Midsummer Scream, the world’s largest Halloween and horror convention, is set to make its return to the Long Beach Convention Center in July, and this weekend, they unveiled all the exciting details around this year’s Hall of Shadows, the massive, darkened space featuring displays and mini experiences by pro and
home haunters from all over California.
This year’s Hall of Shadows is almost 100,000 square feet in size and will feature over a dozen different mini haunts and displays, and will again feature an entry portal created by the Halloween haunting enthusiasts from CalHauntS. This year’s entry is called “Midsummer Estates” and will feature a small neighborhood with homes decorated for the community’s annual Halloween Festival.
“The overall theme for Hall of Shadows this year is ‘Halloween Comes Home,'” says Rick West, Co-Founder and Creative Director of Midsummer Scream. “That couldn’t be more on-the-nose as we return to the Long Beach Convention Center for the first time since 2019. This July, guests will experience the biggest and most incredible Hall of Shadows yet with more thrills and chills than ever before! It’s a fantastic mix of home and pro haunts, walk-through experiences, and spooky displays that everyone is going to want to see for themselves!”
Once inside, guests will find 17 other haunts and attractions that include:
- Bones Gulch (Castaic) – From the minds that brought you Beware the Dark Realm, Restless Souls Manor, and The Farm home haunts, a brand-new attraction is coming! Bones Gulch is proud to bring a small display of what they have in store this October to the Hall of Shadows.
- Fear Farm (Victor Valley) – Venture deep into the cold earth beneath the farm, where a labyrinth filled with pure evil awaits your arrival.
- Temecula Terror: The Crypt (Temecula) – A church and catacomb-themed walk-through. Explore the carnage of a church’s botched exorcisms. (You can see what Temecula Terror is all about in this video from my visit to their haunt in 2021.)
- Reichland Asylum: The Return of Sarah Crawford (Riverside) – They said she worshipped the occult, locking her deep in the wards of Reichland Asylum and throwing away the key. Little did they know she was the least of their worries… Unearth the secrets of the Crawford family and the dark powers that lie deep in the corridors with Reichland Asylum: The Return of Sarah Crawford.
- Straight to Hale Productions: Demon Creek (Alta Loma) – The town of Casket Creek has a sordid history, rife with witches using black magic and wreaking havoc. The townsfolk fear they may never escape the wickedness that hangs like a menacing cloud over their once-peaceful town, but it appears that an even more sinister entity looms in the shadows.
- The Witching Hour: HALLOWEEN – A Terrifying Walk-through Experience (Atwater) – Encounter the Myer’s home and come face-to-face with The Shape himself. Enter if you dare: everyone is entitled to one good scare!
- Casa Calaveras: A Walk-Thru Art Experience – Stroll through an intimate series of glowing, peek-in dioramas and uncover the heart-filled tale of José & Gloria, the couple from the hereafter. A great way to introduce your kids to Día de los Muertos – Since 1999.
- Gothic Hills Cemetery (Riverside) – Gothic Hills Cemetery returns to the Hall of Shadows with a new interactive theatrical display based on their Riverside, California haunt. This Halloween, guests will experience the prequel to the Fitzroy story in their biggest season ever.
- The Quail Run Carnival (Agoura Hills) – Come win some Halloween candy in a handmade, vintage-style, Halloween Carnival! Play Mash the Monsters or The Séance, play a spooky vintage arcade cabinet, or spin our fortune wheel to see your future! New games are added every Halloween!
- Exquisite Corpse: REDWATER! Vol. 1 – In the first part of this three-part walk-through series, Obadiah, Elijah, and Beauregard Manning (children of the infamous crazed scientist Dr. Joseph R. Manning) set out on a strange and gruesome journey to find their recently missing father. Step back into 1985 and join us in Redwater, Louisiana, to embark through the ratty pages of a mysterious old comic book titled: REDWATER! Vol. 1
- Boomers! Parks – Guests begin training as new overnight security for Boomers! and encounter paranormal entities!
- Lights OUT: ICON – Welcome to Club ICON. Tonight’s category is Battle Royale, where two legendary houses compete to be the most ICONIC house of them all. Who will slay, or sashay, away?
- Santa Ana Haunt: Shades of Hell (Santa Ana) – Shades of Hell serves as the gateway to your worst nightmares. Everyone has different fears – and they are all here, waiting for you.
- Corona Haunt: Tales of Halloween (Corona) – A modern look into the horror stories that kept you up at night as a child. Brave the ghosts, witches, and demons of Halloween night!
- The Dreich Society: Nightmare (Ontario) – Deep in the woodlands of Japan stands an ancient temple, originally designed to trap the land’s spirits of the night. Will you survive a peek behind the curtain in their realm or be trapped forever in their eternal nightmare?
- The Haunt With No Name… Yet (Tarzana) – Wandering on an eerie night, you find an unknown place. It is forgotten by time but seems haunted and filled with mysterious and spooky things. You decide to take the time to explore what is happening at the Haunt With No Name… Yet.
- Realm of Shadow: Hamre Manor (Norwalk) – The Lord of Shadow and his Matron have returned to the attic space of Hamre Manor. Find your way through his minion-filled hallways, and prepare to confront the evil within!
In addition to all of the haunts and displays, The Decayed Brigade slider team will also be returning to the Hall of Shadows to show off their incredible sliding skills with three shows on both Saturday and Sunday.
The Hall of Shadows will operate Saturday and Sunday, July 30 and 31st, from show open to show close. Admission to the Hall of Shadows and its attractions is included with General Admission or Gold Bat tickets to Midsummer Scream. Gold Bat VIP passes will grant guests “fast lane” access to most attractions in the Hall of Shadows. Additionally, Gold Bat pass holders will be granted access to Hall of Shadows each morning 1 hour prior to General Admission guests; this is an excellent opportunity to beat the crowds.
Tickets for Midsummer Scream are on sale now, and for a limited time, General Admission tickets are 40% off with the discount code SCREAM. General Admission tickets start as low as $32. Gold Bat Passes are $135 for the weekend and are not eligible for the discount. For more information on this year’s Midsummer Scream or to buy tickets, visit MidsummerScream.org.
