Midsummer Scream 2025: Hall of Shadows
In addition to the numerous panels, presentations, and celebrity guests, Midsummer Scream 2025‘s three-day weekend of horror provided another sinister smorgasbord of attractions buried within the Hall of Shadows, on the lower level at the Long Beach Convention Center. For the average guest, it was a wonderful opportunity to sample a variety of home haunts assembled in a single time and place, saving the wear and tear on tire treads that we experience every Halloween while roaming the Greater Los Angeles area in search of ghoulish entertainment. For us it was a chance to revisit old favorites and discover a few newcomers, which we hope to visit this October.
Below is a list of attractions we checked out, some of which you may want to bookmark for your own perusal.
Eulogies: This newcomer plans to become a year-round haunted attraction, taking up residence in the Anaheim Garden Walk come October. The very nice façade in the Hall of Shadows suggested a creepy funeral home with aspirations to being a cathedral. The short trek began with what felt like an ancient, cursed temple littered with desiccated skeletons, before shifting to more contemporary scenes: a man behind a desk arguing with someone in chains, a girl threatening some other girls with a machete, etc. It was hard to spot a unifying theme, but we are hopeful about the return of a haunted attraction to the Garden Walk, which housed The Empty Grave a decade ago.
Fear Farm: Normally located in Hesperia in San Bernadino County, this well-established haunt offered a short version of its walkthrough, relying on layers of shadows punctuated by blinding shafts of bright light, which to transform the relatively simple setting (netting, wooden flats) into what felt like a nightmare world haunted by numerous aggressive residents. The full version at Halloween is much more extensive (reviewed here).
Haunted Carwash: This one has been around since the pandemic made the concept of a haunted carwash not only viable but almost a necessity. Perhaps obviously, there was no way the costumed crowds at Midsummer Scream would be allowed to drive their cars through a popup on the convention center floor, so all that was on display was a photo op. Its primary location is Big Wave Express Car Wash in Anaheim, but this year they are also haunting Splash N Go Express Car Wash in Montclair. (October 27 Update: We got a wash at the Montclair location, and it was suds of fun.)
H&L’s Realm of Horror: Manor of Deprivation: This high-class home haunt, the work of a husband-and-wife team, made its debut last Halloween in Riverside; this year it will be haunting in High Desert in Hesperia on weekends in October. The installation in the Hall of Shadows offered an old-school vibe: it felt like walking into working-class British horror setting with a gruff grave digger inviting us inside to the establishment, where we encountered a ghoulish medium, a creepy children’s room, a ghastly bit of back-alley type surgery, and a white-haired witch who leaned through a curtained window in such a way that, in the darkness, she looked like a disembodied head. It all that sounds a tad gruesome, maybe it is, but it was also very eerie, especially when the last section moved into an “outdoor” cemetery. Very impressive stuff – hopefully we can get out to see the full version.
Lionsgate: This walkthrough featured a cornucopia of imagery and characters from the film company’s various horror efforts, most notably the Saw franchise. It was a nice piece of fan service, with an enticing exterior and convincing interiors, but we couldn’t help noticing that despite its professional pedigree (Lionsgate has made millions with its genre films), the haunt was really no better than many of the amateur efforts on display in the Hall of Shadows.
Mr. Float’s CarnEvil of Souls: This attraction definitely grabbed attention with its inflatable figure of a giant evil clown poised above visitors to the Hall of Shadows. From outside, it resembled a walkthrough, but a short trek through a birth tunnel brought us into a circus tent haunted by ghoulish jugglers and other artists. Top billed were the titular Master of Ceremonies, Mr. Floats himself (a Pennywise lookalike) and some smiling “Tooth Fairies and Fiends.” Mostly, the setup seemed designed to sell merch and promote the company, which performs a residency in New Orleans. We have learned to love horror-themed circuses, but in a situation where crowds were big and lines were long, timing demanded that we not linger long. Hopefully, someday we will enjoy the full presentation if we ever make it to New Orleans.
Realm of Shadow: Dead House has presented several impressive haunts at Midsummer Scream, but somewhat disappointingly they offered only a photo op this year, instead of a maze. Nevertheless, the preview featured intriguing glimpses of what to expect for Halloween. The netted roof suggested a tent, but the interior felt like an entrance hall in a haunted mansion – or perhaps a gallery, thanks to the eerie artwork on the walls. Visitors snapping selfies had to contend with some amazing animatronics (a vampire man-bat dangling upside down) and a live monster or two, so there were scares to be had. Hard to say what the full show will be like, but it clearly has the professional sheen we have come to expect from this haunt.
Sid’s Twisted Toy Box: Based on the title, you probably don’t need us to tell you that this little treat put Woody, Buzz, and Jessie into a horror-themed versions of Toy Story, but we’re here to tell you that several other familiar faces showed up as well, including Jessica Rabbit and Jurassic raptors; in the latter case, one female victim’s dripping red shirt suggested a disembowelment. The goofiness of the concept buffered some of the gruesome impact, making it fun for the whole family – if you want to traumatize your kids at an early age.
Strait to Hale Productions: Horrorama Funhouse: This is a joint effort between two amateur (in the best sense of the word) haunters, whos combined efforts yield professional results. The humungous funhouse façade in the Hall of Shadows looked as good as any professional funhouse you would encounter on a fairground, with animatronics out front to set the stage and lots of “free screams” inside. The scares were geared to be fun but effective – just right for a home haunt appealing to trick-or-treaters and their older siblings or parents. One memorable touch was a black light room with hanging bodies painted to blend in with the walls – year, we have seen that before, this one had had a twist. Hanging upside down was “dummy,” which sprang to life and touched our ankles as we passed. Inside a haunted house, we expect to encounter mannequins who turn out to be live actors, but this one surprised us. This is definitely going on our list for a visit to see the full show in Rancho Cucamonga this Halloween. (November Update: On the last weekend of Halloween, we made it out to the Ranch Cucamonga location, and the result was everything we hoped for.)
Whitechapel from LIGHTS OUT: We enjoyed this maze at Pomona Fairgrounds two years running. There was little new to be seen, but that did not stop us from once again following in the steps of Saucy Jack the Ripper.
Also on view, Cal Haunts offered a display looking like a medieval village, hosting dragons, ogres, and other dangerous dark fantasy figures. They should have turned the thing into an immersive bar – cocktail or coffee, we don’t care which – and we would have spent half the day there.
Hall of Shadows 2025 Photographs
