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Monsters, Ghosts and Goblins Take Over Long Beach for Third-Annual ‘Midsummer Scream’

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Hall of Shadows Midsummer Scream

Boils, ghouls, goblins and monsters came out in hordes for the third annual Midsummer Scream Convention. Midsummer Scream has called the Long Beach Convention Center home since it started back in 2016. With an endless array of talent, creativity, pop culture, and massive show floors, Midsummer Scream kicked off convention season with epic proportions.

Located smack-dab in the heart of Long Beach, California, Midsummer Scream brings horror to the port beach city. While the location is beautiful – with views of the ocean located just across the street – the congestion from traffic is a true horror.

After driving around for 30+ minutes, we were able to find a parking structure a couple of blocks away. The traffic was crazy! I firsthand witnessed an accident ensue while trying to find a place to park. Needless to say, the traffic had people in shambles.

Once inside, the atmosphere was delightfully spooky. From the moment you reached the entrance to Midsummer Scream, the sight of costumed guests welcomed us. With an abundant amount of space, this array of spooks was fun for the whole family.

Slashback Video Mystic Museum

Vendors from all through the country flock to display their unique works of art. Props, makeup, home goods, and fashion are just a few of the items that can be found in the 224,000 square-foot space.  

Scattered in between the endless aisles of merchandise laid the hidden gems: limited edition works of art, signed posters, and professional grade effects makeup. I felt like a kid in a candy store.

Props Midsummer Scream

Within the confines of the massive Halloween tribute was the Hall of Shadows; a separate wing full of scare mazes put on by haunters, theme parks and the likes. This years was the biggest.

The lines were long and the walkthroughs lasted only minutes; a taste of what is to come in October.

The fan favorite: a tribute to Trick ‘R Treat, complete with scenes that looked like they were pulled straight from the film. With some lines taking longer than 45 minutes, we were sadly unable to walk through them all.

Scare Maze Midsummer Scream

Classes offered guests the ability to learn from the masters themselves. Photo opportunities with celebrities like Kimberly J. Brown and the fan favorite Elvira were also available. Panels and Q&As with cast members of Hocus Pocus and the minds behind Halloween Horror Nights were among the popular offerings.

With so much to see, Midsummer Scream delighted even non-horror fans. There truly was something for everyone.

Horror Made Here The Conjuring Midsummer Scream

With a small bag full of goodies, I commenced my trek back to my car. My cold, black, heart, filled with chilling warmth from all the glorious sights.

Midsummer Scream might still be new to the convention world, but if this year showed us anything, is it is not one to be missed! 

For more on Horror and Comic Conventions, click here to view our past coverage!

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Brad Dourif Says He’s Retiring Except For One Important Role

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Brad Dourif has been doing movies for nearly 50 years. Now it seems he is walking away from the industry at 74 to enjoy his golden years. Except, there is a caveat.

Recently, digital entertainment publication JoBlo’s Tyler Nichols talked to some of the Chucky television series cast members. During the interview, Dourif made an announcement.

“Dourif said that he’s retired from acting,” says Nichols. “The only reason he came back for the show was because of his daughter Fiona and he considers Chucky creator Don Mancini to be family. But for non-Chucky stuff, he considers himself retired.”

Dourif has voiced the possessed doll since 1988 (minus the 2019 reboot). The original movie “Child’s Play” has become such a cult classic it’s at the top of some people’s best chillers of all time. Chucky himself is ingrained in pop culture history much like Frankenstein or Jason Voorhees.

While Dourif may be known for his famous voiceover, he is also an Oscar-nominated actor for his part in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Another famous horror role is The Gemini Killer in William Peter Blatty’s Exorcist III. And who can forget Betazoid Lon Suder in Star Trek: Voyager?

The good news is that Don Mancini is already pitching a concept for season four of Chucky which might also include a feature-length movie with a series tie-in. So, Although Dourif says he is retiring from the industry, ironically he is Chucky’s friend till the end.

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Editorial

7 Great ‘Scream’ Fan Films & Shorts Worth a Watch

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The Scream franchise is such an iconic series, that many budding filmmakers take inspiration from it and make their own sequels or, at least, build upon the original universe created by screenwriter Kevin Williamson. YouTube is the perfect medium to showcase these talents (and budgets) with fan-made homages with their own personal twists.

The great thing about Ghostface is that he can appear anywhere, in any town, he just needs the signature mask, knife, and unhinged motive. Thanks to Fair Use laws it’s possible to expand upon Wes Craven’s creation by simply getting a group of young adults together and killing them off one by one. Oh, and don’t forget the twist. You’ll notice that Roger Jackson’s famous Ghostface voice is uncanny valley, but you get the gist.

We have gathered five fan films/shorts related to Scream that we thought were pretty good. Although they can’t possibly match the beats of a $33 million blockbuster, they get by on what they have. But who needs money? If you’re talented and motivated anything is possible as proven by these filmmakers who are well on their way to the big leagues.

Take a look at the below films and let us know what you think. And while you’re at it, leave these young filmmakers a thumbs up, or leave them a comment to encourage them to create more films. Besides, where else are you going to see Ghostface vs. a Katana all set to a hip-hop soundtrack?

Scream Live (2023)

Scream Live

Ghostface (2021)

Ghostface

Ghost Face (2023)

Ghost Face

Don’t Scream (2022)

Don’t Scream

Scream: A Fan Film (2023)

Scream: A Fan Film

The Scream (2023)

The Scream

A Scream Fan Film (2023)

A Scream Fan Film
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Movies

Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month

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Good spider films are a theme this year. First, we had Sting and then there was Infested. The former is still in theaters and the latter is coming to Shudder starting April 26.

Infested has been getting some good reviews. People are saying that it’s not only a great creature feature but also a social commentary on racism in France.

According to IMDb: Writer/director Sébastien Vanicek was looking for ideas around the discrimination faced by black and Arab-looking people in France, and that led him to spiders, which are rarely welcome in homes; whenever they’re spotted, they’re swatted. As everyone in the story (people and spiders) is treated like vermin by society, the title came to him naturally.

Shudder has become the gold standard for streaming horror content. Since 2016, the service has been offering fans an expansive library of genre movies. in 2017, they began to stream exclusive content.

Since then Shudder has become a powerhouse in the film festival circuit, buying distribution rights to movies, or just producing some of their own. Just like Netflix, they give a film a short theatrical run before adding it to their library exclusively for subscribers.

Late Night With the Devil is a great example. It was released theatrically on March 22 and will begin streaming on the platform starting April 19.

While not getting the same buzz as Late Night, Infested is a festival favorite and many have said if you suffer from arachnophobia, you might want to take heed before watching it.

Infested

According to the synopsis, our main character, Kalib is turning 30 and dealing with some family issues. “He’s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap. The only option for Kaleb and his friends is to find a way out and survive.”

The film will be available to watch on Shudder starting April 26.

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