Kittens, we are just two days from the start of San Diego Comic-Con International and it is time to talk about the con itself. In the event’s nearly 50 year history, its focus has shifted from primarily comics to sci-fi, fantasy, and horror entertainment of all types, becoming one of the largest pop-culture conventions in the US. With a massive list of exhibitors, artists, special guests, panels and events, and more spanning four days, how is any good horror
enthusiast to get the most out of this sprawling assortment of activities? Why, with part two of our TYoH Horror Lovers’ Guide to San Diego Comic-Con 2014! Today’s post covers our top 25 picks for horror events inside Comic-Con 2014. Check out the list below of official panels and activities for horror lovers (and for those of you in need of fresh air – or feeling the sting of not getting a coveted pass to the big show – visit part one of our guide to see this weekend’s best horror events not requiring a Comic-Con badge).

Wednesday Preview Night 

6:00pm – 10:00pm Special Sneak Peek Pilot Screenings: Comic-Con International annual Preview Night tradition. Catch special sneak preview screenings of the pilot episodes of iZombie and Constantine.

Thursday Horror Panels & Events

10:30am – 11:30am  Behind the Music: Crime, Death and Resurrection:  Featuring composers James Levine (American Horror Story), Jeff Russo (Fargo), Daniel Licht (Dexter), Brian Reitzell (Hannibal, 30 Days of Night), Steve Jablonsky (Lone Survivor, Ender’s Game), Christopher Young (Deliver Us From Evil, Dominion) as they share their secrets for getting us to the edge of our seats as blood spills on screen. With special guest moderator Shane West (Nikita, Salem) and exclusive fan giveaways. Room 4.

1:00pm – 1:30pm Comics Arts Conference Session #3: British Comics, Genre, and the Special Relationship with American Comics: Chris Murray (University of Dundee) discusses the often-overlooked and peculiar history of British superheroes, arguing that they reflect the changing relationship between the two countries in the aftermath of WWII. Julia Round (Bournemouth University) investigates the use of gothic and horror tropes in British girls’ comics of the 70s and 80s, which draw on tropes of the previous generation of American horror comics. Phillip Vaughan analyzes British scifi comics in terms of the influence from American comics, and  their relationship to television and film. Room 26AB.

1:00pm – 2:00pm  Drawing on Your Nightmares: Modern Horror in Comics: Horror has been one of the cornerstones of the Dark Horse publishing line for year. Join editor-in-chief Scott Allie and PR director Jeremy Atkins, along with Eric Powell (The Goon), Mike Huddleston (The Strain), Juan Ferreyra (Colder), and more for sneak peeks, announcements, and other surprises. Room 23ABC.

1:25pm – 8:30pm Comic-Con International Film Festival Horror and Suspense Films: Although the CCI-IIF runs films of all types, horror and suspense are concentrated on Thursdays. For a description of each film and viewing location, visit the detailed schedule. 1:25pm Dog Food; 1:55pm Savageland; 3:30pm H7N3; 5:00pm We Wanted More; 5:30pm The Dark Shift; 6:10pm From the Woods; 6:50pm Trauma; 7:15pm Ashley; 7:45pm Divergence; 8:05pm Psychedelic Breakfast; 8:15pm The Box; 8:30pm Job Interview. Marriott Hall 2.

4:15pm – 5:15pm  Skybound’s The Walking Dead: The Walking Dead graphic novel series panel with creator Robert Kirkman and artist Charlie Adlard (who I totally had dinner with and is lovely). Moderated by The Walking Dead editor Sean Mackiewicz. Room 6A.

6:00pm – 7:00pm  A Universe of Terror Drawn to One Panel – Aliens, Predator, Prometheus, and Beyond: Dark Horse editor-in-chief Scott Allie, writers Chris Roberson (Aliens), Joshua Williamson (Predator), Christopher Sebela (Aliens Vs. Predator), and the Prometheus team of Paul Tobin and Juan Ferrerya discuss the forthcoming Aliens/Predator crossover, Fire and Stone. Room 9.

6:00pm – 7:00pm  Penny Dreadful Panel: Creator and showrunner John Logan is joined by Josh Hartnett, Reeve Carney, and Harry Treadaway. The panel will be moderated by Emmy Award-nominated actress and host Aisha Tyler (Archer) and is rumored to be giving out decks of tarot cards. Ballroom 20.

7:00pm – 8:00pm   A Look Behind the Horror of Leprechaun Origins and See No Evil 2: The panel will feature See No Evil 2 directors Jen and Sylvia Soska, the twisted twins of American Mary fame, who will be joined by their on-screen psychopath WWE Superstar Kane. Room 7AB.

7:00pm – 8:00pm  Reinventing Horror: For seven years at Comic-Con, Mark L. Miller (Ain’t It Cool News, Pirouette) has gathered a ghoulish ensemble of creative minds to discuss and dissect how they create nightmares and what (if anything) scares them. This year, writer Joshua Hale Fialkov (The Life After), director Adam Wingard (You’re Next), Matt Pizzolo (co-publisher Black Mask Studios), writer/director Zack Parker (Proxy), writer Brandon Seifert (Witch Doctor), and Couper Samuelson (EVP at Blumhouse, Insidious 2) join Mark to discuss how to reinvent and revitalize the horror genre; pushing new limits, twisting new concepts, and crafting new terrors to keep you up at night.  Room 5AB.

8:00pm – 9:00pm  Freddy vs. Jason vs. Michael – Inside the Minds of Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, and Michael Myers: Join forensic psychiatrists H. Eric Bender, Praveen R. Kambam, and Vasilis K. Pozios from Broadcast Thought and very special guest Mark Swift (writer of Freddy vs. Jason and the 2009 Friday the 13th), as they analyze these villains’ murderous motivations. Moderated by Evan Dickson of Bloody Disgusting.  Room 7AB.

Friday Horror Panels & Events

11:30am – 12:30pm  iZombie Pilot Screening and Q&A: .iZombie video presentation, followed by a Q&A with series stars Rose McIver, Malcolm Goodwin, Rahul Kohli, and Robert Buckley, as well as executive producers Rob Thomas and Diane Ruggiero-Wright (Veronica Mars).

12:20pm – 1:20pm  AMC’s The Walking Dead Panel: Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Steven Yeun, Lauren Cohan, Danai Gurira, Melissa McBride, Chad Coleman, and Michael Cudlitz join executive producer and showrunner Scott Gimple, executive producer Robert Kirkman, executive producer Gale Anne Hurd, executive producer Dave Alpert, and special effects makeup supervisor and executive producer Greg Nicotero in a panel moderated by Chris Hardwick (The Nerdist, Talking Dead) to discuss the shocking finale of season 4 of The Walking Dead and what to look forward to in season 5. Hall H.

5:45pm – 6:45pm   Sleepy Hollow Panel: Executive producers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, Len Wiseman, Mark Goffman and Heather Kadin and cast members Tom Mison, Nicole Beharie, John Noble, Orlando Jones, Lyndie Greenwood and Katia Winter. Room 6BCF.

6:00pm – 7:00pm  Three Flavors of Zombie: Expanding the Universe of Dead Island: With three Dead Island games spanning three different genres concurrently in development, sit in on discussions with producers and developers from all games, moderated by Aubrey Norris (director of marketing & PR, Deep Silver). The panel will detail both newly announced games, Dead Island 2 and Escape Dead Island, as well as detail how all three games tell their own unique perspective on the larger Dead Island universe.  Exclusive swag promised. Room 25ABC.

7:00pm – 8:00pm  Queer Horror: Prism Comics and moderator/horror expert Sean Abley (Fangoria’s Gay of the Dead, Out in the Dark) and panelists Jeffrey Reddick (Final Destination, Day of the Dead), J. T. Seaton (George: A Zombie Intervention, NOLA Horror Film Festival), Tim Sullivan (2001 Maniacs, Chillerama), Guinevere Turner (American Psycho, The L-Word, Crazy Bitches) and Michael Varrati (Tales of Poe, Sins of Dracula) explore these and other aspects of this popular medium from a queer perspective. Room 28DE

8:30pm – 9:30pm  Zombie Myths and Misconceptions: Zombie Research Society and experts Max Brooks (World War Z), Matt Mogk (AMC’s Talking Dead), Steven Schlozman (Harvard Medical School), Scott Kenemore (Zombie, Indiana), Brendan Riley (Columbia College, Chicago), Cameron Carlson (U.S. Navy), Brad Voytek (UCSD), and Craig Engler (Syfy’s Z Nation) discuss the evolution of the modern zombie in science, survival, and pop culture, with a special focus on little known facts and common misconceptions. Room 5AB.

Saturday Horror Panels & Events

10:00am – 11:00am  Emily the Strange Panel: Join Emily the Strange creator Rob Reger and his cast of Strangers for their annual panel experience and get the insider scoop on the all-ages Dark Horse comic book series Emily and the Strangers, including sneak peeks at new artwork and story lines from upcoming issues. Hear some snippets of new tracks from Emily and the Strangers and see behind-the-scenes footage of the making of the Calling All Guitars animated music video. As always, audience participation will be encouraged and perhaps enforced with plenty of rewards for being strange…Oh yeah, and some Q&A with updates on the feature film development.

4:30pm – 5:30pm  Creepy & Eerie – 21st-Century Horror: A ghoulish panel of horror freaks discuss the impact and influence of the classic Warren horror titles Creepy and Eerie on modern horror creators in film, TV and of course, comics, and publisher Dark Horse announces special plans for the 50th anniversary of Creepy. Moderated by Gemstone’s J. C. Vaughn and consulting editor and writer Dan Braun, panelists include sculptor Justin Mabry and Chris Zephro of Trick or Treat Studios and New Comic Company’s Josh Braun. Throw in a couple of surprise Creepy artists and writers and they’ll have quite a stew for you. Plus: awesome Creepy swag! Room 24ABC.

5:45pm – 6:45pm  Salem Panel: Stars Shane West, Janet Montgomery, Seth Gabel, Ashley Madekwe, Iddo Goldberg and Elise Eberle and executive producers Brannon Braga, Adam Simon and Josh Barry. Moderated discussion followed by Q&A. Room 6DE.

7:00pm – 8:00pm  American Horror Story Panel: Cast members Angela Bassett, Kathy Bates, Michael Chiklis, Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Emma Roberts and executive producer Tim Minear discuss the last season and preview American Horror Story: Freak Show. Room 6DE.

8:30 pm – 11:30 pm  40th annual San Diego Comic-Con Costume Competition: Known as the SDCC Masquerade Ball, it’s really more of an on-stage costume competition than a dance, but the event is a must-see for fans of cosplay, costuming, and make-up effects. Participants must prepare a presentation to go with their costume in exchange for the chance to win cash and prizes. Tickets are free and handed out beginning at 2:00pm Saturday, but you can also watch from the Sails Pavilion and other ballrooms. Doors open at 7:45pm for audience seating.  More details on the show and ticket process here.

Sunday Horror Panels & Events

11:15am – 12:15pm The Following Panel: Series stars Kevin Bacon (Mystic River), Shawn Ashmore (X-Men: The Last Stand), Sam Underwood (Dexter), and Jessica Stroup will join creator/executive producer Kevin Williamson (Scream) and executive producer Marcos Siega (The Vampire Diaries) for an on-stage Q&A and video presentation. Hall H.

1:45pm – 3:45pm  The Strain Panel: Get a sneak peek at the third episode of The Strain, then join series creators Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan, showrunner Carlton Cuse, and cast Corey Stoll, David Bradley, Mia Maestro, Sean Astin, Kevin Durand, Jonathan Hyde, Richard Sammel, Miguel Gomez, Ben Hyland, and Jack Kesey for Q&A. Hall H.

3:30pm – 5:00pm Buffy the Musical: Once More with Feeling: An interactive screening of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer musical episode Once More with Feeling as Comic-Con’s big closing event! Audience participation: it isn’t just for Rocky Horror and mob riots anymore. Special surprise guest joining the fun. Room 6BCF.

You can find a complete list of horror and suspense panels at San Diego Comic-Con here, and check out our list of best horror events this weekend that don’t require a badge for more Comic-Con activities. For a great place to eat near the convention center, read My Burning Kitchen’s guide to Where To Eat Downtown During San Diego Comic-Con. If you’ve had your fill of the downtown crowds for a while, consider giving one of San Diego’s top 10 spookiest spots a visit.  

Related Posts:

– I Got a Bad Desire: 13 Unique Gifts for Horror Lovers

– The TYoH Horror Lovers’ Guide to San Diego Comic-Con 2014 (Part One)

– 13 Things You Missed at Comic-Con 2013

Categories: Conventions and Haunts

Tags: Comic Con, cons, Constantine, Dark Horse, Film Festival, geekery, horror, horror cons, Horror Lover's Guide to San Diego Comic-Con, independent horror, iZombie, Jen and Sylvia Soska, Penny Dreadful, San Diego, San Diego Comic Con, Sean Abley, The Soska Sisters, The Walking Dead