Midsummer Scream 2023 Panels and Performances

Midsummer Scream 2023 was full of ambitions and left me with many options for what panels I wanted to attend. (Curse my passion for many different interests!) Unfortunately, a combination of lacking energy and schedule conflicts left me having to decide on one or the other in some cases. And in some situations, I just ended up not attending at all.

Barry’s Truth or Scare Game Show

Theatre Macabre- Saturday @ 12:00PM
Guest(s): Barry Under Your Bed, Lucy Baal, Mudd the Magnificent

I’ve seen Barry in passing many times over the years through scavenger hunts and interviews. So it should come as no surprise that I was rather excited to see him bringing a game show to Midsummer Scream for 2023. Throughout the weekend, he invited different convention guests to be judges and it was all very entertaining. Watching the show, I even surprised myself at how much horror movie trivia I actually knew. Especially when it came to guessing the butts. I look forward to seeing what Barry will get up to at future events!

Twirly’s Traveling Tricks

Showfloor Stage – Saturday @ 1:00PM
Guest(s): Twirly the Clown

Twirly always brings so much fun and energy to whatever stage she is on. For being a gibberish-speaking undead carnie, she really does a spectacular job of roping in the audience. This was a much shorter show than I’m used to for Twirly, but I enjoyed it just as much and I’m glad that we caught it.

Return of the Living Drag

Second Stage – Saturday @ 3:00PM
Guest(s): Peaches Christ, Oceana, Cosimo, Cream, Luxe the Drag Queen, The Reel Guise, Mr. he, The Countess, Miss Clair Voyance, Leeko Rae, April Showers

This show was, as stated in its name, a return of the drag show from last year. Peaches brought in even more performers of both Drag Queens AND Kings from both Southern and Northern California. All in all a super fun show. My only regret? Apparently, my mic settings were really off so the audio in my video recording is not very good at all. However, their performances were all so stellar, I did not want to skip just because the audio was crap.

Additional Note: Due to the copyright on some of the songs used in the show, YouTube has restricted certain performances from being watched in some countries.

Winchester Mystery House – A Century of History and Hauntings

Grand Ballroom – Sunday @ 12:00PM
Guest(s): Walter Magnuson, Amelia Richardson, Michael Taffe, Scott levkoff, Mark Straite, Ron Hale

This had to be one of my favorite Midsummer Scream 2022 panels I attended. As is no secret, I’m a huge lover of all things Winchester Mystery House and this panel was all about the teases and fun planned for celebrating the house’s 100th anniversary of Sarah’s death and receiving visitors. They discussed a séance experience being planned on the date of Sarah’s passing as well as what haunt lovers can expect from the house during the Halloween season.

Bob Baker’s Hallowe’en Spooktacular

Pumpkin Patch – Saturday @ 12:00PM
Guest(s): Bob Baker’s Puppeteers

I did not get a chance to watch this as I was in the Winchester panel, but my husband took the littles to watch and they had a wonderful time. This marionette show is a classic to be found every year at Midsummer Scream and very entertaining as you rest your dogs a bit.

Midsummer Scream 2023 Panels I Wanted to Catch, but Didn’t

For the most part, I caught about half of everything I want to. Saturday was a successful day regarding my goals. However, later that evening, I was already feeling a bit drained. Fortunately, all of panels that I really wanted to catch on Sunday were recorded for posterity and have already been shared. I wanted to make it in person, but for some reason, when it came to actually attending panels this year, I was feeling extremely unmotivated to attend once I was actually at the event. Believe it or not, I almost even skipped on the Winchester panel (but I’m so glad I didn’t!).

Beware the Moon! The Chaney Legacy
Promenade Stage – Sunday @ 1:00PM
Guest(s): Ron Chaney, Rick West, Deep Within, David Woodruff

Monster kids, get ready! Midsummer Scream is thrilled to welcome Ron Chaney, great-grandson of Lon Chaney, and grandson of Lon Chaney Jr. back to the stage for an in-depth conversation with Rick West, where they’ll discuss the Chaney family legacy and explore how Ron is carrying that lineage forward for future generations.

Her Voice in the Haunt Community
Podcast Lounge – Sunday @ 2:00PM
Guest(S): TRIX THE TRIXTER, Maria “Pasta” Rago, Mary Imagination, Star Romano, Chelsea Pennington

Showcasing women’s contributions in the haunt community with a variety of speakers from different fields in the industry. Hear from an Entertainment Project Specialist, a filmmaker and writer, fire performer, business owners, and freelance scare actress about how they got to where they are and what it means to be a woman in the industry.

Ghost Post with Dizney Coast to Coast
Podcast Lounge – Saturday @ 1:30PM
Guest(s): Jeff DePaoli, Kevin Lively, Cory Doctorow

In 2016, 999 lucky souls subscribed to Disney’s coveted “Ghost Post” interactive game. Beyond those lucky few, the game and experience have been shrouded in mystery. Join us as creators of the game share insight into the making of this magical and spooky multi-part subscription box, made by the ultra-talented folks at Walt Disney Imagineering.

Final Thoughts on Panels and Presentations

Midsummer Scream always does an amazing job of bringing new and interesting panels to their event. There is never a dull moment, and as a long time convention attendee, Midsummer Scream is one of those rare events where I struggle to pick and choose what exactly I want to attend because everything sounds fun. I love that there are always opportunities for guests of all levels of fame from podcasters to Horror actors to meet fans and gain a reach to those they might not have the chance to connect with under normal circumstances.