Halloween Horror Shows & Excursions
Sinister Cemeteries, Macabre Museums, Ghoulish Galleries, Terrifying Tours, Haunted Hikes, Perilous Plays & Ectoplasmic Exhibitions
Also Check out: Halloween Haunts Master List - Theme Parks – Haunted Houses – Yard Haunts – Community Haunts – Haunts for Children -Halloween Parties & Carnevals – Halloween News – Halloween Photographs - Halloween Video
Here you will find macabre midnight ramblings among gravestones and historical landmarks. If you enjoy the spooky thrill of wandering through ominous outdoor locations and/or allegedly haunted premises, of if prefer actors on the other side of the proscenium arch (not jumping out at you), this is the place for you.
This grouping of performances and tours might at first seem odd, but there is a method to our madness: (1) There is a Los Angeles tradition of Halloween plays being staged in outdoor locations, requiring the audience to walk through cemeteries or the like, turning the experience into a tour of a kind; (2) Events like Haunted Midnights at the Comedy Store combine elements of performance and tour.
If you are looking for more conventional Halloween events in Los Angeles, check out Professional Halloween Haunted House. We also have listings for Theme Park Halloween Attraction, Amateur Yard Haunt, Community Halloween Haunt, and Halloween Event for Children. If you are looking for something different, there are options on our page for Halloween Dance Parties, Costumes Contests & Street Fairs.
BEYOND THE GRAVE TOURS
Homestead Museum
15415 East Don Julian Road
City of Industry, California 91745
Website: www.homesteadmuseum.org
2011 Dates: October 22-23, 29-30 at 1pm, 2pm, 3pm & 4pm
Price: free
Description: American attitudes toward death changed dramatically from the 1840s, when the Workman family built their home, through the 1920s, when the Temples built La Casa Nueva next door. This tour gives an overview of these changes as experienced by the two families and includes a visit to El Campo Santo, the private cemetery established by the Workman family in the 1850s.
This tour can accommodate visitors with limited mobility.
Reservations are recommended (space is limited for each tour).
DELUSION: A HAUNTED PLACE – New for 2011
2218 S Harvard Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90018
Website: www.hauntedplay.com
Dates: October 19-31
Times: 7pm, 9pm, 10pm & 11pm on weeknights, with additional midnight shows on Fridays and Saturdays.
Tickets: $40 for General Admission; $320 for groups of ten.
Updates: click here
Description: 2011 sees a new Halloween event in Los Angeles: DELUSION, a “haunted play.” Hollywood stuntman Jon Braver promises adventurous fright fans an interactive experience unlike traditional haunted house attractions. Although consisting of a walk through a turn-of-the-century mansion, DELUSION offers more than actors in costume jumping out to scare visitors. Instead, the guided tour takes you through the 106-year-old house as the story unfolds around you through suspenseful storytelling, dramatic stunt work and interactive Halloween themed entertainment.
DRAMA AFTER DARK – 2009 ONLY
The Huntington Library
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108
Library Website: www.huntington.org
Event Webpage: Click here
2010 Date: NONE
2009 INFORMATION: This was an outdoor series of dramatic vignettes based on the work of Edgar Allan Poe and Edward Gorey. During the course of the evening, audience members see up to six out of the ten or more performances, which vary in times from one-half hour to one-hour and are played simultaneously at various sites throughout the upper levels of the grounds. A list of the performances and maps will be available on the night of the event. Most of the performances are outdoors (chairs are provided) and you wakj to various performance sites. To enhance the mood of the evening, many of the lights on the grounds are dimmed or turned off completely.
TIPS: Performance will proceed rain or shine. Bring a flashlight; wear warm clothing and walking shoes. No Halloween costumes; Victorian and Edwardian costumes are okay.
GHOST TOUR AT STRATHEARN PARK
Location: Strathearn Historical Park & Museum, 137 Strathearn Place, Simi Valley, CA 93065
Phone: 805-526-6453 (for group reservations of ten or more)
Website: www.simihistory.com/ghost
2011 Dates: October 14-16, 21-23, 28-30 (no show on Halloween night)
Hours: 7-10pm Fridays, 6-10pm Saturdays, 6-9pm Sundays
Admission: $8.00 (no charge for children under 5). Free parking is available along Strathearn Place. Please follow directions of Parking Attendants.
Description: Ghost Tour at Strathearn Park is a family friendly event. It is NOT a “Haunted House” type of event and is appropriate for children of all ages. It is the history of Simi Valley told in a very entertaining way by those who created it.
This is a walking-standing tour with limited seating at a few of the stops. The tour can accommodate wheelchairs and strollers. Tours are limited to 20-25 people. All tours are filled on a first come basis. Tours last approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes; a new Tour will start approximately every 10-15 minutes
No flashlights allowed inside the park. No photography or sound recording allowed within the park.
Reservations taken for groups of 10 or more.
HAUNTED HOLLYWOOD SCAVENGER HUNTS
Hollywood, CA (Starting Location Revealed Upon Registration)
Phone: 323.799.1374
Website: www.outoftheboxevents.net
Updates: click here
2011 Haunted Hollywood Scavenger Hunt Dates & Hours: October 8, 9, 15, 16, 22, 23, 28, 29, 30, 6:00-8:30pm
Price: $25
Description: Throughout October, Out of the Box Events takes Angelenos on spine tingling, unforgettable scavenger hunts. The hunts promise an unusual, fun and interactive way to tour different parts of the city. Hunters will scour the streets of Hollywood to uncover ghoulish ghosts, terrifying tales and scandalous secrets. Hunters will uncover the lost souls that still roam the Roosevelt, The Knickerbocker and several old theatres.
No prior ghost hunting knowledge is required to solve the challenging clues, but a flashlight is helpful.
- Up to 6 people per team
- Starting location revealed upon registration
- Bring one flashlight for your team
Prizes go to the Top 3 teams.
2011 Haunts of Angelino Heights: On October 22 & 23, Out of the Box Events and the Los Angeles Conservancy this fright-filled hunt through one of the city’s oldest, haunted Victorian neighborhoods, starting at 724 E. Edgeware Road, Los Angeles, CA 90026. Hours are 4:00pm to 6:30pm. Bring one digital camera and one flashlight per team, which may consist of up to 6 members. Tickets are $30.
HAUNTED MIDNIGHTS
Location: The Comedy Store, 8433 Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood, CA 90069
2011 Dates: October 7, 14, 21 & 28 at midnight
Website: Click here
Description: The Comedy Store throws open its doors for this tour of its allegedly haunted premises. The venue claims to be renowned as “one of the most haunted places in Hollywood.” “Haunted Midnights” offers a behind the scenes look at the spooky happenings that have allegedly taken place. The tour promises to reveal the results of paranormal researchers; there will be a live séance to summon the spirits, and you will hear first hand accounts from the staff regarding hauntings by “Gus” and “The Lady In White”.
Rare documentary footage about the hauntings will be screened, and the evening will culminate with a scary flashlight tour of The Comedy Store, including a visit to the notorious basement and other haunted spots.
“Haunted Midnights” promises a ghostly tour unlike anything available in Los Angeles or in this life.
This show is 21+ only
Click here for our Haunted Midnights archive
HOLLYWOOD FOREVER CEMETERY TOUR
Hollywood Forever Cemetery
6000 Santa Monica Blvd
Back-to-back with Paramount Studios
Hollywood, CA 90038
Phone: (323) 469-1181.
Art Deco Website: www.adsla.org
Cemetery Website: www.hollywoodforever.com
2011 DATES & HOURS: October 8, from 10am to noon; tours depart every 20 minutes.
2011 PRICE: $20 general admission, free to ADSLA members.
PARKING: Park inside the cemetery gates.
INFORMATION: Every October, the Art Deco Society of Los Angeles presents a tour of the famous cemetery, final resting place for many of Hollywood’s greatest stars. The Hollywood Forever Cemetery Tour provides alternative to other Halloween events in Los Angeles. More historical than horrific (there are no monsters or ghosts lurking behind the tombstones), the Art Deco tour provides a fascinating overview of the cemetery and its most famous residents: Cecil B. Demille, Marion Davies, Tyrone Power, Rudolph Valentino, Vampira, John Huston, Carl “Alfalfa” Switzer, William Desmond Taylor, and many more.
The Art Deco Society’s Hollywood Forever Cemetery tour lasts approximately two-and-a-half hours. Wear comfortable shoes and a hat. Sunscreen or an umbrella might be advisable, depending on the weather. Bottled water is recommended.
NOTE: Although presented by the Art Deco Society, the tour is conducted by Karen Bible, who conducts various walking tours of Hollywood Forever Cemetery through the year. Check out www.cemeterytour.com for information.
There are other Hollywood Forever Cemetery events that take place year-round. Check out our news archive or get more information and updates on our page devoted to Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
HALLOWEEN AND MOURNING TOURS
Heritage Square Museum
3800 Homer Street, Los Angeles, CA
Phone: (323) 225-2700
Website: www.heritagesquare.org
2011 Dates: October 29-31, noon to 4pm
Admission: free for museum members, $10.00 for Adults, $8.00 for Seniors over 65, $5.00 for Children 6 to 12 years, and free for Children under 6.
Updates: Click here.
Description: Heritage Square Museum invites you to join them for their annual Halloween and Mourning Tours. Visitors to the museum’s Victorian-era houses will find themselves immersed in the traditions surrounding death and mourning as they were practiced 100 years ago.
The Halloween and Mourning Tours are a living history program that puts guests in the middle of a superstitious Victorian-era society where death was never far behind. Witness a funeral procession as they bury a loved one, visit a fortune teller, learn about hair jewelry and mourning attire and even join two men in arguing the merits of spirit photography!
Halloween Movie Night & Safe Haven Trick-or-Treating: In celebration of the Spooky Season, Heritage Square also offers a Halloween Movie Night on October 22 at 7:30pm and Safe Haven Trick-or-Treating for children on October 31, 4-7pm.
The Heritage Square Museum is located off the 110 Arroyo Seco Parkway at Avenue 43, just north of downtown Los Angeles. Take the Metro Gold line to the Heritage Square Gold Line Stop and receive a free gift if you show your ticket!
Celebrating over 40 Years of Preservation and Interpretation of the History of Southern California, Heritage Square is a living history museum dedicated to telling the story of the development of Los Angeles during its first 100 years of statehood. Eight rescued historic structures at the museum tell this story like no place else.
Tours of the historic structures at Heritage Square are given regularly Friday through Sunday from 12 to 4 p.m. Regular admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors, and $5 for children ages 6-12.
HOLLYWOOD HELL HOUSE – NO LONGER IN OPERATION
385 La Cienaga Boulevard West Hollywood, CA 90048
Phone: 323-960-7822
Website: HollywoodHellHouse.Com
Finds News & Reviews for Hollywood Hell House here.
DATES & HOURS: NONE. The Halloween attraction went on hiatus in 2008, with a promise to return in 2009, but their website went down, indicating that they will not be back. Inquiries have not been returned.
TICKETS: Prices were $22.50 in advance, $25 at the door
FEATURES: This was not your typical haunted house but rather a satirical play, based on a presentation designed to teach “young people that they can go to hell for abortion, adultery, homosexuality, drinking, and other things unless they repent and end the behavior.” Keenan Roberts, who has been presenting the real Hell House since 1992, sells Hell House Outreach kits to other churches, including a 263-page manual – which is the basis for the West Hollywood version. It goes without that the West Hollywood presentation played the material for laughs.
OTHER INFO: The theatre offereds concessions. After you have walked through the haunt you were invited to hang out for a dance party with DJ Davey Save, with “bands, dancing, and praising till midnight.”
TRIVIA: The original Hell House was the subject of an excellent documentary film, which is definitely worth checking out. After you have seen it, you will definitely be interested in attending the haunt in person.
OCTOBER SHADOWS
Mountain View Mausoleum
2300 North Marengo Avenue
Altadena, CA 91001
Website: CreatureFeatures.com/octobershadows
Dates & Hours: Saturdays from 11am to 5pm and Sunday from 11am to 3pm throughout October.
Description: This annual celebration of Halloween in art features contributions from artists and film industry professionals such as Rick Baker, William Stout, Stephen Chiodo, Peter Von Sholly, and many, many others.
2011: The location for this year’s exhibition is the art gallery with the Mountain View Mausoleum. Visitors can make purchases, but the artwork must remain on display for the first two weeks of the show’s run.
VOICES OF PIONEER CEMETERY: FLASHLIGHT GHOST TOUR – Closed for 2011
Pioneer Cemetery
14451 Bledsoe Street
Sylmar, CA 91342
Phone: 818-970-1286
Webpage: www.sfvhs.com
2011 Information: No performances this year. The 2010 graveyard tour was designed to benefit the pioneer cemetery (obtaining money to find/identify some of the old graves). With this accomplished the cemetery decided not to stage the play this year, although it may be resurrected in the future.
Tickets: $20 until Oct 15, then $25 in advance and at the door.
Description: Described as “Pageant of the Masters meets Dracula,” this spooky walk provided a history of Pioneer Cemetery and its inhabitants, as recounted by the souls of those interred therein.
The Unamable
WICKED LIT HALLOWEEN THEATRE FESTIVAL
Mountain View Mausoleum and Cemetery
2300 Marengo Ave, Altadena, CA 91001
Phone: 818 242 7910
Website: www.wickedlit.org
2011 Dates: October 21 through November 6, 8pm (no performances on October 23-26, November 1)
Tickets: $39-60
Parking: ample free parking on the grounds. Guests are advised not to enter the cemetery from Fair Oaks (you may get lost).
Updates: click here
Description: Audiences should expect to get some exercise. These are “walking productions” staged at night on the grounds of the mausoleum and cememtery. The intention is to scare you.
2011 Information: Wicked Lit presents two sets of three short plays, based on classic literature and performed live inside an actual cemetery.
Production A runs for 12 performances from October 21 through November 1. It recreates the 2010 set of plays:
- The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe. Adapted by Paul Millet. Directed by Jonathan Josephson. Journey to the catacombs for a stirring retelling of Poe’s classic tale of madness, unrequited love, and deception.
- The Unnamable by H.P. Lovecraft. Adapted and Directed by Jeff G. Rack. Two men – one a dealer in ancient artifacts, the other a follower of the occult – enter a graveyard on an ominous evening. If all goes according to plan, only one will return home.
- The Chimes by Charles Dickens. Adapted by Jonathan Josephson. Directed by Paul Millet. In the spirit of A Christmas Carol (but with the bite of a ghost story), The Chimes is a haunting tale of renewal, goblins, and the ties the bind.
Production B runs for 10 performances from October 27 through November 6. It offers three new adaptations:
Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Body Snatcher
Adapted and Directed by Paul Millet
In Nineteenth Century Scotland, Mary Fettes plans to become the first female medical student at the University of Edinburgh – but horrors await that will change her forever.M.R. James’ Casting the Runes
Adapted and Directed by Jeff G. Rack
A publisher rejects a manuscript from a proclaimed practitioner of the occult, unleashing a supernatural fury that threatens to take his life — unless he can reverse the spell.Mark Twain’s A Ghost Story
Adapted and Directed by Jonathan Josephson
A college student finds himself with two flat tires and nowhere to go but an old, creaky, abandoned hotel. Hilarity ensues.
From the official website:
The scope of Wicked Literature: A Halloween Theatre Festival is to create and produce new stage plays based on classic gothic literature. Wicked Lit launched its inaugural production in 2009 at the haunted Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills and is thrilled to be spending the 2010 Halloween season in Altadena.
Check out our archive for Sinister Cemetery Tours & Perilous Performances.
