A PROLOGUE

(of sorts…)

In the dark, shadowy underbelly of pop culture exists a breed of open-minded, morbidly curious, over-zealous fanatics of all things fantastic and frightening. Some refer to this breed as Horror Hounds. This peculiar type of so-called anti-pop-culture enthusiast lives, breaths and devours horror movies. But the culture of horror fandom is one that is often overlooked and misunderstood. What drives certain people to be so enthralled by cinematic portrayals of ghosts, ghouls, monsters and the macabre? One thing is for certain: there is, without a doubt, a flourishing community of like-minded devotees of all things dark and dreadful. But in a day and age where zombies, serial killers and paranormal phenomena dominate network television and streaming services, some of the most die-hard horror hounds are harkening back to the nostalgia-inducing zeitgeist of the 1980s and ‘90s—an era frozen in time within memories of the scare-soaked aisles of Mom and Pop video rental shops of yore.

Underneath what some may see as a superficial interest in a popular “countertrend” – spurred by popular series like AMC’s The Walking Dead and Eli Roth’s History of Horror – is a deep, insatiable adoration of the romanticized monsters, madmen and nightmare-scapes of the genre. A genuine passion for horror not only concerns itself with chasing the cinematic scares of fright films; it also manifests in the form of reading literature and media; wearing clothing and accessories; and collecting posters and art, games and trading cards, and collectible toys and tattoos. Horror fans hold a significant demographic within the pop culture and movie memorabilia collector milieu. Die-hards spend anywhere from hundreds to tens of thousands of dollars on horror collectibles and memorabilia. Everything from out-of-print (OOP) movies—often in antiquated formats such as VHS and laserdisc—action figures and collectible figurines, original art and movie posters, and much more.

Events dedicated to pop culture and movie memorabilia give collectors an opportunity to acquire collectibles from a diversity of vendors and sometimes to meet the stars and personalities behind revered characters of genre fame. Horror collectors make up a significant percentage of the people who attend these events – and more so, live to attend them. Events dedicated to the culture of collecting obscure horror culture and movie memorabilia give enthusiasts a chance to transcend the rift between reality and the worlds in which our favourite hauntings, horror villains and creatures of the night exist.

Believe it or not, Edmonton has its very own thriving community of horror zealots and memorabilia collectors. The popularity of annual horror-centric events such as the Deadmonton Haunted House, DEDfest International Genre Film Festival, The Festival of Fear, Calgary Horror Con, various collector expos, and most recent addition the Edmonton DEAD by CON Horror Festival, has proven that horror fandom is as alive as Dr. Frankenstein’s monster here in Deadmonton. The city’s own exclusive specialty movie rental shop The Lobby DVD Shop has proven that even in the wake of the tragic extinction of video stores, horror movie and genre enthusiasts are still willing to make the trip and risk racking up late fees, strictly for the sake of their beloved cinematic scare fare.

The Edmonton Collector Con, Entertainment Expo and pop culture fairs are widely attended events that mix the masses of horror fanatics with other breeds of pop culture junkies. The result is generally a fun-packed few days of meeting like-minded enthusiasts, bonding over favourite franchise sequels and bargaining for that long-sought-after figurine of the Queen from Ridley Scott’s sci-fi horror opus ALIEN. The upcoming inaugural Edmonton DEAD by Con Horror Festival (the city’s exclusive horror festival and convention) is expected to be nothing short of THE event to attend for local horror fans in 2019.

Horror enthusiasts and collectors of movie memorabilia come in all ages, genders, races, cultures and walks of life. This site is dedicated to highlighting the events, personalities and best collections of Edmonton’s (and Alberta’s) horror fans and memorabilia collectors. Please feel free to drop us a line if you know of an Edmonton-based horror collector or event that is worthy of featuring on HorrorCollectorsofYEG!