Sadly, to the vast majority of the general public, the mere mention of your intention to attend a “con” provokes some less than positive reactions, most of which are neither appropriate nor accurate. Among the uninformed masses, any individual who has yet to experience the dazzling display and spectacle that is a con before, opinions typically range from expressions of shock and absolute disbelief at the attire worn by the attendees to uncreative comments about the accomplishments of anyone daring to attend the affair.
But, to be fair, cons have been a part of the architecture of Virginia, and by extension America, much longer any of the other structures in the state’s capital, including the Greater Richmond Convention Center situated on 3rd Street. Which incidentally just so happens to be the location of what has become a yearly event in this portion of the Commonwealth: Nightmare Weekend. Even more shocking than some of the cosplay at this year’s convention, which occurred over the weekend of October 17th – 19th, was that it not only combined with Animate, another con promoted by parent company GalaxyCon, but that it also ran concurrently with a historical movement that conceptualizes the central theme of each of the two conventions.
Now, according to the team members of Transcend Paranormal, the history of the spooky season has a saintly backstory. In fact, if not for the early church’s intervention and incorporation of pagan seasonal observations, residents of Virginia, myself included, have yet another holiday themed offering of our favorite candy. We can not only look forward to Reese’s eggs in March for Easter but by maneuvering the mythology of Lemuria and thus removing the holiday from May, the peanut butter cup was transformed into a pumpkin quicker than Cinderella’s carriage.
Similarly, with Animate x Nightmare Weekend, an event that now invites two distinct, but not distant congregations that live or travel to the Richmond area, another chance to convene with constitutes to exchange information and express their shared pursuits and passions. Put another way, with the October convention occurring at a calendarial midpoint to the next Galaxy Con, consider Animate x Nightmare Weekend as the equivalent of Christmas in July.
This Is Halloween
If you ask the average American horror fan, they’d agree that 2025’s Sinners and Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas don’t belong in the same conversation. However, if you focus on the central characteristics from each film you’ll observe that, in their own unique way, their creative teams managed to conceptualize a world that is macabre and morbid in nature. Also, both films are also diegetic musicals, incorporating the songs into the story. Having had an opportunity at last year’s Nightmare Weekend to join along with a chorus of others for the Nightmare Before’s ballads, it doesn’t take a crystal ball to foresee a speakeasy themed After Dark Sinners Sing-A-Long showing up soon at Animate x NIghtmare Weekend.
This year, however, an unexpected scenario unfolded the afternoon of Saturday October 18, 2025, only steps away from the Greater Richmond Convention Center. A contraction of key elements of each of these films, that connects with the spiritual conscience of this continent. Formed of clay, forged in sin. This unspoken concept, a central component of Christianity and therefore contains every man, woman and child in this Nation under God. Just as a Chica photo OP and Q & A with Foxy were getting underway, for actresses Jess Weiss and Pam Grier respectively, the administration of the United States of America got a wake up call after hitting snooze on an alarm that went off earlier this summer. Indivisible, inspired by the promise of liberty and justice for all. If you were to condense America into a character, then what onlookers along Broad Street witnessed that Saturday afternoon is the fandom. It had all the appearances of a Walking Dead reenactment in preparation for the Michael Cudlitz and Ross Marquand sit down with fans on Sunday.
Instead this was an unmistakable message, not just in Richmond, but along with millions of others from states and across the world. A statement of solidarity for something they value and that each, despite the lack of resemblance other than carrying the same banner, were all willing to show up for Saturday October 18, 2025 and support.
As a recent visitor to Richmond for the convention, Quinn Lord who played Sam – the shortened version of the name Samhain – in the 2007 American horror film Trick or Treat, obviously can relate to that level of enthusiasm among a fanbase. Especially with the time of year and popularity of Sam cosplay and the adoration for the film among horror fanatics. Truth is, Samhain, despite details from a personal favorite, refers to a season, not a specific person or entity nor intentionally anything exactly supernatural. At least not on the surface.
A more suitable cosplay for the season of the witch takes us on a journey to the Irish coast in search of Samhain’s hidden lore. A location where a lot of what we do, or in some instances don’t completely understand about Halloween originates – including the original Pumpkin King. What’s this, you say it was a turnip and not a pumpkin after all. The story of Stingy Jack serves up another frequent feature from horror films: the devil is in the details. Barred from entry into Heaven by St. Peter, due to his Earthly enterprises, the Irish folktale tells that, prior to his demise, Jack managed to outsmart the devil not once, but twice.
Still, the dice rolled snake eyes in the end, as always, since Jack’s second trick on the Devil – trapping the serpent in a tree – only ended once the Devil promised to never take his soul to Hell. However, despite his trickery it seems the Devil saw fit to leave Jack with one treat for the remainder of eternity. A piece of ember, blazing with hellfire, to provide light for a soul to whom all else has been lost. Seems like a lump of coal is the preferred gift of gentlemen in red…suits.
Meanwhile, the creative attire among those within the parade of people by Saturday afternoon was more than anyone could have ever dreamed. Make no mistake, at something like Animate x Nightmare Weekend, it isn’t abnormal to come across this sort of colorful consortium of characters ranging from everything in the realm of horror films, sci-fi television, comics and yes, even video games. In fact, it needed to be every bit as memorable in order to make this inaugural alliance of these two conventions containing a collection of all the creepy, horrifyingly surreal and unsolved stories that have entertained and captivated man for centuries alongside the creators, cosplayers and the artistic communities each displaying their ability to construct these and other works of fiction into reality. Especially since like myths, legends and absolutely, even the tall tales involving this country’s Founding Fathers – from Cherry Tree to Vampires – horror’s content is often cut from the same parabolic cloth.
Con, You Thankful People, Come
Compared to earlier administrations, there present number of executive orders delivered since 2025’s Presidential Inauguration is at a cometic pace. At practically one per day – and given their alarming scope – it is hard to not allow your mind to wander, at which point it can create a subconscious image, one that we’ve seen in at least a dozen films. The country’s current administration, upon summoning its minions, sorry meant to say political confidants – apologies to Dreamworks, under the cloak of a shadowy darkness, inside a defense bunker that takes the place of a dark age dungeon, begin concocting their next nefarious endeavor. Or is this an instance of minor misunderstandings, underestimating the goodness, and the intent?
In the context usually associated with its parent company Galaxy Con event, an Animate Weekend refers to the celebration of the countless pop comic, pulp and anime characters that captivates a fandom. Appearances by appreciative guest celebrity and an exhibition hall overflowing with merchants and energized by the intermingling of differing, but not dissimilar individuals, each with their own stories to tell. Given the location, it is easy to imagine the very spot of the Greater Richmond Convention Center as a trading post of the settlement established here in the 17th century. Unlike some of that era’s haunted history, every individual arriving at Animate x Nightmare Weekend freely chose to attend.
Armed with courage and conviction, a willingness to throw caution to the wind, to abandon any fears and ignore any external – or internal – opinions and in spite of the impossible, if only for one fleeting moment, feel animated. To appreciate what it means to be a part of what you perceive as something great, to be part of a movement. By doing this you survive to be the final or save the princess, you become something bigger than anyone, even yourself, believed you could be. As Saturday’s No King’s protests around the country and around the world indicate, there is an increased visibility of a certain fandom. Their support for their favorite series doesn’t seem to have subsided just yet. With an upcoming remake on the way, the 50’s sci-fi horror film looks to alter the franchise from an gelatinous alien lifeform to something man-made for new and returning audiences. Experiencing what looked like an unending mass, maneuvering down Richmond’s main street, a major road, an artery to so many of the state’s central offices including the State Capitol, encapsulated people frightened to life.
Unlike the term animate, given the similarity in nature to a dream, it is impossible to perfectly explain a nightmare – be it a waking, a nocturnal or a whole weekend – to someone who has never experienced one. Because the most brutal definition of a nightmare is an unpleasant dream. So initially, if allowed, relying on this understanding alone fails to account for our modern interpretation of a dream as a particular ambition or ideal of an individual. That is until you notice the nervousness in a voice, or glimpse the fear in the eyes of a fan as they finally, after dreaming of this moment, step to the mic and attempt to ask their favorite celebrity a question. Let’s be fair, getting in front of a staged audience isn’t as easy for some folks as it is for others. Besides, with our historical conscription of dreams to either the subconscious sorting of sensory input during sleep, prophetic impartment, or absolutely meaningless, shouldn’t dreams – by the very definition – be considered as absolutes? Like with numbers, the value is concluded only once distance from a zero point on a line is established. Otherwise, how is it that when Chucky partially destroyed the White House it was an act of evil, but when you take out the East Wing in real life, it is considered progress?
Maybe some of you don’t see Chucky’s actions as progressive because, unlike other horror icons, after an update for younger audiences, the murderous doll returned to his roots. Well, consider this, even though the Good Guy doll isn’t as technologically advanced as M3GAN, they both can claim to be artificial intelligence. Both of these puppets that kill are in essence a “spirit” placed within a vessel: a ghost in a machine. As each franchise’s sequels further explain, even with the destruction of one “body”, these entities can continue their rampage simply by uploading their programming into a new shell.
This is a scenario that Animate x Nightmare Weekend Richmond 2025 guest Peter Weller’s Robocop could relate with. The film depicts a future where the city of Detroit has descended into a dystopian state. Under political pressure and out of options, control over certain essential government functions is handed off to an unofficial third party. After Officer Alex Murphy is shot in the line of duty and declared dead, much to the dismay of his wife and son, a corporate conspiracy orchestrated by Omni Consumer Products merges the remnants of Officer Murphy’s consciousness with a machine.
Meanwhile in America today, everyday brings growing tension that Officer Murphy’s future is not so far away nor far fetched. This menacing, imposing new image of law enforcement mirrors the transfer and consolidation of certain functions previously performed by the Immigration and Naturalization Service and Customs separately to create the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.
A body horror film, such as Robocop, tends to consist of a science fiction stitched together with a scary story, sort of like an American quilt. They also satirize a situation, another similarity to the use of the term American guilt because, unlike other parts of the world like the UK, most Americans call it a comforter. With the strict differences between American and the United Kingdom’s law enforcement agencies, including carrying arms and deescalation techniques, ICE could replace customs with confronters. What’s confusing is for an agency created partially as a reaction to the September 11th attacks, the only custom the executive office appears concerned with is who is willing to render unto Caesar? When America’s top cop forsakes the rest of humanity, the long held motto of most major law enforcement agencies transforms into some sort of perversion like the 3 Prime Directives. Sure, there was a 4th, or if you’re being technical and adhering to Assimov’s 3 Laws of Robotics, you could call it the “Zeroth Law”. They all essentially amount to the same thing and mean nothing all at the same time. Ambiguity and loopholes, regardless of legality, allow for oppression of individuals by exploiting the ploy they are protecting and serving. By whose authority?
This first week of November in America not only signifies the start of harvest time, it also welcomes voters to engage in an event rooted in our country’s very core. A chance for citizens from across this great nation to peacefully assemble and participate in a powerful pastoral performance – reaping what has been sown. Among items voters in Virginia are called upon to cast their ballots concerning this year, chief among them is the state’s top position: The Governor. Our overindulgence in bureaucracy and business dealings make it easy to treat these officials like any other paid actor. By doing so, we forget this executive officer’s most important responsibility – responding to natural disasters. Protecting their constituents from dangers both natural and man-made in origin. That fact brings up another interesting one, has anyone noticed how for the first time in history, at the conclusion of this year’s election, Virginia’s commander in chief will be a woman. Something unheard of in Southern states only a century ago. This type of divergence from traditional values is the exact reason why forums such as Cartoon Cabaret are listed as 18+, even if seeing what ends up on lists like the Top 10 Children Horror Cartoons can be equally scary for some fans attending Galaxy Con’s October event. Let’s face it, not every subject is suitable for all ages. Additionally, these types of conversations not only animate some but are the stuff of nightmares to several others, as on every side there is a sense of some sort of infringements by the other on American families and citizens’ rights to make their own choices.
What remains to be seen is if what began with the No King’s March will reach a conclusion at the ballot box with the people conveying something usually relegated to mid-credit cutscenes; the reason the emperor wasn’t confused by his new clothes.
There are simply some things you just can’t mask.
Dooby-dooby-dooby-do-wah
For anyone foolish enough to think, if even for the briefest second, that history can’t be unwritten and revert back to a time when America was ruled by an overseeing monarchy, I guess you also don’t believe that history can repeat itself. Then explain the fact that in addition to a divisive election, how is this country now concluding yet another divisive negotiation and vote that affected America’s entertainment culture. Another writer’s strike, this one impacting Stranger Things. Thankfully, the cosplayers at Animate x Nightmare Weekend can look forward to getting their finale, but did Heroes ever really recover after the strike in 2007? Then again, when you realize it happened previously in 1988 a pattern starts to emerge. Noticing the cyclical life we experience, both those that are naturally occurring and the ones that are man-made, allows us to better embrace the horrors, the uncertainty of life based on the understanding that change is inevitable. What kept you up at night as a recurring nightmare becomes unbearable when it invades your waking moments as well.
With the newly released HBO Max series, IT: Welcome to Derry, those who suffer from coulrophobia can enjoy every dreaded moment of anticipation as they await the next appearance of Pennywise. Yes, these days David Howard Thorton’s Art the Clown is terrifying more people at the box offices, but to any victim of IT, like Jackson Robert Scott’s Georgie, a scary clown is a scary clown. And whether they come from the other side or outer space, be they clowns or disillusioned, comical kings, anyone intent on using fear for control better make sure they hold onto all those balloons real tight. Don’t ya know we all like to float up here too.
Tragically, though Animate x Nightmare Weekend allowed Galaxie Ink to apply some tattoos – even the temporary type for parents of toddlers and pre-teens – and Drink and Draw inadvertently indicated it was all inclusive by not disclosing a drinking age, High Cinema did not provide a single joint. To quote a line from Dazed and Confused, a film which made the host’s list, it would have been a lot cooler if it did.
Pennywise’s alias isn’t the only time in the 80’s the word IT caused kids across America to hoot and holler. It was also the secret word of the day on the Tell the Tooth episode of the CBS children’s show Pee Wee’s Playhouse. A side effect of the Writers Guild of America strike, it is one of only two, three if you include the Christmas Special, episodes made for Season 3 due to the shutdown. Back in the Fall of 1988 Saturday mornings in America were a lot quieter without Conky giving us a reason to scream real loud. A far cry from the chorus and chants that resonated from the Canal all the way to the Boulevard. No Kings.
Except for maybe the Sun Kings, Mowie and Wowie. See, while not an official panel host for Animate x Nightmare Richmond, as a resident I participated in quite a few Q&A sessions with event guests curious about one rule in Virginia. Adults who, save for one recreational activity, are actually law abiding American citizens. As a former member of the comedic troupe known as the Groundlings, Pee Wee Herman clearly never considered himself as a member of the upper echelons of society either. Referring to someone unsophisticated or unrefined, groundlings are the type of people that the Elizabethan theater restricted to the cheap seats. But this America, the land where dreams become reality, and thanks to a Canadian resident and a Mexican American, Paul Reuben got to create a successful stage show. Meanwhile, listening to Cheech and Chong, reminiscence about working with actors Reuben and Sergeant Stadenko actor Stacy Keach, conflicts with the claim that marijuana affects the memory. Still acting, and still smoking, their initial perseverance and continued popularity is a reminder of the opportunity and freedom that monarchs, czars, emperors and rulers despise about this country. Even in America, corporations and organizations use their influence on politicians to have government officials act in their own selfish interests. Using things like reefer madness to turn nice dreams into an American nightmare.
With a reliance on fear and jump scares, along with entirely unrelatable and unrealistic characters and a script that follows predictable plotlines from previous aggressor and oppressors, the current administration’s production is displaying the exact lack of originality that critics complain is ruining the genre of horror. As actor James Marsters has mentioned multiple times, including during his Animate x Nightmare Weekend Saturday October 18th panel, you have to give the people what they want. For a character meant to be killed off in Season 2 of BTVS, the Billy Idol resembling vampire became a mainstay and even crossed over onto the show’s spinoff Angel. Even with uncertainty surrounding Marsters returning once more with feeling as Spike for the show’s recently announced revival, the musician, writer and actor can rest in peace knowing he isn’t an emotional vampire.
What we feel. This phrase perfectly summarizes the experience of Animate x Nightmare Weekend Richmond, 2025. Our loves, our interests are the very lifeblood that not only propels us as humans and frightens us as well. According to a king, in this case Michael Kingston of Headlock Comics, it is also something a machine can’t replicate. This means, whether your passion causes you to pursue self publishing or something more political, if the energy and message is either unauthentic or runs contrary to the public’s preferences, your reign won’t last for long. This could be why Patrick Henry served as both the initial and then the sixth post-colonial Governor of Virginia. Or maybe it was simply because in addition to being an orator, Henry was also a planter and understood the Matthew 13 tale of wheat and tares. Which is why in March 1775, as conflict with Great Britain grew concerning all things tariffs, during the Second Virginia Convention held at St. John’s Church in Richmond, Henry sowed the seeds of English discontent; and America’s democracy.
Animate x Nightmare
Liberty or Death
Off The Top Of My Head And Out Of My Mind 
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