All photos by Joan Alperin for The LA Beat
I love to be scared. I go to horror movies all the time, not the gory ones, but the ones that keep you jumping out of your seat. Of course, when I grab the arm of a stranger sitting next to me, it gets a little embarassing.
So you can imagine how excited I was to be going to the Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor. I remember when I went several years ago. It was much smaller, but still I loved it, because it scared the daylights out of me. A new company took it over a few years ago and now it’s bigger, better, and a hundred times scarier.
The production values are amazing. It is so unbelievably creative and full of surprises, with awesome costumes and makeup. The actors have their parts down perfectly, and just when you think you know when they’re going to jump out of the dark and scare you, something totally unexpected happens. Yes, they get you every time.
There are also all kinds of super-crazy looking characters roaming around Monster
Alley, coming right up to you, sometimes from behind, and yes, scaring you big time. There was this dude on stilts that really freaked me out. He kept following me around and he had a face you wouldn’t take home to your mother. I’m sure you’ll meet him.
All six of the mazes are extraordinary. The first one is INTREPID, your basic trip to hell. You walk through an old Scottish shipyard filled with eerie spirits, foundry phantoms and legendary creatures.
LULLABY, which I found really scary, sends you into a terror-filled playground where the dead lurk at every corner.
B340 is the scariest maze, and my favorite. You take a journey through the terrifying mind of “Samuel the Savage” and find yourself in smoke-filled passages where you are absolutely blinded by the smoke. But don’t worry, you are perfectly safe. The actors make sure of that.
SOULMATE is a masquerade ball aboard the Queen Mary where you will meet “Graceful Gale” who is searching for her eternal soulmate. Poor girl, I don’t think she’s ever going to find him.
DEAD RISE takes you into a long lost warship filled with vengeful souls. And last but definitely not least is…
CIRCUS, a maze where you face your nightmares as you fight your way through the horrors lurking under the Ringmaster’s big top.
Along with the mazes are sideshows, freak shows, the RIP lounge where VIP’S get to chill while munching on munchies and having a drink to calm their nerves.
There are many more fun things to explore as you walk around the beautifully lighted grounds, including a very strange band, skeletons, and food booths in case you’re hungry. Being terrified does work up an appetite.
Dark Harbor opened on September 29th and plays September 30th to October 31st. Hours are 8:00pm to 12;00 am. Prices vary, starting at $39, so to find out about tickets, parking, and other pertinent information check out the website or call 877-342-0738.
The sinister spirits are ready to deliver another season of blood curdling terror, and what better place to live your nightmares then aboard the haunted Queen Mary. This is one attraction you do not want to miss.
