Halloween activities around SoCal

If you're living in Southern California, you know there's no shortage of scary Halloween activities this year. But which ones are worth sitting in traffic? Starting with the best, here are my favorites:

#1 Universal Horror Nights (Hollywood)

This haunt has the best production - what else would you expect from a movie magic company? I highly recommend doing the tram tour first. The trams will drop you off in the middle of chainsaw-wielding clowns, a hideous plane crash, and the Psycho house. The uneven terrain and lack of lighting really add to the fear. It's like a monster free-for-all. Some of the mazes are not as strong, but all have fantastic decor and will assault all of your senses. My only complaint is that they really pack people into the mazes; many scares will go to the people in front of and behind you. Check out a longer review here. Tickets range from $35-$56 depending on the day, but they also offer a front-of-the-line pass. Lines get long, so if you can afford it, it's worth it.


#2 Night of the Living Dead at Maverick Theater (Fullerton)

As Homer once said, I love legitimate theater. The only word to describe this play is AWESOME. They do a great job of staying true to the movie - everything about this play is fun and perfect. There are many genuine scares, some painfully ear-splitting screaming, and enough surprises to keep even a non-zombie fan engrossed. This year they're doing a science fiction double feature with NOTLD and Rocky Horror. I haven't had a chance to see Rocky yet, but if it's half as good as NOTLD it will be entertaining. $19 for a single ticket/$30 for the double feature. It's worth every penny.


#3 Sinister Pointe Haunt (Brea)

This year features two mazes - Silent Hill and Fear. This production lacks the glossy, high-budget of Universal, but makes up for it with passion. Both of these mazes are well thought out and work in many scares. The lines are long, so you might want to opt for a front-of-the-line pass, but the wait is worth it. They only allow a few people in at a time so you really get the feeling that you're all alone with the monsters. Having never played Silent Hill, I probably missed a lot of the story behind the decor, but I still enjoyed it. Fear is an interactive maze, meaning that you have to complete tasks to move on. There are even some areas where they will split up your group and you'll each have a different experience. I don't want to spoil any surprises, but I'll just say that I screamed louder and harder from one particular scare than I ever have in my life. The scream was followed by my pounding heart and a lot of expletives. Nice job, pigface! Do both mazes - tickets are $20/$30 for the front-of-the-line pass. Support your local haunts and buy a souvenir photo too.



#4 Haunted Hayride (Calabasas)

This was a fun, but somewhat pricey evening. I felt tickets were a little expensive for 15 minutes of scare. The decorations were great - the small carnival that they put on is straight out of a horror movie. Masked ice-scream vendors, singing disembodied heads, and purple and orange tents really add to the spooky feel of the fair. Guests are loaded on to a hay-lined trailer and towed by tractor. We found out first-hand what happens when the mental hospital patients go missing. The theme didn't always make sense, but there were some good scares and a lot of really dedicated monsters. There was a lot to see including a headless motorcyclist and a truly scary circus. After the 15-20 minute hayride you can go on a ghost story walk. We opted to hang around the carnival and watch the magic show. The blundering magician and his lovely assistant kept us entertained, but I think the show was lost on many of the people at the fair. This is the hayride's first year, and I have no doubt that next year will be even better. Hayride-only tickets are $20-25, Hayride and Ghost Story tickets are $35, VIP tickets are $65. Longer review + ghost story tour here.


#5 Knott's Halloween Haunt (Buena Park)

Knott's Scary Farm is an annual tradition for many other people in Southern California, and I think this was one of their better years, but it doesn't compare to other haunts. The Dia de los Muertos and Terror of London mazes were two of the strongest new offerings that I can recall, but the detail and quality doesn't compare to Universal. Because they, like Universal, pack people into the mazes to keep them moving, the scares don't measure up to those at Sinister Pointe. If you're a die-hard yearly visitor like me, you'll go anyway, but if you're choosing just one haunt to visit this year, opt for Universal. I love Knott's like an old friend, and I will continue to attend their haunts, but walking through mazes like the terrible Uncle Bobo's Big Top of the Bizarre is just disappointing. If you're going to go, I recommend the Pre-Scare dinner for their haunted boo-fet, and the ability to enter the park a half hour early. Tickets are $39.99-$49.99, Boo-fet tickets are $25.00

There are other haunts that we didn't get to like the Queen Mary Shipwreck in Long Beach, the Backwoods Maze in Burbank, or The Empty Grave in Anaheim.

For a fun, but not-so-scary activity, check out the review of Disneyland's Happiest Haunts tour.

Only 7 days until HALLOWEEN!