REVIEW: midsummer scream
August 1, 2018
midsummer scream at long beach convention center
Haunts in the Los Angeles area have been popping off for many years, and for good reason. LA is a city of known for its entertainment and creativity, and when you mix that with everyone’s favorite holiday: Halloween, you have the perfect combination to bring forth the best haunts in the world. Whether you are a seasoned haunter or an amateur, everyone brings to life a unique vision, conjuring the dark and fantastical worlds we all hold deep within us.
The Midsummer Scream Halloween and Horror Convention has only been around for three years, but has quickly become hugely popular thanks to it’s epic array of vendors, haunts, programs, and special guests. Located in the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center, @midsummerscream offers everything from an Elvira Cafe to haunt favorites like Murder House (@mhphaunt), Opechee Haunt (@opecheehaunt), and Spooky Hollows.
Midsummer Scream sold out quickly, and this was very evident by the convention’s swelling crowds containing haunters and Halloween lovers alike. Traveling through the convention we were surrounded by a festive atmosphere filled with wonderfully executed characters like Freddy Krueger, Pennywise, Ash Williams, the Munsters, and more. We also saw real life icons like Cassandra Peterson and Justin Scarred. There was so much to see we couldn’t soak everything in, and missed some of the great panels, presentations, and our favorite theatrical production: Zombie Joe’s Underground Theater. However, we enjoyed some great experiences, such as Jon Braver’s new VR presentation of Delusion, which contained a lot of the plot from his 2014 production “Delusion: Lies Within”. This was a really beautiful and nostalgic film which made us miss the otherworldly immersive experience of Delusion’s (@enterdelusion) interactive plays.
We enjoyed some great haunt classics with our visits to the vendor booths. Seasonal legends Bone Yard Effects (@boneyardfx...the minds behind one of the best haunts of last year: “Into The Black”) had a free photo-op booth with the Munsters. The always beautiful and charming Cassandra Peterson was present for a meet and greet with her @therealelivra fans. We were happy to see a booth hosted by @dappercadaverprops, a prop shop that we love (one of our team members has used their body part props while filming videos for Adult Swim). There were multiple live makeup demos, and our favorite was E.I. Makeup School (@eimakeupschool) who created an incredible mummy and Anubis right before our eyes. To top things off was the Slashback Video VHS store installation, complete with vintage horror film merchandise and memorabilia….taking you back to the time in which most of our Halloween icons were created.
Other highlights included several pop-up haunts, which we will cover with individual reviews throughout the upcoming week.
Even though Midsummer Scream takes place during the hottest time of the year, its ghost and ghouls are enough to put chills down anyone's spine!
VC
August 1, 2018
hauntsofla.com
#midsummerscream #halloween #spooky #longbeach #losangeles #elvira #boneyardfx #murderhouseproductions #opeecheehaunt #spookyhallows #hauntedhouse #hauntedmaze #livefastdiepoor #randomland #pennywise #hauntsofla