Colorado Festival of Horror Scares Up the Season This Weekend

If there was ever a perfect weekend for the Colorado Festival of Horror, it's the one coming up for its fourth annual appearance in Denver: The three-day festival kicks off on none other than Friday the 13th, and continues through Sunday, September 15, at the Denver Marriott South.

"We couldn't have asked for more perfect timing," says COFOH co-founder Bret Smith. "Friday the 13th to start a horror con? Great. The only challenge we've had is that nationally, lots of similar horror cons are happening the same weekend, so there's been a rush on the celebrities available to come out. But I'm thrilled with the folks we've been able to get. It's going to be fantastic."

Smith is a retired IBM guy with a long history of interest in both sci-fi and horror, from watching the original Star Trek with his father to, decades later, taking his own boys to enjoy the long-running family-friendly (and much-missed) StarFest convention here in Denver. "I always loved monsters," Smith says. "From Creature From the Black Lagoon to the old Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein — all that great stuff. And then the big-name horror, like The Shining."

Smith's sons got into contemporary horror and pulled their dad into it, as well. "I really got into the contemporary stuff with them," Smith says. "My oldest son, Xander, actually went off to be a Hollywood concept artist." Xander Smith has contributed design and artwork to COFOH since the beginning.

Much like the StarFest tradition that inspired it, the early concept for COFOH was a family project of sorts. "I went to Josh Viola from Hex Publishing and told him I wanted to start a horror con," recalls Smith. "And I think it would be awesome to have a horror anthology of short horror. We got together one night, and after a decent amount of wine, we came up with the idea for basing it on 1980s movies."

That collection became the national success of It Came From the Multiplex, which debuted at the very first COFOH, in 2021. In keeping with the tradition of launching something super-cool from Hex at each year's gathering, COFOH is planning an all-star lineup of horror figures and fans in the sequel comic book True Believers, penned by award-winning Colorado author Stephen Graham Jones.

Smith happily admits that COFOH owes much of its success to lessons that he and others learned from previous horror-related events in Denver. He mentions a few: the short-lived Colorado Horror Con, which made the mistake of booking itself over Halloween weekend, which depressed attendance. The Mile High Horror Film Fest, which had a successful multi-year run until family obligations forced the organizers to stop. "And DiNK," Smith adds. "That was a glorious show while it lasted. It was actually at a volunteer meeting for DiNK at Mutiny Information Cafe that we first started talking about starting something up that would eventually become COFOH."

The first COFOH was scheduled for a 2020 debut...and then came COVID. "Once it became clear that the pandemic wasn't just going to come and go, we really thought about just pulling the plug on the whole thing," Smith says. "Especially since by early 2021, it was still an issue. But the convention was still a labor of love, and a lot of passion there. And then we really, really lucked out. We were scheduled for September, in that lull between variants. Things opened up for a short time there, and we were able to hit that sweet spot."

The COFOH experience has only become sweeter in the years since. It has grown from a small startup convention to something that's garnered national attention — something that's proven by its list of special guests. This year's lineup is the best yet, including the legendary movie star (and East High grad!) Pam Grier (Blackula, Foxy Brown, etc.); Annabeth Gish (X-Files, Haunting of Hill House, Midnight Mass); Alex Essoe (also from Midnight Mass, as well as Doctor Sleep); Tiffany Shepis (Tromeo and Juliet and Star Trek: Picard); and Thom Matthews, Tom McLoughlin, Adrienne King and Amy Steel, all from various Friday the 13th flicks. And that's not even a complete list of the star power coming to COFOH 2024; for a full run-down, see the COFOH website.

But the draw for COFOH isn't limited to just the guests. "We have so much great stuff going on that fans will be busy all weekend," Smith promises. There will be the Death Dealer's Room, where horror-related merch will be available for purchase; a Gore Galore Cosplay Contest on Saturday evening; panels both creative and star-studded; a Voorhees-Victims Video Room, where movies will be screened and special guests welcomed; a "Camp Crystal Lake" arts and crafts area; and a custom beer for the occasion, courtesy of Outworld Brewing, called Killr Brew in honor of the debut of the second issue of the True Believers comic.

"We're just super excited," Smith says, and his smile confirms it. "We're fan-run, home-grown, with access to all the brilliant local artists and businesses that add so much to the experience. And the horror community is just made up of the nicest people. Non-horror fans seem to think that we all just run around stabbing people. This is not the case! COFOH is an all-inclusive, loving group of fans. It's always a pleasure to get everyone together for some good, scary fun."

The Colorado Festival of Horror will be held at the Denver Marriott South, 10345 Park Meadows Drive, Lone Tree, Friday, September 13, through Sunday, September 15. For tickets and more information, see the COFOH website.