Every October, the Bowlers Exhibition Centre in Manchester hosts the North’s largest convention for horror fans, For The Love Of Horror.
The convention is a celebration of the horror genre in all its forms (films, TV, video games, comics) and allows fans to purchase merchandise of their favourite horror media, meet the stars of the films they love, and encounter like-minded fans with similar interests.
The convention is one of the most notorious and renowned events among horror fans, and in previous years it has hosted the likes of Tim Curry (‘It’, ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’), Matthew Lillard (‘Scooby Doo’, ‘Scream’) and Nick Castle (‘Halloween’).
This year, the event hosted panels and meet and greets for horror stars Shawnee Smith (‘Saw’), Lin Shaye (‘Insidious’) and Bill Moseley (‘The Devil’s Rejects’).
The event is put together each year by Monopoly Events, an event organisation based in Manchester that is also responsible for hosting conventions such as Comic Con Wales and Comic Con Liverpool.
On October 19th, the event was alive with horror enthusiasts sharing their incredibly creative cosplays of iconic characters across the beloved genre.
A wide range of merchandise was available for fans to purchase at the event, such as posters, masks, mystery bags, paintings, limited edition figurines, and real props used in well-known horror films that were selling for thousands of pounds each – including Leatherface’s infamous chainsaw from ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’.
There were also many photo opportunities of iconic horror sets available for fans to get their picture in front of, including the living room of the Macher house from ‘Scream’ (complete with a Ghostface on the sofa to have your photo with), the front of Haddonfield Memorial Hospital from ‘Halloween’, also featuring a Michael Myers to pose with, and the bathroom from ‘Saw’, along with a replica of Billy the Puppet on his iconic red tricycle.
Amy Woods, a horror content creator and attendee of this year’s For The Love Of Horror, said of her third time attending the event that this year “did not disappoint”, stating that the convention seems to get “bigger and better” each year.
Amy stated that, “It’s my favourite time of year where I get to gather with people who share a common interest”, and that “everyone is so kind and always up to discuss the latest horror movies”.
Amy (@thedisturbingdissector) can be found on TikTok discussing all the latest horror news.
For The Love Of Horror will return next year at the Bowlers Exhibition Centre in Manchester from October 18th-19th.
