Chicago Flashback Weekend adds Lance Henriksen: Not bad for a human!

Chicago Flashback Weekend has added Lance Henriksen to their stacked guest list. The con takes over the Crowne Plaza Chicago O’Hare Hotel in Rosemont, IL Aug. 2 – 4.

The celebrity guest list for Chicago Flashback Weekend keeps getting bigger. Lance Henriksen is the latest legend slated to appear in Rosemont, Illinois this August. Tickets for the con will likely be available in the coming weeks.

“I may be synthetic, but I’m not stupid.” That was the line that vindicated robots in the Alien cinematic universe. It did for me, anyway.

In the original Alien, Ian Holm played the synthetic Ash as cunning and murderous in his deception. In Aliens, Lance Henriksen portrays the synthetic Bishop as open and collaborative in his core mission to protect human life.

For me, that’s been a key trait of every Lance Henriksen performance. There’s something open and available in all of his characters no matter how depressed or dark they get. Speaking of the dark, Henriksen played vampire leader Jesse Hooker in the cult classic Near Dark.

Even as a century old vampire, there was a real sense of wonder on Henriksen’s face while watching a newbie vampire get shot for the first time. It was as if he was remembering the first time that happened to him. Reminiscing is a big part of life as you get older.

Henriksen also played a grieving father who summons an ancient evil to get revenge for the death of his son in Pumpkinhead. Ed Harley turns from a loving parental figure to a resolute man out for vengeance.It’s a quick transformation that Henriksen makes believable.

The actor is widely known for his portrayal of Frank Black on Fox Television’s Millennium. The show, set in The X-Files universe, followed Black as he investigated serial killers, the occult, and conspiracy theories for the Millennium Group. Black had the unique ability to look inside the minds of killers.

Chicago Flashback Weekend-Lance Henriksen-Courtesy of Flashback Weekend Chicago Horror Con

Younger audiences may know Henriksen thanks to his voice work as Kerchak the Gorilla in the 1999 animated version of Tarzan. He’s also voiced Fleet Admiral Steven Hackett in BioWare’s Mass Effect video game trilogy and as Jedi Master Gnost-Dural in Star Wars: Old Republic.

The celebrity lineup at Chicago Flashback Weekend is already pretty strong. Robert Englund and Heather Langenkamp from Nightmare on Elm Street are also featured guests along with Sam Raimi, Bruce Campbell, and Ted Raimi from the Evil Dead franchise. Tony Todd and Virginia Madsen from Candyman will also be in attendance. Todd will even be in costume for some photo-ops. Plus Melinda Clarke and Alicia Witt will also be signing autographs and meeting fans. Chicago is looking like the place to be for horror fans in early August.

Discount hotel accommodations are already available at the Crown Plaza Chicago O’Hare Hotel in Rosemont, Illinois. There is a free shuttle service to and from O’Hare Airport.

One of the newest additions to Flashback Weekend is the Murray Brothers Caddyshack restaurant located within the hotel. It’s owned and run by Bill Murray and his brothers. It’s named and themed after the iconic 1980 comedy Caddyshack. They offer a special horror themed menu during the con.

Tickets and VIP packages aren’t on sale, yet. Check back with Flashback Weekend Chicago Horror Con over the coming months. This is going to be a good one.

Have you ever attended Flashback Weekend before? Is Lance Henriksen’s appearance making you consider the trip? Let’s discuss in the comments!