Boney Island
Yard Haunt
NO LONGER IN OPERATION
4602 Morse Avenue
Sherman Oaks, CA 91432
E-Mail: info@boneyisland.com
Website: www.boneyisland.com
2007 DATES: October 19 through 31, 2007
HOURS: Dusk to 9:00pm
ADMISSION & PARKING: Always Free!
Find Boney Island Updates & Reviews here.
HISTORY: This unique yard haunt has been entertaining San Fernando Valley trick-or-treaters since the 1990s. The proprietor is Rick Polizzi, a producer of THE SIMPSONS.
FEATURES: Billing itself as the “world’s only skeleton carnival,” this haunt is a Halloween version of a Coney Island-type entertainment attraction — populated entirely by skeletons! The special mechanical effects (mostly wires pulled by motors) are proudly low-tech, but that detracts from the enterainment value not one boney little bit. Laugh as the skeletons fish in the “Trick or Trout” booth! Thrill as they swing clubs at flapping flying mammals in the “Batting Cage”! Gag at the “Rotten Candy” machine filled with spiders!
BOTTOM LINE: There is very little that is actually spooky here (nor does it try to be). The colors and carnival music are all calculated for to create fun, almost Tim Burton-esque atmosphere, making this the perfect place to bring young children who might be intimidated by more adult-type haunts. That’s not to say the appeal is solely to children — the outrageously goofy displays are guaranteed laugh-providers for adults, too.
REVIEWS: You can read our account of a trip to Boney Island in our “Haunted House Odyssey 2005,” which also includes trips to the Haunted Myers Estate and Jackson Manor. We make a return trip to review the 10th and final year in 2007.
OTHER INFORMATION: If you have trouble accessing Boney Island’s Official Website, check out their page on the Hallowed Haunting Grounds website: http://www.hauntinggrounds.org/polizzi/rpeh.htm.
UPDATE FOR 2008: Although 2007 marked the 10th and last year of Boney Island in its original form, some of the props were purchased by a new owner and set up at 14333 Califa Street in Van Nuys. Although it is nice to see some some portion of the fabulous yard haunt live on, the new location is a pale shadow of the old - more a skeleton party than a skeleton carnival. If you live in the area, it may be worth walking by for a look, but we would not recommend making a special trip.
VIDEO: Enjoy our video visit to 10th and final year of Boney Island, including an interview with Rick Polizzi. Also included is the second installment of our four-part “Halloween Haunt Odyssey 2005,” which features some Boney Island along with several other amateur haunts.