PHOTO BY SEAN COLLIER

I spent Saturday afternoon at Horror Realm Con, the annual gathering of spooky folks held at the Crowne Plaza hotel in Bethel Park.

It’s a very well-organized and welcoming event, typical of many fan conventions. I met actress Dee Wallace, seizing the chance to tell her that her brokenhearted performance in “E.T.” embodied the suburban melancholy that makes Spielberg’s classic a perfect film. (Yes, I used the phrase “suburban melancholy.”) I listened to a brief presentation from director/producer Charles Band, whose innovative shlock studio Full Moon Pictures has endured as a low-budget success story. I ran into a dozen fellow horror fans, from contemporary colleagues — I wasn’t the only member of the Pittsburgh Magazine staff in attendance — to friends I hadn’t seen in years.

What struck me most, however, was not the silver-screen heroes or the programming. Not long after we arrived, my fiancée bought a coffee mug emblazoned with the poster from an obscure ’80s slasher, “Phantom of the Mall: Eric’s Revenge.” I have a similar mug — mine adorned with “The Slumber Party Massacre” — that I picked up from the same vendors at last year’s Drive-In Super Monster Rama.

The folks who made the mugs (I failed to get their names but will gladly amend this piece if I learn their names) were one of a great many vendors offering horror-themed wares. Some were reselling niche products but many were presenting their own creations — works of art, apparel and decor inspired by favorite movies and characters.

If you attend fan conventions regularly, you’re familiar with vendors like these. They almost never have brick-and-mortar stores, instead popping up at events such as Horror Realm Con and selling some items online. Maybe these creations are a side hustle and maybe they’re a whole career, but either way, artists are making money off this work; this isn’t a hobby, it’s a job.

If the crowds around most booths at Horror Realm Con were any indication, business was good. Most people walk out of events like these overloaded with shopping bags; the frequent refrain near the exit is, “I need to go home before I’m broke.” (For my part, I intended to buy very little … and left with a “Sleepaway Camp” T-shirt, a “Twin Peaks” magnet, a “Twilight Zone” air freshener and a rare Blu-Ray double-feature of William Castle pictures.)

While events like these may seem like a trifle to those not in a given fandom, to the creators and small businesses who attend, they’re a lifeline. They represent thousands of dollars of earnings in a few days — often a significant percentage of annual income. And there’s no alternative; while goods such as these can be sold online, it’s often too difficult for small businesses to overcome the marketing budgets and larger presence of big internet retailers. These businesses make their money at in-person events.

There’s an ongoing controversy about the current and future home of Steel City Con, the region’s largest regular fan convention; traditionally held at the Monroeville Convention Center. There are many elements to that story — and I’m keeping up with them for a future piece — but my visit to Horror Realm Con this weekend underlined that these events mean more than hotel stays and business at local restaurants.

For many folks, they’re absolutely essential. That’s an economic reality that’s more important than real-estate considerations or the location of big-box retailers.

I will continue to buy novelty coffee mugs until I run out of space, at which point I will painstakingly decide which mugs to retire and then buy more. And I’ll do it at events like Horror Realm Con — where I know that every purchase has an impact.