With only a three year history, Screamfest is able to boast that it is "Florida's largest horror convention". This year it had over 30 celebrity guests, dozens of dealer tables, and movies running all weekend long. (Concurrently held with the convention was the "Freakshow" horror film festival.)

Because this was meant to be a vacation for me, I arrived early on Wednesday to see some of the other sites in Orlando. With an expert on Disney World and its attractions at my side, we managed to hit 3 of the 4 Disney theme parks in just one day. If you have never been to Disney World, you should plan to go sometime because it is truly an amazing place. And contrary to popular belief, it is an attraction that is much more than a park just for kids.

As much fun as I had at the parks, I was really looking forward to the convention. I attend horror conventions regularly, and for me, they are my own version of Disney World. There is something magical for me when I attend these conventions. Not only do I get to "rub elbows" with the celebrity guests that grace the films I so much enjoy, but I get to mingle with hundreds of other horror enthusiasts as well.

While the convention was not scheduled to begin until 6:00 p.m. on Friday, I wanted to get settled in the hotel a couple hours beforehand. I was checked in by 4:30 and was pleased to find the Wyndam to be a very nice resort. The staff was courteous and helpful, despite being besieged by an onslaught of horror movie misfits. The hotel grounds were attractive and well-maintained, with swimming pools, hot tubs, and an outdoor Tiki Bar.

After I got settled in, I waited patiently for the convention to begin. There were scores of attendees as well, anxiously pacing outside the convention doors. When they finally opened, I bought my weekend pass and headed strait to the dealer room. The dealer room wasn't the biggest I've seen at a convention, but it was a respectable size all the same. After a quick browse through the dealer area, I decided to say "hi" to some of my favorite celebrity guests.

Special make-up effects legend, Tom Savini, has always been a personal favorite of mine. The original Friday the 13th film was the very first horror movie that I ever saw, and thanks in part to Tom Savini, I've been hooked on horror movies ever since. Over the years I have met him several times, and it was good to see Tom in his usual charitable self; always willing to greet fans, pose for photographs, and answer movie-related questions.

I then went to meet two of the actresses from Friday the 13th parts I and II. Adrienne King, the heroine from the original FT13 was someone I always wanted to meet. She was pleasant and easy to talk to. I got my picture taken with her and bought a small poster that she composed and autographed. It contains a picture of the final fight scene between herself and Betsy Palmer on the beach. It also depicts a small yellow sheet of notes authored by FT13 director, Sean S. Cunningham.

Amy Steel ("Ginny" from FT13 part II) was a pleasure to meet as well. After I got my picture taken with her, she was kind enough to answer some of my questions I had about the film:

Q: There is a reference in the movie that Ginny was studying psychology. Was that intended to be a set-up for her character's decision to put on the sweater of Pamela Vorhees at the end of the film to trick Jason in thinking she was his mother?
A: Yes, I believe so.
Q: What happened to Paul? (A question she was already asked several times previously)
A: I like to think that he lived.

At 8:00 p.m., there was a panel discussion with some of the cast of the FT13 movies that consisted of Kevin Blair Spirtas, Amy Steel, Ari Lehman, Adrienne King, Richard Brooker, and Tom Savini. It was very cool to have a sit down discussion with these people to begin with. And to have it on Friday the 13th of all days made it all that more special.

Shortly after the panel discussion concluded, the convention's night-time festivities began. Perhaps the highlight of the evening was the stellar performance of the Killer Robots. The band was very entertaining and had great costumes that rivaled those of metal-shockers, Gwar.

After experiencing sensory overload that first day, Saturday was a time for me to take things a little more slowly. Over the course of the day, I must have circled the dealer room a dozen times and purchased several hard to find horror DVDs. I also had a "zombiefied" sketch of myself done by artist, Dane Cook.

Coincidentally, in the afternoon I returned to my room and discovered the movie Donnie Darko playing on cable. Excited by the prospect of meeting a cast member from the film, I went back down and met James Duval who played "Frank" the evil-looking bunny. He was very friendly and easy-going, and he got a kick out of the coincidental showing of the movie on cable. I asked him whether he was in the bunny suit throughout the whole movie (since he is not shown until the end). To my surprise, he said that it was him the whole time, and in fact, that was part of the contract for the role.

I also had the opportunity to meet Alex Vincent, "Andy" from the movie Child's Play. He happened to have a copy of the movie script with him, and was kind enough to find my favorite line of the movie:
"Chucky said Aunt Maggie was a real bitch and got what she deserved."
He said at age 5 he was able to memorize all his lines within a matter of a couple weeks, but was hesitant to say some of the cuss words.

Another celebrity guest I had the privilege to meet was Tony (Candyman) Todd. I've enjoyed many of the films of Tony Todd, and I always wanted to meet him. Like the other celebrity guests, he was very gracious and willing to chat with all of his fans.

The highlight of Saturday night's entertainment was, without a doubt, the vibrant performance of horror musician, Voltaire. While I found his music to be a bit hokey at times, he was very creative and charismatic. By the end of his performance, he had whipped the crowd into a festive frenzy.

Sunday was my last day of vacation, and I had such a great time I wanted it to go on forever. After a couple more laps around the dealer room, I sat in on a preview and discussion of Troma Films latest project, Poultrygeist. Troma had achieved great success in the b-movie horror world over the years with classics such as The Toxic Avenger, and Class of Nuke 'Em High. Nonetheless, Lloyd Kaufman insinuated that the 30 year old independent film studio may be in dire straits. Poltrygeist was made for around $500k, and it sounded like a lot is riding on the success of this film.

Kaufman held a brief Q & A session with a 5 minute preview of Poultrygeist. I must say, if the first 5 minutes of the film is an accurate depiction of the entire movie, Troma may have another b-movie classic on their hands.

Before I left the convention I sat in on a Q & A session with Tom Savini. I probably know more about the works of Tom Savini than Tom Savini himself. But I never get tired of listening to him talk about his illustrious career.

I have been to several horror conventions over the years, and I can honestly say the most fun I ever had was at Screamfest 2006. The organizers spared no expense on creating a highly enjoyable atmosphere for both the celebrity guests, and the convention attendees.

Click here to view my photo gallery of Screamfest 2006.