SPECIAL GUESTS PAM GRIER ANNABETH GISH TOM McLOUGHLIN WHAT PROMPTED YOU TO CREATE A HORROR FESTIVAL IN COLORADO AND HOW DID YOU MAKE SUCH A BIG PRODUCTION COME TO FRUITION? Bret Smith: Years ago, I loved attending the Mile High Horror Film Festival, and the first con I ever volunteered for, Colorado Horror Con, were all a lot of fun, but sadly neither lasted. So in 2018, some friends and I were talking about starting a convention and recognized that there was no horror-only con in Colorado so voilà! It came to fruition because of all our incredible staff and volunteers, who are just that: volunteers! The four co-founders are just volunteers too, so it is clearly a passion project to make Colorado Festival of Horror happen. Smurf: I’ve always loved horror. Growing up I never missed a new movie or novel or a show that had some sort of horror theme. As I got older and started doing conventions, it always felt like an overlooked area and should have its own event because there’s so many different styles to horror. Based on that we knew, it could thrive. And everyone else had focused on the superhero “capes” of pop culture leaving horror relatively open and untouched, so we could deliver a unique experience. WHAT'S BEHIND THIS YEAR'S THEME, FRIDAY THE 13TH , AND HOW DID THE IDEA COME ABOUT? Bret: Last year when Jeanni was creating the Program Book for 2023 and we wanted to put in a quick ad for 2024, we were shocked to see our starting date was a Friday the 13th in September! There was just no way that couldn’t be our theme for this year, our first Friday the 13th start. Besides the iconic Jason Voorhees, we discovered the outstanding Never Hike Alone: Friday the 13th fan films, plus we love that Friday the 13th can also be symbolic of “unlucky” stuff, so we just had to! Our friends at FanSets have created an exclusive pin for us this year comprised of all the best “unlucky” things in life! Smurf: Since year one we’ve had different themes to build off of. Just a way to build something different each year and help our thoughts for WE ARE COMPLETELY NERDING OUT ABOUT PAM GRIER TOO! CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT HOW SHE GOT INVOLVED? Bret: I’ve tried to connect with Pam Grier since the first COFOH thanks to her Colorado roots — attending East High School, living on a farm with horses here — discovering all the iconic directors she’s worked with, and being surprised by her horror credits, especially this year’s Amazon Prime series THEM: The Scare. Jeanni and I were blown away when we first stepped into Voodoo Doughnuts on Colfax to learn the whole story about the theft and return of Pam’s velvet painting. I tried social media to connect with her unsuccessfully for years, but thankfully, I happened upon her agent representative, and now, we have her for her first Colorado con appearance! So excited! potential guests. Friday the 13th was a must for us as one of the major staples in the horror world and we couldn’t wait to announce it last year. WHAT ARE YOU MOST EXCITED FOR THIS YEAR? Bret: I am super excited about our special guests. I’m pinching myself that we have Pam Grier as a special guest along with an unusual group of Friday the 13th actors and creators from the films and fan films, and keeping our annual tradition of having a Scream Queen. This year, it’s Tiffany Shepis. Tiffany maintains my promise to myself to always have a special guest that has a Star Trek connection. And with my newfound love of everything Mike Flanagan on Netflix, I’m psyched to have two special guest actors, Alexandra Essoe and Annabeth Gish, from many of his shows, including their highlight mother-daughter relationship on Midnight Mass. Smurf: So many things — I could go on for hours about it, but first thought is having a true icon as a guest. Pam Grier who has never done an event in Colorado will be here Saturday and Sunday and I can’t wait to sit down and interview her and discuss such an amazing and illustrious career. THOM MATHEWS AMY STEEL ADRIENNE KING VINCENTE DiSANTI TIFFANY SHEPIS ALEXANDRA ESSOE
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