trunk stubs

Event: Tulsa Pop Culture Expo

Rated: Good for ALL ages, especially the kiddos.

Event Date: November 2nd to 4th, 2018

The Reason We Went: The Midwest used to be a barren desert for comic conventions, let alone pop culture cons, but that has been changing recently. The demand for pop culture fandom is very strong in the Midwest, and that need was not being met, until… the Tulsa Pop Culture Expo came along! Tulsa does host Wizard World comic cons and anime cons on separate occasions, and it is quite fun to watch so many people in anime cosplay costumes walking around the place. However, this is the first show to represent all things pop culture under one roof, and it seemed like they work very hard to make this an all-ages family event that everyone can enjoy.

What We Thought: This was our first visit to this convention, so we weren’t sure what to expect. Would people turn out? They definitely did! On Saturday, cars were parked in the grass, on curbs – basically, anywhere there was available space. Like a kid’s first trip to Disneyland, we lit up when we saw a giant metal robot staring down at an oversized drivable banana. We knew we were in for a fun time right out of the gates.

Even though two celebrity guests had to cancel last minute, Tulsa Pop stepped up and immediately booked Brandon Routh, Superman to some, and Katie Cassidy, one of the lead actresses from the hit CW show “Arrow.”

There are a variety of trade show displays and booths on the con floor ranged from comic book artists to pop culture soaps to action figures. Having this diversity at a con is refreshing because each booth was so different. You’re not walking an aisle looking at 20 booths of T-shirts.

Show Highlight: The kid section of this event was something to behold. Young, aspiring wizards could get sorted into their Hogwarts House and decorate a wand, as well as receive an acceptance letter to the wizarding school. They also had loads of retro arcade video games and cutting-edge VR games available at all times, for everyone to enjoy. There was even a children’s cosplay contest that boasted a Deathstroke and Harley Quinn that could rival any of the adult costumes.

Closing Thoughts: Word on the con floors is that this event was even bigger and better than last year and that they are already planning 2019’s Tulsa Pop Culture Con. After the pleasant experience we had at this convention, which had more of a sense of community rather than a bunch of clamoring fan boys, we will definitely be back, perhaps with a booth of our own!

And that’s why we’re giving it…

This October we’re focused on one thing and one thing only… watching as much horror-related programming as possible to prime the pop culture pump in celebration of Halloween. Our consuming will be taking place nightly, and while there’s no rhyme or reason to how we’re going about choosing our scary screenings, we’ll do our best to tell you how we did it so that you can watch them as well.

Title: Gremlins

Directed By: Joe Dante

Starring: Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, Judge Reinhold, Corey Feldman, Jonathan Banks, Howie Mandel

We Watched On: Amazon Prime (rented for $3.99)

Trunktober Approved Because: Our introduction to the horror/comedy hybrid genre, “Gremlins” also featured our first crush (Cates) and our most sought after childhood pet (mogwai). It is a true classic in every sense of the word, and while we love it, we haven’t eaten after midnight since 1984.

Biggest Scare: We’re still tortured by the horrifying images of the Gremlin leader Stripe melting at the end of the film. Nightmare material!

This October we’re focused on one thing and one thing only… watching as much horror-related programming as possible to prime the pop culture pump in celebration of Halloween. Our consuming will be taking place nightly, and while there’s no rhyme or reason to how we’re going about choosing our scary screenings, we’ll do our best to tell you how we did it so that you can watch them as well.

Title: Supernatural

Episode: “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester”

Directed By: Charles Beeson

Starring: Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, Misha Collins, Ashley Benson, Robert Wisdom, Don McManus

We Watched On: Netflix

Trunktober Approved Because: You didn’t think we’d get through an entire spooky season without throwing our favorite monster-hunting series a bone, did you? In this episode, the Winchester brothers get into some demon-raising trouble on Halloween, which could mean a whole lot of evil being let out into the world unless they can stop it. Which of course, they do!

Biggest Scare: Boiled alive while bobbing for apples. Kind of puts a damper on a perfectly good Halloween party.

Here’s a look at this week’s brand new episode.

This October we’re focused on one thing and one thing only… watching as much horror-related programming as possible to prime the pop culture pump in celebration of Halloween. Our consuming will be taking place nightly, and while there’s no rhyme or reason to how we’re going about choosing our scary screenings, we’ll do our best to tell you how we did it so that you can watch them as well.

Title: The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell

Directed By: Not Listed

Starring: Christine McConnell, Colleen Smith, Michael Oosterom, Mick Ignis, Drew Massey, Adam Mayfield, Dita Von Teese

We Watched On: Netflix

Trunktober Approved Because: Part Food Network and part twisted “Fraggle Rock,” this is a series so quirky and unusual, it’s hard to imagine such a thing could even get greenlit, but we’re thankful it did. Imagine it this way… If Lydia Deetz from “Beetlejuice” created a show based on the writings of “The Handbook for the Recently Deceased,” and in doing so, became the Martha Stewart of the afterlife, this is what the show would look like.

Biggest Scare: This isn’t a scary show, but the elaborate curious creations that Christine cooks up in the kitchen are terrifying, mostly because we know our versions could never come close to looking as amazing.

This October we’re focused on one thing and one thing only… watching as much horror-related programming as possible to prime the pop culture pump in celebration of Halloween. Our consuming will be taking place nightly, and while there’s no rhyme or reason to how we’re going about choosing our scary screenings, we’ll do our best to tell you how we did it so that you can watch them as well.

Title: Pumpkinhead

Directed By: Stan Winston

Starring: Lance Henriksen, Jeff East, John D’Aquino, Kimberly Ross, Joel Hoffman, Cynthia Bain, Kerry Remsen

We Watched On: Amazon Prime

Trunktober Approved Because: We loved this revenge-based monster movie as kids, so we were worried that our impressionable young minds would have put it on a nostalgic pedestal that it could never live up to. Surprisingly, it holds up pretty well, and for an ‘80s horror movie, the performances aren’t as bad as you’d expect. Some of the subtle things that Henriksen does – removing a piece of dirt from his dead son just before he’s going to bury him – elevate the film in ways that our childhood brains could never appreciate.

Biggest Scare: The demon Pumpkinhead is a great design, but his hands… and the way they grab its victims… creeps us out today just as much as they did when we were kids.

This October we’re focused on one thing and one thing only… watching as much horror-related programming as possible to prime the pop culture pump in celebration of Halloween. Our consuming will be taking place nightly, and while there’s no rhyme or reason to how we’re going about choosing our scary screenings, we’ll do our best to tell you how we did it so that you can watch them as well.

Title: Sometimes They Come Back

Directed By: Tom McLoughlin

Starring: Tim Matheson, Brooke Adams, Robert Rusler, Chris Demetral, Robert Hy Gorman, William Sanderson, Nicholas Sadler, Matt Nolan

We Watched On: Amazon Prime

Trunktober Approved Because: Yes, this was a made-for-television movie from the early ‘90s when Stephen King stories were being told on the small screen with great regularity, and it certainly feels like a Movie of the Week at times, but there’s still something eerie about it that works even when the corniness does not. The fact is, sometimes we come back to watching “Something They Come Back” and we enjoy it just as much as we did when we were preteens.

Biggest Scare: “Show him the face.” Yes, THE face!

This October we’re focused on one thing and one thing only… watching as much horror-related programming as possible to prime the pop culture pump in celebration of Halloween. Our consuming will be taking place nightly, and while there’s no rhyme or reason to how we’re going about choosing our scary screenings, we’ll do our best to tell you how we did it so that you can watch them as well.

Title: The Cabin in the Woods

Directed By: Drew Goddard

Starring: Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz, Jesse Williams, Richard Jenkins, Bradley Whitford, Brian White, Amy Acker

We Watched On: Amazon (rented for $3.99)

Trunktober Approved Because: It takes a lot to surprise us these days, but this horror/comedy hybrid from writer Joss Whedon kept us on our toes, butchering overused horror tropes and cast members simultaneously.

Biggest Scare: The entire end of the movie, which is awesomely weird and unpredictable, is alone worth the price of admission.

This October we’re focused on one thing and one thing only… watching as much horror-related programming as possible to prime the pop culture pump in celebration of Halloween. Our consuming will be taking place nightly, and while there’s no rhyme or reason to how we’re going about choosing our scary screenings, we’ll do our best to tell you how we did it so that you can watch them as well.

Title: Beyond The Sky

Directed By: Fulvio Sestito

Starring: Ryan Carnes, Jordan Hinson, Peter Stormare, Don Stark, Martin Sensmeier

We Watched On: VOD

Trunktober Approved Because: It is refreshing to discover a film about such fantastical subject matter still grounded in a very human reality. That’s what makes this UFO thriller so interesting, the fact that it’s not about a grand scale doomsday, but the doom and gloom that surrounds those individuals who believe they have been abducted by beings from another world.

Biggest Scare: When the reality of what is happening becomes apparent in the final half of the film, the action and special effects open the door to what feels like a different kind of movie than the one you’re already invested in, which works because of the tension that Sestito has built. For some the pace in the early going may seem slow moving, but it feels necessary for the overly-stretched elastic to snap free and bring you to an enjoyable cinematic climax.

Bonus: Check out our interview with Jordan Hinson here!

This October we’re focused on one thing and one thing only… watching as much horror-related programming as possible to prime the pop culture pump in celebration of Halloween. Our consuming will be taking place nightly, and while there’s no rhyme or reason to how we’re going about choosing our scary screenings, we’ll do our best to tell you how we did it so that you can watch them as well.

Title: The Nightmare Before Christmas

Directed By: Henry Selick

Starring: Danny Elfman, Chris Sarandon, Catherine O’Hara, William Hickey, Glenn Shadix, Paul Reubens, Ken Page

We Watched On: Amazon Prime

Trunktober Approved Because: It doesn’t get more Tim Burtony than this modern day classic, which defies traditional character development and storytelling to give us a truly unique cinematic masterpiece. What’s this? What’s this? We’ll tell you what it is, Jack Skellington! It’s Halloween gold! (With just a touch of macabre Christmas thrown in for good measure!) If you enjoy this as much as I did then you’ll probably love these Jack Skellington onesies available at kigurumi.co!

Biggest Scare: Those mischievous Lock, Shock, and Barrel are the annoying kids in your neighborhood that kind of creep you out, only these ones have sharp instruments and a ghoulish curiosity that a curmudgeonly “GET OFF MY LAWN!” has no impact on.

This October we’re focused on one thing and one thing only… watching as much horror-related programming as possible to prime the pop culture pump in celebration of Halloween. Our consuming will be taking place nightly, and while there’s no rhyme or reason to how we’re going about choosing our scary screenings, we’ll do our best to tell you how we did it so that you can watch them as well.

Title: Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween

Directed By: Ari Sandel

Starring: Jeremy Ray Taylor, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Madison Iseman, Caleel Harris, Ken Jeong, Chris Parnell

We Watched On: The big screen, aka, in theaters!

Trunktober Approved Because: There are not many horror-related projects that we can enjoy with our kids, mostly because genre storytelling isn’t meant for young, impressionable, nightmare-producing brains. Thankfully, the Goosebumps brand has been bucking that trend for nearly three decades, and the latest film in the ever-expanding franchise, “Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween,” gives us some frightful fare that we can watch alongside of our little monsters.

Biggest Scare: What both the first film and this one do so well is really nail the creature designs and perfectly blend the SFX with traditional make-up and prosthetics, giving this new school storytelling and old school feel in the vain of “The Monster Squad.”

Bonus: Check out our interview with Jeremy Ray Taylor here!