Ghouls, ghosts and horror fans took over the Heritage Museum of Orange County from Sept. 13–15 as Creep It Real OC returned with a haunted boardwalk theme, giving fans three days of celebrity sightings, eerie photo ops, live entertainment and Halloween shopping that were enough to give anyone goosebumps.
The annual Halloween-themed festival transformed the museum grounds into a seaside haunt featuring more than 130 vendors, roaming scare actors, surf rock bands, haunted tours of the historic Kellogg House and a nightly “Boardwalk Crawl” costume parade. Organizers Megan and Kevin Valantine created the event in 2019 to bring Southern California’s horror community together.
Goosebumps author R.L. Stine headlined Sunday with an “Open Book” conversation where he shared stories from his decades-long career writing more than 300 books, answered audience questions and signed autographs for longtime fans who grew up on his fright-filled series.
For creators like YouTuber Kialey Hail also known online as Ghoul Host, with over 1.5 million views and 44,000 subscribers on her channel, the event is as much about community as content.
“I’ve come to this event for like three years now,” Hail said, “I live in the area and I like promoting spooky events, so I came here to support the small businesses and to make some content. Everyone’s so nice in the horror community, and I just love being part of it.”
Staff members said the event also helps bring together people from all over the Southern California region.“I feel like it keeps you connected with your community,” said Latrell Logan, an “after-life guard” working the Enchanted Freaky Room.“It’s not just people you would normally see on a daily basis. I think it’s the people, honestly. This is my first year with Creep It Real and I’ve already made so many different friends.”
Its Christmas counterpart, Creep It Real Festive, is scheduled for Nov. 21–23 at the Heritage Museum of Orange County and will feature a “Twilight” theme with appearances from the cast, themed photo ops, holiday horror vendors and seasonal entertainment.
