Retro horror & sci-fi convention in metro Atlanta celebrates a decade of thrills

PEACHTREE CORNERS, Ga. - From Sinbad to Spock and scream queens to movie musicians, Atlanta’s first and only retro horror and sci-fi convention is raising the curtain on a star-studded lineup for its "monster" 10th year. 

We’re talking about Monsterama Con, which returns today and runs through Sunday at the Hilton Atlanta Northeast in Peachtree Corners. In case you’ve never attended — or seen the annual event featured here on Good Day Atlanta in the past — Monsterama is a celebration of all things classic horror and sci-fi, including movies and television, comics and literature, art and more. There’s plenty of shopping in the dealer room, of course, along with special panels and talks, film screenings, and gaming. This year’s theme is Sinbad and the Eye of the Monsterama — which means a special emphasis on the fantasy-adventure epic films of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s.

But the highlight of Monsterama is the long list of celebrity guests — and some true genre icons are included this year. Patrick Wayne perfectly symbolizes this year’s theme; the actor (who happens to be the son of screen legend John Wayne) starred as the title character in Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger. Same goes for Caroline Munro, who appeared in 1973’s The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (along with several other cult classics). Academy Award-nominated writer Nicholas Meyer will also appear during this year’s convention, alongside Stephen Manley, known for playing "Young Spock" in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. 

Registration hours for this year’s Monsterama are 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday — tickets are $50 for the three-day weekend. The hotel is located at 5993 Peachtree Industrial Boulevard in Peachtree Corners — click here for more information.

We couldn’t wait until Friday afternoon to get the frightening festivities started — so we spent the morning getting a sneak peek at this year’s Monsterama. Click the video player in this article to check it out!