We’re entrenched in the middle of September, and you know what that means (I mean, you should, right? Especially if you read this site?)… it’s the start of Halloween season! Westcoaster really loves Halloween. We love it almost as much as we love churros, burritos, and Catawampus. Actually, maybe the same amount. And with the real explosion of haunted attractions available throughout Southern California over the past years, it seems like a good idea to put together a little list of haunts to check out throughout the L.A./Orange County region. This is not an exhaustive list, but it does include professional and amateur haunted attractions, and it’ll be updated throughout the season as we find out more attractions. Check these out if you’re nearby. I’ll definitely be at many of these!
LOS ANGELES AREA
This covers L.A. County but excludes the Valley, which has enough attractions to warrant its own section.
Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights
– DATES: September 18 – November 1, Fri. & Sat. first 2 weekends, Thu. – Sun. the rest of season
– PRICE: $59 – $85 + add-ons
Perennial gore-fest Halloween Horror Nights kicks off the bill. Guests can expect top notch special effects and super intense and gory theming, bringing favorite horror movies to life in the quality that only an actual major motion studio can provide. This year features six mazes–(new) Halloween: Michael Myers Comes Home, Insidious: Into the Further, This Is The End (HHN’s first venture into a “fun” maze), Crimson Peak, (semi-new) The Walking Dead: Wolves Not Far (the maze franchise that just won’t die), and returning favorite AVP: Alien vs Predator (a spectacular hit last year). There is also a Terror Tram taken over by The Purge and a Jabbawockeez show that takes the place of the defunct Bill and Ted show that was cancelled two years ago for offending the easily offended / not actually being that funny (only one of those reasons may be legit).
Returning regulars know what to expect: rich recreations of movie intellectual properties, misdirection scares, monsters bursting out of hidden locations while strobes and jarring sound effects play, and water and odor effects to offend the senses. But those who come less regularly or never have at all will be blown away at how vividly Universal Studios brings the terror to life. Don’t miss the Chainsaw Chase Out at the end of the night–it’s a real scream, and wildly entertaining.
Check out past Westcoaster coverage of Halloween Horror Nights.
Dark Harbor at the Queen Mary
– DATES: October 1 – November 1, Thu. – Sun. all month, except Wed. – Sun. the last week
– PRICE: $24 – $39 + add-ons
I love Dark Harbor. Over the past few years, it’s quickly risen from the old, disappointing depths of Shipwrecked to become a great big name haunted attraction that holds its own against regular giants Halloween Horror Nights and Knott’s Scary Farm. Dark Harbor features the unique advantage of actually having its attractions aboard the Queen Mary herself (three of the mazes, anyway), and it combines the small-time haunt feel of isolated groups with the talent and set decoration of the larger budget haunts. The result is an intimately frightful experience that packs more scares than some of the more established haunts!
New for this year is the Lullaby maze, tracking the sad tale of Scary Mary, who drowned in the swimming pool of the ship (that you actually walk by), as well as the upcharge Curse of Anubis Paintball Adventure that allows guests to shoot targets, animatronics, and actual monsters. Returning mazes include Circus: Big Top Terror, Deadrise: The Depths of Darkness, Soulmate: Till Death Do Us Part, B340: A Descent into Insanity, and Voodoo Village: The Swamp of Death. Plenty of sideshow freaks, oddities, and musical entertainment abound as well. A front of line pass is well recommended, though, because the lines definitely grow long, due to the event’s insistence on sending guests in small groups into each maze.
Check out past Westcoaster coverage of Dark Harbor.
Los Angeles Haunted Hayride
– DATES: October 2 – 31, Fri. – Sun. first 2 weekends, Thu. – Sun. the 3rd and 4th weekends, Wed. – Sat. the last week
– PRICE: $30 Hayride Only, $43 All Attractions, $59 Front of Line All Attractions
It feels like yesterday that the L.A. Haunted Hayride was just getting started, but fast forward to now, and it’s passed its half-decade mark! This unique haunt brings the scares of the midwest out to the west coast with its hayride attractions, which is like going through a maze on a slow moving vehicle and having monsters and horror scenes spring out onto you. The theme this year features the Boogeyman, which sounds like a promising and terrifying premise. The event also features a House of Shadows maze this year and the perennial In Between dark maze. There are also carnival attractions, pop-up entertainment, psychics, and roaming monsters. Get there early! Lines grow long the later the night gets.
Rise of the Jack-O-Lanterns
– DATES: October 1 – November 1, Thu. – Sun. at La Canada location; October 9 – November 1, Fri. – Sun. at Santa Anita location
– PRICE: $28 for adults, $24 for children at La Canada location; $26 for adults, $22 for children at Santa Anita location
This is a family-friendly event and has been pretty highly rated in past years. Expanded to two locations in Los Angeles this year (plus locations in New York and San Diego), Rise of the Jack-O-Lanterns features thousands of illuminated hand-carved pumpkins, resulting in a visual spectacle. No scares here, just plenty of fantastic Halloween scenery to behold.
Creep Los Angeles
– DATES: October 2 – 31, Fri. – Sun. first 2 weekends, Thu. – Sun. the 3rd and 4th weekends, Wed. – Sat. the last week
– PRICE: $20 presale before Oct. 1, $25 online, $30 at the door
Creep L.A. is mysterious and currently lacking detail. Set in an abandoned warehouse in the Arts District of Downtown L.A., it promises guests the expectation of having to walk, run, crawl, and hide. Fully immersive, probably interactive, and possibly physical, it promises to leave guests creeped out long after they’ve left, so expect a cerebral and sensory journey through psychological terror.
The Sinner’s Soiree
– DATES: October 9 – November 1, Fri. – Sun. first 2 weekends, Thu. – Sun. rest of season
– PRICE: $18 General Admission, $25 Front of Line
This is a new haunt located in Downtown Los Angeles. It looks to combine a festive, debauchery-laden atmosphere with sinister and creepy scares. It also has a bar on site, which may be enough to sway some haunt enthusiasts. This attraction was featured at Scare L.A. this past August, and it will be interesting to see what this new haunt serves up!
Ward 13
– DATES: October 9 – 31, Fri. & Sat.
– PRICE: $15 online, $17 at the door
There was a lot of great buzz about Evil Twin Studio’s 2014 foray into the haunted attraction world with their terrifying Raymond Hill Mortuary. Many Halloween enthusiasts ranked this attraction among the surprises of the season, so we can’t wait to see what happens this year. Ward 13 continues on the mythology created last year by examining the twisted and depraved doctors and their psychologically scarred victims.
Wicked Lit
– DATES: October 2 – November 14, Fri. & Sat. plus some Wed., Thu., and Sun., check the calendar
– PRICE: $55 General Admission, $80 General Admission plus Post-Show Backstage Experience
This is a little unique. Rather than a walk-through haunted house style attraction, Wicked Lit is a moving theater show consisting of three plays told over the course of nearly three hours. The production is recommended for mature audiences 16 years or older, but it presents horror literature in a dynamic and sometimes visceral stage play format. Add to the fact that this takes place in an actual cemetery, and you have the makings for a truly eerie experiences. Our friends at Theme Park Adventure reviewed this attraction last year.
Urban Death
– DATES: October 2 – 31, Fri. & Sat.
– PRICE: $13
Another theater exercise in the macabre, this attraction returns for its third year, geared toward haunt enthusiasts looking for a more unique take on horror. It has been praised a truly twisted and disturbing horror theater experience. It is raw, explicit, and blurs the boundaries of traditional haunt attraction disassociation. Multiple short scenes narrative short stories or moments, with guests left to fill in the gaps or decipher what they just saw.
GREATER LOS ANGELES VALLEY AREA
Specifically, this at the west and north peripheral of Los Angeles County. There are a lot of attractions of the home haunt variety–many which have grown infamous for their surprising quaity!
Six Flags Magic Mountain Fright Fest
– DATES: September 26 – November 1, Sat. & Sun. opening weekend, Fri. – Sun. rest of season
– PRICE: $20 for non-season passholders, $15 for season passholders, this is an add-on to a regular Magic Mountain admission ticket
We’ve long teased Six Flags for its sometimes less than stellar operations and park maintenance and its laughable Halloween events, but in recent years, the park has really made a push to improve the quality and up the scares. What has resulted has been an actually pretty respectable Halloween attraction, and it is the only theme park whose haunt is not a separately ticketed event, but rather an upcharge. This makes Fright Fest one of the more economical values of the season. This year, Fright Fest features seven mazes–The Willoughby’s Garden of Darkness, Red’s Revenge, Vault 666, The Aftermath, Chupacabra, Toyz of Terror 3D, and Willoughby’s Resurrected. Plus, some of the park’s roller coasters are thrown into darkness once night falls, which might be the scariest feature of the park!
Reign of Terror
– DATES: October 3 – 31, Sat. opening weekend, Fri. & Sat. rest of season, Sun. the 25 & Thu. the 29th
– PRICE: $17 General Admission, $25 Express Line
When I visited this attraction a few years ago, I was blown away by the depth of theming and overall length of this haunted maze. RoT boasts 82 rooms, each themed to a level rivaling Universal Studios (the creators are apparently buddies with Halloween Horror Nights creatives, so this may not be a coincidence). The sheer quantity of haunted attraction here means that talent may come up lacking in comparison, but it’s still a pretty impressive display of guts and gore and Halloween lore.
Boney Island
– DATES: October 17 – 18, 21 – 31, nightly
– PRICE: Free
This family-friendly home haunt redefines what it means to be a home haunted attraction. Fun and spooky, Boney Island conjures up feelings of old amusement parks, with a spiritual flare. The special effects here are truly impressive (by professional or amateur standards), and the displays provide a great amount of revelry for audiences young and old.
Rotten Apple 907’s
– DATES: October 24 – 25, 30 – 31
– PRICE: Free (donations welcome)
Rotten Apple is case study #1 in a home haunt that just grows and grows and spirals out of control–all in a good way! Going into its 25th year, this yard display turn maze turned Burbank neighborhood Halloween treasure has become quite the popular local attraction. Admission is free, and donations are collected to raise money for the Burbank Temporary Aid Center, which assists the unemployed, financially challenged, and homeless. This year’s theme is Rotten Apple Hollow, and while I have no idea what it will exactly entail, past experience assures a scary and thrilling experience.
Spooky Hollows
– DATES: October 30 – 31
– PRICE: Free
I found this haunt at Scare L.A. this year and enjoyed some of the projection effects and creepy theming they had. Not much detail is available on what 2015 brings,
The Backwoods Maze
– DATES: October 16 – 18, 23 – 25, 30 – 31
– PRICE: Free
Another impressive Burbank home haunt, this attraction is completely set within the backyard of a regular residential house. Well, maybe not regular, considering the lengths and sophistication to which the owners develop their annual Halloween tradition. But this maze is truly a site to behold, stocked with rowdy talent and a true labor of love for scaring guests half to death.
ORANGE COUNTY
Land of Disneyland, palm trees, affluent bimbos, and other TV stereotypes (and obviously much more), The OC has slowly been expanding its own fair share of Halloween events.
Knott’s Scary Farm
– DATES: September 24 – 26, October 1 – October 31, Thu. – Sun. until last 2 weeks, then Wed. – Sun.
– PRICES: $34.99 – $68.99 + add-on’s
The Granddaddy of Them All is back for its 43rd year. This year features 11 mazes, 3 scare zones, 2 shows, and thousands of monsters ready to turn nightmares into reality. The original and largest haunted attraction in the country, Knott’s occupies a soft spot Westcoaster’s otherwise cold, dark, malformed heart, because of the combination of fear and fun that its talent pours out every season.
This year’s new mazes include The Dead of Winter (which we’ll likely be calling Elsa’s Revenge all Haunt long), My Bloody Clementine (the return of talent to the Calico Mine Ride), and Paranormal Inc. (which promises to be Knott’s most technologically and thematically advanced, stunning, and terrifying mazes ever. Back for this year are Special Ops Infected: Patient Zero (with new weapons system, double the course layout, and improved scoring techniques), The Tooth Fairy, Voodoo, Gunslinger’s Grave, Black Magic, Forevermore, Trick or Treat, and Pinocchio Unstrung. Also new are the Deadly Seven, a new band of monsters from the Green Witch sent to terrorize the park. And whereas the Tricksters were prankish in their frights, the Deadly Seven (patterned after the Seven Deadly Sins) promise to be more intense. And of course, there will be another episode of The Hanging at Calico Square, plus Elvira’s Asylum, this year’s variety show with the Mistress of the Dark herself returning for another season.
Knott’s will also have a family-friendly Knott’s Spooky Farm during daytime hours on weekends this October. More information can be found at the official web page.
Check out past Westcoaster coverage of Halloween Haunt.
Sinister Pointe’s Fear… The Darkness
– DATES: October 8 – 31, Thu. – Sun.
– PRICES: $20 online, $25 at the door, $30 Fastpass online, $35 Fastpass at the door, $15 re-entry
Sinister Pointe has made notoriety over the years with its unique and trend-setting haunts. It was one of the first large-scale haunts to feature interactive challenges and continues to limit its guests to small and isolated groups. The theming, maze, and prop design are as strong as any Halloween event you’ll find in Southern California, and this year’s experience brings yet another departure from the norm. Designed for only two people at a time (four if participants are wusses), Fear… The Darkness will be a scavenger in the dark that requires a partner to be the blind guest’s eyes inside a room that will also exploit the participant’s greatest fears–clowns, zombies, or demonic spirits. After one participant solves the puzzle, the roles are reversed. Not an actual maze this year, it nonetheless promises to be quite the interesting and psychological experience!
The Empty Grave
– DATES: October 2 – November 1, Fri. – Sun. first 3 weekends, Thu. – Su. last 2 weekends
– PRICES: $13 General Admission, $20 VIP
Another perennial haunted attraction, the Empty Grave has made its way from Gardenwalk in Anaheim down to the Laguna Hills Mall, just off the I-5 freeway in Laguna. Though not as fancy as some of its more famous brethren, The Empty Grave nonetheless offers some nice scares from a dedicated group of volunteering performers that utilize old school scares and psychology to create some fun experiences.
The 17th Door
– DATES: September 25 – November 1, days vary per week
– PRICE: $21 – $28 regular, $25 – $35 VIP
One of the biggest buzzes this season is the mysterious and brand new 17th Door haunt, in Tustin. Not much is known about this attraction’s storyline, other than it’s a journey through a college unlike any other, filled with evil and terror. This timed experience will take guests through 30 minutes and 17 rooms of interactive and sense-tingling frights. Theme Park Review wrote a first look a couple of months ago profiling the owners, who are new to the business and certainly don’t appear to be. Our friends, Rick West and Johanna Atilano, were left very impressed by this endeavor–not an easy task! Just a run through the web site reveals a very organized and savvy production team, and I can’t wait to see how this attraction shapes up!
Motel 6 Feet Under
– DATES: October 2 – November 1, Fri. – Sat. first weekend, Thu. – Sat. second weekend, Thu. – Sun. rest of season
– PRICES: $15 General Admission, $20 General Admission Pair, $25 Fastpass, $7.50 Preview Nights
Another relatively new haunt, Motel 6 Feet Under is your classic haunted house (or haunted motel) with spooks and supernatural oddities–but in a fun twist, it is also an actual maze in which guests can actually get lost! This means experiences may be long or seemingly never-ending, which should provide an intriguing jaunt. The attraction is also benefiting Building Occupational Opportunities, which provides theater construction training for underserved rehabilitating adults.
Haunted Trails: Gallows Bend
– DATES: October 22 – 24
– PRICE: $12
Located out in Crown Valley Park in Laguna Niguel, this attraction is part nature walk and part haunted hike. Groups of ten will be escorted through mazes and tents, and who knows what crazed spirits may pop up to claim fresh victims?
Huntington Haunt Experience
– DATES: October 28 – 31
– PRICE: $25 for the experience, $12.50 for “family friendly” hours
Full disclosure, yours truly is involved with this event, providing media services that will be part of the attraction. But you really should check out this brand new haunted attraction in Huntington Beach, because proceeds are benefiting the Rotary Club of Huntington Beach to build the city’s first playground accessible to disabled users. This isn’t a traditional haunt attraction either–it’s part haunted house, part theater, and all interactive. The storyline takes you back to the turn of the 20th century and revolves around the wedded union of the Hauntingtons and the Oldfields, the two oldest families of the city and historically bickering and intense rivals. The Huntington Haunt will take guests along a story to discern exactly what happens when their children decide to marry, and what terrible secrets become revealed through the course of the experience.
Higgins Manor
– DATES: October 24 – 25, 30 – 31
– PRICE: Free (donations welcome)
Longtime readers will know that I’ve been involved in the construction and scaring of Higgins Manor for several years now. Each year has been an improvement over the last, and this year promises to the the most exciting yet! As the story goes, Master William P. Higgins III was a cold, greedy, relentless land who stopped at nothing to increase his wealth. Deception and murder were not below his capabilities, but he was cursed to a destiny of misfortune. Now, his spirit and the spirits of his demented family and henchmen rise again to reclaim the land Higgins believes is rightfully his! 100% of proceeds go to the Greendog Foundation, which assists with animal adoption and rescue services.
Check out past Westcoaster coverage of Higgins Manor!
Boot Hill
– DATES: October 16 – 17, 19, 23 – 25, 29 – 31
– PRICE: Free (donations welcome)
Boot Hill has been a longtime Irvine Halloween staple. What started as a yard display has morphed into a really amazing yard display and part walk-through. Its maze component itself is somewhat brief, but the theming and projections are pretty amazing, and it’s well worth a stop by this residential house in the epitome of OC suburbia, just to see the fun and frights! Plus, donations go to Choc Hospital–another wonderful cause!
Mystic Motel
– DATES: October 30 – November 2
– PRICE: $5
If I told you that someone built a tracked theme park ride in his garage, you’d tell me I was crazy, right? Well, that’s just what the creator of Mystic Hotel did in his Ladera Ranch (that’s South County, for you locals) did! This is a flat out legit dark ride–totally running on a track–with a minute-long course through a host of creeps. It’s not unlike the carnival haunted house tracked rides, but the charm of this homemade concoction is very palpable, and it’s just plain awesome that someone has built such an attraction right at home.
Perdition Home Haunt
– DATES: T.B.D., likely last 2 weekends of October
– PRICE: Free (donations welcome)
Another very impressive home haunt, this year, Perdition Home unveils a sci-fi space horror theme. There’s limited information out so far, but their build is currently underway, and based on past years’ performances, this is definitely worth stopping by!
Mickey’s Halloween Party
– DATES: September 25 – October 31, days vary per week
– PRICE: $69 – $84
Looking for a spooktacular and fun time? Disneyland has your ticket, of course. This separately ticketed event will earn guests the ability to watch the fantastic Halloween Screams fireworks, listen to the Cadaver Dans along a fogged out Rivers of Amreica, dress up in costume, trick or treat in the park, meet villains and rare characters, enjoy a less crowded experience in the park, and partake in various dance parties. The price is steep, but I can say from personal experience that it is actually pretty fun, especially in groups, and just people watching provides its own entertainment.
INLAND EMPIRE
Way out in the desert back country stands a few haunts that enhance their ambiance with the general air of sketchiness of the I.E.
Field of Screams – The Haunted Stadium
– DATES: October 2 – 31, Fri. – Sun. first 3 weekends, Thu. – Sun. last 2 weekends
– PRICES: $15 General Admission
The biggest haunted attraction in the Inland Empire contains five new mazes this year–Cannibal Island 3D, Exorcism Reborn, Holidays of Horror, House of Nightmares, and Road Kill Cafe. Plus there’s the Alien Cyborg Invasion laser tag challenge and The Last Ride experience that promises (or threatens) to show guests what being buried alive is like. This is the biggest haunt out in these parts, located in Temecula, but it had a good showing at Scare L.A. this year!
The Haunting of Corona
– DATES: October 16 – 31, Fri. – Sun.
– PRICE: $5 donation
Grounded in old fashioned scares, this haunt is the collective effort of a dedicated group of volunteers, and proceeds go to help charities supporting the fight against cancer and various local benefits.
If you’d like to find even more Halloween attractions, check out this nice, comprehensive list that Theme Park Adventure has put together!