Scream Queens & Masked Killers
The 2022 edition of Midnight Madness was inspired by 80s slasher films, like Friday the 13th and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, featuring masked killers, stereotypical teens, and the iconic Final Girl.
From the moment the invitations were delivered, I wanted to create an atmosphere that would make guests feel like they were inside one of those films.
The idea was for each guest to step into the role of a camper about to live a terrifying story, so I wrote a fictional story set in Camp Novo Horizonte, on the shores of Lake Estrella, with all the locations and characters named after the guests, creating many easter eggs and connections to the real world. This story unfolded across the party materials, from invitations to decorations.
Camp Novo Horizonte, Summer of '86
The story revolves around a tragic event in which the caretaker, Renato Tozo, which name is a pun in portuguese, took the lives of twelve young campers on a summer night in 1982, leaving only one survivor. Now in 1986, the setting for the party, the camp reopens its doors, at the same time the infamous Mr. Tozo disappears from his isolation.
“Join us for an unforgettable summer”
The invite was designed to introduce the event's universe, functioning as a camp brochure with its own visual identity based on the colors and patterns of the era and the cinematic genre.
I used typography in an ironic way, while still connecting it to the '80s decade, incorporating fonts like Comic Sans and Rockwell to give it an authentic feel.
The invitation also came with a fragment of a newspaper article and a "field manual," which served as a moodboard. It included references to movies, music, and the dress code for guests.
Props & Decorations
The party took place at a secluded countryside, and it was decorated with tons of props. With the help of some friends, I built wood structures like bulletin boards, camping tents, and bridges leading to the pool, which represented the lake.
The facade of a cabin was built from scratch and transformed into Tozo’s cabin, decorated with weapons and fake blood. A lit campfire was also a must in the middle of the dancefloor.
The guests were also encouraged to wear the camp uniform and throughout the party, they were chased by a character dressed as Mr. Tozo.
"Let's Get Physical!"
The music was heavily inspired by the 2020 trend in pop music of ’80s nostalgia. Albums like Future Nostalgia by Dua Lipa, Plastic Hearts by Miley Cyrus, Crash by Charli XCX, and What’s Your Pleasure by Jessie Ware shaped the overall vibe. I also mixed in remixes and mashups of actual ’80s hits, like “Physical” by Olivia Newton-John and Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” to enhance the retro atmosphere.
