Christmas in July can move over, because Midsummer Scream is bringing Halloween to July instead. Midsummer Scream has gradually gained popularity each year, with its Halloween-themed activities, vendors, guests, exhibitors and more. This year’s event was hosted on Saturday, July 28 and Sunday, July 29, and I went over to the Long Beach Convention Center to see what it was all about.

The entire event was packed with horror and Halloween fans as many cosplayed characters such as Pyramid Head from Silent Hill and ghost from the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland. On the stage floor, various booth, such as makeup and mask booths, highlighted what makes Halloween so spooky and VR experiences, allowed event goers to experience horror closer than before.

But what made Midsummer Scream horrifying was that half of the showroom became the “Hall of Shadows.” Those who dared to enter saw costumes from the movies “IT” and “The Conjuring 2,” while possibly being jump scared from any corner. If that wasn’t enough, there were multiple mazes from Six Flags Magic Mountain’s Scare Fest, Twisted Minds Productions, Phobia Productions, and more. Mazes included experiencing the cult classic “Donnie Darko” or the demonic possession of a young girl. If you aren’t a maze fan and are more of a horror buff, then the “screaming room” (a play on screening room) was a perfect alternative to watch old and new horror movies.

Knott’s Berry Farm and Universal Studios held panels for their upcoming horror fests at their respected theme parks, such as Universal Studios’ new Stranger Things-themed maze. Other announcements included mazes based off of the films “The Purge,” “Trick ‘r Treat,” and more. There were also several other panels one could enjoy, such as the popular internet show “Buzzfeed Unsolved” with its hosts Ryan Bergara and Shane Madej, as well as a presentation for the Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor.

Don’t worry if you missed out on this year’s Midsummer Scream, because it will likely be back for another year. This year alone, Midsummer Scream’s showroom had an increase in size with 76,000-square feet of vendors, live entertainment, roaming monsters, and more than a dozen haunted attractions. Hopefully, next year will be bigger and scarier than ever.