Category Archives: News

Halloween and Horror Con Midsummer Scream Is Back And Bigger Than Ever!

Horror cons are rising from the dead once more and fan-favorite Midsummer Scream is back and bigger than ever this Summer amidst a two-year absence. The world’s largest Halloween and Horror con is celebrating its welcome return with a five-year anniversary celebration over a three-day period at the Long Beach Convention Center July 29-July31st, 2022 with pre-sale tickets available online beginning this Saturday, March 5th, 2022!

Photos Credit: Hatbox Photography

Per the Press Release:

“As Midsummer Scream returns we’re putting a renewed focus on what made us love Halloween as kids, and the traditions we’ve continued through our lives,” says David Markland, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Midsummer Scream. “That includes, the magic of trick-or-treating, celebrating the classic monsters of our childhood, and preserving the history of our favorite holiday.”
 
The Hall of Shadows returns with the theme of “Halloween Comes Home”. Guests will step into a darkened realm filled with fog, haunted attractions, and lurking monsters. Over a dozen home and pro haunters including CalHauntSFear FarmReichland AsylumTemecula Terror, and Corona Haunt will create stunning mazes and displays for guests to explore. The Decayed Brigade will thrill audiences with incredible displays of sliding prowess and showmanship daily.
 
“The excitement for the return of Hall of Shadows is palpable,” says Rick West, Co-Founder and Creative Director of Midsummer Scream. “The haunters, the fans – everyone is more than ready for this, and these amazing teams are ready to bring it home and create the best Hall of Shadows experience yet! Let’s go!”
 
Continuing Midsummer Scream’s tradition of world-class presentations, “Original Monster Kids” will be an unprecedented gathering of the Boris KarloffBela LugosiLon Chaney Jr./Sr., and Vincent Price families on stage to share pictures, home movies, and discuss what it has been like growing up the children and grandchildren of the most famous horror and pop-culture icons in the world.
 
Other thrilling presentations throughout the weekend include the Winchester Mystery HouseLA Haunted Hayride, and “Composers of the Apocalypse” which will feature legendary horror genre musicians… and perhaps even a live performance or two!
 
Brand-new for 2022 is the Museum of Halloween, displaying a variety of vintage collectibles, costumes, and more, alongside original artwork created just for the event, celebrating the culture, community, and even commercialism of the spooky season.
 
Featuring more than 350 vendors and artists, the Midsummer Scream show floor is a stunning collection of shirts and apparel, artwork, masks, posters, toys, oddities, and decorations for all Halloween and horror lifestylers as well as haunted attraction creators. Vendors and companies found on the show floor will include The Mystic MuseumTee No EvilVamp and the FiendsTrick Or Treat StudiosBackstitch BrujaDiscount CemeteryNocturnal DesignZ, and Immortal Masks
 
Also on the show floor, guests will find notable film celebrities such as James Jude Courtney (Michael Myers in Halloween 2018, Halloween Kills, Halloween Ends), Jeff Daniel Philips and Daniel Roebuck (Rob Zombie’s The Munsters), Eileen Dietz (Pazuzu’s face, The Exorcist), Instagram legend Christine McConnell, and popular YouTubers Dead Meat and Grimm Life Collective.
 
More fan favorite components of Midsummer Scream will include the Black Cat Lounge kitten adoption space, Paranormal Pixie’s Pumpkin Patch children’s zone, and the Screaming Room Film Festival presented by HorrorBuzz. Midsummer Scream’s educational lineup of classes and workshops on creating haunted attractions and other Halloween skills will be developed in conjunction with the university-themed entertainment organizations TEA@USC and TEA@UCLA.

Tickets go on sale Saturday, March 5th at 10:00AM at MidsummerScream.org. For a limited time, General Admission tickets will be 40% off. VIP Gold Bat passes will be available while supplies last (discounts not available for Gold Bat tickets).

“Mom N Pop: The Indie Video Store Boom of the 80s & 90s” Documentary Hitting Nostalgic Senses Soon!

"Mom N Pop: The Indie Video Store Boom of the 80s & 90s" Documentary Hitting Nostalgic Senses Soon!

I’ve said it a million times: nothing brings me more nostalgic fuzzies than the fond memories of the independent mom and pop video rental stores of our youth. Riding my bike to my local Action Video every Saturday to get my orange rental card punched as I anxiously awaited for the twelfth hole to get my free rental was a high that can never be matched in the wake of the streaming era.; and I know I’m not alone here. That being said, a whole new documentary focusing on said VHS rental store memories is on the way courtesy of filmmaker Bobby Canipe Jr. (Adjust Your Tracking, Night Whispers, Shark Exorcist 2) appropriately titled: “Mom N Pop: The Indie Video Store Boom of the 80s & 90s”!

Per the Press Release:

“Mom n Pop” follows the rise, success, and eventual fall of independent video stores in the United States. Chronicling the memories of Mom and Pop video stores, from gas stations to tanning salons to grocery stores that rented videos, focusing on the “little” guys.

Mom n Pop features interviews from filmmakers that found success in the indie stores such as Brad Sykes (Camp Blood, Zombie Chronicles), Tim Ritter (Truth or Dare, Killing Spree), Gary Cohen (Video Violence), Donald Farmer (Demon Queen, Cannibal Hookers). Filmmakers influenced by their days at the video store such as Marcus Koch (100 Tears) and Henrique Couto (Scarewaves). There are also discussions with companies that grew in success during the days of indie stores, like Troma (The Toxic Avenger, Chillers, Monster in the Closet), and finally fans of the video store and owners of indie video stores during their heyday.

In addition to covering such fond VHS memories, the film visits and covers the indie video shops that have continued on today in that nostalgic faith such as Visart Video (Charlotte, NC), Orbit DVD (Asheville, NC), and Videotheque (Los Angeles, CA).

Along with director Bobby Canipe Jr., Cagney Larkin (Martel’s Movie Madness) serves as director of photography and is executive produced by Brad Sykes (Camp Blood, Plaguers) and Justin McDaniel. A full release is planned for Spring 2022 via physical media and streaming is pending distribution.

To follow along with Mom n Pop on social media, visit Facebook (facebook.com/momnpopdoc) and Twitter (@momnpopdoc).

“Freddy’s Nightmares” Finds A Streaming Service Home With Screambox!

For years, Fred Heads have been shouting from the eternal depths of the boiler room for the cult fan-favorite series Freddy’s Nightmares to come to streaming platforms. Now, horror streaming service SCREAMBOX has acquired the rights to the Springwood Slasher series and all 44 episodes of the Nightmare On Elm Street spinoff show will be available for the first time ever starting February 15th, 2022!

FUCK YES.

For those unfamiliar, Freddy’s Nightmares ran for two seasons from 1988 to 1990, and with Freddy at the helm of each episode acting as your horror host with each episode centering on whacky nightmare scenarios for the residents of Springwood, Ohio. The exception, of course, is the pilot episode directed by horror legend, Tobe Hooper that gave us the only true prequel of the Nightmare series where it shows Freddy (Robert Englund) in court answering for his crimes against humanity. There were a few episodes in-between that actually did feature Freddy as a character in the episode, but more often than not, he had little to do with the storyline.

One of those episodes that did in fact center around Freddy, is my personal favorite beyond the obvious amazing pilot episode is the Halloween special, “Freddy’s Tricks or Treats” that starred a pre-Law and Order Mariska Hargitay who plays a young, stuffy medical student named Marsha. For the whole breakdown on that little series golden nugget, read more here.

Screambox is available to stream on iOS, Android, Prime Video, YouTube TV, Comcast, and Screambox.com.

Welp. I guess I know what I’ll be doing come Tuesday.