote, Directed, Produced, and even wrote some of the music.

While Richard Masur and Keith David were at the convention, I skipped them only because I have gotten them before.

AH