Start Your Halloween Prep Early at Monsterpalooza

May may seem like quite a distance away from the eeky shadows and atmospheric outings of fall, but the fifth month starts with something frightful: Half-o-Ween, or Halfway to Halloween, if you prefer.

So it makes spooky sense, as the month concludes, that we're now looking at one of Halloween's pre-pre-pre-events, a June-starting convention that is all about the wonders of monster movie make-up, iconic characters of the silver screen, and ways to up your at-home haunt-a-tude, when the time soon comes.

And to help us burnish our haunt-centered skills?

It's Monsterpalooza, a three-day festival devoted to film frights, inventive cosmetics and costuming, and all sorts of whimsically wicked ways to achieve cool effects in your own yard.

A host of pros, industry greats, and horror actors will be at the Pasadena Convention Center from June 3 to 5, giving tips, reflecting on famous monsters, and upping everyone's game when it comes to getting things ready for an October haunted garage, terror trail, or whatever haunt you hope to build.

Several luminaries will appear at the 2022 event, including Tim Curry, the Pennywise so many people recall from their childhoods, and a number of "Scream" greats, including Neve Campbell, Matthew Lillard, Skeet Ulrich, and Jamie Kennedy.

Tobin Bell and Shawnee Smith of the "Saw" films, as well as several other well-known works, are also on the roster, as are a host of loved performers.

Soon, more chilling summertime happenings will flicker, like a jack o'lantern on Oct. 31, but Monsterpalooza is certainly one of the biggest of the bunch.

Did you celebrate Half-o-Ween earlier in May? Are you already thinking about how you'd like to approach autumn in terms of a costume, porch decorations, the perfect party for your fellow Halloweenies?

Halloween starts now, or rather on June 3, 4, and 5, at this mega monster con in the Crown City.