A few weeks ago my dream was turned into reality when i had the chance to attend my first ever comic con convention. For years i had dreamed about attending and finally on July 17th i made my way from Knock airport in Mayo over to sunny London. I was delighted to get away from Mayo for a few days because lets face it the summer of 2015 has being pretty shit and non existent in Ireland so far!
Not knowing what laid ahead of me over the coming days as this was the very first time i attended any form of comic con. Over the next few days i was to meet Michael J Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Sigourney Weaver, Neve Campbell and even Ken Kirzinger who is best known for his role as Jason Voorhees in the movie “Freddy VS Jason” and more. My advice for anyone attending London Film & Comic Con is to bring lots of water for dehydration as the days can be very long (but very enjoyable), the Olympia venue has very little air ventilation. So you can become very dehydrated very quickly! And also expect lots of queues and standing around through out the day for photo-shoots and autographs! Each day drew a crowd of over 10,000 revellers who were treated to some of the best cos-players and stars from across the globe.
Just before Christmas in 2014 showmasters in London announced that Nightmare on Elm Street actor Robert Englund who played the legendary iconic slasher Freddy Krueger was set to appear at London Film & Comic 2015 and not only that Robert Englund would be appearing as Freddy Krueger in full make up! Upon hearing this news i snapped up tickets immediately!
As the months went on Showmasters (the organisers of the London event) decided that they were going to hold a Back to the future 30Th anniversary with some stars and guests from the trilogy added to the line-up but never in a million years did i think that Michael J Fox would attend the event because of his illness which is Parkinsons Disease which he contracted at the very early age of 29.
Most people who have met me down through the years know that i am massive movie and horror geek! I adore the magic of the cinema and i love to get lost in a movie for few hours if only to escape the daily routine and reality of day to day life.
Anyhow back to London Film & Comic Con. I attended the event from July 17th to July 19th this year. A dream come true for me and a pleasure meeting and having a chat with some of my heroes from the screen especially when i met Robert Englund at his signing booth for the first time on Friday 17th July. Meeting Robert was a big deal for me as i idolised him from an early age. From watching him playing the very clumsy “Willie” from the TV series V to him playing the iconic slasher and well known Freddy Krueger!
My first encounter with Robert Englund was a strange one to say the least as i did have the pleasure of meeting him on two other occasions over the weekend. It was the very first day of London Film and Comic Con and Robert was at his signing booth, i had three photos from which i picked at his table that i wanted him to sign. As i walked towards him i figured that he wasn’t going to be able to spell my name correctly as most Irish people spell Finbar (Finbarr) with the letters two “rs” . But was i proven wrong and very suprised!
I walked forward towards his desk and nervously handed him the photographs i wished for him to sign. “Ah yes” This is a very interesting photo he said , describing the photo he went on to tell me the year this particular photograph was taken and how long it took him to get the Freddy Krueger make-up applied. The photo itself was a picture of Robert getting his make up applied for the first Nightmare on Elm Street movie from 1984. He continued speaking and casually spoke with me as if we were having a chat at a bar in a pub on a Sunday afternoon, he spoke about the different number of Nightmare on Elm street movies he was in and why he thought the 2010 remake was a load of crap whilst i tried to explain to him that the real and only reason i was here this weekend was to meet him! Yes i was in awe!
Finally he asked me who should i make the autograph out to and i said you can make it out to “Finbar” spelt…when he interrupted me stood up off his chair and began to name the letters in my name, “F” “I” “N” “B” “A” “R”, he pretty much nailed the spelling in one go where as most folks always spell it differently or incorrectly! I was ecstatic about our conversation and asked him kindly would he please pose for a photograph, He said he would, this then became one of the happiest moments of my life so far! A really great guy and an inspiration to us all who long to meet our heroes from the big screen. I was not let down! I even got to me Michael J Fox and Christopher Lloyd from Back to the Future over the weekend, how cool is that!
I have compiled a few photos from the event that some of you may wish to see, London Comic Con was truely a great experince for me and i cant wait to return next year! Everyone has to take a trip to the event at least once in they’re lifetime but please remember to go there prepared as there is very little air ventilation in the Olympia building and remember to bring lots of water and perhaps a change of clothes if you decide to cosplay!, A Brilliant weekend with lots to do for all the family and for fans of the weird and wonderful world of movie making! Please feel free to take a look at some of the photos below of my encounters through out the weekend. Enjoy!
