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{{Short description|Gathering of horror fiction fans}}
{{Cleanup bare URLs|date=September 2022}}
{{more citations needed|date=January 2017}}
[[File:Colombia terror fest 2018.jpg|thumb|Horror fans at Colombia Terror Fest 2018.]]
{{Speculative fiction sidebar|cTopic=Horror fiction}}
'''Horror conventions''' are gatherings of the community of fans of various forms of [[Horror (emotion)|horror]] including [[horror films|horror cinema]], [[Goth subculture|goth]] lifestyle, and occasionally [[science fiction]] and [[fantasy]]. Historically the focus has been on the cinematic form rather than literature and art, but this has broadened to include all forms in recent years. People in attendance at a horror convention are traditionally known as ''members'' of the convention; invited celebrities including [[film directors]] and stars are commonly known as ''guests'' of the convention, though many professionals including directors will simply attend as members.

==Anatomy of a typical horror convention==

===Getting started===

The first morning of most conventions, the "Opening Ceremonies" are held, where organizers and marquee guests are introduced and speeches might be made. Some conventions such as [[Weekend of Horrors]] will play horror-themed music and video.

===Program===
Panel-led discussions, or ''Panels'', usually fill up the daytime hours of most conventions with typically one-hour discussions of topics related to [[horror films]], [[horror fiction|horror literature]], and [[fandom]] in general.

Evening entertainment often includes a combination of official and unofficial events, including dances, formal invitational dinners, and fandom-themed room parties. A ''bid party'' is a room party held to influence the choice of the location of a future convention by advertising its advantages.

A costume contest called a [[Masquerade ball|masquerade]] is often held where persons go on stage and compete for nominal prizes based on their skill in assembling and presenting horror-inspired outfits. This is truly more a "talent show" rather than the "fancy dress ball" that the term suggests (although British fandom sometimes uses the term "fancy dress").

===Specific rooms===
A ''Dealer's'' or ''Huckster's Room'' is available, where merchants sell wares of interest to fans. These include books, [[action figures]], prop replicas and t-shirts. Smaller conventions may simply have an informal ''Dealer's Row'', a section of hotel rooms from which dealers sell goods, while larger conventions may have both an official dealer's room and an unofficial dealer's row.

Many conventions have ''video rooms'', in which genre-related audiovisual presentations take place and/or films and trailers are shown.

===Ending the event===
Often the "Closing Ceremonies" on the convention's last day are dispensed with entirely. This omission is because such ceremonies would logically be held after scheduled events are over, and convention members are occupied with packing up and checking out of the hotel.

Ceremony or not, a ''dead dog party'' is likely to be held. This is the traditional winding-down party where few of the attendees are likely to have huge amounts of energy. This party is an attempt to ease people back into the real world outside of convention and can be an effective method of warding off the depression, which is often associated with the end of a major event. Analogies can be drawn to the [[decompression party|decompression parties]] following large events such as [[Burning Man]].

==Notable horror conventions==
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<!-- Only put here major cons that _have_ wiki articles, and just link to the article. NO REDLINKS, please. Please list alphabetically. -->
* [[Arcana (convention)|Arcana]]
* [[CREEP I.E. CON]]
* [[Crypticon]]
* [[Fangoria's Weekend of Horrors]]
* New York City's Horror-Fi Expo
* [[Fantastic Fest]]
* HorrorConUK
* [[Flashback Weekend]]
* [[For the Love of Horror]]
* [[Houston Horror Film Fest]]<ref>http://www.houstonhorrorfilmfest.com</ref>
* [[Fantasm Orlando]]
* [[Fright Night Film Fest]]<ref>[[Jeremy Sheldon]] ''HORROR HOUND Issue #40''. HORROR HOUND LTD., Publishers. March/April, 2013. p.66.</ref><ref>[[Jeremy Sheldon]] ''HORROR HOUND Issue #41''. HORROR HOUND LTD., Publishers. May/June, 2013. p.59.</ref>
* HorrorHound Weekend
* House Of Horrors<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.houseofhorrors.events|title=House Of Horrors Convention Oberhausen, Germany}}</ref> Oberhausen, Germany
* [[Monster-Mania Con]]
* [[Monsterpalooza]]
* [[Rue Morgue Festival of Fear]]
* ScareFest Horror & Paranormal Convention
* Shocka-Con Horror/Sci-Fi Convention<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://wvshockacon.com|title=Shocka-Con Horror/Sci-Fi Convention}}</ref>
* [[Spooky Empire]]
* [[SPOOKALA]]
* [[Tampa Bay Screams]]
* [[Texas Frightmare Weekend]]
* [[World Horror Convention]]
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==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [https://slasher.tv/#eventCalendar Slasher App] Slasher Horror Events Calendar
* [https://horrorcons.com/ HorrorCons.com] Database of past and future horror conventions
* [http://www.ominous-events.com Ominous-Events.com] The Horror Fests and Cons Database
* [http://www.goblinhaus.com/conventions.htm GOBLINHAUS] The GOBLINHAUS Horror & Haunted Attraction Convention Calendar
* [http://www.monsterfestva.com MONSTER FEST] MONSTER FEST - A FREE 1 day "mini-con"
* [http://www.monsterbash.us MONSTER BASH] International Classic Horror Movie Conference
* [http://www.horror-fiexpo.com/ Horror-Fi Expo 2] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180712052342/http://www.horror-fiexpo.com/ |date=2018-07-12 }}

{{Horror fiction}}
{{Fandom}}

[[Category:Horror conventions| ]]
[[Category:Horror fiction]]