House at Haunted Hill
Yard Haunt
4400 Saltillo Streeet
Woodland Hills, CA
Contact: info@houseathauntedhill.com
Website: www.houseathauntedhill.com
2008 DATES: Tuesday, October 28 through Saturday, November 1
HOURS: 7:00pm utnil 10:00pm on weekdays; shows 7:00pm until 11midnight on Friday & Saturday.
ADMISSION & PARKING: FREE - but can be difficult to find on the winding residential hillside road
NEW FOR 2008: The haunt will apparently offer another scripted musical production for 2008; whether it will be new or a reprise of 2007’s effort has not been stated, although the cast and credits list suggests the latter.
2007 INFORMATION: For this year, the House on Haunted Hill took a quantuum leap forward, offering a 20-minute scripted show (written by playwright Ed Valentine), complete with a musical score by Emmy-nominated Christopher Hoag. Other entertainment industry professionals have chipped in, and even Tim Doggett (of Hallowed Haunting Grounds) and Nathan Hamilton (Turbidite Manor) lent a hand, in an effort to create something truly spectacular. NOTE: You did not have to arrive at the exact start time in order to see the haunt, but it helped.
BACKGROUND: Since the demise of the late, lamented Hallowed Haunting Grounds, this haunt takes the crown for the best amateur Halloween attraction in the Los Angeles area. In operation since 1999, the two-story house is loaded with black-lit drapes fluttering in the wind, with skeletal figures and floating ghosts peeking out the windows. There is a skeleton on the porch and a phantom bride around the corner toward the back. A tombstone in front of the main entrance slides back and forth as something tries to get out. But what’s really impressive is the use of the yard space, which stretches up the hill to the back of the house. You’ll see two childish skeletons on a teeter-totter, singing “Itsy Bitsy Spider.” A bust of Beethoven opens and closes its eyes. Another skeleton swings above a whistling well. Another statue head comes to life and speaks an invocation that rouses the spirits. Farther back, you can see a ghost on the hill, accompanied by phantom shadows flitting across the ground. And the silhouette of some figure with an ax chops…chops…chops away at something unseen.
NOTE: This house really is on a hill - on a twisting sidestreet that is hard to spot in the dark. Please note the directions: from the 101 Freeway, take Canoga Avenue south; pass Dumetz, pass the golf course, and turn left onto Saltillo Street. You will glimpse the spooky lights up the road, near a bend. Just keep your eyes peeled and try not to miss the sign for the cross street in the dark.
REVIEWS: This listing is derived from our 2006 Halloween Haunt Odyssey, which also included visits to the Pirate Cave and the Haunt with No Name. We review the 2007 presenation in Part 1 of our Haunt Odyssesy 2007.
VIDEO: Check out Hollywood Gothique’s video visit to the 2006 incarnation of House at Haunted Hill.