HorrorHound Weekend 2022 Convention
On March 25-27, 2022, the Sharonville Convention Center in Cincinnati, Ohio hosted Horrorhound Weekend to bring together fans from all over the country to celebrate all things horror. With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic over the last two years, Horrorhound has had to accommodate to the changes in the environment by hosting everything virtually in 2020 and in March of 2021.
Finally, in September of 2021, the convention was back on in the actual convention center, with some masking protocols at hand. Fast forward to March of 2022 and the relaxing of COVID-19 measures, the convention was a resounding success as thousands flocked to meet their favorite celebrities and buy horror-related merchandise.
Buying tickets way in advance is a must strategy for Horrorhound Weekend, and the convention most always sells out a few weeks prior for Saturday and weekend passes. The weekend pass is your best deal online at $60, as the daily passes can be around $40 a day. The weekend pass also includes the after-hour events and is just the overall best option to really enjoy all the festivities that the convention encompasses.
There are also options such as VIP for $200, and the Platinum VIP for a steep $950 including a weekend stay at the hotel connected to the convention center. The lines on Friday ranged from 30 – 45 minutes to get into the convention center initially, but the volunteers really made sure that everyone could get inside out of the inclement March weather.
One of the huge selling points for us over the weekend is the vendors, where one can buy anything horror movie-themed from T-shirts to prints to enamel pins. As guests entered the convention center, everyone was greeted by the ghoulish characters from Brimstone Haunt in Wilmington, Ohio. Various others at the convention chose to cosplay when attending, and we got to take pictures of multiple patrons dressed up as anything from Michael Myers to Ghostface. There were also various media release companies including: Troma, Severin Films, Vinegar Syndrome, and Synapse Films.
Additionally, there were a few booths that offered Trick or Treat Studios masks and merchandise, and many freelance artists that craft anything from creepy hair bows to insulated drinking cups. Blended in with the two separated vendor halls is the Inkfusion Tattoo section, in which you can book an appointment with an artist to get work done right at the convention.
Of the many events Horrorhound hosts are the various celebrity panels, most of which are themed by movies that are being highlighted at the convention. For this weekend, the big themes were Halloween III: Season of the Witch, Halloween Kills, and Scream. Of the notable guests, the most popular were from the Scream franchise including: Neve Campbell, Matthew Lilliard, Skeet Ulrich, and Jamie Kennedy.
Each of these guests had noticeable lines all weekend and had to be capped when the show hours were coming to a close. Not only did fans have the chance to get an autograph and a selfie with their favorite actor/actress, they could also pay a little extra to have a professional photo done by Celeb Photo Ops. Some of the other celebrity guests of interest were: Kane Hodder (Friday the 13th franchise), Tony Todd (Candyman), Adam Green(Hatchet), Jon Moxley(AEW), Ruby Soho (AEW), and Tom Atkins (Halloween III).
During and after the convention was over for the day, the Horrorhound Film Festival continually played both short and feature films from all over the world. The films are reviewed by a committee and are up for awards at the conclusion of the weekend. Since the Virtual Horrorhound Rewind online event was such a success during the pandemic, all the films shown and happenings over the weekend are videotaped and will be presented in full on April 22nd-24th, 2022. This gives an option for those that are still nervous about being around crowds the opportunity to see what they missed, and also for anyone that missed panels they wanted to see due to standing in line for autographs.
The after-hour events when the actual convention is over give everyone something to do when they are not ready for the party to end. In the past, Horrorhound has hosted everything from themed pajama parties to waterpark excursions at the host hotel, which is now the Delta by Marriott. Scareoke was hosted both Friday and Saturday nights and drew huge crowds with a few surprise celebrity guests. The big Saturday night event included the Horrors of Cosplay Costume Contest hosted by The Lady Glamorstein, along with live concert performances by Mummula, Jimmy Psycho Experiment, and Riot Rose Burlesque.
Horrorhound Weekend is held twice a year currently in Cincinnati, Ohio, and we highly recommend checking it out if possible. As mentioned before, we highly recommend investing in weekend passes to get the whole experience of everything the convention has to offer and make sure you save up the funds to be able to support all the great vendors. The next convention will be held in the same location on September 9th – 11th, 2022, so keep an eye out for tickets going up for sale soon!
-Article By: Joanna Rose with Team Zombillies
-Photo Credit: Eric Danowski with Team Zombillies
April 10th, 2022