Argh! Zombies Take Over Boston at Walker Stalker Con

I’ve been a big fan of all things zombie for ages. Shaun of the Dead is one of my all-time favorite movies, and World War Z made the abject terror of a global zombie infection palpable. So I jumped at the chance to spend the weekend at Walker Stalker Con in Boston.

Now in its third year, Walker Stalker is a fantastic two-day Walking Dead-focused event taking place in multiple cities around the US, as well as in London and a cruise to the Bahamas. The Westin Boston Waterfront hotel is a reasonably good site for a con this size; it has several options for food and coffee, easy parking, and access to public transportation.

The layout of the con within the hotel is functional but a bit peculiar: the vendor, artist and celebrity rooms are in two lower-level function areas at opposite sides of the hotel, with the enormous lobby in between. The upside: hotel guests and con visitors get to interact. Many guests were charmed and entertained by the roving hoards of zombies, sheriffs and random cosplayers, and frequently asked to take pictures. It makes for an entertaining lobby scene.

The majority of cosplayers were The Walking Dead characters; Daryl, Rick, Lori and Carl were everywhere, as was MrTUSA-Team‘s Tyreese. And oh, the zombies! There were undead from every genre and style imaginable: Walking Dead walkers; sad, terrifying zombie clowns; an amazing zombie Alice and the Mad Hatter; a colorful pair zombified Disney princesses, Ariel and Snow White; and a sensational zombie groom and bride, who promptly got into slow, shambling fight with another zombie bride. Lots of kids were in zombie makeup and small prosthetics as well. I’m hopeful that Walker Stalker is a “gateway” con for kids and parents to enjoy their fandoms with other cosplays at other cons.

The celebrities are the real draw at Walker Stalker. Most are Walking Dead cast members, but Breaking Bad and Lost were also well represented. The actors seemed to genuinely enjoy interacting with their fans, posing for photos and stopping to talk even when “off duty” and walking through the hotel. A few big-name guests cancelled just before the con; a few people I spoke to were disappointed but not upset.

For fun, unique pictures, there were several large backdrops and photo areas: a zombie Red Sox banner; a wooden fence with a Walker Stalker General Store sign; and a chain-link fence with plastic body parts. Another unique addition — several booths applying zombie makeup and bloody scars to fans who wanted a quick touch of undead flair.

As I took photos and spoke with people, I asked everyone a simple question: After the zombie apocalypse, what one thing would you find it really hard to live without? The answers varied from the mundane and everyday to the cerebral: Coffee; Chicken; Bacon; Other people (clarified to “non-infected people”); Music; NFL Football; a PS4 (or an XBox in a pinch); Tampons; Toilet paper. My personal favorite response: Zombies – the cocktail, not the undead. Bacon was the runaway leader, with 9 people shedding a single, perfect tear at the thought of a life without the crispy delight.

While the overall craze for all things zombie may be slowing, Walker Stalker makes it clear that people have a strong affinity for the shambling, lurching, gory undead and the people who fight them. With season six of The Walking Dead set to premier in October, and the LA-based spin-off Fear the Walking Dead debuting to huge numbers (if a less-than-stellar critical response), we can look forward to many more years of fun at Walker Stalker Con.