Spooky Empire is Florida’s number one horror convention. The popular annual event has been proud to host all things horror and keep the love of Halloween alive since 2003. The convention will be at the Wyndham Orlando Resort on June 17-19. Convention hours are Friday 1 p.m. – 9 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. –8 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m..–5 p.m. Tickets start at $40 online or $45 at the door. Weekend passes start at $75.
Chilling Reason 1: Lots of Big-Name Guests
At Florida’s premier horror convention there are legendary guests and celebrities to meet. The guests include Clint Howard, Julie Benz, and Denis O’Hare. Autograph room hours happen every day and are Friday 5 p.m. – 8 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. – 7 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Clint Howard
Clint Howard has been credited for over 200 acting roles. Iconic characters include Sy Leibergot in Apollo 13 and Dr. Klopenson in the 2007 Halloween remake.
Julie Benz
Julie Benz is known as Darla from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, and Rita Bennett on Dexter.
Denis O’Hare
Making his first Florida appearance, Denis O’Hare is known for his role as the vampire king Russell Eddington in True Blood. He has also won multiple awards for his different appearances in American Horror Story.
Dee Wallace
Dee Wallace has earned the name “scream queen” because of her numerous rolls in horror movies such as Lynne Wood in the Hills Have Eyes, Donna Trenton in Cujo, and Lilith in the Hansel & Gretel.
John Kassir
Stand up comedian and voice actor, John Kassir is well known as the voice of the Crypt Keeper from Tales from the Crypt and Deadpool from the game X-Men Legends II: Rise of the Apocalypse.
Roger L. Jackson
Roger L. Jackson is a voice actor well known for doing Ghostface from the Scream series and for voicing several characters in the video game Alice: Madness Returns like the Cheshire Cat and the Mad Hatter.
The Monster Squad
Duncan Regehr, Michael Reid MacKay, and Carl Thibault star in The Monster Squad as the lead Universal Monsters.
Teo Briones
Teo Briones is a child actor known for his role in the new Chucky television series as Junior Wheeler.
AEW
The Blade & The Bunny from AEW will be appearing only Friday and Saturday.
WWE
Shotzi, Raquel Rodriguez, and Grayson Waller will be appearing at the Give Kid’s the World Booth only on Saturday.
Jeff Gaither
Jeff Gaither is a graphic artist known for his mix of horror and rock and roll. He has created art for the Misfits, Guns N’ Roses, and Insane Clown Posse.
Chilling Reason 2: Tattoo Festival
The tattoo festival features more than 50 tattoo artists from all over the world. And to make it easier to plan out when and what kind of tattoo you want, the Spooky Empire website has listed all of the artists with links to their individual Instagram. The tattoo festival will happen all three days of the con with the following hours: Friday 1pm-11pm, Saturday 11am-11pm, Sunday 11am-5pm. Additionally, each day after the tattoo festival ends, there will be a “Tattoo of the Day” award, and on Saturday at 6pm there will also be a categories awards ceremony for the Artists.
Chilling Reason 3: Costume Contest
On Sunday June 19th, Spooky Empire will be hosting its official costume and cosplay contest. While the awards have not been revealed yet, last years winners received cash prizes and the Championship Belt created by Mohawk Crew. Registration for the costume contest will be Saturday 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. in the Will Call Area. The contest itself will be on Sunday at 4 p.m. in the Keys Ballroom.
Chilling Reason 4: New Pop-up Escape Room
Haunted Hints in partnership with Spooky Empire will be hosting a pop-up escape game. The game is Cabin of Captivity, where players are tied up by the Camp Kilateen Slasher. Players have five minutes to search the cabin for the five missing words of the camps motto. Upon finding the words, the camp counselor will be able to come save you. To add to the challenge, players can’t stand during the experience. The game is a separate cost from the con at $10 per person per game. Participants must have also purchased a Spooky Empire Ticket.
Chilling Reason 5: Special Photo Ops
Interactive photo ops with the celebrity guests are scheduled throughout the weekend. These photo ops will be located outside the autograph room. Photos are 8×10 and can be picked up at the end of the day, also digital copies are available for $10. Tickets for the photo ops can be purchased ahead of time, but they can also be bought on site at Spooky Empire in advance of the scheduled photo op time.
Chilling Reason 6: Spooky After Hours
Spooky Empire has always been known for their afterparties and night life. This year they plan to make it bigger and better and welcome everyone to Camp Spooky. Thursday night VIP campers get to hang out at Gatorville for drinks and possibly some surprises. Friday night it’ll really feel like attending summer camp because there are traditional camp activities and relay events planned. Winners will get to take home a Spooky Commemorative Medal. Saturday is Dive in Movie Night at the Gatorville Pool with a creature feature. After the movie attendees can party with a live DJ.
Want to See Last Year’s Con?
Watch this fan made video of Spooky Empire 2021 to get a feel of how thrilling the con floor is.
Need help finding comic cons in Florida?
Florida Comic Cons provides the Con Calendar — a curated calendar of upcoming comic, anime, horror, science fiction, fantasy and pop culture conventions in The Sunshine State. And event listings include con info as well as helpful links for things like buying tickets and registering as a vendor.
