BY DEBORAH KAVIS
If you want to visit a veritable playground for those who enjoy the creepier things in life, there’s no better place to attend than ScareLA. This “Halloween in the summer” event, having made its debut in 2013, is becoming a serious player on the convention scene. There was truly a little something for everyone among the vendor booths, interactive exhibits, performances and demonstrations at this year’s show, which took place this past weekend at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
Many different walks of horror and Halloween life were well-represented at ScareLA. Several booths catered specifically to those in the haunt industry; for example, some sold spooky instrumental music CDs for haunted houses and the like to use for setting the mood. There were a few makeup demonstrations set up as well, revealing how to achieve that perfect fear-inducing look. For games and entertainment, there was Z-tag, a zombie-themed role-playing adventure running throughout the convention, as well as an inflatable corn maze for younger kids (CHILDREN OF THE CORN, anyone?) and another maze that offered participants the chance to whack down zombified characters using foam “weapons.”
There were also several familiar faces around the convention, including genre actors like John Kassir (the official host, and voice of the Crypt Keeper) and AnnaLynne McCord (EXCISION, TRASH FIRE, 68 KILL), as well as author and Krampus expert Al Ridenour. It was a real treat to see a parade of Krampuses roaming around the convention floor and getting into playful mischief with onlookers. Another highlight was the art show, which boasted a variety of pieces related to the surreal, horror and Halloween genres. (Below, LA artist Jesse Ledina of AndrogynArt is pictured with his TWIN PEAKS pieces.)
