Most people spent Halloween afternoon killing time before the parties. In San Antonio, a lot of them spent it at the School of Comics instead, browsing a goth market, entering a zombie costume contest and fighting their way through a haunted house that was also, somehow, a rave.
It was called Hallopalooza, and the School's small team spent all of October building it. Here's what went down on October 31 at 4914 NW Loop 410.
A market with 20 spooky vendors
Twenty local vendors filled the front and back parking lots, all of them spooky, gothic and handmade. Think art prints, jewelry and, yes, taxidermy. The market was free and open to all ages, and the invitation went out to exactly the right crowd: emos, punks, goths, horror fans, zombie enthusiasts and every other flavor of alternative.
The Electric Dead Massacre
Inside, the School turned into a zombie-rave haunted house called the Electric Dead Massacre. The story: a rave in an abandoned factory goes horribly wrong when a tainted batch of party supplies starts turning the crowd into flesh-eating zombies. The DJ keeps playing anyway, and the bouncer doesn't seem to care.
Techno and industrial music ran the whole time, everyone who went through got free glowsticks while they lasted, and the entrance had a seriously good hand-painted sign by @audio_l0sw. Entry was $10, or $7 if you showed up dressed as a zombie.
The whole thing was put together by the School's own team with help from its interns and a crew of volunteer scare actors. Nobody hired a production company. Artists built it.
A zombie costume contest with a trophy made in-house
The best zombie of the day took home a one-of-a-kind trophy, modeled and painted by School of Comics staff member @avocado__papi and 3D-printed by Erik right there in the studio. That's about as School of Comics as a prize gets.
Why this matters
The School of Comics is a nonprofit third space for artists and alternative folks of all kinds, and events like Hallopalooza are the point. Twenty local makers got a day of sales, interns got to build something real, and a lot of people who don't always fit in at a regular Halloween event had somewhere to go. If you missed the news, the School is now an official 501(c)(3), so every event like this one is part of that mission.
Went through the haunted house?
The School wants to hear what you thought. Drop a comment on their Instagram, and follow along there for the next event, class drop and figure-drawing night.
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