Taylor Moore
LV Life Editor
The Los Angeles County Fair made its annual return, as did the Haunt Super Show for its third year at the Fair in Expo Hall 9, along with its dozens of Halloween and horror-themed vendors. Catering to horror fans’ desire for everything related to the movie genre, the Haunt Super Show had guests swarming to their freaky fun displays.
Luna’s Sweets & Treats is a bakery specializing in custom desserts, all with a horrific twist.
Irene Correa, owner of Luna’s Sweets & Treats, worked as a chef for six years and said baking runs in her family since her grandmother had her own baking business and her mother also loves to bake. Eventually, Correa would combine her love for baking with her love for the horror movie genre.
“(My family) would put on a lot of scary movies, so I’ve been watching movies like ‘Hellraiser’ and ‘Halloween’ my whole life,” Correa said. “My uncles would take me to the movies to see the newest ones, I started young with it. Scary movies have always been something I’ve been into. (Horror) has always been a big thing for me.”
Correa said Warner Bros. hired her to make custom cookies to promote the newly released “Evil Dead Rise.” Some cookies took on the shape of a Deadite’s face, while others contained the movie’s title card.
At her booth, the Ouija Board mini cakes were a popular item at the Fair due to their realistic appearance, complete with a planchette that appeared as if it was moving across the board’s letters.
Correa is a cottage baker, operating her business from her home in Montebello. She is available for custom bookings through her Instagram account and can make just about any dessert with any design that can be dreamt up or, in this case, conjured up in a nightmare.
Owen Klaas, artist and owner of Fiendish Things, came to the show to display his paintings and polymer clay sculptures. Klaas has been painting for 13 years and was sculpting long before that as a hobby.
At the front of his booth was his own rendition of the Universal Horror movie monsters, such as Frankenstein’s monster from the 1931 film “Frankenstein,” the Creature from “Creature of the Black Lagoon,” and more, all of which were made during the pandemic in his home. Klaas said he loves the monsters from the Universal Monsters film series.
The real stars of Fiendish Things were Klaas’ surrealistic paintings. Each had a story of its own, and while many of his works have a seemingly darker tone, Klaas said many represent hope.
“Most of them were done during a specific time in my life,” Klass said. “I might have been going through something, my family was going through something, and they come out this way, in this image. I usually try to find that line, that balance between light and dark, but there’s always some sort of hope.”
Klaas said one of his favorite pieces is titled “Moving On,” a piece that was inspired by the death of a close friend.
Klaas said his paintings contain his own life story, and while each of them has a personal meaning, he allows guests to make their own interpretations with his paintings.
The Basurita Coqueta Shop was selling horror-themed clothing, bags, key chains and Funko Pops. With shirts that added a fun twist to horror icons, such as the slasher killers merging with the infamous “Friends” sitcom logo, Disney villain-themed backpacks, bags in the shape of Ghostface from the “Scream” movie franchise and other iconic horror figures, as well as jewelry boxes with custom art from “Beetlejuice” and “Coraline.”
Nailea Santiago, a manager, said the business started in 2016 but formally became a shop around two years ago. Having focused on horror merchandise exclusively for four years now, the Basurita Coqueta Shop has made an appearance at several comic conventions across the U.S.
Santiago said the shop upgraded from one booth to two booths after the business did so well at last year’s fair.
When Santiago and her family are not at the fair running their booths, they can be found at Booth 235 in Frank and Son Collectible Show in the Plaza at Puente Hills.
Halloween Express’ booth was flooded with everything a horror fan could desire; Halloween costumes, makeup, wigs, masks and decorations.
Such decorations included life sized figurines of the demonic Nun from “The Conjuring” series, the demonic entity “Pumpkinhead” from the “Pumpkinhead” films, and a large werewolf animatronic that growled and waved its claws. The booth contained a horror movie buff’s dream collection, with every variation of the Michael Myers mask from the “Halloween” series, Jason Voorhees’ hockey mask from the “Friday the 13th” series, as well both Bill Skarsgård and Tim Curry’s portrayals of “Pennywise” from the 2017, 2019 and 1990 miniseries respectively.
Katie Stenzel, a Halloween Express employee, said it was the business’ first time at the Haunt Super Show and was happy with the turnout. Stenzel said not only were the guests enthusiastic about the Halloween Express booth, but the other vendors were just as welcoming.
Halloween Express is a seasonal store and will open from late August to October 31. The shop is located in Victoria Gardens in Rancho Cucamonga.
The Los Angeles County Fair runs until May 29, Thursday through Sunday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. The Haunt Super Show, a must-see for all horror fans alike, can be found in Expo Hall 9 in the Downtown Fairplex.
Taylor Moore can be reached at taylor.moore@laverne.edu.
Taylor Moore is a senior broadcast journalism major and Campus Times social media editor for Fall 2023. In her fifth semester on Campus Times, this is her second time serving as social media editor. She has also served as LV Life editor and staff writer.
Abelina J. Nuñez, a junior journalism major, is arts editor for the Campus Times and a staff photographer for the Campus Times and La Verne Magazine. She has previous served as LV Life editor, social media editor and staff writer.
