The theme for Midsummer Scream’s Hall of Shadows has just been revealed… ‘Descent into Darkness’

The main attraction and arguably the main reason most attendees go to Midsummer Scream is for the Hall of Shadows, and this year they are not holding back!

With the 2026 Hall of Shadows theme of “Descent Into Darkness,” guests are invited to venture beyond the veil into a world of perpetual nightfall, where the most ambitious collection of haunted attractions in Midsummer Scream’s history have been assembled. Creating the entry portal experience this year is Eulogy Collective, Southern California’s only year-round haunted attraction. With each step deeper into the hall, guests will encounter vignettes and characters from its various seasonal overlays, each more twisted and macabre than the other.

Universal Horror Unleashed is bringing the heat from Las Vegas with a terrifying character encounter that marks the attraction’s blood-soaked debut at Midsummer Scream. Guests will get up-close-and-personal with some of the attraction’s most infamous icons.

Lionsgate Entertainment returns for their third year with an all-new walk-through attraction, inviting guests deep into the woods, where they’ll come face-to-face with an ancient evil.

Credit: Krystina Alfonso

All passes for Midsummer Scream include admission to every attraction in the Hall of Shadows. Guests holding Gold Bat VIP credentials will enjoy priority access to most attractions in the Hall of Shadows, bypassing General Admission standby queues. Hall of Shadows will be open to guests all three days of Midsummer Scream — Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, August 7 to August 9.

“I sound like a broken record every summer,” says Rick West, Co-Founder and Creative Director of Midsummer Scream. “But yet again, this year’s Hall of Shadows is absolutely the most intense and ambitious lineup of haunts and attractions we’ve ever assembled at Midsummer Scream. It’s so exciting to welcome the team from Universal Horror Unleashed — this is the first time we’ve hosted an attraction from Las Vegas; a very important bridge between the SoCal and Southern Nevada haunt communities. Of course, we’re also thrilled to have Lionsgate returning with a brand-new walk-through for fans to experience. Our friends at Eulogy Collective will set the tone for everyone’s descent into the darkness and fog-filled belly of the beast, where fans will find more than 15 unique attractions created by some of the most talented haunters anywhere in the world.”

Within the darkened expanse of the Hall of Shadows, guests can explore an incredible assortment of haunted attractions, chilling displays, thrilling photo ops, and live entertainment that include:

• A visit to the Hawkins National Laboratory for some photographic fun provided by Rawl of the Dead

• A terrifying witch hunt through a cursed forest led by H&L’s Realm of Horror

• Kooky, spooky home haunt fun with the return of Clowns v Skeletons

• A shot of fear and a round of terror as guests explore a ramshackle Floridian distillery presented by Straite to Hale

• The eerie, hallowed grounds of a long-forgotten Celtic graveyard known as The Haunt With No Name… Yet

• The Magic of the Jack O’Lanterns Bar, serving up spooky libations for guests 21 and older, in the glow of dozens of grinning gourds, courtesy of Thirteenth Floor Entertainment

• A blood-sucking horde hidden away for generations within a dilapidated manor from Fear Farm

• Another go-around with your favorite soapy and sudsy monsters from The Haunted Carwash

• A totally tubular romp through an old movie theater showcasing some of the best horror flicks of the 1980s, presented by The Dreich Society

• A chilling exploration through whisper-filled halls of the Shadows Hollow Asylum, created by Realm of Shadow

• The continued twisted cinematic misadventures of Sid from Toy Story, from Monclova Media Group

• And an abandoned old morgue where forgotten souls refuse to decay in silence, from Black Casket Productions.

The Decayed Brigade returns to Long Beach with three days of slider exhibitions that must be seen to be believed. Fans of all ages gather each year in the Hall of Shadows to witness this epic display of inhuman agility and terrifying precision. Midsummer Scream guests can catch this world-class sliding team on Friday night, followed by three shows daily both Saturday and Sunday.

Credit: Krystina Alfonso

All of this and more await within the fog-filled corridors of the Hall of Shadows, as fans dying to get in pry open the doors to Midsummer Scream the evening of Friday August 7, in Long Beach.

Guests will want to plan their weekend in advance -- “like” panels and presentations, as well as attractions they’re interested in, connect with fellow fans, and browse hundreds of vendors with the official Midsummer Scream app, now available as a free download in the Apple and Android stores.

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