The House at Haunted Hill
Halloween Yard Haunt
4400 Saltillo Street
Woodland Hills, CA
Contact: info@houseathauntedhill.com
Website: www.houseathauntedhill.com
Excellent elaborate haunted house with a spooky Hollywood story enacted with special effects timed to recorded dialogue and music – one of the best ways to enjoy Halloween in Los Angeles!
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2012 HOUSE AT HAUNTED HILL DATES & Hours: (subject to cancellation in case of rain). Please note: dates have changed since initial publication.
- Friday-Saturday, October 26-27: 7pm to midnight
- Sunday-Wednesday, October 28-31: 7pm-10pm
HOUSE AT HAUNTED HILL ADMISSION & PARKING: FREE. However, the street is usually blocked off to cars for the safety of foot traffic, so be prepared to walk up that haunted hill!
HOUSE AT HAUNTED HILL INFORMATION: This elaborate yard haunt features an impressive array of mechanical and lighting effects timed to a pre-recorded dramatic show, complete with narration, dialogue, and music. The story, reprised from the 2007 and 2008 haunts, tells the story of young Hollywood hopeful who marries the wrong man – his vengeful late wife returns from the grave to ruin the wedding night. NOTE: You do not have to arrive at the exact scheduled start times in order to see the show, but it helps.
HOUSE AT HAUNTED HILL HISTORY: Since the demise of the late, lamented Hallowed Haunting Grounds, this haunt has taken the crown for the best amateur Halloween attraction in Los Angeles. In operation since 1999, the two-story house began with an elaborate display of randomly timed mechanical effects: black-lit drapes fluttering in the wind; skeletal figures and floating ghosts peeking out the windows; a skeleton on the porch and a phantom bride out back; tombstone in front of the main entrance holding something in that wants to get out.
What immediately impressed visitors was the use of yard space, stretching up the hill to the back of the house, with childish skeletons on a teeter-totter, singing “Itsy Bitsy Spider:” a skeleton on a swing; an animated statue delivering an invocation that rouses the spirits; phantom shadows flitting across the ground, and the silhouette of some figure with an ax chopping away at something unseen.
For 2007, 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 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. The basic props and effects were retained from previous years, but they were integrated into the story, no longer turning on and off apparently at random, but timed to go off at specific moments in the narrative.
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.
HOUSE AT HAUNTED HILL VIDEO: Check out Hollywood Gothique’s video visits to the House at Haunted Hill on YouTube.
