Midsummer Scream Slays Another Summerween

Halloween was in full swing at Midsummer Scream! While I’ve made a tradition of attending this event annually, this year was the first time I purchased VIP Gold Bat Passes for the entire weekend. I was prowling the Halloween and horror convention Friday, Saturday AND Sunday. Plus, I attended the Saturday night afterparty, which was another first for me. Get ready for lots of details and pictures.

Midsummer Scream took place at the Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, CA, during the final weekend of July. The event occurs at the peak of summerween and really gets Halloween lovers (like me) amped up for the upcoming spooky season. The horror con has definitely gained popularity and this year, most of the passes sold out.

As I mentioned, I was present all three days. I had a blast, but this vampire was also quite drained by the end of it all. It was well worth it, and I would do it all over again. Since so much happened, I’m going to break down what I experienced by day.

Day 1: Friday

So, I have never been to Midsummer Scream on a Friday. When the event initially started out in 2016, it spanned across two days. At some point, the creators decided to add an extra day and kick off the event on a Friday. Opening day is more of a half-day and takes place from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Although Friday sold out, the crowds seemed pretty calm. While no panels took place, there were shows, performances at Theatre Macabre, and horror films playing in the Screaming Room. I knew there were a lot of panels and presentations I wanted to check out on Saturday and Sunday, so I decided to spend my first evening at the convention exploring the vendors and haunts.

I went straight to the Hall of Shadows. This area features mini versions of haunts that SoCal haunt designers plan to set up when fall hits. I couldn’t wait for the scares and screams! I dared to venture through Pizza Planet Truck and Art’s Sideshow: The Real Sideshow, Realm of Shadow: Labyrinth of Lost Souls and Gears of Fear: Explore the Legacy of Lionsgate® Horror.

I was drawn to Art’s Sideshow because the exterior featured Art the Clown and I’m a huge Terrifier fan. If you know, you know. Realm of Shadow had a really neat design set. When trying to get one photo, one of the scare actors suddenly pounded on the mirror behind me and completely startled me. It was awesome. The Lionsgate maze was amazing. For being a mini haunt, it had great production quality and highlighted scenes from existing and forthcoming Lionsgate horror movies.

There were other haunts to see, but before time ran out, I wanted to shop the hundreds of spooky vendors. I thought it was a good idea to browse the show floor on Friday because this gigantic space gets jam packed over the weekend. There were many exhibitors I remembered from years past and others that were new to me. Mystic Museum, Vamp & The Fiends, Backstitch Bruja and Bat In Your Belfry were a few oldies but goodies.

I loved the Dracula candle I bought from Purgatory Candle Co. last year, so I made it a point to stop by their booth again. I got We Are the Weirdos: Dark Magic and Creepy & Kooky: Nevermore Neroli. I was also on the hunt for spooky sleepwear and discovered R.I.PJs. The pair I snagged was a two-piece set with a pumpkin, skull and witch pattern.

Before I knew it, it was time to head home and rest for the next day’s festivities.

Day 2: Saturday

Saturday is when many of the major panels are scheduled. Day two was also sold out, and it was obvious. Throngs of people flooded the convention center. I was extremely happy that I had opted for VIP passes this time around because it made an immense difference when it came to waiting in lines for the presentations.

The first panel I was excited to see was the Elvira presentation at 12:30 p.m. However, an unexpected occurrence took place—the fire alarm was set off. It abruptly started blaring after we had been seated in the Grand Ballroom for a few minutes. It continued for nearly an hour when we were finally told that we needed to exit the auditorium and that the presentation was rescheduled for 5 p.m. that evening. They made it clear that no one was in any danger; it was simply a system malfunction.

Funnily enough, as soon as we walked out, the alarm stopped. This meant that the following presentation would start right on time, which was The Return of the Living Drag 2: Drag by Dawn. This is a spectacular drag show extravaganza presented by Peaches Christ. It features a variety of talented drag performers strutting their stuff on stage.

The host Peaches Christ was dressed to kill as Pinhead from Hellraiser. She performed the opening number and was electrifying. Another favorite of mine was Cream who performed “#1 Crush” by Garbage. I am obsessed with that song and was thrilled when I heard it play. The finale was stupendous! Miss Clair Voyance, Leeko Rae and April Showers did a Haunted Mansion themed act, and it felt like I was on the attraction at Disneyland. The entire audience was mesmerized.

For those who read my last blog post, you know Dark Harbor is returning to the Queen Mary, and it’s a pretty big deal. The creators behind the event hosted the panel and shared some exciting revelations. Lullaby and Infirmary will be among the haunted mazes guests can explore. The Ringmaster and The Captain were also brought out on stage to greet and tease the crowd. It was also revealed that special tokens will be given out during the event so attendees can access the various secret bars that will be present throughout the grounds.

After, it was finally time for the Elvira presentation. Elvira, who’s real name is Cassandra Peterson, is such an icon in the horror industry and I was excited for the opportunity to see her interviewed live. The panel focused on her years performing her “Elvira, Mistress of the Dark” revue at Knott’s Scary Farm, which she had been doing since 1982 before retiring in 2017. It was announced that new Elvira merch would be coming to Knott’s Scary Farm.

However, the major news was the unveiling of the “Yours Cruelly, Elvira XXperience” coming to the theme park this spooky season! Every night of the Halloween event, the Walter Knott Theater will be featuring highlights from Elvira’s years of performing at Knott’s. Her infamous Macabre Mobile will also be on display, as well as other signature props. To top it all off, she’ll be appearing in person on select nights to do signings. I haven’t attended Knott’s Scary Farm in more than 20 years, and I’m thinking this is the year to return.

The Boulet Brothers: If Looks Could Kill panel was the final presentation I checked out for the day. Dracmorda and Swanthula were joined by their Creatures of the Night podcast cohost Ian Devoglaer. The trio discussed their top 10 picks for the best horror movie looks. A few mentions included Aaliyah’s Akasha from Queen of the Damned, Gary Oldman’s portrayal of Dracula, and Pinhead from Hellraiser, who was their number one choice. I must add that the Boulet Brothers absolutely slayed with their attire.

While that may have been the last panel, the action wasn’t over yet. On Saturday, Midsummer Scream hosts an afterparty in the Grand Ballroom. Tickets are sold separately for it but are included with VIP Gold Bat Passes.  It was titled Party for the Recently Deceased and is essentially a huge Halloween bash. Costumes are encouraged and there’s a costume contest. There was a DJ, games, photo ops and Beetlejuice impersonators. Although the party kept going until midnight, I only stayed for an hour. I was exhausted and needed to rest up for the following day. I took in enough to get my fill though and saw some very creative costumers.

Day 3: Sunday

Sunday is typically a more chill day compared to Saturday, but there was still a sizable crowd and plenty to do. Actor David Dastmalchian, who was recently in Late Night with the Devil, was doing a Let’s Get Spooky panel with creator Vamp. I decided to skip it because another presentation I really wanted to check out overlapped. It was Satanic Hispanics: Unveiled. It was a discussion on Latino representation in horror with the crew from the movie Satanic Hispanics and was hosted by content creator Ivotres, aka Horror Movies and Beyond. A few months ago, I interviewed Ivotres and was looking forward to connecting with her. It was a stimulating conversation, and I really appreciate how Ivotres is taking action, like putting this panel together, to highlight underrepresented BIPOC communities in horror. We had the chance to meet after, which I was grateful for.

I also sat in on the Thirteenth Floor presentation. This usually draws a big crowd because it includes some of Los Angeles’s most notable haunt events, such as LA Haunted Hayride, Delusion, Magic of the Jack O’ Lanterns and Dark Harbor. Each creator took turns unveiling what people could look forward to at each event.

The producers of Dark Harbor had an extra surprise to share that they didn’t reveal during the previous day’s panel. It was the reveal of a new maze that will focus on the origin story of the butcher character of the Queen Mary. From the teaser trailer they showed, it looks like it’ll be bloody fantastic. Fans of Janelle Monáe will be eager to hear that the actress and singer will have her own attraction at LA Haunted Hayride called Monáe Manor. I had no idea she’s a huge Halloween lover.

So much more was happening that would be impossible to include. The Boulet Brothers and some of the season 5 drag contestants did a meet and greet; there were live performances on other stages and film screenings; and horror film celebrities did signings. After doing a final walkthrough and some photo ops, I decided it was time to depart and bid farewell to Midsummer Scream, at least until next year.

I think it was totally worth doing the VIP Gold Bat Pass this year. In all honesty, the event has so much to offer that it was still challenging trying to explore everything in a single weekend, and there were still plenty of things I missed. However, I was able to better manage my time and focus on the activities and presentations that I wanted to do and see. Midsummer Scream, thank you for another killer summerween event!

Where to Stalk

Midsummer Scream official website