Today was the beginning of my first ever Texas Frightmare Weekend, and I feel comfortable saying that it has been one of the best days of my life. I’m going to post some highlights and photos — apologies in advance for having to see my ugly mug.

• This is the only place where you share a shuttle bus with a dude wielding a butcher knife and it makes you feel at home.
• I walked in and saw Dario Argento and immediately started crying. Not even a little bit hardcore of me, but I stand by it.
• I met Tom Savini, who was very nice, and then I shook for a solid 10 minutes afterward because I was geeking out so hard.

• I got a picture and a signature from Malcolm McDowell, who seems to have stopped aging about 20 years ago. He was also very nice.

• I am feeling serious tattoo inadequacy here. I’m actually supposed to get a Suspiria tattoo in a month (there will be photos galore, trust), but I wish I could have gotten it beforehand so I could show it to Maestro Argento.
• I could spend all my money at the Arrow Video booth. So many awesome movies. I picked up Spider Baby and Brain Damage, and then just walked around the corner to get the film booklet signed by Rick Hearst! He was also very nice — so far everyone I have met has been charming and kind. I got an awesome photo with him and Aylmer!

• There are some seriously badass cosplayers here. I saw an American Mary costume, which you know had me psyched. Some of my favorites were a dog with some bat wings, Dustin and Eleven from Stranger Things, and an epic Beetlejuice costume. I didn’t get a picture (FYI: I will never post cosplay photos without the cosplayer’s permission) but this is what the costume was based on:

• There were a couple of tattoo artists working tonight. I don’t know if you have any tattoos, but if you do you probably understand the adrenaline rush you get when you hear the tattoo machine buzzing. If I didn’t have an appointment for next month (and if I had eaten a lot more — I was way too tired and hungry to get any ink), I totally would have signed up for a slot.
• I saw a guy put on a new shirt for each photo op he had so he would match the photo (a Suspiria shirt for the Suspiria group, etc.). My first thought was, “Really?” But my second thought was, “…This dude is a GENIUS.”
• Stefania Casini was so gracious and so freaking beautiful. I took a photo with the Suspiria group (Dario Argento, Stefania Casini, Udo Kier, Barbara Magnolfi, and Claudio Simonetti), and I found Ms. Casini at her booth afterward to get her to sign it. I’m going to try to get the other signatures tomorrow.

I had two incredible encounters today, one with Udo Kier and one with Wilford Brimley, but I’m going to save those stories for Tuesday’s wrap-up post.

What about you? Have you seen any epic cosplayers or had a dream fan encounter? Or are you enjoying the con vicariously through Twitter and Instagram? Tell me about it in the comments! And come see me on Instagram: @wewhowalkherewalkalone.

Sleep well, kiddies, and remember this: bad luck isn’t brought by broken mirrors, but by broken minds.