A zombie apocalypse of sorts hit Boston on July 30 and 31.
The Westin Boston Waterfront hosted the latest Walker Stalker Con -- a science fiction/fantasy/horror convention with an emphasis on all things living dead.
Activities ranged from a zombie combat simulation to face painting and prosthetics that allowed guests to temporarily join the ranks of the walking dead.
Among the vendors was actor/comedian Eugene Clark, who is best known for his role as the evolved zombie “Big Daddy” in ‘Land of the Dead.’
Several luminaries from horror and genre television either signed autographs and posed for pictures or participated in panel discussions. They included Kane Hodder (considered by some ‘Friday the 13th’ fans to be the definitive Jason), horror film hostess Cassandra Peterson (AKA Elvira, Mistress of the Dark), Drew Powell (Gotham), Robin Lord Taylor (Gotham), Nestor Carbonell (Bates Motel), Max Theriot (Bates Motel) Judith O’Dea (Night of the Living) Russ Steiner (Night of the Living Dead), Melissa Hutchison (voice actress for the ‘Waling Dead‘ video game by Telltale Games), ‘Walikng Dead’ tie-in novelist Jay Bonanzinga, Lorenzo Henrie (Fear the Walking Dead), makeup artist Tate Steinsiek, Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad), Tovah Feldshuh (The Walking Dead), musician/actress Katelyn Nacon (The Walking Dead), John Carroll Lynch (Fargo), David Morrissey (The Walking Dead), actress/musician Alicia Witt (Dune) and artist Rob Prior.
This was my second trip to Boston in as many decades. It’s a beautiful city, but here’s a tip: don’t try to navigate Boston without a GPS. There aren’t a lot of straight streets and it seems like none of them meet at right angles. Even visitors with an outstanding sense of direction will find themselves hopelessly confused. We tried reversing course on one street and ended up in a tunnel and emerging near Logan airport. The trip back through the tunnel cost $3.50. A mild complaint at the cost resulted in an over- the-top defensive reaction from the toll collector. It’s like someone dropped a bowl of spaghetti on the floor and traced a map out on it. And don’t bother asking directions, because the person you ask either isn’t from Boston or doesn’t live in the particular part of Boston you found him in. Also, bring a decent amount of cash with you. There are tolls everywhere.
Through what I suspect was sheer luck, we found ourselves at the Westin Boston Waterfront, home of
the 2016 Boston Walker Stalker Convention. We knew we were in the right area when we spotted a
handful of zombie cosplayers crossing the street in front of us. By heading in the direction they had
come from, we found a place to park.
It was a smaller convention—mainly a vendor floor and a stand-alone pavilion where panel guest
appearances were held. The most intriguing attraction called itself Apocalypse Experience: a real-live
zombie experience. A real-life simulation where a team of four survivors is equipped with realistic
(simulated) firepower and trained to survive in a post-apocalyptic setting. Time was short for us so we
were unable to take a run-through, but Apocalypse Experience is definitely on my “to-do” list for next
time.
If you’re a fan of Star Wars novel (as I am), you may have read “Death Troopers” by Joe Schreiber. I’m
sure these guys have.
Best cosplay mashup, EVER!
There weren’t a lot of cosplayers at Walker Stalker Boston, but the one’s that were there went all-out!
I snapped this as I was ascending an escalator. It’s now my computer wallpaper.:
I guess the kids of Elm Street deserve as least ONE decent nights’ sleep…
The actors that started it all: Judith O’Dea and Russell Streiner of the original Night of the Living Dead
made an appearance.
In all, it was a fun afternoon. I wanted to do an Apocalypse Experience run but, unfortunately, our cash
had been eaten by tolls and food by the time we got to it.
