ScareLA

I absolutely love scare la. It is a amazing event. Myself and my team had a great time. Friends and family that attended for support had just as much of an amazing time as we all did. I definitely want to come back again. I am already looking forward to the next one. I would recommend this event to anyone into horror or just Halloween in general. There are classes and lots of awesome things going on. Lots of goodies to choose and buy from. Parking is decent and again this event is just awesome!

ScareLA was so much fun! I will definitely be going back next year. There were so many SFX booths and haunted houses and great short films. I just hope that next year they are able to place the student classes in a separate room. Its kind of distracting having it out on the exhibit floor in the middle of the show.
Parking took some time but we found a spot and it was about $ 9 for the whole day. We packed our lunches, which was good because the expo only offered burgers, fries and nachos. There are tons of restaurants across the street though at the Paseo center.
Next year I will definitely be dressing up and joining the zombie game!

What a fun event! It was our first time and we went on both days had a blast! We didn’t dress up, but a lot of people did, and man, they went all out! In the exhibition room, there were people sitting for hours getting their makeup on and they looked amazing. We hit up all of the mini haunted houses and those were fun. There were a lot of vendors selling Halloween decoration at amazing prices, and we went home with a few fun new things to show off this Halloween. The Queen Mary presentation at the main stage was entertaining and hilarious. We never knew it was such a big carnival setup like fairs (not just on the ship). We can’t wait to check it out next year!

I couldn’t have been more impressed with ScareLA. I’ve worked in the themed entertainment industry for several years, but was never able to go to ScareLA. I was finally able to make it this year, and it exceeded all my expectations.
The vendors were all fantastic, with great products to look at and purchase. They had great interactive elements (mini mazes and escape rooms) that were so fun, and well produced. The panels that they hosted, as well as the speakers, were all fantastic, and spoke about some really cool and relevant topics.
I can’t wait to go back next year!

Like many, this was my first time at ScareLA! I had no idea what to expect. I am a huge horror and Halloween fan and had a blast walking around the convention center. I came on Saturday and had a fun time.
People were lining up down the block to get in and the parking lot was closed at the convention center, which was a bummer. The line was pretty disorganized but I was really excited when we got in. The convention center itself was full of TONS of guests — most of them in costume. There were also tons of people in professional makeup which was fun to watch.
Great selection of booths. Some of my favorites were comics, a free zoltar machine, tshirts, and bugs! Oh and ghost cookies. Who doesn’t love ghost cookies?
They also had a selection of haunted houses. Me and my date did 3 of them. The second one we went through was really scary but the other 2 were kind of a let down.
I also saw 1 great panel which was about Extreme Haunted houses. Was very informative. I wish it had been a little longer so that they could have talked more about McKamey Manor because they focused more on the Victim Experience and Blackout. However it was a fun panel to sit in on.
The food court was open for ghouls who didn’t want to leave the convention center, but the food looked pretty meh to me so I ended up going out.
Can’t wait to come next year!

First time attending, definitely going back!
Great makeup, art, costumes, treats, demos & haunt teasers! Better than expected! Almost felt like horror cons I used to frequent!
Won free tickets to The Basement, stay tuned…

I had no idea what to expect. I bought tix on goldstar a month or two ago and thought I’d drop by since it was happening in my neighborhood. I had a great time on Sunday, it wasn’t crowded and I got a lot of great information on upcoming events for the Halloween season. Next year I’ll pay attention to the schedule so maybe I can attend done panels or carve my own tombstone.

This was my first time at ScareLA. Its a 2 day convention. Im a hardcore horror fan, but somehow, never heard of this amazing, AMAZING convention. I was quite literally like a kid in a candy store. I was on horror overload, I couldn’t even pick where I wanted to go first!!! So, first off, if you are a person like me, who loves EVERYTHING gore, horror and traumatizing, this is the place for you. I like how it really sets you up for the halloween season.
So, at ScareLA, you will find some of the horror industries best makeup artists, special effect artists, costumes, Panels (where you can meet some of horrors best, like Sid Haig), movies, shopping for all things creepy (I bought this horrifying mask, thats mounted into a picture frame. It will be hanging in my home year round, thats the kind of horror fan I am!), several mazes to walk through. FOG machines blowing everywhere… AND you can dress up!!! I mean, it doesn’t get any better than that. Big Halloween theme parks were there to represent the upcoming halloween season. Queen Mary Dark Harbor, Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights, Knotts Scary Farm, Haunted Hayride, and more. All there to give you some tantalizing hints about this years big halloween theme park openings…
We got there about 12:30pm, parked a couple blocks away. We were at ScareLa for about 6 hours. That was plenty of time to walk through the convention center and see everything. There is concession for food and drinks, it was expensive. The french fries were $ 4.00 for this small cup. When we entered ScareLA, they didnt really do any security check, which I thought was a little strange. I could have brought anything in. My point is, next time, I will just bring snacks and drinks. Ummm, what else??? The energy was really good, everybody was super friendly. No drama, no yahoo’s trying to cause trouble. Everybody just wanted to enjoy the convention, and have a great time.
My friend bought our tickets for $ 30 each. Im not sure what the standard price is, but it was definitely worth $ 30. I want to be clear, this is very graphic stuff at this convention. I saw lots of little kids, and thats just fine. My mom introduced me to horror stuff when I was very young, and Im grateful. BUT, if you are the type of parent who really doesn’t want your child to see scary, bloody, gore… DO NOT bring your child here. There are very, very violent images here, not suited for small children (unless you are starting your childs love of horror out early in life).
I will be attending ScareLA next year. No questions asked. If you are a horror fan, next year, go to ScareLA. I will be there too, and I promise, you won’t be disappointed.

My first time at Scare LA.
I was a bit underwhelmed. I’m a huge horror/​Halloween fan and I just felt like there wasn’t enough to do or see here.
It started off late which is a major turn off. The doors were supposed to open at 11am and instead it was almost 1130 before they were opened. It was hot outside waiting in the sun and people could not help but complain.
The location is great. Old town Pasadena area which is quiet, easy to find parking, and walking distance to a lot of shops and eateries. We found four dollar parking near City hall.
The exhibit hall had a lot of makeup vendors, haunted attractions (new and old), Halloween merchandise for sale, and a few goodies. I did see the cake I want for my bday which was cool. I tried out the Alone experiment which was beyong bizarre! Needless to say, it has been removed from my bookmarks. I also went to the screening room a few times. It was always pretty empty. One of the TV shows called Acting Dead was pretty good. There was a short Thriller performance that was also a disappointment. Do not remix a classic. The haunted houses on site were submerged with fog machines that made it hard to breath in the rooms.
Im glad I tried it out finally, but I dont think I will be returning unless there are significant changes and more vendors.

Halloween lovers unite! Changing the venue to the Pasadena Convention Center this year was definitely a smart move. Having the paseo across the street was convenient and we were able to take a nice lunch break from the chaos between exploring the main floor, lining up for the panels, and enjoying the mini-​haunts. Although some of the lines were crazy long, it seemed a lot more organized than previous years and there were a lot of great vendors. Can’t wait for October!

As far as cons go, this one rocks! Organized, not too busy, and located by many walkable food establishments, I really enjoyed myself.
ScareLA features Halloween themed EVERTHING. And, NO this is not your Strip Mall Halloween Store.
The panels we saw were on «Disney’s Hat Box Ghost»; a Reading of «The Original Haunted Mansion Script» voiced by Captured Aural Phantasy Theater; and a Live Pod Cast of «91 Reasons» with Jeff Tucker’s take on Halloween Past. These presentations were interactive, had visuals, and were fun. I do not think I have giggles so much in a long time!
I left with by hands full of merch. The Exhibition Hall had nic nacs, clothing, makeup, costumes, effects, photo ops, and workshops. There were even mini-​mazes and a large one. Though there are crafts for the kiddies to do, I would recommend this is for the more mature audience due to the graphic displays of props and semi nudity of the guests being painted in full body makeup.
Not bad for a «scary» day in August.

Loved being an attendee so much last year that we’ve signed on to be an exhibitor this year! Looking forward to it on August 8 & 9 in Pasadena. There is so much to do there. It’s Halloween in August! And Motel 6 Feet Under will be in the house!

This is a review of the 2014 ScareLA which took place in downtown L.A.
Understaffed; poor communication about when doors opened; not letting people in to «full» events even as people come out; same line for people with prepaid tickets (who paid an additional service fee for doing so) and those who were buying at the door.
We were also disappointed with the types of events and panels offered – not that impressive. The Magic Castle panel, Haunted Mansion panel (which we weren’t able to get into; see comments above), and Atlas Obscura/​Abandoned Sites around LA panel were some of the only events that seemed worth it to us. I assume events and panels will become more impressive as the event gains in popularity over the years.
There was, however, a good deal of unique and interesting vendors at the convention. While it’s fun to look at the goods, these things cost money and so can’t really be counted towards the value of the ScareLA ticket.

Great experience and an expo long needed for the Entertainment and Themed Entertainment industry here in Los Angeles. Highly recommend attending this event for any haunt and theme park fan. Great classes on setting up your own home haunt and a showroom floor that has everything Halloween, horror, and haunt. Also fun sneak peaks with upcoming haunts at Universal Studios, Knott’s Berry Farm, Queen Mary, and many other local attractions.

You would think as a crow, I would have really dug this event. I was very excited to go. I don’t make much money as a bird that eats dead things off the pavement, so splurging on Fear Freak tix kinda was a stretch for me. So I was sad to be disappointed. Try to buy your tickets early when they are on massive discount, look for coupons. Especially if you buy VIP or Fear Freak. We felt ripped off. Last year 2014 was very disorganized, people told us FF’s to stand outside in a super long line even though we were supposed to be guaranteed to get in early to be seated at one of the events that started at opening time. Why schedule a panel to start at the same time as the opening the doors of the convention time? We were supposed to be put in a Fear Freak line which was very short, right next to the front door. We even got there early! But the poorly trained person, who later blamed it on another employee didn’t bother to listen to us or go ask anyone as to what we were talking about when we showed her our lanyards. Make sure if you have VIP or FF that you get what you pay for. There is a lot more to this story, but I have deleted it because it’s just too detailed and unnecessary, the point is buy the pricey tix at your own risk, or make sure to ask for a supervisor if you have any problems.
Regardless of it’s slight amusement, I’ll pay less money and have experienced better panels at Monsterpalooza. Scare LA has potential, but I recommend checking it out your first year on a regular admission, before forking over the big bucks for the pricey tickets, unless money is no object for you. I heard about other people who bought VIP, and were totally upset because it didn’t help them either. I wish more of the disgruntled people I know of would give their reviews here on Unilocal.
It is a nice novelty to have a convention of this nature especially if you are a haunter, but you can buy the products online Fright Props, HalloweenTown or go to Monsterpalooza. I am also already hearing they are having problems with ticketing in 2015. It’s their 3^rd year, I hope they can get it together!
PS– One great thing if you want to experience making stuff there is a group there SCVH who helps you make tombstones & various props for a fee, that is a fun event for the craftier peeps & families.
*Caaaawww! Take heed, buy your tickets early! Be warned about Fear Freak & VIP badges are expensive & may not help you! Caaaaaw! *

I had such an awesome experience here! I believe this was their second year running this convention? Anyways, they did a great job at promoting the event. I was vending at a Halloween event in July and there they were, handing out Popsicles and flyers!
The location was spacious and there was plenty of room to walk. The scare attraction previews were good too– but mind you they are only previews. There were special effects makeup artists that were working on their monsters right in front of you. I am such a huge fan of sfx makeup so it was a delight to see monsters being created right before our eyes. But since this is considered a «Halloween convention» the placed was crawling with Halloween scare attraction creatures. Loved it!
There were about 200+ vendors at this event so there were plenty of unique gifts to buy and they made sure vendors were «Halloween» and «horror» themed.
And on top of that there were so many panels and seminars you could attend, even screenings of short films.
I had such a great experience and it was totally worth the expenses! I’m definitely going to make sure I purchase the VIP pass ahead of time.

So glad there is an event to promote Halloween in LA now!
I really wanted to give this more stars!!!
I attended on both Sat and Sun! Overall it was an awesome experience, I met a lot of interesting vendors and people. Hell, on Sat I parked right next to Sid Haig and we had a 3 min conversation/​picture taking experience before I even got in line to buy tickets.
Since this was only the 2^nd time the event has occured, there are still kinks that need to be worked out.
Major Issue for general admission and the line that wraps around the building… Um, Bathrooms! I was in line for almost 45 mins when my children had to go. Yep, had to give up our place in line to search for a bathroom indoors and then we re-​waited in line to purchase tickets. Took 1.5 hrs to just get in.
Ticket sales, need to be worked out. We waited in line next to a couple that already had there tickets. Why should they have to wait? Inside, the vendors should be grouped accordingly. Staff needs to be more knowledgable on panels, lines, vendor locations, etc. (I was sent in the wrong direction on three separate occasions).
The entertainment in the center was a distraction from shopping and speaking with vendors. Maybe the entertainment could be in a different area next year. The panel discussion for HHN with John Landis was awesome! When/​where to be in line for good seats would have been a plus.
I will be returning next year, and hopefully I will be able to rate this with five stars for the improvements that are needed!

Had such a good time at this years event! I went on Sat ⁸⁄₉ and was busy from when the doors opened until I left at the end of the day. I will be back next year and will be going both days! If you like anything about the Halloween season this is a must. There is something for everyone. From panels of all sorts to makeup tutorials and all kinds of vendors.

I was literally like a kid in a candy store with this event. Poor Jaime was holding all of my bags of goodies that I’ve purchased or received as I was running from one end of the building to the next. He even had marks on his wrists from the bags. The more I saw, the more I purchased. There had a lot of hard to find stuff that any horror junky would drool over.
One thing I really loved about the event was the organization. You knew where to park, the check-​in was quick, the layout was mapped out great and there were not a ton of people where you couldn’t interact with the vendors or people signing. I asked a lot of questions and everyone that was participating gave me an in depth answer to whatever crazy question I had.
Not sure what you wanted to do for Halloween? Almost every haunted maze and attraction was on board giving out coupons and a sneak peek at what they had in store for visitors. I was really surprised at how many mom and pop attractions we had in Orange County. Though they aren’t the biggest productions, I’ll definitely have to hit them up and see what they’re all about.
Costumes were encouraged and some people really got into it. If you wanted something unique for the horror month, there was not a shortage of custom makeup demos, vendors selling unique masks and places offering crazy costumes. I definitely walked away feeling (more) inspired.
If you were really adventurous, they even had coffin rides. I’m super claustrophobic, so couldn’t participate, but it was fun watching the people get in, have the lid closed and seeing them on a television from a hidden camera inside the morbid vessel. They had double rides and single rides and the whole experience simulated what it was like to be lowered six feet under into the ground. It’s completely pitch black and you can only feel see what’s around you.
I wish I would have paid attention to the schedule more closely as I missed out on some cool workshops, lectures and the horror trivia. My friends went and their pictures looked awesome. I was too busy buying Freddy Kruegar replica gloves, Dexter bobbleheads, You’re Next masks, and getting signed copies of the original Poltergeist shooting script. Next year, I’m for sure dedicating more time to my experience and maybe even carrying it over into two days.
If you were hungry, they had a good amount of food trucks outside for you to choose from. We went the Greasy Weiner (get your mind out of the gutter) route and were happy with the decision. I’ll have to review them later. The offerings even included a kosher truck and Hot Dog on a Stick, which provided a chance to score some delish lemonade after a day of shopping and picture taking.
Most vendors accepted credit cards, so that was a plus. I didn’t bring enough cash and pretty much spent most of it at the first booth I visited, so if you’re a junky like I am, plastic is a lifesaver.
I’ll definitely be back next year. No questions asked.

I loved this event, it was awesome! There were so many spooky sights to see and it was such a great show case for a lot of great artists. If you love Halloween this is the place to come to. There were so many ghoulishly delightful and creative set ups and displays to look at to really inspire artists and admirers alike. It was basically a Comic Con for Halloween lovers. It was a bunch of exhibits getting you ready for the special day. If you love Halloween then this convention would be a ghoulishly fun time!
This is basically a gathering of everybody in the Halloween industry getting together to show the new trends and entertainment options that may be available this fall. For example we saw a new façade of the new Spirit Lounge soon to be open in Brea which will be fully furnished with Ouija board tables red velvet booths and a down right undead décor! Muhahaha!
One really cool thing about the event was that there were walking undead performers who even put on a montage show of horror movies and showed their fright skills that entertained everyone around. There were also plenty of these same type of performers walking around giving everybody quite the fright! I noticed a lot of Etsy artists were also having a great opportunity to have their seriously artistic and ghoulishly awesome items displayed to everyone’s delight. Having gone to Comic Con and seeing it grow year after year I know that if this was the first annual year then Scare L.A. is going to grow into a must see end of summer event for years to come. Viva Halloween!