Malcolm McDowell, Henry Thomas And Alex Essoe Greet Fans At Days Of The Dead Convention

As live events have continued to make a strong return following two years spent hitting the pause button, pop culture conventions have begun to pick up steam, bringing fans back together while reemerging as a revenue stream for actors and actresses, musicians, pro wrestlers, comic illustrators, comedians, artists and more.

In 2022, nothing is niche and cons offer like-minded fans a way to find one another, interact and share in an array of unique in person experiences.

The Days of the Dead convention, which returned to Chicago last month, remains a remarkably accessible one, placing major celebrities on the convention floor to mingle with fans, sign memorabilia or pose for one of a kind photo ops while keeping ticket prices low.

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“To see people that I worked on productions with but have been totally out of touch with except on social media, it’s been wonderful,” said Chicago-based actor Walt Sloan. “And I think there’s an energy that we can all feel about being together in person rather than watching little squares on a video call.”

Sloan is not a household name. But with over 100 acting credits under his belt, he’s developed a fanbase, proof positive of Chicago’s growing reputation outside New York and Los Angeles as a viable place to ply the acting trade. With a table of his own on the convention floor, Days of the Dead offered him a unique opportunity to mingle with fans and build his brand – one harder to come by at larger stagings.

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“The industry is continuing to grow stronger in Chicago. I’m excited to hear about new production companies that are locating here and casting agencies who are seeing the opportunities that Chicago provides,” said Sloan, currently at work on a series called Famous Canadian Actors, set to premiere in 2023. “There is a wealth of talent here that has its roots in theater. I started out in theater. And we are continually recognized for that and improvisational comedy. It’s a special place to be.”

Last month, Days of the Dead beefed up its musical offering in Chicago, doubling down on metal via appearances by Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante, Butcher Babies Carla Harvey and Heidi Shepherd and Pantera/Down vocalist Phil Anselmo.

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Slipknot/Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor and Megadeth alums David Ellefson, Chris Poland and Jeff Young have already been announced for the convention’s November return to Chicago, a weekend that is also scheduled to include appearances by actor Jason Patric and All Elite Wrestling’s Ruby Soho. But next up is a stop in Indianapolis July 22 through 24 featuring American Pie actresses Mena Suvari and Tara Reid followed by an August stop in L.A.

“I come out to these things because I absolutely love the fans,” said actor William Katt. “There’s no fan as great as a horror fan. They just stay with you indefinitely. What is it, you kill somebody and they love you? It’s the only place that that happens!” said the actor, who portrayed Tommy Ross in the 1976 Brian De Palma-directed adaptation of Stephen King’s Carrie.

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Katt also played the lead role in the early 80s ABC comedy superhero series The Greatest American Hero, infamously portraying a character that loses the instruction manual to his superhero suit. Katt took part in a panel on iconic television characters alongside George Wendt, who played accountant, interior decorator and barfly Norm Peterson in all 275 episodes of iconic NBC sitcom Cheers.

“It’s great to still be here and share a stage with George after all of these years. And it’s fun,” said Katt. “Because when you haven’t seen someone in a long time, and then you’re with them, you start to remember things that you had forgotten. It’s just a lot of fun.”

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Arguably the weekend’s biggest draw was British actor Malcolm McDowell. Currently at work alongside Schitt’s Creek producer Andrew Barnsley on season two of the CBC series Son of a Critch, McDowell also celebrated 50 years of Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange.

“I haven’t seen anybody for so long. What I did is I went on Cameo. And it’s amazing. Because fans really do want to connect with the people they like,” said McDowell, 79, in Chicago. “It’s very important, I think, to interact occasionally with the fans because, at the end of the day, if it wasn’t for the fans, there would be no career. So I think one has to be aware of that from time to time,” he said. “When I’m working of course I’m not thinking of fans – you’re just doing the work. You’re so into it that it doesn’t even cross your mind. But then when it’s shown and people see it and they start to react to it, it’s sort of delayed reaction being in film and television primarily. That’s why I just love the theater. Because you get instant recognition and the warmth of the audience at the end of a play. You can’t beat that. It’s instant. But it’s nice to occasionally say hi. And they really appreciate it – they really do.”

A weekend panel also celebrated the legacy of Kubrick’s legendary 1980 film The Shining with actors Henry Thomas and Alex Essoe, who appeared in director Mike Flanagan’s 2019 adaptation of King’s Doctor Sleep, a sequel to The Shining.

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“It was a ton of pressure. Probably a lot more pressure than if I had never seen The Shining before. That movie means a lot to me. And honoring it means a lot to me,” said Essoe, who took on the role of Wendy Torrance, a character famously portrayed first by Shelley Duvall in The Shining.

Essoe singled out the importance of an underrated film concept during her Doctor Sleep panel: storytelling.

MORE FROM FORBESPriscilla Presley, Billy Zane And More On Interacting With Fans Amidst Return To Convention StageBy Jim Ryan

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“It’s the most important thing,” she explained. “It’s the only reason that any of us are here or have jobs. I’m a storyteller. Acting is the craft and that’s why I’m called an actor – but that’s my job is to tell the writer’s story. So if you’re not in it for that, you’re wasting everybody’s time.”

Thomas also remains in production on the The Fall of the House of Usher, a Flanagan-created horror mini series based upon the short stories of author and poet Edgar Allan Poe which is set to premiere on NetflixNFLX
.

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“I appreciate the unique nature of it now as I never have before,” said Thomas, pondering the legacy of Steven Spielberg’s E.T., which turned 40 this month. “To talk about something five years later is pretty special – but 40 years later is a real landmark. And it still has a lot of fans.”

Thomas took on the role of E.T. protagonist Elliott at the age of just 10. Now a published author, he released the sci-fi fantasy novel The Window and The Mirror in 2019. He’s also prepping the vinyl reissue of an album by his band Farspeaker, one informed by the music of alternative artists like The Replacements, Pavement and Wilco, and remains acutely aware of the power of the convention as a way to maintain a close bond with fans.

“It’s great. Because I subsidize a lot of my income throughout the year by doing this,” said Thomas. “It enables me to be a little more choosy with parts. I don’t have to do something that I don’t necessarily want to do just for the money because I can go and do one of these on a weekend. So it really makes me feel a lot better about the projects that I do choose because I don’t feel like I have to be doing this job,” he explained. “Having conventions shut down during COVID was really tough. Because everything was shut down – so there was no income. And the fans are visibly relieved that conventions are going on again.”

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