Haunted Hayride. Photo by Mike Guerena.
Here are some exciting Halloween attractions happening throughout October to thrill, chill, enchant, or scare the living crap out of you!
ONGOING HAUNTED ATTRACTIONS
7 p.m. – 10:30 & 12 midnite / Griffith Park $29.99 – $109.99
One of LA’s most iconic Halloween attractions, Griffith Park’s famous Haunted Hayride is back, with fan-favorite attractions, a variety of mazes, trick or treating, and more! 2023’s Haunted Hayride runs this week Thursday through Sunday, then every night until Halloween. The attraction features all new hay wagons with seating this year.
Visit Midnight Falls, an eerie town where it’s Halloween all year-round. Monte Revolta, the self-appointed Mayor of Midnight Falls, returns to the town square with nightly performances. Meanwhile, the Witch of the Woods has summoned the spirits of the underworld to cross over, assimilate, and exact revenge on the townspeople who cast her away. Ghouls will try to scare you as you trick or treat at the homes of Midnight Falls. open house at the Midnight Mortuary, and a cannibalistic family who inhabit the woods in the new Hellbilly Halloween maze.
Goosebumps will be taking over Trick or Treat 10/13-10/15! “Goosebumps” follows a group of five high schoolers as they embark on a shadowy and twisted journey to investigate the tragic passing three decades earlier of a teen named Harold Biddle ― while also unearthing dark secrets from their parents’ past.
Prices starting at $29.99, and up to $109.99 for a VIP experience with front-of-the-line privileges. The Haunted Hayride is located at 4730 Crystal Springs Road, Los Angeles, CA 90027. I recommend scaredy-cats sit in the middle of the hayride vehicle, as the characters do jump at you. No kids under 13 years old, no smoking, and no refunds if you chicken out. Do not touch the wild animals or the actors. No costumes except on Halloween. They rate it as a “high scare.”
Daytime hours / Buena Park / $64.99
Knott’s Spooky Farm is a family-friendly fall time celebration that takes place during the daytime Thursdays-Sundays, September 28 – October 29, 2023, plus Halloween day.
The park is transformed with themed décor and spooky surprises and activities for the whole family. There will be trick-or-treating around the town of Calico’s shops and buildings, a pumpkin patch, a costume cavalcade, a “Halloween Hootenanny on the Timber Mountain Log Ride, and “Creepy Critters of Calico, featuring spiders and other creepy crawlies. The Bob Baker Marionettes will be putting on a special show that is not to be missed, and there will be live music from Crazy Kirk and the Hillbillies. All included in your $64.99 park admission. Tickets are needed for anyone 3 and over. Make sure to purchase online for a sizeable discount.
7 p.m. – 2 a.m. / Buena Park / $59.99 – $199.99
Knott’s Scary Farm is the largest Halloween event in Southern California and is celebrating 50 years of frights. For the anniversary they will be resurrecting various frights and mazes from the history of the attraction. There will be no less than ten haunted mazes, including The Chilling Chambers, Room 13, and “Mesmer,” which offers Frights of the mind. “Origins: The Curse of Calico,” brings together old west and witches.
If you like jump scares, you’ll love the Scare Zones, themed areas where more than 1,000 horrifying creatures like clowns, undead drowned gothic characters, and sliders (i.e. actors in scary costumes jumping out, or suddenly sliding up to your feet and scaring the holy shit out of you). There are also performances, including “Le Magnifique: Carnival of the Grotesque,” and “Music, Monsters and Mayhem,” a musical journey through 50 years of terror and frights, plus 50th Anniversary Legacy Store and Museum, thrill rides, and specialty foods. Of course, we always recommend the fried chicken and boysenberry pie.
Select Nights Sept. 21 – Oct. 31, 2023. Knott’s Scary Farm is not recommended for children under 13. No costumes, face paint or flash photography. This year the park implemented a chaperone policy, where all guests ages 15 years old or younger must be accompanied by a chaperone who is at least 21 years old in order to be admitted to or remain in the park after 4:00 p.m. local time to close. Knott’s Scary Farm Bag Policy: Clear plastic bags smaller than 12” x 12” x 6” as well as non-clear wristlets or clutches no larger than 5”x 8”x 2” may be brought into the park.
6 PM – 10:45 PM / Long Beach / $29.99 and up
For the second year, Shaqtoberfest is happening at the Queen Mary. Basketball Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal has partnered with the producers of the Haunted Hayride for this interactive experience. During the day, the event is family-friendly with trick-or-treat offerings and entertainment for the whole family, who are encouraged to dress in their favorite Halloween costumes.
At 8 PM, the music and party lights turn Shaqtoberfest into a party for big kids. It includes six Halloween-themed areas that are a combination haunted maze and activity center with Halloween trails, games, live entertainment, rides, themed bars and lounges and more. The entire experience will be narrated by Shaq himself. For the very first time, “The Grey Ghost” will take you back onboard into the belly of the ship to see what spirits lurk.
On three nights: Sundays, Oct. 15, 22 & 29 from 6pm – 8:30pm kids can enjoy Shaqtoberfest’s Trick-or-Treat Party, an evening of trick-or-treating, Skeleton Sam’s Kids’ Halloween Dance Party, family-friendly frights, amusement rides, photo ops, a scavenger hunt, inflatables, and an obstacle course within a traditional hay bale maze Shaq-sized fun!
Select days and nights through Halloween. $34.99. Limited PAID parking is available on site at the Queen Mary lots (roughly 500 spaces), parking rates vary based on night attending but start at $20. PAID shuttle parking starting at $12 is available from the parking lot located at 100 Ocean Gate Long Beach, 90802.
SIX FLAGS MAGIC MOUNTAIN’S FRIGHT FEST
7 PM – 1 AM / Valencia / $80 and up
During the day, Six Flags brings you Kids Boo Fest with trick or treating, mazes and special desserts. Included in General Admission. At night, visit the ghosts, demons and lost souls that inhabit the six haunted houses, like “Saw X,” Willoughby’s Resurrected,” “Vault 666 Unlocked,” and “Condamned House Party,” an original haunted Frat Party from hell (though, aren’t they all?). The event also features four scare zones, spooky food, ans live shows. New this year is a “fun new alien experience featuring live DJs, interactive games and a colony of extraterrestrial creatures that’ll haunt your dreams.” But one of the best reasons to hit Magic Mountain in October is to ride Goliath, Batman, and Scream in the dark.
The pricing seems intentionally confusing, But the Admission and Haunted Attractions Pass bundle ($80) includes one general admission ticket and one all night Haunted Attractions Pass for the day/night selected gives daytime entry plus all Fright Fest activities beginning at 7pm. The Express Haunted Attractions pass provides priority entry to the haunted attractions via the Express access line for only $129.99. Not recommended for children under the age of 13. No Costumes for Guests Over the Age of 12. Fright Fest runs Thursdays through Sundays and Halloween night.
UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HALLOWEEN HORROR NIGHTS
7 p.m. – 2 a.m. (1 a.m. on select nights) / Studio City / $87 and up
Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios is one of the biggest, scariest attractions in town. In addition to the five scare zones, where roaming out-of-work actors scare the crap out of you, Universal presents eight mazes. This year’s themes include Exorcist, The Last of Us, Stranger Things, Evil Dead Rise, The Exorcist: Believer, Chucky, Holidays in Hell and The Monsters of Latin America.
Terror Tram has hit on my biggest fear: bugs. “Bug-headed exterminators are out to get rid of humans with the help of his killer new pesticide and you’ll be swarmed by horrific insects. The ride ends with a walk-through of Jupiter’s Claim from Jordan Peele’s film, NOPE.
No masks or face paint allowed. Not recommended for kids under 13. Persons ages 18+ must also show photo ID. Runs Thursdays through Sundays.
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