Author - Jerry Paxton

We got the chance to ask Lora Ivanova, creator of the ScareLA Halloween/Horror convention, some questions about the upcoming event. ScareLA takes place on August 1 and 2, 2017 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Q) This will be the 5th annual ScareLA convention. How has this journey been for you? Describe how you got to this point.

A) From its inception, my vision was to create a first-of-its kind convention that would not only bring Halloween to the masses, but to provide fans with an opportunity to converge and share their passion while dressing up and being themselves. This has been an incredible journey that has taught us a lot and every year we aim to provide attendees with more immersive and interactive experiences.  Being the first-of-its kind convention, the ScareLA team is proud of see summer Halloween catch on fire and inspire our city’s scare fans to gather and create.

ScareLA Creator Lora Ivanova

Q) With ScareLA moving to the Los Angeles Convention Center, tell us what that means for attendees. Why was this a good move for the event?

A) ScareLA has exceeded our wildest expectations and has been growing so much every year that moving to a larger venue was part of its evolution. The LA Convention Center will allow us to expand the show’s foot print and will take the immersive aspect to the next level. We started in Downtown LA and ScareLA was always intended to exist in LA’s epicenter. We are thrilled to move back into the heart of the city, which is easy to get to from any point.

Q) What kind of things can we expect to see this year at the convention?

A) We’ve tailored this year’s show around our theme, ‘Monster’s Come Together’ with efforts focusing on creating experiences that will be enjoyed by monster of all ages while promoting tolerance and unity. We’ve created an entire city, Scarywood (measuring a record 60,000 sq.ft.) that will include a new and groundbreaking VR experience, ‘Flatline’, where participants can experience having a near death experience; an exclusive AR experience, ‘The Summoning’, where participants will explore the crime scene of occultist, Raphael Davidson; and, ‘ZTag Zombie Infection Arena’, which is a game where a group of four will decide how to protect a ‘safe zone’ in Los Angeles from zombies. These are just a few of the many that will be featured.

Monsters will also be able to enjoy experiences from upcoming Warner Bros. Film’s “IT” and Annabelle”, which will include a cinematic VR experience and spooky photo opportunity respectively. Dystopia Rising SoCal will be back with an amazing LARP experience and Rizo’s Scare House will bring its biggest haunt, a 3,600 sq.ft. of darkness on the outskirts of Scarywood. The creative team behind Universal Studio’s Halloween Horror Nights will also be back to give us a spooky preview of this year’s haunts.

On the educational front, we will offer monsters everything from makeup, set building, costuming and animatronics. Demos and seminars will including non-latex skeleton corpsing with Bill Ramsey; Zombie silicon prosthetics with “Skin Wars” favorite Kyle Vest; Jon Mario demonstrating out-of-kit effects such as cuts, burns, bruises and blood; and Warren Kong of Lightswitch will be presenting a free, 40-minute seminar called ‘Beyond the Strobe Light: A Marriage of Lighting and Scenic’ which will cover the use of colored light, UV paint and effects with lighting, monochromatics, and shadow play, as well as special games and workshops about Wonder Woman and Batman. These are only a few of the many monsters will be able to participate in.

For more in-depth information, monsters can visit: ScareLA.com

Q) Being that the LA Convention Center is so close to LA Live, is there any chance we will see LA Live restaurants offering discounts to attendees with ticket? Any deals in the works, perhaps?

A) In order to cultivate the atmosphere, we’ve focused our efforts into bringing back our themed food trucks, which have been very popular with attendees in the past. There will be a variety of fun and scary foods that will keep monsters up and running all day. For the first time, we will have a bar in the dark space that will also offer guests a wide variety of themed drinks to choose from.

Q) Horror and Halloween are huge industries, and there are very few events out there that cater specifically to this crowd. What do you think it is that draws people into horror and Halloween?

A) Halloween lends an opportunity to people to be themselves and express themselves freely. From the get go, part of our vision was to expand this opportunity by promoting tolerance and celebrating the wildest differences at the community level. Halloween is a holiday for the entire family and ScareLA will always be welcoming for fans of all ages.

Q) There are a huge number of haunted attractions (ranging in scale from home haunt to theme park haunt) to experience during the Halloween season. What are some of your favorites?

A) There are many that I enjoy and for several reasons. For instance, Reign of Terror Haunted House in Thousand Oaks who beats many of the professional attractions in both quality and design; Big Worm’s Sherwood Scare who donates their proceeds to charity; Wicked Lit who creates modern stage adaptations of classic horror literature; and Creep LA for being one the most surrealistic experiences.

Q) What is Lora Ivanova’s ideal Halloween like?

A) No Halloween is the same for me and I always like to experience different haunts. I make my own costumes and try to find something that inspires me. I haven’t decided yet what I’ll dress up as this year, but you can be sure it will be something original and interesting.

Q) And, finally, is there anything else you’d like our readers to know about ScareLA?

A) I’ve been inspired by the love of the community towards our event and I’d like to thank all of our volunteers and partners who shared their passion and helped the process unfold. Every little piece makes a difference and we are thankful for everything that we have accomplished and proud of tapping into an authentic energy that has helped us along the way.

We’d like to thank ScareLA, Lora Ivanova, and Supersonix Media for helping make this interview possible. Please check out the official ScareLA website for ticket purchasing information, schedule of events, and more!