Hollywood Gothique

Yard haunts, haunted garages, walk-through mazes – all home-made and free of charge

The final installment of our 2011 Halloween Yard Haunt Odyssey takes us to a pair of old favorites, both restless and eternal, and also ventures into previously uncharted realms of mishaps and darkness. The wide spectrum of approaches – from shivers to shocks, from simple to sophisticated – is a remarkable testament to the impressive variety [...]

After Burbank, Tarzana, and Woodland Hills, the next leg of Hollywood Gothique’s 2011 Halloween Yard Haunt Odyssey takes us from Los Angeles all the way to Simi Valley. The little bedroom community seems quiet and safe, but you never know what sort of hidden terror lies just beneath the placid surface – until now…

The House at Haunted Hill
The previous installment of our annual Halloween Yard Haunt Odyssey took us through two terrifying mazes in Burbank, The Backwoods Maze and Rotten Apple 907’s Space Oddessey. Moving on to Tarzana and Woodland Hills, we encounter a trio of Halloween Yard Haunts that are less interested in shocks and surprise than [...]

Our exploration of 2011’s Halloween Yard Haunts began last week with our trip to Boney Island (reviewed here). Next, we move on to Burbank for a pair of Amateur Halloween Events that display enough skill and imagination to rank along side professional Halloween Haunted Houses & Hayrides in Los Angeles.
The Backwoods Maze (1912 North Pepper [...]

Dates: October 21-31
Hours: 6-9pm Sunday-Thursday; 6-10pm Friday-Saturday
Location: 4602 Morse Avenue Sherman Oaks, CA 91432
After a three-year hiatus, Boney Island is back, and it’s even better than before! The Halloween yard haunt’s skeleton crew has morphed from a carnival into a magic show, but the familiar, whimsical aura still pervades the grounds, making this one of the best Los Angeles Halloween haunts for children.

The caretaker at Fallen Angel Cemetery sent us this video, showcasing the souls of the damned who have been cast down to the nether regions. We don’t usually post videos from outside sources, but this one does a good job of conveying the atmosphere and look of this nifty little yard haunt. The only aspect [...]

Dates: October 15-31, 7pm to 1am
Location: 2821 S. Western Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90018

Description: This amateur Halloween yard haunt – which has been in operation several years now – features scary decorations with a few animatronics, music and sound effects.
On Halloween Night, there are treats for the kids and a few costumed characters delivering a [...]

Date: October 31, 6-11pm
Location: 1547 Garden St., Glendale 91201
Link out: Click here
Description: Mishap Manor is a family-friendly yard haunt depicting an old decrepit haunted house, infested with crows, and with a graveyard in front. Apparently, a few mishaps have befallen some of the past residents. There are a few animated props, lighting effects, [...]

After a three-year hiatus, the Boney Island Yard Haunt reopens this Halloween. Those of you who never attended the old skeleton carnival may be wondering what the big deal is, exactly. Well, take a look at our video, recorded in 2007, of the final appearance of the old Boney Island. Don’t expect this year’s version [...]

Date & Hours: October 31, 6-10pm
Location: 2125 Punta Del Este St. in Hacienda Heights, CA
Description: Date: Halloween night, 6-10pm
This yard haunt, in existence for ten years starts, as a maze in the front yard, wraps all the way around the house, through the garage, and then an additional maze is built on the end. The [...]

Date: Oct. 31st, 6:30-9:30pm
Location: 6824 Motz Street, Paramount CA 90723
Link out: Click here
Description: This amateur yard haunt features a combination of store-bought and home-made decorations, with a walk-through maze filled with scares, including nine or ten live actors in costume.
Price: free (accepts donations to purchase more supplyies for next year )
For more info, call (562) [...]

Dates: October 29 30 & 31 (no show on Sunday, October 30)
Hours: 6:30pm – 10pm (Spydrhill will remain open later on Halloween if there is still an audience to entertain)
Location: 1522 w 222nd Street, Torrance, California 90501
Description: Bravely bold trick-or-treaters are invited to this amateur yard haunt, which has been expanded to offer 3 areas of [...]

Dates & Hours: October 29 & 31, 7-10pm (no performance on Sunday, October 30)
Location: 603 N. Las Palmas Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90004
Description: This amateur yard haunt has been spooking its Hollywood neighborhood for a few years, but in 2011 they promise to really turn up the fire under the cauldron, offering an “intense haunted [...]

Date: Halloween Night Only
Hours: 6-7pm Child’s Play; 7:30-10:30pm Fair Game
Location: 1798 Avenida Navidad, Camarillo, CA 92780
Description: Camarrillo’s very scary yard haunt returns with a new theme for 2011: “Nightmares – A Haunted Dwelling.” As always, the walk-through maze is reconfigured, and the cast of character (numbering approximately 30) changed, to accommodate the theme.

Dates: October 1-31
Location: 5250 Aurelia St., Simi Valley
Hours: Dusk till 11pm
Link out: Click here
Description: As usual, this decorated yard haunt gets a jump on the competition: whereas most amateur Halloween haunts start-up during the last few days of October, this one runs the entire month, from the 1st all the way until Halloween night.
Judging from the [...]

Location: 806 Catalina Street, Burbank, CA 91505
Dates & Hours: October 29, 30 & 31 (candy distribution 6-10pm on Halloween Night only)
Description: This kid-friendly yard haunt will be back the weekend before Halloween, plus Halloween night itself (when candy will be available for trick-or-treaters). Spider-Lights at Catalina consists of a decorated front yard enhanced with sound [...]

Dates: October 22-23, 28-31
Hours: 7-9pm Sundays and Halloween night; 7-10pm Fridays and Saturdays.
Location: 907 N. California Street Burbank, CA 91505
Link out: Click here
Description: Burbank’s brilliant walk-through Halloween attraction goes far beyond being a yard haunt: it’s a maze filled with props, mechanical effects, and live actors – all of which combine to rival professional Halloween [...]

[ October 30, 2011; 7:00 pm; ] Location: 1008 Euclid Street, Santa Monica, CA
Dates: October 29, 7-11pm; October 30-31, 7-10pm
Description: The most supremely spook Halloween yard haunt in Los Angeles opens its doors for three nights this Halloween season, offering a crypt-full of astounding special effects that rival those of any professional haunted attraction.

Dates: October 21-31, dusk till 10pm
Location: 23830 Berdon Street Woodland Hills, CA 91367
Description: This spooky little decorated yard haunt features lots of props and decorations, with some nice lightening and thunder effects to really put trick-or-treaters in the mood. This year, a hearse with a skeleton will be added.
Click here to find other Halloween yard haunts [...]

Location: 2134 Elizondo Avenue, Simi Valley, CA 93065
Dates & Hours: October 30 & 31 (Halloween night) from dusk till…?
Link out: Click here
Description: This elaborate yard haunt and walk-through maze – loaded with custom-made props and decorations – opens its doors for another Halloween of mirth and terror. This year’s theme, Rasputin’s Carnival of Risk, promises [...]

[ October 28, 2011; 7:00 pm; ] Location: 4400 Saltillo Streeet Woodland Hills, CA

Description: The elaborate yard haunt – featuring elaborate mechanical effects synchronized to recorded music and narration – returns for another Halloween. This is one of the best.

Dates & Hours: These dates are tentative and subject to change; check out the haunt’s official website for confirmation.

Friday and Saturday, October 28 [...]

Dates: Saturday, October 22nd, Friday October 28th, Saturday October 29th and Halloween Night
Location: 2719 Frankel Street Lakewood, California
Hours: 5:30 to 10:00pm
Link out: Click here
Description: The annual yard haunt in Lakewood returns with a new theme this Halloween: Guests will visit an abandoned fishing port. But is it really abandoned? Or will guests become part of the [...]

Location: Anaheim, CA (address revealed one week prior to Halloween)
Link out: Click here
Description: This amateur haunt, which features a walk-through maze, has been scaring Anaheim residents for over a decade.
Date & Hours: Halloween Night, 6-10pm UPDATE: Apparently, The Haunting in Anaheim will be on hiatus for 2011. A message on their website states:
Due to unforeseen [...]