10 Halloween events and attractions to rattle and shake your bones
This is a big year for spooky events in SoCal. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to gradually ebb, more folks are feeling comfortable attending large events and removing their masks in the days leading up to Halloween, when people will be putting on masks of a different sort.
As the spooky season continues to brew, we thought we’d suggest several of experiences for spirited folks of all sorts. Accordingly, the following roundup includes free events for the entire family, a couple of culturally diverse options, and, of course, several selections that cater to the adventurous and brave souls who like to test their mettle and harvest those seasonal thrills.
Boney Island (open until Oct. 31)
This interactive family-friendly display is haunting the Natural History Museum until Oct. 31. Started more than 20 years ago as a yard display by “The Simpsons” producer Rick Polizzi, this ghostly nod to Brooklyn’s Coney Island had been growing in size and in appreciation until 2020, when it went dark due to the pandemic. This year, Boney Island has come back to life through a partnership with the museum.
On select dates, the museum’s 3.5-acre Nature Gardens hosts the exhibits that make up Boney Island. There are singing plants, a haunted light trail, a skeletal orchestra, a haunted-mansion cauldron water show, magic performances, photo ops, museum showcases and creepy creatures, among other attractions.
For refreshments, there is a hot chocolate and cider bar as well as food trucks. For tickets and more information, visit the Natural History Museum online at nhm.org/boney-island-nhm
Haunted Little Tokyo (Oct. 22, 28)
The Little Tokyo Ghost Club will be holding its seventh Haunted Little Tokyo, which features a trio of spooky activities. The events are all free; two are for all ages and the third for grown-ups. On Oct. 22, the Little Tokyo Historical Society will host a neighborhood ghost tour. On Oct. 28, Terasaki Budokan will host a haunted scavenger hunt. Finally, the Haunted Little Tokyo Block Party will give the adults a chance to have some fun alone (the event is 21+).
For event details, visit littletokyola.org/haunted
Knott’s Scary Farm (open until Oct. 31)
For the first haunted attraction on our list, we have Knott’s Scary Farm. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the SoCal tradition, which is the longest-running haunted theme park in the world. For the occasion, one of this year’s 10 mazes — “10 Chilling Chambers” — pays homage to mazes from the event’s history and features a host character, the Keeper, modeled after horror host Seymour: The Master of the Macabre, the star attraction of the first, large-scale Knott’s Halloween event.
The event also features five scare zones populated by respectively themed monstrous characters; there are also four shows featuring music, mystique and comedy. Among those shows is “The Hanging: Uncancelled.”
The Halloween theme permeates the park’s decorations, including the concession stands and some of the rides. This year, there is also a new feature for those who can’t hack the notoriously persistent torment of the free-roaming monsters; the No Boo necklace grants guests “scare immunity.”
For ticketing information, visit knotts.com/
Haunted Rose (Oct. 21-22, 28-29)
Yard displays are a way to celebrate the Halloween spirit while providing ghoulish eye candy for the neighborhood. Haunted Rose head creator Ryan Banfield and his stable of scary attractions are famous for taking fright to the next level with their theatrical yard productions. This year, Banfield has upped his game and partnered with the Whittier Museum to bring the public a whole new level of their spooky craftsmanship. And while the event is no longer free, the experience will surely be worth the $10 ticket.
Visit them online for more information thehauntedrosehaunt.weebly.com/
Fright Fest (open until Oct. 31)
We have another anniversary. Fright Fest has been haunting Six Flags Magic Mountain for 30 Halloween seasons. This year’s event features eight mazes, seven scare zones, roving monsters — featuring some excellent makeup and costume designs — and several midway performances. The park’s team is especially excited about two of its new mazes, which are based on “The Conjuring” and “Saw X.” “Condemned House Party” and “Sewer of Souls,” however, were this reporter’s favorites.
The distinction of Fright Fest is, of course, that it is held at a 260-acre theme park with 20 world-class roller coasters. During the daytime, there are more family-oriented offerings available at Kids Boo Fest, including a trick-or-treat trail and mini mazes.
For more information, visit sixflags.com/magicmountain/events/fright-fest-2023
Reign of Terror (Through Nov. 4)
The fun with this haunt begins on the drive up. As guests make their way northwest on the 101 to reach this Thousand Oaks destination, the sunlight disappearing into the shroud of darkness of the marine layer will set the mood very nicely. Currently celebrating 25 years of continuous operation, Reign of Terror has the additional distinction of being the single largest indoor haunted house in SoCal.
Its 138 uniquely themed rooms, comprising 10 distinct thematic sequences, occupy 28,000 square feet of floor space. Guests are admitted by party, which reduces the conga line effect of so many large haunts, and there are even a couple of moments in the maze, wherein scary characters use narrative tricks to make sure there is adequate spacing, so everyone gets scared right and proper.
The immersive maze contains every haunt trick in the book, including lopsided and unsteady floors, ceiling cave-ins and vehicles that appear to burst through walls. It’s at Janss Marketplace, and to top it all off, this SoCal institution, which started off as creator Bruce Stanton’s home haunt, is a nonprofit and raises money for various charities.
For more information, visit rothauntedhouse.com/
Magic of the Jack O’Lanterns (Through Oct. 31)
Another long-standing local Halloween destination is the field of jack-o’-lanterns that lie in wait at the Whittier Narrows Recreation Area. The Magic of the Jack O’Lanterns offers revelers of all ages light tunnels, illuminated dinosaurs, dragons, gravestones and, of course, thousands of uniquely designed pumpkins, which are illuminated in dancing, colored lighting sequences.
For more details, visit magicofthejackolanterns.com/la/
Halloween Horror Nights (Through Oct. 31)
Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights is the place to go if you want to see your favorite movie monsters come to life. Six of its eight mazes are based on popular horror franchises; plus, there are two highly original, delightfully creepy mazes, “Monstruos: The Monsters of Latin America” and “Holidayz In Hell.” Additionally, this year’s Terror Tram experience, “The Exterminatorz,” features a scenario wherein the insectoid tour guide escorts the human riders toward a twisted finale to the delight of its fellow insectoids.
This year’s highlights also include three scare zones; menacing Death Eaters in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter area; five immersive, story-based rides; the “Blumhouse: Behind the Screams” film showcase; and the highly entertaining live show “The Purge: Dangerous Waters,” which features stunts, water sports and plenty of pyrotechnics. Also, be prepared to face down the sea of chainsaw-wielding maniacs that guard the park’s exit.
For tickets and more info, visit universalstudioshollywood.com/hhn
Delusion: Nocturns & Nightmares (Through Nov. 12)
Delusion is one of the more upscale haunted attractions in SoCal. This immersive, theatrical haunted house walk-through is the product of director Jon Braver and 13th Floor Entertainment Group, which has pooled its resources to transform the quaint Phillips Mansion in Pomona into the enthralling setting for numerous meta-storytelling vignettes. Guests will be whisked from one thrillingly harrowing situation to the next, with members of the group participating in the beautifully designed scenes, until the mystery behind this year’s story — involving the author of the tale, itself — is solved. A themed cocktail bar, a magic show and snacks are available to guests before and after the experience.
For more information, visit enterdelusion.com/
West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval (Oct. 31)
The best way to celebrate a holiday is with a party. This annual street party takes over one mile of Santa Monica Boulevard (between Doheny Drive and La Cienega Boulevard); fills it with DJs, performers and dancers; and summons about half a million revelers. This one might get a bit too crazy for the kids, but it provides a great opportunity for folks to have a few drinks, a few laughs, a few snacks, dance, showcase their creativity and, in some cases, a little bit of skin.
For more info on this free event, visit visitwesthollywood.com/
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