Midsummer Scream scares up a horror-filled fright fest for every level of Halloween fanatic

For over a decade, Midsummer Scream has been dishing out the treats for Halloween fans at all levels of horror tolerance. Once again, Midsummer Scream will feature numerous panels, presentations and performances; a massive vending area with more than 350 exhibitors; Paranormal Pixie’s Pumpkin Patch, a child-friendly zone with activities and scare-free entertainment; the Black Cat Lounge, where guests can adopt a cat; the Screaming Room, which hosts a horror film festival; and, of course, the Hall of Shadows, wherein a number of installations and mini-haunted mazes offer thrills meant to rattle guests’ bones in a darkened section of the Convention Center. “They came last year and did a phenomenal exhibit using ‘Saw’ props; they also held a panel around the legacy of ‘Saw,’ so we just built a relationship there,” Markland said. It’s very elaborate, and I don’t know if it’s the largest haunt we have, by square footage or anything, but it feels like a theme park attraction.” Naturally, it will be easy for Halloween fans to immerse themselves in the haunted atmosphere of the Hall of Shadows, but Markland and his team have also bestowed this year’s entire event with the unifying theme of “A Haunting,” which permeates everything including the promotional art that Markland said is inspired by old paperback mystery and supernatural novels and short story collections, as well as some of the programming and the official event after-party on Saturday — a celebration that has been dubbed “The Party for the Recently Deceased.” The theme’s presence within the programming manifests on a number of levels. “He’s going to be with us on Sunday only, and he will be interviewed by LeeAnna Vamp and then do a brief signing afterward.” Dastmalchian has acted in many genre movies and TV shows; he starred in the recent film “Late Night With The Devil”; he is the author of the horror comic series “Count Crowley”; and, as a horror fan, he made a special appearance at last year’s Midsummer Scream to moderate a panel on the haunted attractions of Thirteenth Floor Entertainment.