Hollywood Gothique

What are the best Haunted Houses, Walk-Through Mazes, Harvest Festivals, Hayrides, and Other Halloween Events in Los Angeles?

NOTE: Updated below.
Cue the scary organ music, for it is time to announce Hollywood Gothique’s annual Halloween Haunt Awards, recognizing the finest achievements for 2012. Which haunts had the spookiest  ghosts, the scariest monsters, the most disgusting gore, the most atmospheric architecture, or the most amazing special effects? Read on to find out – if [...]

Last night, Hollywood Gothique trekked out to two of its favorite Halloween treats: the Boney Island Yard Haunt in Sherman Oaks and the Theatre 68 Haunted House in Hollywood. The two attractions could not be farther apart on the spectrum: Boney Island is an amateur yard haunt that appeals to kids of all ages with [...]

Looking for last-minute, inexpensive ways to enjoy Halloween in Los Angeles? Look no further, as Hollywood Gothique presents its must-see list of Halloween Yard Haunts.
By now, you have probably maxed out your credit card purchasing VIP tickets to the Knotts Berry Farm Halloween Haunt and/or Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood, not to mention [...]

Once again, Hollywood Gothique finds itself transgressing the borders of its native soil in pursuit of Halloween events of northern climes of California (in this case, the Winchester Mystery House Fright Nights), leaving us without adequate time to fully review all the great Halloween attractions in Los Angeles. Allow us to rectify this error with a trio of mini-reviews, focusing on Old Town Haunt, FrightFair, and Wicked Lit – each of which made it onto our lists of 2012 Halloween Recommendations.

MSN.com has just posted a list of “14 Houses to Haunt You on Halloween,” and Hollywood Gothique is splashed all over it – kinda, sorta. Actually, author Tricia Romano quotes us about several Halloween Haunts in Los Angeles that made the list:

The Blumhouse of Horrors comes in at #8. The MSN article links to our [...]

2011’s haunt was clever in concept but short on screams. Is 2012 better, badder, bolder? Yes!
Last Halloween, Hollywood Gothique made its first terrifying trek out to the Sinister Pointe Haunted Attraction in Brea. The haunt’s reputation for Halloween horror had lured us into the dreaded netherworld of Orange Country, where we were more than happy to [...]

It’s time for another Hayride into Hell. Can one of the best Halloween events in Los Angeles keep its promise to create its “most intense horror experience yet”?
You all know the drill – right, kiddies? We’re talking about the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride: we all know it’s gonna be great, so just buy your tickets [...]

The Queen Mary’s annual Halloween event sails into Long Beach. Can it capsize the competition?
When the Queen Mary rechristened its October attraction two years ago, the new Dark Harbor was intended to generate a titanic tidal wave of terror that would eventually rock the boats of rival theme park events, the Knotts Berry Farm Halloween [...]

strong>WICKED LIT 2012 HALLOWEEN PLAYS: Set in and around an actual mausoleum, Wicked Lit’s productions combine aspects of a play and a tour. The audience follows the cast down marble corridors or through a tombstone-festooned cemetery. This year’s trilogy of terror includes (all for one price of admission) three short dramas based on classic horror [...]

In 2011, Delusion horrified haunt-goers like no other Halloween event in Los Angeles. For 2012, Delusion: The Blood Rite is bigger, badder, bolder. But is it better? To find out, come along with us…if you dare!

Wondering what will be the best Halloween haunted house events in Los Angeles this year? Which should you eagerly anticipate like Dr. Markway swooning over Hill House in 1963’s THE HAUNTING? Which should you avoid like the Lutz family considering a return to Amityville? Hollywood Gothique acts as your real estate agent, taking you on a virtual tour of all the hot haunted properties that should be on your 2012 must-see list.

The 40th anniversary incarnation of the Knotts Berry Farm Halloween Haunt is a blast. The Green Witch is back, prowling the grounds, appearing in a maze or two, and haunting the midnight hanging show. But as much fun as it may be for old-timers to see the return of a familiar mascot, the real thrill lies in the new frights: four new mazes – five, if you count the EVIL DEAD log ride – all of them frightful fun in an amusing variety of ways. The Trapped maze alone, with its promise of a uniquely personal horror experience, was more than enough to draw us down to Buena Park for a chance to participate in an attraction that sounds truly novel and terrifying.

Last night, we probably got a bigger adrenalin rush from Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood than we have in many years. The technical trickery at Universal Studios Hollywood always  exceeds that of any other Halloween haunt in Los Angeles – that is a given – but last night’s 2012 debut featured something else: [...]