REVIEW: MIDSUMMER SCREAM

AUGUST 6, 2024

review: MIDSUMMER SCREAM

Every year the team behind Midsummer Scream (MSS) transforms the Long Beach Convention Center into the global epicenter of Halloween, bringing together fans of horror, haunters, cosplayers, industry legends, and everything that intersects in-between. This unique event fills every nook and cranny of the Convention Center with performances (like Zombie Joe's Underground Theatre), panels, music (LVCRFT), celebrity meet & greets, and a showroom floor filled with hundreds of vendors. However, what makes this event so special is the blacked-out wing of the showroom floor that hosts numerous haunted houses and displays, the “Hall of Shadows".

Traditionally, the Hall of Shadows entrance was created by CalHauntS - a collective of talented builders who each do their own respective haunts. This year marked a change where they instead built a centralized haunted train station display - filled with animatronics and interactive sound - that was truly spectacular. In exchange the entrance was built by one of the High Desert's best haunts, Fear Farm! They added their own special touch by including a mini maze amoung their horror barnyard sets to build the mood for all the attendees as they entered.

Once inside, an eclectic array of mazes loomed in the darkness. There was Realm of Shadow, the high octane energy of the Santa Ana Haunt, the infamous neon ghost town Haunt at Hellizondo, and a collaboration from the Pizza Planet Truck and Art Sideshow. However the most unique theme was "Scooby-Doo" from Riverside's Dreich Society Home Haunt - who most remember from their amazing 2023 Twilight Zone maze. The Scooby-Doo maze focused on chaos and fun - rather than horror and fear - creating unexpected encounters which left a lasting impression.

The most discussed maze of 2024 was Plague Productions’ collaboration with Lionsgate: “Gears of Fear: Explore the Legacy of Lionsgate Horror”. While we are often weary of corporate mazes, the suits seemed to let Plague do what they do best: make extraordinary, artistic sets by harnessing some of the most distinguished talent around. The maze was eerily lit and filled with enthusiastic scare actors who animated what was possibly one of the longest mazes we have ever experienced at MSS.

While there is obviously much more to MSS than just the Hall Shadows (such as Bob Gurr or Elvira!), every year we are ecstatic when we enter this particular wing of the convention. Whether we were enjoying performances by the legendary sliders group, Decayed Brigade, or looking at the carefully built animatronics of CalHauntS otherworldly train station, we couldn’t help but feel the first stirrings of the beginning of the 2024 haunt season. We left feeling excited about our Midsummer Scream experience and filled with eager anticipation for what we will see this fall.

VC

August 06, 2024

Hauntsofla.com

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