DISNEY'S HAUNTED MANSION
Disneyland Resort
Website: Disneyland Resort Haunted Mansion
DATES: October 1 through ???? (the Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas version of the Haunted Mansion usually continues through New Year)
HOURS: Disneyland Park - 8:00am to midnight; Disney California Adventure - 10:00am to 9:00pm
ADMISSION: Single Day Theme Park Tickets (i.e., entrance to one park only) - $49.75 for adults, $39.75 for children under 10
PARKING: $9 for automobiles; $11 for oversized vehicles, motor homes, and tractors without trailers; $16 for buses and tractors with trailers.
DISCOUNTS: various multi-park and multi-day combination offers here.
FEATURES: The Haunted Mansion runs year round, but for the season it adds a little something special: decorations and characters from Tim Burtons The NIghtmare Before Christmas. This year, the Disneyland resort's website is billing the experience as a Haunted Mansion Holiday, because you can enjoy not only the mansion but also the new Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, if you wander over to Disney's California Adventures, adjacent to the more familiar Disneyland theme park. And of course, while you're in the theme park, you can also visit the Pirates of the Caribbean.
KNOTT'S HALLOWEEN HAUNT
Knott's "Scary"Farm
8039 Beach Boulevard
Buena Park, CA 90620
(714) 220-5200
Website: www.halloweenhaunt.com
DATES: September 30 (Bare Bones), October 1-2, 3 & 6 (Bare Bones), 7-10, 13-17, 20-24, 26-31
HOURS: 7:00pm-1:00am weeknights and Sundays; 7:00pm-2:00am Fridays and Saturdays.
ADMISSION: $41 presale, $46 day of event.
PARKING: $9
BARGAINS: Discount coupons are available at Burger King. This allow you to purchase tickets for anywhere from $24 to $36, depending on which night you attend. For $23 you can attend one of three "Bare Bones 1/2 Price Nights" (September 30, October 3 and 6). On these nights, all of the mazes are open, but some of the stage shows are not.
PRE-SCARE DINNER SPECIALS: These give you a chance to eat before the park opens for the nightly haunt; plus, you get to go into the park through a separate entrance before the other guests. $11.95 gets you a pre-scar buffet, including fried chicken, pasta, side dishes and desert. $15.95 gets you a more elaborate Ghost Town buffet, with prime rib, shrimp and salads in addition to the other items; you also get a souvenier beverage cup. Reservations are required, because seating is limited. NOTE: Once you're inside the park, your dining selections are mostly limited to fast food and snacks.
MIDNIGHT BREAKFAST BUFFET: On your way out, you can have a late-night breakfast for just $7.95 at the Chicken Dinner restaurant in the MarketPlace next to the Knott's Grand Entrance. There is no re-entry to the park, so make sure you are tired of being haunted before you go to eat.
FEATURES: All the usual Knotts rides and attractions are open for business, but the park is redecorated for the Halloween season in grand ghoulish style. The scares start the minue you walk in the gate, with wandering ghouls lunging at you out of the fog.
DRAWBACKS: The crowds. Inevitably, you have to wait in long lines for each attraction, unless you arrive as soon as the gates open or attend on an off-night. For some reason, the parks appeal skews young, so expect to find yourself surrounded by teeny-boppers.
HISTORY: It all started back on October 31, 1973. Since Knotts is more or less modeled on a real ghost town (Calico in California), it made sense to decorate the ghost town section of the park up for Halloween, along with a few dozen monster lurking in the fog. The first walk-through maze was added the next year. Since then, the Halloween Haunt has grown into a huge annual event, with hundreds of actors in makeup and numerous mazes featuring everything from 3D lighting and to elaborate mechanical effects.
MAZES
-
Malice in Wonderland - Lewis Carrol run amok.
-
Red Moon Massacre - werewolves, Red Riding Hood, etc
-
Lore of the Vampire - nocturnal hunters seeking victims
-
Blood Bayou - voodoo zombie in a cursed swampland.
-
Hatchet High - meteor turns co-eds into zombies
-
Carnival of Carniverous Clowns - a 3D circus of horrors
-
Asylum - torture and pain in an abandoned sanitorium
-
Army of the Underworld - a train ride through Hades with the Army of Darkness
-
Red Beard's Revenge - pirates on the Isle of the Dead
-
TerrorVision 3D - classic shows come back to haunt you
-
Curse of the Spider - webs, creepy-crawlies, and a giant spider
-
Temple of Sacrifice - Aztec spirits assemble for ancient evil
SHOWS
-
Dr Cleaver's Psycho Circus - maniacal comedy in a 2100-seat theatre
-
The Hanging - celebrities skewered in an outdoor stunt show
-
Festival of Freaks - gross out stuff like swallowing needles
-
Tommy Tomb in the Terror Tiki Lounge - more comedy
-
Haunted Hypnotist - you are getting sleepy...
-
Ed Alonzo's Magic & Mayhem - ghoulish sleight of hand
REVIEW: We attended this year's haunt on Sunday, October 3 (one of the Bare Bones Nights, when the hypnotis, magic, and other shows were closed). Our assesment: One of the best Haunts ever, well worth the admission price. Read the full review in our Daily Journal by clicking here.
L.A. COUNTY "SCAREPLEX"
Fairplex, Home of the Los Angeles County Fair
1101 W. McKinley Ave.
Pomona, CA 91768
(949) 660-1988
Website: www.scareplex.com
DATES: October 8-10, 15-17, 22-24, 28-31
HOURS: 7pm to midnight (later on some nights)
TICKETS: $20.00 ($13 on "preview nights" October 8-10)
BARGAINS: The haunt's official website says $5.00 off coupons for Sundays will be available soon here.
FEATURES: The first annual "Scareplex," located at the home of the L.A. County Fairgrounds, is brought to you by Shipwreck Productions, the people behind the excellent Queen Mary Terror Fest. The haunt features an all-night Dance Party and four mazes.
DRAWBACKS: It's their first year, so it hasn't had time to define itself in contrast to the competition.
MAZES
-
Reaper's Revenge in 3D
-
Mayhem Manor
-
Massacre Mountain
-
Voodoo Village
QUEEN MARY SHIPWRECK
Queen Mary
1126 Queens Highway
Long Beach, CA 90802
(562) 435-3511
Website: www.queenmaryshipwreck.com
DATES: October 8-10, 15-17, 22-24, 28-31
HOURS: 7:00pm-midnight. (later on some nights)
TICKETS: $29 general admission, $15 preview nights; available at Queen Mary Box office and at TicketMaster Online.
PARKING: $10 cash upon enterting (no validation, no refunds). This is different from last year, when you would pay as you leave; if you got your parking ticket validated, parking was free.
BARGAINS: Preview nights (October 8-10) feature discounted admission. The Queen Mary Shipwreck website also features a Discounts page. NOTE: Last year, no discounts were available until the attraction had been running for several days; then a printable coupon appeared that gave a $12 admission fee for one Sunday night late in the month.
R.I.P. HOTEL PACKAGES: The Queen Mary is not only a tourist attraction; it is also a hotel. With one of these three special packages ($279, $289, $299), you and your significant other can spend the night on board, attend the terror fest, get a souvenir t-shirt, and have brunch or dinner or see some of the regular tours.
FEATURES: The Queen Mary itself is a big feature, with its long spooky corridors, many of them allegedly haunted. When you get tired of being scared, you can walk over to the hotel section of the ship for dinner and/or a drink at the on-board pubs and restaurants. (Be careful: many of them close early.)
DRAWBACKS: You have to drive to Long Beach. The Dance Party music has nothing to do with Halloween.
HISTORY: It all started back on October 31, 1973. Since Knotts is more or less modeled on a real ghost town (Calico in California), it made sense to decorate the ghost town section of the park up for Halloween, along with a few dozen monster lurking in the fog. The first walk-through maze was added the next year. Since then, the Halloween Haunt has grown into a huge annual event, with hundreds of actors in makeup and numerous mazes featuring everything from 3D lighting and to elaborate mechanical effects.
MAZES: The Queen Mary Terror Fest claims to have the longest mazes of any Southern California haunted attraction, and it's easy to believe them, considering the space they have to work with. NOTE: some mazes are on the ship; some are on the land around the ship.
-
Trail of Terror - a more conventional, outdoor maze
-
Creatures of the Cove - 3D pirates in the old Spruce Goose dome
-
House of Hallucinations- colorful 3D haunted house, very spooky, with a roomful of clowns (among other assorted creepy inhabitants
-
Haunted Hull of Horrors - the bowells of the boat.
-
Factory of Fears - haunted sickbay, dead crewmen
-
Corridors of Carnage - long narrow ship corridors leave you nowhere to run
-
Decks of the Doomed - the ship's Ghosts & Legends tour, amped up for Halloween
OTHER ATTRACTIONS
-
The Fright Mistress - a campy sexy hostess for the festivities
-
The Boiler Room- live alternative rock acts
-
Dance Party - a three level discotheque
REVIEW: This year's Shipwreck launched on October 8. We were there to give you a rundown on all the ghoulish details. You can read our review of this year's Terror Fest by clicking here.
SIX FLAGS FRIGHT FEST
Magic Mountain
26101 Magic Mountain Parkway
Valencia, CA 9`355
(661) 255-4100 or (818) 367-5965
Website: Six Flags Magic Mount Fright Fest
DATES: Ocober 9-10, 15-17, 22-24, 29-31
HOURS: 10:00am-10:00pm (weekends only)
ADMISSION: $46.99 adults, $25.99 (children under 48 inches and seniors over 55 years), free for childen under two years.
BARGAINS: There are several discounts available for admission to the park. You can get more ticket information here, including instructions on how to save money by purchasing tickets online (for $25.99 each). You can get free coupons for discount tickets (priced at $23.50) when you buy a medium or large beverage, or upsize your combo, at Jack in the Box. You can purchase an adult ticket at participating Ralphs's stores for $24.99 and get a child's ticket free. Also, there is a promotional offer from Kodak.
FEATURES: All the usual Magic Mounain rides and attractions are open for business, but some of them have been restyled for Halloween. As with Knotts "Scary Farm," the scares start the minue you walk in the gate, with roaming zombies wandering through the park. A new haunted maze is being added this year, bringing the total to six.
DRAWBACKS: You have to drive out to Valencia. The park has not been doing Fright Fest for as long as long as other local tourist attractions, so it hasn't developed its Halloween specialties as extensively as Knotts and the Queen Mary have.
HISTORY: It all started back on October 31, 1973. Since Knotts is more or less modeled on a real ghost town (Calico in California), it made sense to decorate the ghost town section of the park up for Halloween, along with a few dozen monster lurking in the fog. The first walk-through maze was added the next year. Since then, the Halloween Haunt has grown into a huge annual event, with hundreds of actors in makeup and numerous mazes featuring everything from 3D lighting and to elaborate mechanical effects.
HAUNTED MAZES
-
The Asylum (new) - a rattling maze of chain link fence.
-
Dead Man's Bog - a dark path through Willoughby Woods
-
Jokester's Hideout 3D - black light maze emphasizing bizarre clownistry rather than blood and guts
-
Brutal Planet - evil lurks and chaos reigns in this 6,500 foot maze (under 13 must be accompanied by parent).
-
Terror at Carnage E. Hall - the Magic Moments Theatre transformed into an abandoned stage house haunted by dead actors
-
Willoughby Mansion - animatronics and gruesome monsters lurk in the twisted hallways (not intended for children)
ATTRACTIONS
-
Blood Falls - a trip through a haunted summer camp on the ride normally known as the Log Jammer
-
Parade of the Living Dead - a nightly procession at dusk to mark the beginning of the evening's fright festivities
-
Thumper Bumpers - the usual Sandblaster bumper cars transformed into a terrifying Xtreme experience for Fright Fest
OTHER ENTERTAINMENT
-
Colussus Backwards - in this Fright Fest exclusive, the famous rollercoaster reverses its usual direction
-
Scream, Goliath, Batman the Ride, Riddler's Revenge, Viper, Freefall, etc- take a spin on all the usual rides, but this time in the dark!
-
High Sierra Hypnotist - audience participation show in the Golden Bear Theatre (October 9, 16-17, 23-24, 29-31)
SPOOKY HOUSE
6360 Topanga Canyon Blvd
Woodland Hills, CA
(818) 255-4100 or (818) 367-5965
Website: www.spookyhouse.com
DATES: Ocober 8-10, 15-17, 21-24, 26-31
HOURS: noon-4pm children's mattinees; 7-10pm weeknights & Sundays, 7pm-midnight Fridays & Saturdays.
TICKETS: $8.50 childrens shows (all three mazes; $13.50 single maze adult shows; $18.50 three-maze combo tickets; $25 VIP tickets (all three mazes, less waiting)
FEATURES: One of the best Southland seasonal Haunts, Spooky House is located in a permanent facility that allows for greater detailing of sets. There are lots of elaborate scenes, some indoors, some outdoors, and plenty of ghouls, makeup and effects.
MAZES
-
Dead & Breakfast - a haunted hotel, with dangerous elevator
-
Blood, Bath & Beyond - dank industrial horror
-
Realm of Lost Souls - outdoor pagon idols.
DRAWBACKS: It's popular, so it's crowded. You will have to wait in line, especially later in the season. VIP tickets help (somewhat).
REVIEW: Click here to read our review of Spooky House's opening night this season in the Hollywood Gothique Daily Journal.