It’s been a decade since monsters, zombies, killers and ghosts first invaded downtown Long Beach. And the invasion of horror is showing no signs of slowing down as Midsummer Scream returns to the Long Beach Convention Center from Aug. 7 through Aug. 9 to quietly mark the milestone anniversary.
“It is a marker, but it went by so quick,” said David Markland, who co-founded the convention in 2016 to celebrate his love of Halloween with likeminded fans of horror. “The community of people who support it is amazing. It’s amazing how big Halloween has been in Southern California, how it continues to grow and the love for it.”
With 50,000 people expected to attend, Midsummer Scream is now marketed as the biggest horror convention in the world by city and Midsummer officials. And while thriving for 10 years is no small accomplishment, Markland said that except for some surprise announcements and recognizing some longtime staff during the weekend, there are no big events planned to mark the anniversary.
Instead, as they do every year, organizers will continue to do what’s made the event so successful and let all the scary creatures, celebrity guests, haunted attractions, vendors and panels take the center stage at the Convention Center.
“We’re really using as an opportunity to acknowledge the people that have been with us since the first year,” he said. Misummer Scream is offering 10-year anniversary magnets for purchase during the weekend.
And as per usual, Midsummer will fill the convention center with all things horror including the 30-year anniversary celebration of slasher classic “Scream,” with cast members like Skeet Ulrich, David Arquette, Jamie Kennedy and Matthew Lillard.
Also on the schedule this year is the always packed Hall of Shadows, which features more than a dozen haunted walk-through attractions and displays set within a massive, darkened area of the convention center. Haunters this year include Eulogy Collective, Fear Farm, Straite to Hale Productions, The Dreich Society and others.
The weekend includes the always highly attended panels where major attractions like Universal Studios Hollywood’s Halloween Horror Nights, Knott’s Scary Farm, Six Flags Magic Mountain’s Fright Fest, and Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group, which puts on various Halloween events, hint at what they have planned for Halloween.
“I think it’s awesome. I don’t think there’s anything else like it from a fan experience anywhere in the world,” said Chris Stafford, CEO of 13th Floor Entertainment, who has been attending the convention as a fan since 2017 and later with his company. “I think it’s a testament to the show production and the value of the content that they bring. It’s also a testament to the community out there, the fandom around Halloween,” he added, regarding the event’s longevity.
The Rise of Horror
Markland said that this year’s Midsummer Scream should be another sellout event.
“We make a very fun event and do try to do stuff that’s unique and stands out from what people are going to get from any other convention,” he said.
Of course when it launched in 2016, the halls of horror were much less packed.
In 2007 Markland launched Creepy LA, a website that focused on Halloween events, local ghost stories, local haunted houses and other spooky corners of Los Angeles. Then in 2013 he and his wife Claire Dunlap started ScareLA, which back then was the original summer scare convention. They were involved with it until 2015 before they partnered with Midsummer Scream co-founders Gary Baker and Rick West.
The first Midsummer Scream attracted 10,000 people and took up one exhibit hall at the Long Beach Convention Center. One of the halls featured about 150 horror vendors. Today it fills all three halls plus ballrooms and other spaces and will include 350 vendors.
“We weren’t sure what we were going to get because we were starting something new but I know that we had a bigger audience than we did at ScareLA the year before,” Markland said.
The influx of horror fans to the downtown area has been a boon for business and the city’s image, Long Beach leaders say.
“I think it’s an incredible event. I think the fact that it’s been able to grow over the last 10 years is an opportunity to support many of our downtown business as well as our hotels. I think it adds a level of vibrancy and uniqueness,” said Austin Metoyer, CEO of the of the Downtown Long Beach Alliance, a nonprofit that promotes the city.
For Markland, Midsummer Scream has grown from a passion project driven by his love of horror to a full-on business. But the passion is still there.
“I’m very proud of it. I didn’t expect a horror convention to be my life’s work, but it really is,” Markland said.