ScareLA 2018 – Staff Picks and Recommendations
ScareLA, now in its 6th year, brings 200,000 square feet of Halloween mayhem to the Los Angeles Convention Center in the middle of summer. As the first convention dedicated to Halloween, ScareLA celebrates California’s horror scene with 250+ exhibitors, haunt unveilings, workshops and classes, industry panels, film screenings, and activities. ScareLA 2018.
A twist on their traditional conventions, this year ScareLA will push the envelope by revealing the world’s first summer Halloween pop-up theme park, Descend Into Darkness. A spooky immersive experience as soon as guests cross the doorstep, the showfloor will be dimly lit and filled with full-size haunts, experiences, rides, and original activations.
As you kick off the Halloween season with ScareLA 2018: Descend Into Darkness, be sure to check out the experiences below; they’re sure to scare up a good time!
Immersive Experiences
Alone – The Foundation Meta-Tation
Brae away the weight of today. An hour-long, psychedelically meditative aural experience reconstituted by The Enola Foundation. Where there is incorporation there is embodiment. Booth 1430 at ScareLA.
Heretic – Underground Autopsy
L.A.’s Heretic Haunted House will make its final convention appearance EVER this year at Descend Into Darkness. Creative director & writer Adrian Marcato presents Underground Autopsy, a walk-thru of still scenes from a twisted snuff film and what happens when those scenes come to life. No one under 18 will be allowed, and no video recording or photography permitted. There will be a slight physical element that will be available for those who may want a little more than jump scares. This experience will showcase the gritty and grimy underworld that Heretic loves to explore.
Haunted Attractions
The Nightmare Ontology League Field Research Clinic
Donald Julson from Haunters: The Art of the Scare, an infamous home haunter known for his dark and intense maze, Nightmare on Loganberry, is creating two terrifying mazes at ScareLA!
The Nightmare Ontology League Field Research Clinic is in the middle of running clinical trials and needs volunteers to try the new anti-dream drug NoL-Doz. Although NoL is still trying to work out some kinks in the dosage, we are confident that there will be little to no side effects! That being said, in a small number of cases, psychotic breakdowns and death have been reported…
Cinerarium
If you survive The Nightmare Ontology League Filed Clinic, check out the second maze by Donald Julson: Cinerarium.
To protect their small city, the townspeople tried to burn down evidence of the demonic rituals that funeral director Craig Earl performed in the crematorium. But the fires have only made the evil stronger, and now the burned are coming for us all! Tour the Charnel house and pray you make it through unsinged…
Rizo Scarehouse
The horror of Rizo Scarehouse is now taken to a whole new level. It’s not a maze, it’s not an escape room… there is NO escape. Descend into darkness if you dare!
Descension Haunted House
A ScareLA original maze!
Welcome to our castle. Tourist flock from around the world every year to experience the scenic views and history. There is so much romance in the air! Is it nature? The beautiful halls? Or the centuries? One thing is sure: There is no other place like it. Oh, and those haunted stories you read online are just nonsense… made up… nobody ever died here…
Other Experiences
VR Games
Three VR games will be offered: Escape to Virtual Reality, Escape VR and VR Terror Tour Bus.
Dystopia Rising – LARP Zone
Zombie Survival Experience presented by Dystopia Rising SoCal: Can you survive 6-7 minutes against a horde of zombies? In this LARP-style experience, you actually fight off these monsters with realistic-looking foam weapons.
Ghost Train & Light Vortex of Terror
Come and RIDE the train!!! The Ghost Train will have you screaming as you travel through 3D UV pure terror!!!
Queen Mary’s Lounge
An immersive bar lounge haunted by the ghosts of the Queen Mary.
Panels
Suspense to Screams: Four Unique Voices in Immersive Horror
From the intimate and personal to the elaborate and expansive, immersive horror can use many different forms to scare you during an experience. Meet four companies that take varied approaches to this art form, but all succeed in haunting you far after an experience has ended. We’ll discuss how they found their voice, what inspires them, and where their line is in immersive horror.
Join us as we talk with Adrian Marcato, creator of the internationally-successful extreme haunt Heretic; Devon Paulson and Lawrence Lewis, co-creators of the immersive sensation Alone; Sean Adams, creator of the hilariously dark Santu Deliria and California Occasions; and Chelsea Sutton, playwright of Rogue Artists Ensemble’s smash-hit Kaidan Project.
Moderated by Taylor Winters, founder of Haunting.net.
From Horror to Haunt: Transitioning from Screen to Immersive Entertainment
Some of horror’s most talented creators inevitably transition their careers from screen screams to live entertainment. Hear how these horror pioneers – including Justin Fix and Daniel Montgomery (Creep LA), and Josh Randall (BLACKOUT) – have made the switch and learn from their scary experiences.
Haunters: The Art of the Scare
UPDATE & DEBATE: Since HAUNTERS premiered on NETFLIX, it has sparked debates and conversations about how haunted houses for Halloween have spawned a subculture of full-contact terror simulations. But how far is too far? Now it’s time to a have a conversation with director Jon Schnitzer, co-creator of BLACKOUT Josh Randall, legendary scare actor Shar Mayer, and maze designer Donald Julson. They’ll discuss the movie, what was cut out and what has happened since! Get ready for some great stories, prizes and a great debate.
Conclusions
For tickets to ScareLA, check out their website. And make sure to catch up on all the fun from last year:
Immersive Panel – Monsters On and Off the Stage
Haunters: The Art of the Scare with Q&A with the Cast
ScareLA Celebrates Its Fifth Anniversary in L.A.
Halloween Horror Nights – Interview with John Murdy
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