In 1996, Ed Douglas [pictured] launched his career with a straight-to-video film. In the process of making the movie, he discovered that he liked doing the music for the soundtrack more than the actual filming, so he joined up with local multi-instrumentalist Gavin Goszka to form the local Goth act Midnight Syndicate, which released its self-titled debut in 1997.

The group has been going strong ever since.

Every October, haunted houses, amusement parks, television and radio shows, restaurants use the band’s music as part of their Halloween programming. In 2014, the group put on a live stage show at Cedar Point.

Now, the band has just announced that it will bring that concert experience, dubbed Midnight Syndicate Live!, back to Cedar Point this fall. Midnight Syndicate Live!, “horror-themed multimedia concerts that blend live music, theatre and film,” will run Friday nights, Saturdays and Sundays from Sept. 15 through Oct. 29 in the Jack Aldrich Theater.

“We’ve developed a new, even better show that we can’t wait to unleash on audiences,” says Douglas in a press release. “Our new venue, the Jack Aldrich Theater, is a perfect fit for what we want to do. It will allow us to create an intimate and thrilling experience that guests won’t soon forget.”

“Working with Cedar Point in 2014 was a great experience across the board, so to be able to team up with them again, especially as a part of Midnight Syndicate’s 20th anniversary celebration, is perfect,” adds Goszka.

“We’re excited that Midnight Syndicate is bringing their live and immersive stage show back to Cedar Point this fall,” says Charles Bradshaw, V.P. of Live Entertainment at Cedar Point. “Fans of their mesmerizing music loved their previous run at HalloWeekends – and they’re going to love this latest production.”

Robert Kurtzman (From Dusk Till Dawn, KNB EFX) and his Creature Corps, David “House” Greathouse (Faceoff, Mushroomhead), Beki Ingram (Faceoff), director Gary Jones (Army of Darkness, Axe Giant), 529 Films, EFX-TEK, artist Mark Rakocy, Likeform and Screamline Studios will work behind-the-scenes to develop the special effects.

This article appears in Mar 15-21, 2017.

Jeff has been covering the Cleveland music scene for more than 25 years now. On a regular basis, he tries to talk to whatever big acts are coming through town. And if you're in a local band that he needs to hear, email him at jniesel@clevescene.com.