We went alllll the way to Long Beach in California to attend annual Halloween and horror convention Midsummer Scream, and it was AMAZING, writes ANDREA BEATTIE
Some might say heading to the other side of the world to go to a Halloween and horror convention is a little crazy, and in hindsight, it probably was.
I went solo, it was summer and I hate the heat, and I’d never been to Long Beach before … but WHAT an experience!
And if you’re trying to avoid massive October crowds (and who isn’t?!) but still get that spooky vibe, then a midsummer convention is the perfect solution.
The event showcased the diversity of Southern California’s haunt and horror community, and invited fans from around the world to experience a weekend of excitement and non-stop spooky fun with over 350 exhibitors, a dozen mini-haunts and attractions, panels, presentations, live performances, and more.
And what a weekend.
Horror and Halloween stars and icons hosted panels and presentations at the Long Beach convention centre all weekend, and there was also the incredible Hall Of Shadows which showcased some of the best haunts we’ve ever been to as well as the Screaming Room, Pumpkin Patch, Museum of Halloween, a short horror film fest and allll the live horror entertainment a horror fan could wish for.
Some of the horror and Halloween celebs who attended were:
For a long-time horror fan it was an absolute thrill to be in the same room as the ‘original monster kids’: Ron Chaney – grandson of Lon Chaney Jr and great-grandson of Lon Chaney Sr; Sara Karloff – daughter of Boris Karloff and Lynne Lugosi Sparks – granddaughter of Bela Lugosi. Their panel was presented by none other than Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett, and while he struggled a little with nerves, he did great.
The next big highlight for us was obviously the Hall of Shadows … we did every walkthrough and maze on the darkened ground floor – twice – and they were all amazing. The standouts were the Michael Myers house replica, and mazes from Santa Ana and the Casket Creek haunt. To see walkthrough videos, visit our Instagram and Facebook pages.
There were so many other highlights we could list, but one more noteworthy panel was one featuring original Hocus Pocus kids, Allison (Vinessa Shaw) and Max (Omri Katz) talking about their experiences and recollections making the film. They were funny, endearing and totally adorable.
We’re SO glad we decided to upgrade to the Gold Bat ticket which gave us early entry into all the mazes and the showroom floor an hour earlier than other ticketholders, and also priority access into panels. It was a life (and time) saver as lines to get into the convention were absolutely huge every day.
Despite the crowds, we totally recommend attending this event if you’re a Halloween and/or horror lover — It was an action-filled, jam-packed weekend of spooky vibes, jump scares, frights and pumpkins!
For more film and TV news, read our blog.