Transworld Halloween & Attractions Show, 2018

Year two for the Transworld Halloween & Attractions Show is in the books for me and it was even better than last year! HUGE thanks goes out to Dave Shonk for allowing me to tag along and help work his Closed Casket Studios booth again. Did you see all the amazing new sculpts adorning his booth this year? He really has brought it to another level and I can't wait to add a few of his new props heads to my haunt display this year.

I arrived in St. Louis Thursday afternoon and immediately went to work. The show floor and our booth were packed all three days that I was there, and it was cool getting to meet new people and connect names and faces from around the haunt industry. I'll admit that I got a bit starstruck at a few of the people that came through the booth this weekend.

Like last year, I was able to sneak away from flyer duty and go tour the enormous expanse of the show floor. I was literally stopping every five feet to snap away and capture the stunning work that was on display at each vendor's booth. The best part about this show is that you get the biggest and most popular names throughout the haunt industry mixed in with new, smaller upstart companies and you get to see all of their wares in one place. I couldn't believe how many cool masks, props, figures, animatronics, lights, sets and gadgets were at this show. I REALLY need to win the lottery...

Add to that the mayhem that took place each night after the show, and it didn't leave much time for sleep. Parties and bar meet-ups kept us going late into the night. It was a nonstop rollercoaster, and I can't remember the last time that I packed so much into one long weekend. And we didn't even make it to any of the haunt tours this time around, yet we still had an absolute blast. It's not often you get a chance to have a drink with someone who tells you all about the science behind being a haunted house queue line fire breather. It was absolutely fascinating!

I made it back to the Cemetery Sunday night, somehow woke up and made it through the day at work without falling asleep and have now gone through the huge collection of photos that I took. I don't have any video here, but take some time and check out the Haunter's Hangout Facebook page to see a ton of videos there (heck, I think my friend Randy Skalos from Haunt on Williams posted about 50 videos alone of the show floor!). You'll probably see a thousand videos of the immense Pennywise animatronic - it was the most popular prop at the show.

There are over 145 pics this time around, so grab some popcorn, sit back, relax and enjoy my photos from Transworld, 2018!

Luckily, our hotel was only two blocks from the famous Arch. I was able to wake up early and go check it out. Unfortunately, it wasn't open yet, so I didn't get a chance to go to the top...

Amazing animated props from Poison Props and The ScareFactory that were displayed in the Dark Zone. Tons of cool videos of the fully-functioning props are everywhere!

Midnight Studios FX absolutely killed it again this year with their oversized figures. I must have spent 15 minutes admiring all of the amazing figures in their booth.

Nevermore Productions going huge with their display again. Fully-functioning animatronics were everywhere in their display!

Nightmare Force were rocking their retro 80s masks from artists including Mikey Rotella and Norman Cabrera. Gorgeous sculpts and amazing paint on each. One of the few catalogs I kept was their new, full-color catalog that looked like a record sleeve. Damn, is it cool!

Global Fear Enterprises' super-detailed full-body suits.

Ed and the gang at Distortions Unlimited doing what they do best!

Gorgeous work from Beastcraft Studios. Their "Crouching Ghoul" was the hit of the show last year, with the most fluid movement I have ever seen in an animated prop. (And now I'll be able to go see it in person at the Haunt on Williams. Lucky!!)

Here it is. The Unit 70 Pennywise animatronic that appears to be the hit of the show. It really is an amazing prop. It must be eight feet tall, with full animation!

More amazing masks and Forevermore Dolls from Pumpkin Pulp. And do you see that Plague mask in the last photo? One will be showing up to the Cemetery door shortly. I can't wait to integrate it into my MHC Masquerade Ball and Halloween night costume for 2018!! But more to come on that later...

Gore Galore. So huge and so awesome! Their enormous creatures have become a staple in many of the local haunted houses, and for good reason.

Hard Kore Fabrication won Transworld's "Best Display" award with their full-size pirate ship. The whole thing was trailered in and was supported with custom pneumatics, allowing the ship to rock back and forth as you walked through it. Super cool.

Ah, yes. The soon-to-be-infamous "twerking" zombie girl. The static figure has pneumatics in her rear end, causing her to "twerk" along with Sir Mixalot's "Baby Got Back." I can't remember who created this piece, but it was pretty funny.

And just before I finally departed for home on Sunday morning, I was able to grab one last pic of the Closed Casket Studios crew. Me, Chad, Josh and Dave. But what the hell, guys!? Why am I the only one doing the "surly face" in the photo!?!?

Thanks again to Dave at Closed Casket Studios for letting me tag along for the show. Transworld is unlike anything else in the haunt industry, and if you haven't been there before, you really do owe it to yourself to go at least once and experience it. I'm completed drained, but it was one of the best weekends I've had in a long time. My inspiration to get creative has been recharged, and I'm ready to start attacking my list for Halloween, 2018.

But first, I have to start preparing for a little convention in Columbus, Ohio. The Midwest Haunters Convention is only 2 months away! I hope to see you there!