R.E. Dyer

Horror on Main 2024

Late June brought Horror on Main to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. This is a new con for me, and I originally thought I was going to have to make the drive down to Baltimore, Maryland, to attend. When I heard that it was going to be in my backyard, between Harrisburg and Hershey, I started making plans to attend.

What differentiates Horror on Main is its standing as a “literature first” convention. Sponsored in part by Cemetery Dance Productions, one of the most respected houses in genre fiction, rooms were set aside throughout the weekend to shine a spotlight on authors and their works. Guest-of-honor panels, even those dedicated to film, included discussions of the writing and the inspiration behind them.

One particular thrill was getting to attend a reading by Todd Keisling where he shared the opening chapter of his forthcoming book. He could not share more during the convention but recently announced that the novel, The Sundowner’s Dance will be releasing next April. Keep an eye out!

Following a screening of Final Destination 2, screenwriter Jeffrey Reddick and actors Keegan Connor Tracy and Jonathan Cherry sat on a panel. Any of the three could have held the room rapt for the length of the panel, but together they elicited laughter and excitement in equal measure as they shared their memories and experiences before, during, and after the movie.

Scroll left/right to see the Panelists for Final Destination 2

Jeffrey Reddick shared that his first attempt at cracking into the business came when, at the age of fourteen, he wrote a prequel to A Nightmare on Elm Street and mailed it to New Line Cinema. They didn’t go with the script, but he credits that moment for opening the door he later passed through with the original Final Destination.

Keegan Connor Tracy shared that she was a late addition to the cast and learned during the panel that the cast had been prepping with the original actor who had her role. She assumed till 2024 that the initial awkwardness she felt on set came from the fact that the rest of the cast had met before her arrival; no one ever told her that she was replacing someone who had actually been on set, building relationships with the rest of the cast before her arrival.

And, of course, homage was paid to the scene that lives rent-free in the minds of everyone who saw Final Destination 2 on the big screen:

Other panels revealed so many other cool bits of trivia and horror lore.

Jeff Goodwin, make-up artist on everything from Scream to Swamp Thing to The Black Phone, attended the con with the knife that brought an end to David Arquette in the fifth Scream. He spoke at length about how make-up works as part of the storytelling rather than at the behest of it, and shared that his own personal favorite make-up came from The Exorcist. Everyone nodded along, but then he elaborated: not Linda Blair’s make-up. Max von Sydow’s. The man who played the Exorcist was not that old when he played Lancaster Merrin, and it was his make-up that established the character’s iconic age and appearance. That was the make-up department’s great success!

Richard Band, whose musical scores play like the soundtrack to my teenage years (Subspecies, Puppetmaster, Meridian, and so many more) shared the story of how he resembled Stephen King so much in the 90s that he found himself signing autographs for adoring fans. At first he tried to resist, but after multiple events across several years, he asked himself, “Who am I to ruin their vacation?” and decided to let families go home with a cool story about how they met Stephen King.

There was so much more at Horror on Main, and if the convention returns anywhere nearby, I would love to attend and experience a fresh crop of horrors.

What’s Next?

Well, no plans are set in stone, but this looks very interesting. And this would lead to Baltimore, MD. My dear Edgar Allan Poe will be gone from this world 175 years in October, and the city has plans to celebrate the event right. If plans work out, I’d love to see you there!