Fans of Halloween, cosplay, sci-fi and the horror genres have lots to cheer about as the creators of the Screamfest announced that Calgary will be host to the inaugural HEX – Halloween & Entertainment Expo. Combining celebrity appearances, zombie-filled haunted houses, escape rooms, thrill rides, a screening room, seminars and workshops, carnival games, and a Halloween-focused tradeshow, the event will occupy 180,000 sq ft of the BMO Centre on Stampede Park from Friday October 11h to Monday October 14th, 2019.
Organizers Mike Sheppard and Kevin Blackburn have combined their companies’ experiences to produce HEX. Sheppard, who created and produced Screamfest in Calgary and Edmonton for 13 years, describes the show as what you might get if you combined a Comic-Con or Comic Expo with a Halloween or horror theme.
Sheppard has joined forces with Canwest Productions, Canada’s largest independent tradeshow producer. Canwest, who produces shows from Montreal to Victoria, is best known by Calgarians for producing the Wedding Fair, Calgary Woman’s Show, Tattoo & Arts Festival, Taboo Show and Baby & Tot Shows.
HEX attendees will have the opportunity to meet Nick Castle, the actor is best known for going behing the Michael Myers mask in Halloween. A Nightmare on Elm Street’s Robert Englund will also be in attendance, along with co-stars Andras Jones, Brooke Bundy, Brooke Thiess, Danny Hassel, Lisa Wilcox, and others which are still to be announced.
Other high-profile celebrity guests include Ted Raimi, musician and The Rocky Horror Picture Show star Meat Loaf, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial original cast members, including “Elliott” Henry Thomas, “Tyler” C. Thomas Howell, Matthew DeMeritt, the actor who played the 3 ft tall E.T., “Mary” Dee Wallace, and “Elliott’s brother Michael” Robert MacNaughton.
Admission to HEX also includes admission into The Hex Screening Screaming Room and Film Festival, which will screen independent films and cult-classics. Several seminars and workshops will offer fans a variety of information including applying horror makeup, prop making and some celebrity Q&A panels.
Organizers expect to announce more celebrities and features over the coming months. For more information on HEX – Halloween & Entertainment Expo, visit www.hex.ca.
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