Armadillocon 2026 Schedule

A warning to the curious:

ArmadilloCon 2026 has released its programming schedule. Taking place on September 11-13, it includes a writer's workshop and abundance of programming . My schedule (five panel discussions and one reading) is below. Hope to see you there.

Friday, September 11, 2026
We Keep Rediscovering Low Budget Horror
9pm - 9:55pm
Derek Austin Johnson (moderator), Usman T. Malik, Mariana Colín, Micaiah Johnson, Johnny Compton
Low budget horror movies have always existed, and its the genre that lends itself best to creative storytelling and filmcraft choices driven by having little money.  This has been the case since the beginning of film as a medium.  But every few years we get a surge of New Horror Movies (this year with Obsession and Backrooms) that costed nothing but do big business, and the media responds like this is something new and unexpected.


Saturday, September 12, 2026

What You Should Have Watched This Year
11:30am - 12:25pm
A. T. Campbell, III (moderator), Aaron de Orive, Jeremy Brett, Derek Austin Johnson, Robin Alvarez
So many genre movies and shows! Which are worth talking about? Our panelists have opinions.

Liminal Spaces in Horror
1pm - 1:55pm
Randee Dawn (moderator), Aaron de Orive, Usman T. Malik, Derek Austin Johnson, Johnny Compton
From The Shining to Silent Hill to Exit 8 and the Backrooms, the transitional and impersonal space has always held fascination for horror in print and film, to name only two. This panel discussion tries to discuss why the trend for liminal horror has become so prevalent and why it speaks to modern horror audiences. 

Reading - Derek Austin Johnson
3pm - 3:25pm
Derek Austin Johnson
Reading - Derek Austin Johnson

Psychological Horror: It's All in the Mind
8pm - 8:55pm
K.D. Blade (moderator), Usman T. Malik, Tonia Ransom, Derek Austin Johnson, Johnny Compton
The panel considers the difference between the supernatural and psychological horror, and if horror might *all* be psychological.

Stephen King's Parks and Rec: A Trip to Widow's Bay
9pm - 9:55pm
Beth Anderson / A.E. Dethlefsen (moderator), Aaron de Orive, A. Lee Martinez, Marshall Ryan Maresca, Derek Austin Johnson, Mariana Colín
This panel discusses Apple TV's horror comedy gem, from its unusual premise (imagine Parks and Recreation set in the Stephen King universe) to how it approaches standard horror tropes.

ArmadilloCon 2026