Midsummer Scream reveals the theme for 2026 “Horror Musicals”

Art by: Stephen Andrade

The long-awaited arrival of Midsummer Scream is FINALLY HERE! We now have the theme revealed along with special guests, what to expect in this year's Hall of Shadows, over 350 vendors, and much, much more. Here’s the full breakdown from Midsummer Scream’s Sue Procko.

Midsummer Scream's 2026 theme will be “Horror Musicals.” As seen in this year’s hand painted event poster by pop-culture artist Stephen Andrade, the event will take inspiration from Broadway classics, including “Phantom of the Opera,” The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and the music video “Thriller,” among others!

Photo by: Krystina Alfonso

Highlighting this year’s theme, Lionsgate will bring Repo: The Genetic Opera to Midsummer Scream to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Darren Lynn Bousman’s venerable cult classic starring Anthony Head, Alexa Vega, Paul Sorvino, Sarah Brightman, Paris Hilton, and Bill Moseley. Both Darren Lynn Bousman and Bill Moseley are confirmed as special guests at Midsummer Scream, with more cast and crew to be announced.

"The year’s theme is for all of the theatre kids that are a huge part of the haunt and horror community,” said David Markland, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Midsummer Scream. “We will be honoring horror musicals of all kinds with a variety of panels, presentations, and performances all weekend.” 

Markland continued, “But if musicals aren’t your thing, we won’t have any less for horror fans looking to satisfy their thirst for slashers, scares, and gore.”

Additional special celebrity guests coming to Midsummer Scream include Matthew Lillard (Scream, Five Nights at Freddy’s), Barry Bostwick (Rocky Horror Picture Show), Jasmin Savoy Brown (Scream 5, 6, and 7, Yellowjackets), and many more to be announced.

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The Hall of Shadows will be open all three days, featuring more than a dozen haunted attractions and displays set within a massive, darkened area of the convention center. This fog-filled “scream park” is included with all passes to Midsummer Scream, with many of the attractions featuring priority queues for VIP/Gold Bat passholders. Haunters this year include Eulogy Collective, Fear Farm, Straite to Hale Productions, H&L’s Realm of Horror, The Dreich Society, CalHauntS, The Haunt With No Name… Yet, Decayed Brigade, and many more. Additional details will be revealed soon!

Throughout the weekend, Midsummer Scream will present a robust schedule of world-class panel presentations featuring Universal Studios Hollywood’s Halloween Horror Nights, Knott’s Scary Farm, Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group (Los Angeles Haunted Hayride, The Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor, Delusion, Magic of the Jack O’Lanterns, and Festival Fright Nights at Winchester Mystery House), Six Flags Magic Mountain’s Fright Fest, and more Halloween events. 

Programming partners include Paramount Scares, Fangoria, Bloody Disgusting, Horror Movies & Beyond, and HorrorBuzz. An eclectic lineup of entertainment and additional programming will be announced in the weeks ahead.

Featuring more than 350 vendors and artists, Midsummer Scream’s show floor will feature an amazing variety of apparel, masks, posters and prints, unique artwork, toys, oddities, and spooky decorations from vendors including The Halloween Shirt Company, Trick or Treat Studios, Backstitch Bruja, Sin City Props, Terror Films, Small Town Weirdo, and Froggy’s Fog.

More beloved components of Midsummer Scream will return, including Paranormal Pixie’s Pumpkin Patch children’s zone, the family-friendly black light exhibit Casa Calavaras, the Black Cat Lounge kitten adoption center, and the Screaming Room Film Festival presented by HorrorBuzz.

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