Chaos, costumes, and crazy horror fans took over Midsummer Scream 2026!
When you think of Haunts, Scare Actors, and the world biggest horror convention, you probably aren’t thinking about horror musicals. Or maybe you are and you’re in the right place after all…
For 3 days, attendees of Midsummer Scream were thrust into the limelight, where they were treated to musical numbers from our friends at Stage Fright Theater Co. Horror Nerd gave us comedians who had original songs that made us laugh and think about horror movies in a different light. Bite-sized theatrical shows like Scream’d: The Musical that gave us just a taste of what the full show could be.
Not sure about horror musicals? You can walk the vendor floor and shop from over 350+ vendors that range from screen-printing shirts to testing your scream score, where you can see how you stack up against other horror fans, or if you’re feeling somewhat brave, you could take a photo with roaming scare actors and cosplayers who are ready for their close-up.
Maybe none of that interests you and you’re looking for a real SCARE. Something to scratch that itch for the Haunt season. Well, the Hall of Shadows is the perfect place for you to scream, hide, and maybe even make a friend or two while you’re walking through some of the best haunted houses in all of Southern California. Black Casket Productions took our screams and ran with them, definitely the best haunt in our humble opinion.
Feeling like you could use some adrenaline after all those haunts? Decayed Brigade put on a slider show that had Ghostface slicing and dicing sliders, and every audience member was given a glowing bracelet to add to the ambience of the show. You could grab a photo with a life-size Demogorgon courtesy of our friend Rawl of the Dead, or if you need a carwash, Haunted Carwash would get you settled right in.
Looking for somewhere to rest your dead-tired body and want to learn about the wonderful world of FX, drag shows, and MORE? There are always several great panels to choose from, like our friends Horror Nerd Comedy, who brought comics that can sing their horrors away, or if you are interested in Special FX makeup, KC Mussman brought 4 FX professionals to talk about the importance of special FX and how we can keep it alive. Peaches the Christ also put on a show-stopping drag musical with all her queens in attendance at the Grand Ballroom, which is a hit every Midsummer Scream.
Every year, our specialty is the haunt panels because we want to make sure you are up to date on the scary happenings in So-Cal this year, and we are full of information from our favorite haunts. Knott’s Scary Farm, 13th Floor Entertainment, Dark Harbor, Horror Nights, and Horror Unleashed all gave us something to sink our teeth into.
Midsummer Scream always flies by, and we never want the fun to end. The haunters we meet, the friends we make, and the community that surrounds us every year are what make this convention special.
