SANDUSKY, Ohio — Halloween season is the time to shine for some Ohio musicians. 

What You Need To Know

  • HalloWeekends is Sept. 15 - Oct. 30 (Thursdays through Sundays only) at Cedar Point

  • Much of the eerie music played at the park is composed by Midnight Syndicate

  • The collaboration between the musicians and the park is celebrating its 25th anniversary

  • Midnight Syndicate is performing live shows at Cedar Point throughout HalloWeekends

When a chill is in the air, the sounds of Midnight Syndicate haunt attractions worldwide, like HalloWeekends at Cedar Point. 

"Cedar Point was one of the first theme parks to use our music in their event,” said Edward Douglas, a composer for Midnight Syndicate. “So, we’ve been together for 25 years now, so we thought, how cool would it be to do a show that celebrates a little bit of the legacy of HalloWeekends and then also our 25th anniversary?”

Douglas said he’s always had a fascination for ghost stories. 

“Not knowing what’s in the shadows and stuff like that,” he said. “It fires my imagination.”

That, combined with a lifelong love of music, is the basis behind the dark melodies of Midnight Syndicate. Douglas and Gavin Goszka compose each piece for the band. 

“When we write, we leave a lot of the details up to the imagination of the listener,” Goszka said. “We’ll kind of set the stage and suggest certain things, like settings and creatures and that kind of thing.”

The duo’s current setting is inside the Jack Aldrich theatre at Cedar Point, preparing for live performances of their macabre melodies. The show is interactive and about more than the music. 

“Look around,” Goszka said. “Pay attention to the entire theater space because you might find some cool things happening.”

But it’s through the ears the duo really makes its mark. Each year, their compositions play as mood music in the park during the Halloween season. 

“The first time that we came here and heard that, it was like, whoa,” Goszka said. “They’re playing a lot of our stuff here.”

It’s played at haunted houses, attractions and theme parks worldwide, including Walt Disney World and Universal Studios. 

As northeast Ohio natives, each of Midnight Syndicate’s 15 studio albums were crafted outside Cleveland, and the music is meant to be frightening. 

“That is the goal, to tap that primal fear sort of thing,” Goszka said. 

“Everything I’ve ever done creatively has kind of drifted toward the Twilight Zone — more spooky, horror side of things,” Douglas said. 

Midnight Syndicate has multiple live performances scheduled Thursdays through Sundays during HalloWeekends at Cedar Point. The festival of fright ends Oct. 30. 

 

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