Awaken the Spirits 2021: Exhibitors and People-Watching

Pasadena Convention Center, Pasadena, CA

After Tuesday’s very information-heavy update, we return with the second half of our Awaken the Spirits recap, we take things more casual today with a look around the convention. This update is going to feel much more like a stroll around, taking in the ambiance of this “pop-up” Halloween convention that the folks behind Midsummer Scream cobbled together in just a short couple of months. In some ways, this mirrored my own experience. At a full Midsummer Scream, I’m always running around trying to capture everything there is. But with Awaken the Spirits mainly just being about panels and exhibitors, I was able to catch up with friends, wander the halls at a more relaxed pace, and just relax more.

Of course, I still tried to document as much as possible!

Exhibitors

When they weren’t at the panels, guests could visit one of three exhibition halls at the Pasadena Convention Center to check out a multitude of exhibitors ranging from vendors and industry merchandisers to professional and amateur haunters. With 2020 being a lost year for almost every commercial haunt, there was a pretty good presence of the pro spookers. In fact, Universal Studios Hollywood even set up a micro-haunt activation for Halloween Horror Nights featuring The Curse of Pandora’s Box.

Every 15-30 seconds, shrieking cries of “HADES FIRE!!!!” could be heard from behind the curtain. Inside, guests were treated to this jump scare.

HHN wasn’t the only big name haunt in town. 13th Floor Entertainment was also present with a prominent and beautiful photo op display for the L.A. Haunted Hayride that greeted guests as they entered Exhibit Hall A.

On the other side, near the Hall B entrance, Reign of Terror parked their hearse and a couple Home Depot 12 ft tall skeletons to advertise their return this season after a lost 2020. RoT is at a new, ground level location at the Janss Marketplace in Thousand Oaks, and they’ve rebuilt and redone their huge haunt. They weren’t able to open last year due to local health restrictions, but they have an all-online reservation system this year and even more scares than ever!

Also returning this year over in Riverside, Castle Dark brings the scares to Castle Park. Though there was one almost unadvertised maze last year, this year will see the return of more mazes and scare zones.

Larry Bones and company will be back this year also, with HorrorWorld TCM. In fact, the haunt starts tonight and runs Friday and Saturday evenings for just three weekends. Get your tickets here! Boneyard Effects has had an amazingly poor string of luck the past couple of years with their haunts, with COVID not helping at all. But their previous Into the Black maze was fantastic, and they offer an intimate brand of horror.

Another San Bernandino haunt, Fear Farm (the one in Pheland, located on the other side of the mountains near Wrightwood—not the one in Arizona) was promoting at Awaken the Spirits and offering a raffle for various prizes!

Of course, we also had to stop by our friends at Zombie Joe’s Underground. They were promoting several shows, including the wildly fantastic Cabaret Macabre (runs tonight and tomorrow night). They were also having a promotion for a 5-ticket package usable at any of their shows for only $69. Because… you know…

Fellow NoHo theater group Force of Nature Productions was also at Awaken the Spirits, across the way in Hall C. They had an interactive “scavenger hunt” of sorts that had guests try to find FON actors to complete a symbol on their palm, whereupon they would receive a link to a teaser for FON’s latest iteration of Fallen Saints, coming this fall!

Another production offering spooky happenings this fall, Intruder Escape is producing an immersive and interactive theater experience called The Clown Academy. There weren’t many details about this event, so the mystery certainly abounded, but it certainly sounded interesting!

In the realm of something new and different, a new, year-round horror museum called Art’s Sideshow is opening up in Montclair later this year, and they made good use of a prominent stretch of real estate to advertise their upcoming attractions… which were certainly creepy.

And even home haunts like the amazing Grey Phantom had a presence, offering some of their wares and offshoots from main haunted attraction creation.

Beyond haunters, there were plenty of other sights to see in the exhibition halls, from haunt industry people to performers and social media influencers to prop, costume, and mask makers to horror-minded small businesses and entrepreneurs. As with other haunted expos that Midsummer Scream has produced, Awaken the Spirits was a great avenue for many of these parties to access a wide audience and help their businesses.

The Horror Buzz group was on hand to support their friend and fabulous drag queen performer, Mr. He, who was in town to participate at Awaken the Spirits.

Decayed Brigade was also at the con, not performing this time but selling awesome merchandise to fans. They might return to their awesome slider shows at Seasons Screamings, though!

We also stopped by AdamJessFX, makers of incredible masks and horror props and supplier for many monsters at Knott’s Scary Farm, among other haunts!

At the Haunted Orange County booth, guests could meet Disney Imagineering legend Bob Gurr and get an autograph or a photo (or both). Bob was as sharp-minded as ever and an absolute pleasure. The man is a living legend, a Disney treasure, and just an always-entertaining gentleman with so many stories to tell! Haunted O.C. is also a great organization that offers spooky night walks and tours to some of the O.C.’s darker corners.

Gorenaments is the creation of Sarah Cooke (wife to one well-beloved Jon Cooke) and offers a variety of delightful and adorable Halloween-themed goods, souvenirs, and decorations for the October-minded!

This was just a bit of what was available at Awaken the Spirits. Although it was a scaled down output of the usual Midsummer Scream offerings, there were still dozens and dozens of vendors and an incredible amount of horror goodies to take in. Artwork, celebrity signings, home goods, decor, and more… it was nice to see all of this come together again. And though there were occasional bottlenecks and congestion in the hall, it surprisingly never felt overly crowded. Plus, with pretty much all guests respecting the masking regulations, I did not feel uncomfortable making my way through the vendor space.

In between the hustle and bustle from exhibition halls to panels, guests could also enjoy a refresher at several bars at the convention. Of the selection, the LVCRFT Bar had the nicest ambiance, offering a calm retreat from the busy floor.

Guests

One of the best parts of going to a fan convention is the people-watching available. So many guests use these visits to express their creativity and dress up in their favorite cosplay or original creations, and the artistry from the fellow convention-goers is an attraction in and of itself!

At Awaken the Spirits, the overall number of people dressed up felt a little less than a typical Midsummer Scream, which is not surprising considering this was still a return to normalcy and not quite normal. But there were still plenty of great costumes anyway. This Krampus, for example, deserves props not only for the great presentation but also for waiting outside during part of the day when the panel lines extended extra long!

Not sure if anyone would want to run into THIS hare… anywhere.

This Silent Hill nurse was on a very aggressive mission to get people vaccinated—OR ELSE!

A frequent fixture at various cons, Dragpool prowled the halls in search of new victims, but only received showering love and enthusiasm instead.

Mando Leota showed off one heck of a Mandalorian / Haunted Mansion cosplay. Love seeing mash-ups of different themes resulting in new and creative results!

One of the costuming aspects that I appreciated was how many people incorporated their mask wearing into their outfits, matching the theme with all accessories!

Another elaborate costume, this Wendigo slider was one of several scareactors informally creeping around Awaken the Spirits.

Although there were monsters acting in an official capacity too. Six Flags Magic Mountain brought some of their Fright Fest ghouls to play, including Innocence Willoughby, who creeped people out wherever she slinked.

You might recognize this face as Lovely Lucy during Knott’s Scary Farm… or from one of a number of 13th Floor Entertainment Group promos this fall. Either way, she’ll haunt your nightmares.

Ultimately, although the panels are cool and the haunts are fun, it’s the people who make all the difference at an event like this. Without the people, a Midsummer Scream literally could not happen, and it’s the passion of the haunt community in general that makes these events so enjoyable!

That does it for this report, which naturally turned out to be longer than I intended. Because I am just not capable of being terse. Well, chances are you’re here for the photos, not the words, anyway! As we swing toward the end of August and shift into September, we’re definitely swinging into haunt season proper. And with it starting earlier than ever in Southern California and running almost a full two months this year, we can’t wait to enjoy all the frights and spooks.

But to make sure we can continue toward that goal, lets make sure to keep safe and healthy and be respectful of the rules and regulations that are in place at haunts. It’s all about having fun, and no one likes an entitled, disruptive brat at their haunt—no matter what the reason is.

Happy spooping!