Courtesy: spookyempire.com

With Halloween right around the corner, the nation’s largest horror convention has arrived in Orlando that will include an actor from Stranger Things and one of UCF’s own film lecturers. 

Eduardo Franco, who played the loveable Surfer Boy Pizza worker Argyle in Stranger Things season 4 announced via social media that he would be arriving to the Orange County convention Center this weekend to meet and greet with fans of the supernatural horror show just in time for Halloween. 

Spooky Empire has taken place in Orlando for nearly every single year to deliver an annual weekend experience for Halloween fans to meet, dress up, attend shows and meet horror celebrities since 2003. 

According to Spooky Empire’s website: 

“Spooky Empire has been delivering the best sights, sounds and screams to Halloween lovers since 2003. We feature an enormous room of vendors, a film and tattoo festival, music, celebrity speakers, and more to satiate even the most diehard aficionados of the spooky season!” 

The event will consist of vendors selling any an all Halloween and horror merchandise, Photo-op opportunities next to horror props and scare actors, a room full of horror celebrities such as Ethan Suplee from “My name is Earl” and “Remember the Titans”, Alex Vincent from the Child’s Play series and “Syfy’s Chucky Season 2”, and a Tattoo festival consisting of over 50 artists that can give you whatever new horror ink you want for spooky season! 

Spooky Empire will also feature one of UCF’s own film lecturers at this year’s convention, Zachary Beckler. 

Beckler who is no stranger to the horror genre directing an award winning feature “Interior” in 2014 has been a Lecturer in UCF’s Film and Mass Media program and has taught classes in cinema studies and production. 

Beckler will be present at the horror convention on both Saturday Oct. 22 and Sunday Oct. 23 participating in panel discussions on what makes a good horror movie with other professionals in the film industry.  

There will also be shows at the convention with a live rock music performance by We’re Wolves, Debut indie movies in a horror film festival, a Bad Witch Burlesque, and a Rocky Horror Picture Show Shadowcast performance. 

Spooky Empire will last till Sunday Oct. 23, will ticket savings if you buy your ticket online before arriving at the gate. Click on the link here to learn more about the Halloween horror convention here