Text and photos by SCOTT FEINBLATT
One of the most endearing things about the annual Midsummer Scream convention is that it goes big without losing sight of the community. Since the first instance of the world’s premier Halloween and horror convention in 2016, the Midsummer team has maintained a hearty mixture of programming nurtured with personal attention. From the mini haunted mazes of the Hall of Shadows, family-friendly entertainment, DIY workshops and seminars for aspiring haunted attraction industry personnel to celebrity presentations and panels, festival goers are treated to a dynamic range of experiences without ever feeling that the event was thrown together by folks who want to take their money and run.
During any given year, one can observe the four executive team members/co-founders David Markland (executive director), Claire Dunlap (producer), Gary Baker (executive producer), and Rick West (creative director) running from presentation to panel to demonstration area, walkie-talkie in hand, coordinating with other members of their expansive team to make sure that everything runs smoothly. The rest of the team, all horror fans (of course), conduct themselves professionally, being both helpful and friendly with the colorful individuals who comprise the horde of Midsummer Scream attendees.
Now, let’s take a look at this year’s attractions:
As far as big-time scaremeisters are concerned, the convention was amply covered. None other than legendary Halloween director John Carpenter joined a host of horror icons in the Celebrity Zone of the showroom floor, which included Cassandra Peterson (aka Elvira), Linda Blair, Nick Castle, David Naughton, Tommy Lee Wallace, Greg Nicotero, Joe Bob Briggs and Darcy the Mail Girl – among many others. Several of the festival’s highlighted celebrities didn’t have booths but did make appearances at their respective presentations. These included David Dastmalchian participating in a The Last Podcast on the Left panel with hosts Henry Zebrowski and Ed Larson; Barbara Crampton joining Peaches Christ for a screening of Re-Animator; and Renny Harlin, Courtney Solomon, Mark Canton and Michelle Harrison discussing The Strangers: Chapter 2 in a Lionsgate panel.
Nick Castle, Sandy King Carpenter, Greg Nicotero, Shelby Novak and Michael Roffman at the Bloodlines panel.
Naturally, the haunted attraction industry was well-represented. Presentations that centered on SoCal’s major players featured Six Flags Magic Mountain Fright Fest, Thirteenth Floor Entertainment (LA Haunted Hayride, Delusion, Magic of the Jack O’Lanterns, and Festival Fright Nights at Winchester Mystery House), Knott’s Scary Farm, Castle Dark, Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor and Universal Studios Hollywood Halloween Horror Nights. Additionally, a panel called “Haunt Spotlight 2025” showcased many well-regarded local haunts, including Fear Farm, Eulogy Collective (formerly Santa Ana Haunt), The Curse of the Raven, Sombras Cemetery, The Buena Vista Haunt and VanOaks Cemetery. Most of these (and many more) haunted attractions were featured on the showroom floor. Some had elaborate facades; some had creative installations; and some had roving monsters.
Knott’s Scary Farm Presentation
The Hall of Shadows is where guests experience the most immersive Halloween atmosphere. Arranged like a darkened fairground, the area contained about a half-dozen mini haunted mazes as well as several installations. The experiences range from those of family-owned and grassroots organizations (such as Straite to Hale Productions, H&L’s Realm of Horror, The Haunted Harvest and Haunted Carwash) to large studio exhibitions from Lionsgate and Magic of the Jack O’Lanterns. As always, there was also a dedicated area for the Decayed Brigade to perform their traditional slider stunt show. Regardless of the level of production, it is always exciting to dip into The Hall of Shadows and experience a sneak preview of the atmosphere and the artistry that will soon pop up all over SoCal.
Arachnophobic fun in Midsummer Scream’s Hall of Shadows.
Back out on the showfloor, hundreds of vendor booths function as the proverbial “gift shop.” In addition to the t-shirts, posters, books, movies, toys, masks, props, costumes, candles and other horror products, there were more veneers and installations, make-up demonstrations, performance stages and workshop areas. Artisans sold their goods, producers pitched their events, companies demonstrated their wares, familiar faces from the horror community greeted one another and patrons dazzled with their cosplaying contributions to the celebration.
Suffice it to say, any attractions that I report on comprise merely the tip of the iceberg, but I thoroughly enjoyed the cross-section of presentations. On the entertainment end of the spectrum, I checked out the latest “Urban Death” show, which I consider a cornerstone of live horror theater. The ever-changing array of brief, wordless, macabre and often naked vignettes directed by Jana Wimer and produced by Zombie Joe’s Underground Theatre Group was as enthralling as ever. Along with their presentation came announcements that there will be a new, Las Vegas-based edition throughout October and that the “Urban Death Tour of Terror” hybrid haunted maze and performance would be returning to North Hollywood throughout October as well.
Captured Aural Phantasy Theater
Next, I checked out a new performance from Captured Aural Phantasy Theatre, which performs old-timey, radio-style readings of E.C. horror comics, complete with accompanying foley and projections of comic book panels from the stories they adapt. Like Zombie Joe’s troupe, these folks have been a mainstay of the convention since the beginning and are in a class all their own. They also announced an upcoming show on October 26 and a secondary performance of an original musical on October 9 at the LA Public Library called “Tales From the Comic Book Crackdown,” which they will be taking to Broadway.
The only other theatrical experience I saw was “Fallen Saints: Taste of Blaze City” from Force of Nature Productions. This interactive experience actually started on the show floor, where I was given instructions about a science experiment that results in all the color being sapped out of the world. I was given a card and told to seek out characters from the troupe, who were wandering throughout the whole convention center. After each unique exchange, the performer would then mark my card, and I was to return to the showroom booth to experience the final phase of the performance. Regrettably, by the time I headed back (after having checked out several other shows and seminars), it was 7:00 p.m. and the showroom floor had shut down. As luck would have it, they will be performing the show through September 27.
Midsummer Scream fans get in the spirit of the season.
There were several other showcases I wanted to check out, including the Midsummer Scream Film Festival, the Horror Musical Parody Revue (including bits from Saw: The Musical and Scream’d), Peaches Christ’s The Return of the Living Drag 3: Tales of Terror and Peepshow Menagerie’s Vault of Haunted Tease: Horror Comic Burlesque Vixens Unbound! Unfortunately, there are only so many hours in the day, and I wanted to check out some of the other types of presentations for a well-rounded experience.
On the educational end of the programming, I checked out “Creating the Sounds of Knott’s Scary Farm.” Hosted by sound designer Dan Bieranowski, this presentation featured a demonstration of how soundtracks are created, manipulated and mixed to accompany the visual experiences of their respective haunted mazes. Attendance included a download of a free horror sound effects package, which included about 100 sound effects clips.
Nocturnal DesignZ Make-up Demo
I also joined the crowd for “Bloodlines: The Evolution, Psychology, and Legacy of Gore in Horror Cinema.” This panel featured Greg Nicotero, Sandy King Carpenter, Nick Castle and moderators Shelby Novak and Michael Roffman discussing the history of gore in horror cinema. It was a fascinating discussion that included the panelists’ recollections of their first experiences of gore in movies, their thoughts on gore as a storytelling tool and the extent to which it is used to reflect social and political movements.
Cosplayers Demonslay.her and Aaron Hammond
Finally, I went to the Haunt Comp presentation. This was essentially an awards ceremony that recognized the work of dozens of competitive haunt-design groups. At the beginning of the competition, the groups were presented with three theme options for designing a haunt. Under the tutelage of the competition’s judges, pros from Knott’s Scary Farm, Midsummer Scream, Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor and Halloween Horror Nights, the groups designed their own mazes, stories, unique gags, art designs and souvenir merchandise based on their chosen theme. Haunt Comp executive producers Taylor Scott and Xochilt Khoury and director of design and marketing Hannah Sandeen introduced the finalist presentations. Following this, several additional tiers of awards were announced, and the winning teams were named in various categories. The spirit of this endeavor was impressive; the designs were dynamic and unique, and perhaps more than anywhere else in the convention, I believe I felt that this subset of the Halloween-centric community glowed the brightest with the heart of the jack-o’-lantern. I’m sure that more than a few of them will soon find employment in the haunt industry.
And that’s it, kiddies! There’s never enough time to check out everything that I want to see, talk to all of the folks I know or photograph all of the amazing sights. But as time has proven once again, Midsummer Scream keeps that Halloween candle lit. The genial spirit and mutual love for all things spooky have permeated the Long Beach Convention Center once again, manifesting via professional artists and artisans, journeypersons and fans. And it is all made possible by the dedicated team behind the scenes who make the ultimate sacrifice. They put it all together and keep the wheels greased, but they never get the chance to experience it at leisure. Thanks, guys!
