Hollywood Gothique

You are browsing the archives of Skull Kingdom.

The Los Angeles Halloween season begins in earnest tomorrow, with the opening of the Knotts Berry Farm Halloween Haunt and Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood. Before we begin to savor the delightfully dreary ambiance of these and other Halloween events in Los Angeles, we should cast our mournful eyes back through the hazy clouds of time and take a moment to to pay tribute to those haunted attractions that have gone to the grave forever, never again to resurrect each October for annual enjoyment of all things macabre. Click through to read our list of the Los Angeles Halloween attractions we mourn the most deeply.

John Casella, who helped design and build Spooky House, writes in to clarify the details about what is happening with that haunt and the other Halloween properties once owned by the late Bob Koritzke. Basically, it sounds as if elements of those attractions will be incorporated into this year’s Haunted Queen Mary:
Due to the unexpected death [...]

The ripple effect of Bob Koritzke’s Bob’s untimely death in July continues to impact upcoming Halloween events in Los Angeles. Skull Kingdom, Old Town Haunt, and Seaside Haunted Theme Park were among several attractions that were owned or co-owned by Koritzke, also including Fearplex and the grand-daddy of them all, Spooky House. Koritzke’s death left the future of these haunts [...]

Our favorite new attraction from last Halloween was Skull Kingdom in Woodland Hills, an atmospheric haunted house that recaptured much of the feel of the Seaside Haunt in Venture (hardly a surprise, since it was put on by the same people). It was very atmospheric; there were some good sets that gave an impression of being within an actual location, not just a mock-up; plus, there was a strategic use of darkness – no doubt intended to hide budgetary shortcomings but cleverly employed to enhance apprehension as you manuvered through the corridors inhabited by lurking ghouls.

Just received some sad news: Bob Koritzke – chief owner of Spooky House, Old Town Haunt, Seaside Haunt, and Skull Kingdom- passed away over the 4th of July weekend, apparently of a heart attack. This is a blow for fans of Halloween in Los Angeles; Mr. Koritzke’s popular haunted house attractions were some of the [...]

It is time for Hollywood Gothique’s first annual Halloween Haunt Awards. This is the time – after the last scream has echoed away, the last lightening has flashed, and the last monster returned to its godforsaken tomb – when we sit down and assess the best events and attractions that we experienced during Halloween in [...]

NOTE: Hollywood Gothique’s annual Halloween Haunt Odyssey is a sort of unofficial tour of yard haunts in Los Angeles, many of which are open only on October 31st. Each year, we hit a few old favorites and search for some new discoveries.
Yesterday, in Part 1, we laid to rest our impression of the local yard haunts that [...]

A trek to Woodland Hills last night brought us to the debut of Skull Kingdom. This is a brand-new Halloween attraction in Los Angeles, the latest of several affiliated with the long-running Spooky House.
Supervised by Mike Zatz and Erin Joyce, who used to run the wonderful Seaside Haunt (opening next week), Skull Kingdom features many of [...]