Midsummer Scream 2019 : Panels & Performances

It seems Midsummer Scream 2019 was the exception for attending panels considering I’m not normally a panels gal. When I go to conventions, I would say I catch one…MAYBE two panels at most over the span of an event’s run. This year, I caught whopping four panels! Two on Saturday and two on Sunday.

There were a lot more I was interested in, but I ended up either pulling the lazy card or completely forgetting that it existed (Like the last minute announced Archeology of the Haunted Mansion panel… TT-TT). It might not seem like a lot, but I was impressed I got myself to them! Plus! I recored each one for your enjoyment!

It’s officially been a week since returning from the greatest Halloween Kick Off Party I’ve gotten to experience thus far, but I’ll be honest. It’s been quite the struggle to get going on actually sharing my experiences and giving you all the low down on my very fun adventures had at Midsummer Scream this year. I decided to break it down into three different posts, sharing the different aspects of what I love so much about this Halloween convention from my overall impressions to show floor shopping to panels and performances. However, I’m feeling ready for it now!

Horrors of the Exotic: the Dark Side of Tiki

with Bill Rude on Saturday @ 1:30

This panel was essentially a repeat of what Bill presented two years ago during Midsummer Scream 2017, but it was extremely awesome to go through it again. Bill has a very charismatic story-telling style that truly reflects the tiki culture and I was so happy to actually film his presentation this time so I could go back and reference the films and media he discusses. It’s thanks to Bill that I watched “The Island of Lost Souls” last year and really loved it. Plus, it’s not often that there’s a panel with some merch that ties in that you can purchase on the show floor after you finish. 😉

Spooky and Strange Themed Bars of California

with Rick West moderating on Saturday @ 6:00

It was extremely interesting to hear from five creatives about the crazy adventures that brought them to create their bars, restaurants and distilleries while also sharing the spooky and amazing journeys they’ve gone through to run them. I’ve never been to any of the five places before, but they are definitely on my bucket list now! I also have to give special props to Rick West as Midsummer Scream 2019 panels moderator. He did such an amazing job leading each owner through the questions and kept everyone equally engaged and sharing his love for each of these establishments in the process.

Orange Alert! Halloween Shopping Tips & Tricks

with Miranda Enzor on Sunday @ 12:00

If you’re not active in the Halloween community, you might be unfamiliar with the panelist, Miranda. She’s the amazing year-round Halloween blogger of Spooky Little Halloween. I’ve been following around Miranda’s spooky little part of the web for a little over four Halloween seasons now and I’ve gotten to know her a little better personally, but mainly as her blogger self, so it was really really fun to see how she brought her blog’s personality to life in person. Or, she’s just really good at expressing who she is in real life through her blog. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I’ll be honest, because I’ve been a stalker fan for so long, I wasn’t really expecting too much out of the panel I didn’t already know since she already shares so many tips through her blog on a regular basis, I had gone mainly to show my support (because I’d really love to hear her do more panels!). However, as is Miranda’s specialty, she really surprised me with a ton of knowledge I wasn’t expecting to gain.

I’m really excited to rush into the Halloween season with all her helpful tips and tricks (especially the ones about keeping on budget).

Twirly’s Traveling Tricks

with Twirly the Clown on Sunday @ 5:00

My whole family fell in love with Twirly when she and Drew Rausch partnered up with a comic and a couple presentations last year from Midsummer Scream. I followed along on her journey over the last year and was very excited to learn first thing on Sunday that she would have her own exclusive performance again!

Even though Twirly is self-described as an undead clown, her appearance AND performance are extremely family friendly. Twirly is really great at engaging with the audience and getting them involved in such a way that feels so natural and full of energy! She has really mastered a skill set that I feel a lot of modern day performers are missing. Not to mention she’s extremely talented!

Additional Recon from @gouyokubanchou

While my husband waited for me to finish panels, he swung by some additional panels and experiences. While I was in the tiki panel, he checked out the Buzzfeed Unsolved: Supernatural with Ryan & Shane. He didn’t stick around for the whole panel, informing me that it was set up pretty much like an episode of the show. Ryan shared some background information on a haunted place and then Shane would be his dubious self.

He also attended Urban Death for Kids with our 1.5 year old daughter and had very positive things to say about it. He told me that they would play a little short clip that wasn’t too scary and it would black out in the room between each scene. He told me our little monster would get a little nervous during the black outs, but seemed just fine with the clips that played.

If you attended Midsummer Scream 2019, what panels did you catch?

If you couldn’t make it to Midsummer Scream this year, did you enjoy having these videos to watch?

Let me know in the comments down below!