The OC got real CREEPY with R.L Stine, Haunts, Cosplayers and horror fans at Creep It Real OC!

The Heritage Museum of Orange County shed its usual calm, historic façade and became a full-blown haunted playground for three days as Creep It Real OC returned from September 12th to 14th. What has become Orange County’s signature community-driven Halloween convention was bigger than ever this year, a strange brew of haunted-house theatrics, horror-fan camaraderie, and small-business marketplace.

Crowds filtered through the tree-lined grounds as dozens of vendors offered everything from macabre art prints and horror collectibles to scented candles and eerie home décor. Unlike slick, corporate conventions, this felt deeply grassroots, more like a gothic street fair with fangs. People came in costume, blending slashers, witches, ghouls, and pop-culture horror twists; one moment you’d spot a towering Art the Clown, the next a witch girl selling cookies.

Programming balanced horror celebrity with ghoulish surf rock music. Two live bands played a unique mix of horror music mixed with the sounds of California punk surf rock. Special guest, children’s horror author R.L. Stine, made an appearance, signing autographs, posing for photos with fans, and discussing his long and successful career.

Food trucks and themed concessions were set up in a separate area serving horror-themed beach cocktails, Halloween-themed Mexican food, and plenty of cold beer on tap to cut the September heat. The Heritage Museum’s grounds created an intimate yet immersive atmosphere for the event; wandering through its vintage buildings at night added a subtle, uncanny undertone that commercial venues can’t replicate.

If there was a drawback, it was the crush of attendees. Narrow vendor aisles clogged quickly, lines for food grew long, and navigating the grounds became a challenge. But in a way, that underscored the event’s success: Creep It Real OC has clearly outgrown its early cult-status roots and become a pillar of the region’s Halloween season.

Creep It Real OC 2025 proved that Orange County’s horror community is thriving, inclusive, and unashamedly weird. It’s a festival where independent makers, haunted house creatives, and die-hard horror fans share space, and where the spirit of Halloween feels less like a commodity and more like a living culture.