HorrorCon Scotland was brought to fruition by Northern Frights, a company dedicated to creating immersive, one-of-a-kind horror and fantasy experiences across Scotland.

Piling into the incredibly humid train to the Exhibition Centre, I was soon on my way to this year’s horror-filled event.

From its start as ‘Aberdeen Horror Con’, outgrowing hotel event spaces and now taking over 2 convention halls in Glasgow’s SEC – this year’s event had a huge turnout!

Upon queuing for the early entry, I was greeted by a lovely 10-foot Dracula who told me I looked gorgeous and that they would love to keep me in their fridge. With the heat slowly seeping into the building, I couldn’t possibly say no.

The doors opened, and the descent into HorrorCon began, with early entry granting what felt like a smidgen of time before general entry began and the place became swamped.

The event was visited by all kinds of macabre individuals, with plenty of vendors there on whom to spend your pennies.

There was incredibly handmade jewellery (notably, @marz.makesit on Instagram), colourful bakes from Trick or Treat Bakery, and incredible printed merchandise, as pictured below on a lovely visitor of the event

After an initial walkaround to get a feel for the place, I settled down in front of the burger van with a can of Irn Bru to take care of my super important journalistic duties, only to realise that I was sat right next to the ‘Butcher’s Chop Shop’, continuously sh*tting myself with every scream and yelp of terror.

Even in moments of perceived solace, the scare actors next door were there to make sure that peace was never an option, occasionally concerning even the event staff with their blood-curdling screams. 

The event had a whole host of incredible guests this year, with visits from Scottish actresses Shauna Macdonald, Vivien Taylor and Seylan Baxter, who were part of an excellent panel celebrating our beloved home-grown horror talent, hosted by another guest, Eddy Mackenzie, as seen in Winnie The Pooh: Blood and Honey.

We were also treated to a game of Family Splatters, where guests Eddy MacKenzie, Felissa Rose (Sleepaway Camp franchise, Terrifier 2, amongst many other horror credits) and Dave Sheridan (Scream, Victor Crowley) were asked numerous questions, to be answered as their famous horror characters, with whoever had the best answers joining ‘The Family’ – a group of reocurring character throughout the festivities of HorrorCon.

Visitors were also blessed with a visit from Dead Meat, a horror-centred Youtube channel and podcast amassing over 6.75 million subscribers.

James A. Janisse and Chelsea Rebecca had the room filled with eager viewers and listeners, asking all manner of horror-related questions. This came after the pair sold out a live podcast show at The Garage the night before.

Excitement and curiosity filled the room with every vendor, actor, and visitor being incredibly lovely, respectful and kind. An incredible example of this was the ‘Kindness Crypt’ – a small area of the venue where visitors were encouraged to write kind messages for everyone to read.

After a brief look-through, I found myself appreciating Scotland’s alternative community even more. It’s all love here at Horrorcon Scotland!

Among the many talented traders also stood authors, filmmakers and charities, excited to chat about all things horror media.

I had a brief chat with author Kevin J Kennedy (@kevinjkennedyauthor on Instagram), who has multiple horror anthologies written by fellow Scottish horror authors who were also present at the convention. He was eager to share his favourite horror authors, inspirations, and to invite me to submit any horror writing I may have.

Whilst I am pretty set in my non-fiction-y ways, Kevin is incredibly encouraging and passionate. Certainly a person worth chatting to.

I also got to chat to author David Sodergen, who recommended Slugs by Shaun Hutson as my next read after kindly signing my new book.

Another wee wander down, and I caught a conversation with Mythic Picnic, a Scotland-based creative studio, who were crowdfunding for their newest film ‘STRAW‘, a Scottish folk-horror comedy described as “Elf meets The Wickerman”.

I got to chatting with Alessio Avezzano (director and co-writer), as well as Jamie MacColl (actor and co-writer), about their new film, discussing all our favourite horror films and TV shows – a wee peek at their previous projects such as ‘Midgies’. I even got a picture with the infamous Midgie Flamethrower as well.

I am truly excited to see more projects from these guys.

To cap off a long but fulfilling day, I made my way through to the Crypt Stage for the Cosplay Masquerade, a chance for all the incredibly talented cosplayers to show off their hard work.

Model, content creator, and judge of the Cosplay Masquerade, Katt Wolfe stunned in her seriously impressive Pyramid Head cosplay.

The turn-out was great with so many original characters and classic villains in their garb, freaking out the judges and audience; My personal favourite being the Misty Quigley mother and daughter duo (Go YellowJackets!).

I stuck around for the awards show, with the 2nd and 1st place winners of each category going to: 

Killer Costume: 

2nd – Peter Pan from Twisted Child Universe

1st – Shadowgrim as Pyramid Head

Nightmare Masterpiece:

2nd – ‘3amdysphoria’ as FNAF’s Foxy

1st – ‘2ndsouls’ as Giggles

Monster Makeover:

2nd – Gabby as Necromorph (Deadspace)

1st – Cory as Art the Clown

In any good horror film, there is always a moment for poignant reflection. A time for characters and protagonists to think back on their actions, what got them in this mess in the first place, the people they have left behind and those they met along the way.

For me, HorrorCon felt like a milestone in my personal growth.

Not to get too cheesy, but horror always felt inaccessible to me, a person with a sponge-like brain who shudders at the teeniest glint of a contorted face or inhumane noise, and who, most nights, likes to have some sort of light source on.

I got the chance to meet Felissa Rose, the main character of Sleepaway Camp, and explained that it was only a few nights prior that the film became the second horror movie I had watched by myself. I found that the film hit those sweet spots I truly love. Comedic, a bit campy and kitsch, impressive special effects, while also giving the viewer a great opportunity to dissect a deeper meaning.

What I found so transformative about HorrorCon was its inclusivity.

Complete strangers banding together to get a bit weird and act out fun horror experiences in a completely safe and encouraging environment. Two Art the Clowns ran around with their horns, honking across the hall as if speaking some alien language.

Isn’t that what a true connection within a community can feel like, like nothing else matters outside of it?

It seems ironic that a place dedicated to scary movies and gore could be filled with such warmth and kindness. I can safely say that I have never felt more proud to be a weirdo than when being at HorrorCon Scotland. 

Featured Image Credit: HorrorCon Scotland, 2025

Photography by Amy Brandon