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SILVER SCREAM CON, the horror/metal convention thrown by popular metal outfit Ice Nine Kills once again descended upon the DCU Center in Worcester, MA from Friday Sept 12th to the 14th – bringing with it 3 days of frightful fun, celebrity guests, cosplay, trivia, and of course, horror merch of all kinds! All topped off with a concert Saturday night! Click here to see the full schedule of events, guests, merchants, and vendors!
I’ve been there since year one, covering this convention, and every single year it just gets bigger and better. When it comes to horror cons, I’ve been to my fair share, and Silver Scream just always seems to have an edge over any and all competition in the area. Maybe across the entire country. So what exactly is it?
Maybe it comes from being the brainchild of Spencer Charnas, the charismatic lead singer of INK, and certified horror geek. His passion for all things horror is certainly no secret, and it bleeds through heavily. Maybe it’s because horror and metal just come together so well. Maybe it’s the unique vibe you get when horror and metal fans come together in one place. Maybe it’s the passion you see from everyone involved, especially the Metal Ambassador, Jose Mangin from Sirius XM, our energetic host each year! Or, maybe – it’s just something special, and it doesn’t need to be dissected.
Whatever it is, we’ve been more than honored to watch this thing grow into what we saw it become last weekend! If you were there, then I’m sure you felt it, too. The sense of community, the feeling of belonging and fitting in. This is a place where it feels okay to talk to a stranger. 3 days, no drama, no arguments, no politics, no fights. Silver Scream is more than a con, it’s a whole vibe – and exactly what the world needs more of right now.
To see people from different walks of life, backgrounds, and cultures come together in one building, forgetting our differences for a while, to celebrate horror and metal, was a beautiful thing. From young to old, rich to poor, left to right, it didn’t matter. For three days – we were all one people. It was nice. If you attended, and you felt that too, keep that in your heart for just a little while longer for me!
Lines circled around the DCU center, long before the doors opened! Even on Sunday morning. (It moved quickly, though!) Hotels across the entire city were booked up months in advance. People were outside the building in their best horror gear and cosplay, all ready to celebrate the weekend they’ve waited for all year! We felt at home the moment we walked in and saw the large “Welcome to Horrorwood” banner hanging above the convention floor in the back. And “Horrorwood” it was, for the weekend.
Friday was absolutely insane! Panels, photo-ops, and the convention floor were all packed to the brim. Many of whom came from out of state to be in attendance. Saturday was even busier, yet somehow, even with the large crowds, things moved pretty efficiently. Long lines moved quickly, and the staff working the convention deserves a huge shout out. Every one of them that we met were extremely friendly and helpful.
Saturday night was the Ice Nine Kills concert. The show was opened by The Funeral Portrait, Mest, A Loss for Words, and Dayseeker, who all provided excellent performances to get the crowd nice and rowdy for the main event.
Then came INK, and let me tell you, they did not disappoint! Introduced by John Kassir, the voice of the Crypt Keeper, their mix of metal, theater, and horror movies is something unique, and they always give one hell of a performance! This year, they outdid themselves and brought out Rhea Ripley from WWE to be “murdered” on stage by the actual Art the Clown. A dream of hers, come true. (Disclaimer: No Rhea Ripley’s were actually hurt during their performance.) They blistered through many of their fan favorites, as pyrotechnics lit up the familiar horror scenes unfolding on stage. At the end of the show, to deafening chants of “one more song,” INK came back out and played two more for their fans. If you have never seen Ice Nine Kills live, put it on the list. Trust me. It’s a whole thing.
Sunday was a bit of a shorter day, from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM, but that didn’t stop horror fans from coming out in force. If you know anything about us horror geeks, know that we show up! The convention ended with an Ice Nine Kills panel from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM, where a collaboration with actor Mathew Lillard (Scream) was announced! Keep an eye out for him starring in a new INK video next month and his own Macabre Spirits will be teaming up with the band for Horrorwood Reserve, a bourbon crafted from bloody butcher corn. Both are set to arrive on October 9th, just in time for Halloween! How cool is that?
Of course, we got to say hello to several of our favorite actors!
Heather Langenkamp, AKA Nancy Thompson from A Nightmare on Elm St!
Kane Hodder, best known for playing Jason Voorhees!
Doug Bradley, but you may know him as The Hell Priest, AKA, Pinhead from the Hellraiser franchise!
Skeet Ulrich, who famously portrayed Billy Loomis in Scream!
Machete himself was in the building, Danny Trejo!
Ken Kirzinger, who portrayed Jason Voorhees in Freddy Vs. Jason!
Special effects legend, Tom Savini!
Daniel Roebuck, who recently portrayed Santa in Terrifier 3, showing off the goods!
Leah Voysey, from Terrifier 2!
You might not know his face, but you certainly know his voice! John Kassir, the voice of The Crypt Keeper!
There were several other awesome celebrities in attendance that we just didn’t get a chance to chat with this year, including David Howard Thornton, Damien Leone, Mathew Lillard, and Rose McGowan! Every year, this con just seems to get bigger, bolder, and somehow, more fan-centric. It just ended, and we already can’t wait to see what they come up with for next year! Hopefully, we’ll see there!
These horror greats took the time out to say hello to iHorror and our fans:
Pictures by Joshua Scafidi.
