Fiona Dourif at Flashback Weekend 2018

Flashback Weekend returns August 2-4. Once again, I will be "On the Beat" at Chicago's longest-running horror convention.

One of the coolest celebrities I met at Flashback Weekend was Fiona Dourif. The actor-director daughter of actor Brad Dourif, Fiona followed her father into the Chucky movie franchise. She began acting at 13 and became a segment producer for documentaries on History and TLC. Since then, she has appeared in many movies on television and the big screen.

When I met her at Flashback Weekend a few years ago, she seemed surprised when I named several of her roles. Naturally, a lot of fans there were first fans of her father and the Chucky series, but many of us also became real fans of her work in and out of that.

Fiona was an actress I didn't expect to meet, but thanks to Flashback Weekend, there she was! That's the kind of great talent lineup Flashback brings in every year. It is a great convention. It has everything a bigger con has, yet it retains a small con community feel. I never miss it.

Check FlashbackWeekend.com for more info. Also, check back here for my recurring coverage.

Fiona Dourif and me in Rosemont, IL-August 2018.

Friend Encounters: Fiona Dourif and Michael West

Friend Encounters is a weekly series featuring friends meeting celebrities.

Once again, today is a double celebrity Friend Encounter. Author Michael West might eschew that label, but his many novels put him in that category.

Fiona Dourif is the daughter of actor Brad Dourif and his wife psychic Jonina. She started her acting career a bit late, becoming a segment producer after college. She started acting soon after though.

She has a lengthy resume, but my favorite role is her part in the Child's Play franchise. I have been known to enjoy more obscure roles of the actors I meet (sometimes to their dismay). In this case, I first noticed her  Acting alongside her father, she appeared in two of the films in that series. Perhaps it is because the Child's Play franchise is very popular or maybe because she worked with her father or maybe just because she is cool, Fiona embraces her role in the movie and her spot in horror history.

Author friend Michael also has a place in horror history by way of the written word. Michael has written more than 20 books. I have several of his books on my shelves and always enjoy catching up with him at cons, whether he is an attendee or a creator-vendor.

You can get more info on Michael at ByMichaelWest.com. I'm sure you will enjoy his books as much as I do.

 Michael West and Fiona Dourif in Cincinnati, OH-March 2018.