NCR’s horror nerds revel in spook fest

Spooky characters, eerie vibes, and gory skull-and-bandage installations set the tone as the second edition of HorrorCon unfolded at NSIC Grounds over the weekend. Ahead of Halloween, NCR’s horror fans and cosplayers came together to celebrate all things scary.

From anime and horror game-inspired costumes to panels on India’s growing horror content scene and the first-ever cosplay parade, the fest cast an eerily exciting spell on visitors and participants alike.

Divay Agarwal aka Khooni Monday, co-founder of HorrorCon, said, “When we started out, we wanted to create a never seen before horror pop culture experience in India and we are glad we could deliver. From Horror Cosplay, Live Horror Storytelling, a Horror Film Festival, Creator Panels, Book Launches, Director Panels, Magic, Music, Dance, Immersive Experiences, Haunted House, Trick n Treat, we had it all.

And the wildest part was India’s First-Ever Halloween Parade, which was the highlight for both the nights.

From just a Youtube channel to creating a big event IP, we have taken a massive step in the world of creator economy!”Seasoned cosplayer Vipin Kumar, who took four days to create his scarecrow costume, says, “It is the simplest character that could be made hauntingly creative. I played with the concept of the scarecrow and added mini lanterns, green lights and some wooden elements to highlight the toxicity it inhales.”

Cosplayer Meherinder, who was dressed as “I’ve been playing the Five Nights at Freddy's (FNAF) games since I was like 13, and Freddy is quite the horror icon in the gaming world, so I had to bring him here. Though horror isn’t my usual genre, I like to experiment, and it was fun working with lights and moving joints on this build. Scouting materials is always fun as the market keeps changing and you find new ways to improve every time, it usually takes me a long walk through Karol Bagh to look for foam, different types of glue and paints, etc.

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Bringing the eerie charm of Nevermore Academy from Wednesday to life, seven-year-old Tisha Varma performed Wednesday Addams’ iconic dance.

Victoria Taying from Arunachal Pradesh, dressed as Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride. Victoria said, “I have been single for so long, I relate to the corpse bride (laughs). From making the dress in a week for my first cosplay to putting on this gothic makeup, it was a fun experience." Adding a splash of green to the sea of ghouls and ghosts, an Elphaba-inspired cosplay stood out at HorrorCon.

With skulls, bones and pumpkins being popular motifs on bags, charms and candles, visitors at HorrorCon got to splurge on creepy decor and jewellery, too. The two-toned skull candle was a hot seller.

Many participants chose psychological horror for their cosplay, including Navjot, who dressed as Dark Sun Gwyndolin of Dark Souls, a horror game. “While the character I chose from the horror game isn’t the scariest looking but is a fear-inducing character. I used gold leaves (vark) to design the sword and the headgear,” he said.

Wearing his iconic chuckle and dressed in a white suit with orange pompoms, a cosplayer came dressed as Pennywise, the dancing clown from It (1986).