Hollywood Gothique

Old Town Haunt in Pasadena opens this weekend, on Friday October 1. In this age of Halloween theme park attractions and Halloween haunted houses with multiple mazes, it has become somewhat rare to encounter an attraction that features but a single walk-through labyrinth. Fortunately, the underground catacombs provide a memorable scare experience, well worth a visit.

The Old Town Haunt remains consistent from year to year, in terms of concept and quality, but rooms are added and the labyrinthine pathway is adjusted. For 2010, the proprietors have hired a new technician to handle pneumatics, and promise to double the number of effects.

If you want some idea of what lies in store for you, check out our 2009 video, “Into the Depths,” which was shot on opening weekend last year. It gives a good representation of the Old Town Haunt, except for omitting the pitch-dark crawl-through (which really would not be much to look at on video).

Sadly, circumstances rendered this video poignant in an unexpected way: Debi Joyce, one of the two women prominently featured in the video (the one who is screaming more than laughing), passed away a few months later. Her friend Cathy Collelo tells us this was the last time they got to go out and have fun together.

See a larger version of the embedded video below.