This first, fully-fledged festival edition of Helltopia took place in Tour & Taxis the week after Comic Con, just in time for Halloween and lasting a total of four days, starting on the evening of October 31.
As its name suggests, Helltopia aims to gather all horror fans in one place celebrating macabre pop culture with film guests, photo-ops and panels.
Less busy than Comic Con, it was actually quite enjoyable to circulate freely in the hall to discover the different parts of the event.
The lineup consisted of eleven guests, going from Costas Mandylor (Mark Hoffman from Saw) to Joseph David-Payne (Dick the Shrinker from Beetlejuice Beetlejuice) to comic artist Stephen B. Scott. They participated in signing sessions, photoshoots and Q&A panels on stage. Other activities happening on the stage were Halloween cosplay catwalks and scary stories. For the more daring visitors, a horror dome was set up in the middle of the hall (from where you could regularly hear chainsaw noises).
As for the signings sessions, the lighter attendance allowed for such a more relaxed experience than usual, giving us more time for small talk.
One of the few downsides was the small number of exhibitors. A highlight of conventions is usually the opportunity to discover new creators or just have a look at the infinite amount of merch in the booths. With the well-established Facts happening on the same weekend in Ghent, a good number of vendors had already booked their weekend to settle there instead.
Nevertheless, visitors could still spend a good amount of time discovering the life-sized horror characters exhibition of Xavier Portee, ranging from Pennywise to Chucky, Gremlins, Critters and other well-known monsters.
You could also come across a tarot reader accompanied by three adorable mice, or a DVD booth with a wide choice of horror movies.
When it comes to accessibility, the buildings of Tour & Taxis are always on point with the permanent ramps leading to every entrance. It would, however, be a challenge to enter the actual event with a wheelchair, as visitors must go through a maze of curtains. That is fine for most people on foot, but barely large enough for mobility aids.
No food stands this time, but there was a bar, a bubble tea stand and plenty of space to sit and rest. If you did need a full meal, the food market of La Gare Maritime next door has you covered and is said to have an excellent fish and chips.
The day ended with a dj and video set hosted by levelupleroy, perfectly matching the convention mood with Halloween-themed soundtracks, from a parody of the Backstreet Boys’ “I’ll kill you that way” to other horror movies and pop culture references (“I’m just Ken” might even have found its way in it at some point!)
It is without a doubt — and with some impatience — that we’ll see Helltopia grow over the years and gather more attendees.
