Greetings Horror Fans,
October is nearly upon us and you know what that means: haunted houses, costume parties, horror movie marathons, ghostly theme park attractions, trick or treating for the kids (and certain adults) and horror conventions! For some of you residing in smaller cities and towns across North America, October is usually the month with your only chance of the year to attend a horror convention. For those of us in larger cities, I'm in Southern California, we are lucky to have numerous horror conventions year-round.
In this article I will focus on one Southern California convention in particular that has surprised me the past few years and is emerging as a can't miss horror convention, Creep I.E. Con in Ontario, California!
Creep I.E. Con began not so long ago in 2022 where it made its home at the Ontario Convention Center in the Inland Empire (the I.E. in its name). The Inland Empire is approximately a 45 minute (without traffic) drive away from Orange County and Los Angeles County. What really stands out to me about Creep I.E is the fact they put on two conventions per year along with a hell of a celebrity lineup, the first one taking place in Jan/Feb and the second one, known as Creep Aftermath, taking place in late summer/early fall.
I absolutely love attending horror conventions so to have two conventions from the folks at Creep I.E. is a huge win-win for me and all horror fans in Southern California. To be honest, during my visits to Creep I.E. I have met attendees from farther areas like San Diego, Las Vegas and Phoenix, but also folks from other parts of the country like Oregon, Colorado, Texas and others. When I ask the non locals attending the convention what brought them to Creep I.E., the main response from them is the amazing celebrity lineups and I agree wholeheartedly with them.
This year Creep I.E. Con celebrated its 5th anniversary and was ranked as one of the top 10 most anticipated horror conventions in the U.S. by Macabre Daily. With horror celebrity lineups these past few years with the likes of Robert Englund, Kiefer Sutherland, Jason Patric, Cassandra Peterson aka Elvira, Linda Blair, Brad Dourif, Alex Vincent, Tobin Bell, Roger L. Jackson, Dee Wallace, Jon Bernthal, Damien Leone, David Howard Thornton, Christopher Lloyd, David Dastmalchian, Skeet Ulrich, Danny Trejo, Billy Zane, CJ Graham... it's not surprising that Creep I.E. Con is emerging as a top ten horror convention in the U.S. and they have earned it. It's not just horror celebrities either, they have also had: Henry Thomas (E.T.), Billy Dee Williams, Deep Roy, Sam Jones (Flash Gordon), Lou Diamond Phillips, Jaime Pressly, Cheech & Chong, Stephen Dorff, Chris Jericho... you get the idea.
As they state on their website, "At Creep I.E., we are dedicated to curating events that immerse fans in the world of horror and pop culture. Our focus on creating themed experiences, showcasing the best vendors and artisans, bringing amazing celebrity guests and special cast reunions sets us apart in the event industry. We strive to create events that not only entertain but also leave a lasting impact on every attendee". Celebrities... check. Q&A panels... check. Horror exhibits... check. Fear Farm Haunt maze... check. Food trucks... check. Unique horror vendors... check. Costume contest & afterparty dancing... check. Tattoo alley... check. Professional photo ops... check. Live Lucha wrestling... check. Yes, live wrestling outdoors at their Aftermath event.
Each Creep I.E. Con is three days long, beginning on a Friday evening and lasting till Sunday night. Tickets range from $36-$51 for a single day pass, $72 for a 3-day general admission pass or $200 for the VIP 3-day pass which sell out quickly. VIP passes give you some special perks like early entrance, shorter lines for autographs and access to the VIP room upstairs with a live DJ, free snacks and comfy seats. If you have very young kids (9 and under), I don't recommend bringing them since there are no kid friendly areas or activities for them to be involved in, unless they are horror fans as well and understand beforehand the long waiting times. Children 10 and under enter free with a paid adult ticket (maximum 2 kids per paid adult).
Autographs from celebrities range in prices depending on the celebrity, but usually they range from $40 to $100 per signature and some of them will include a selfie with that fee. Expect to pay a bit more for some of the older iconic celebrities, some don't do table photos due to time restraints and only do professional photo ops which cost an extra fee. I'll give you guys a pro tip for those that don't have the money to get autographs, just wait in line anyways and at least go up to your favorite celebrity, let them know how much you enjoyed their performance and shake their hand. It's free and you'll remember that interaction for the rest of your life. The memories are the only things we'll take with us to the grave when our time comes, so go out and make more memories.
Such a bloody good time to be had indeed but make sure you bring your most comfortable pair of shoes because you will be standing in lines and walking almost all day. The convention covers 225,000 square feet but one thing they don't have plenty of is seating. Make sure to also bring extra cash on hand as the majority of celebrities only accept cash as well as most of the vendors. The convention snack stands, drink stands and food trucks do take debit and credit cards but bring some cash just in case. I highly recommend people to eat before you arrive or after because the cost of food, especially the food trucks, are deadly expensive. There are plenty of good places to eat nearby, as well as plenty of hotels neighboring the convention center if you plan on staying for more than one day. Parking will cost you $20 and there is plenty of it. Checkout the Creep I.E. Con website for more info https://www.creepiecon.com/
So when is the next Creep I.E. Con and who are the scheduled celebrity guests so far? Great question. The next event is scheduled for February 5th - 7th and VIP tickets are already sold out. Why are they sold out you ask? It just might be because of the celebrity guest lineup which so far includes: A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors reunion with Robert Englund, Heather Langenkamp, Jsu Garcia, Amanda Wyss, Jennifer Rubin, Ira Heiden, Ken Sagoes, Bradley Gregg, Rodney Eastman, Penelope Sudrow and George Lynch from the band Dokken. Christina Ricci (The Addams Family), Christopher Lloyd (The Addams Family, Back to the Future), William Shatner (Star Trek), Rose McGowan (Scream), Corey Feldman (The Lost Boys), Jamison Newlander (The Lost Boys), Monica Keena (Freddy vs Jason), Holly Marie Combs (Charmed), Brian Krause (Charmed), Drew Fuller (Charmed), Zachary Arthur (Chucky TV show) and Devon Sawa (Chucky TV show). These are just the confirmed guests so far with many more still to be announced.
My overall thoughts on Creep I.E. Con? On a scale of 1 to 5 stars, I have to give it a solid 4 stars. Great lineup, convenient and clean location, lots of friendly faces and helpful staff, plenty of cosplayers, handicap accessible and fair ticket prices. With that said, if they can make it kid friendly by adding a kids activity area, lowering the cost of food a bit and somehow adding more seating areas, even if it's outside, I could see me giving them a solid 5 stars. I still highly recommend attending Creep I.E. Con if you have the opportunity to attend, you will NOT regret it.
So are any of you horror fans ready to head out to a horror convention near you? Let us know in the comments below which horror convention you will be attending this year and who's autograph you are dying to add to your collection. Interested in coming to the next Creep I.E. Con? Let us know and meet up with me in February 2027. Never been to a horror convention? What are you waiting for!? Look up a horror convention close to your neck of the woods, we made it easy for you to find one here on The Horror Stream Live website, click on this link for a recent article on Horror Cons happening across North America this October. https://thehorrorstreamlive.com/index.php/irl/26-horror-conventions-and-festivals-coming-in-october-2026
Here are a few memorable photos from my recent experiences at Creep I.E. Con and I hope to have plenty more in the near future. Stay tuned for more horror convention articles from me in the very near future. Happy Halloween to you all!
