The fourth annual BlumFest was held in CityWalk this year, the second time the event has taken place at the Universal Orlando Resort. This event brings fans together for a double feature, special photo ops, and a Halloween Horror Nights panel. We also attended BlumFest last year, so we were very excited for BlumFest 2023. This year, “M3GAN” and “The Exorcist: Believer” would be shown in the Cinemark, with a question and answer panel and photo experience in between films. Let’s check in and get the day started!
Check in began at 10 a.m. but many guests lined up early to guarantee good seats for the movie. Tickets were free, but registration was required in advance and sold out very quickly.
Once Team Members started to check guests in for the event, we were handed our BlumFest lanyard and given a “Five Nights at Freddy’s” button. The first movie of the day would start at 11 a.m., so there was plenty of time to grab snacks and get a seat inside the theater.
After watching “M3GAN”, the next portion of the event was either the Blumhouse Photo Experience or the Halloween Horror Nights panel. Lanyards were color-coded, so the purple lanyards were directed to the BlumHouse Photo Experience first and the green lanyards were sent to Rising Star for the panel.
This year, the panel was held in Rising Star rather than inside the theater. This was a more intimate setting and was a nice change from last year. Chairs were set up in front of the stage and fog was added to set the mood. Once everyone was seated, the show started with the M3GAN horde making a surprise appearance.
The M3GAN horde performed their routine on the stage and got the crowd hyped up. Now it was time for the panel.
The host introduced the Halloween Horror Nights panel to the audience. This year’s panel was made up of Senior Director of Creative Development Mike Aiello, Assistant Director of Creative Development Group and Show Direction Lora Sauls, and Senior Show Director of HHN Charles Gray. Following the Halloween Horror Nights Q&A, Blumhouse shared footage from “The Exorcist: Believer” and Director of Photography Michael Simmonds then spoke about the film. You can watch the full panel in our video below.
After the panel, our group was sent over to the Blumhouse Photo Experience next to Fat Tuesday. This new photo experience will be open to the public during Halloween Horror Nights event nights, but we got to check it out first during BlumFest.
We had a great time taking photos here. There are backgrounds for “The Exorcist: Believer”, “M3GAN”. “The Black Phone”, and “Five Nights at Freddy’s”. After taking photos, we had a little free time to get food and drinks before heading into the theater for “The Exorcist: Believer”.
After the movie was over, we walked out to a wonderful surprise! Team Members were handing out exclusive “Five Nights at Freddy’s” shirts. The shirts are not available for purchase, so this was a great addition to the buttons we received earlier.
Overall, we had a great time at the event and hope we have the opportunity to attend again next year. It had several changes from last year, most for the better. Unfortunately, no actors were able to be a part of the event this year. Last year, actors from “The Black Phone” made an appearance. There were no screen-used costumes or props on display this year either, which was a little disappointing, especially considering the amazing Blumhouse Behind the Screams display in Hollywood. “Halloween Ends” costumes were displayed at BlumFest 2022.
We really enjoyed having the panel inside Rising Star and thought it was a nice change from last year. The host did an amazing job, as always, and it was fantastic getting to listen to some of the talented and creative people who work on the Halloween Horror Nights event we love so much! The photo ops are a fun addition this time, and we appreciate that they will be available to the public through November 4. Of course, the “Five Nights at Freddy’s” buttons and shirts were an awesome surprise. Be sure to check out the official Blumhouse site to sign up for emails to stay updated on the latest movies, events, and more.
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