Horror is rising early in the Southland as four major Halloween events creep into town, offering scares that range from family friendly spooks to truly frightening mazes for the older fans of fear.
“And for adults it allows us to step out of our own skins for a day, whether you’re wearing a costume or entering one of these Halloween events where you’re immersed in a whole world of horror fantasy,” said Amy Hollaman, senior regional manager for Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group, the company behind the four Halloween theme attractions opening at the end of September.
Their haunts include the theatrical experience dubbed Delusion: Harrowing of Hell plus Dark Harbor, the Halloween festival anchored by several mazes at Long Beach’s Queen Mary, the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride, which takes people on a journey through the dark woods of Griffith Park, and the more family oriented Magic of the Jack O’ Lanterns, where people can walk through an artistic display made up of of thousands of hand-carved jack o’lanterns and other Halloween scenes.
Here’s what you can expect at each event.
Delusion: Harrowing of Hell
When: Sept. 18-Nov. 9
Where: Variety Arts Theater, 940 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles
Information: enterdelusion.com
This is the one for those with a love of theater and horror since it’s a highly immersive experience where guests become part of the story. This year it was inspired by Dante’s Inferno with a story that explores a supernatural cult that has taken the metaphors of Dante’s inferno too far and believe that the circles of hell are a necessary preparation for the afterlife. “This is for the person who wants to step inside the story themselves. Delusion is as close as you can get to feeling like you’re inside a horror movie,” Hollaman said. “I would say this is our most intense event,” she added.
The Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor: Summoned by the Seas
When: Sept. 19-Nov. 2
Where: Queen Mary, 1126 Queens Highway, Long Beach
Information: https://darkharborhalloween.com/
Dark Harbor is one of the biggest Halloween festivals around and is expected to attract more than 100,000 people throughout its run. It features a carnival with roaming monsters, food, hidden bars and of course haunted mazes both on and off the ship. The mazes are based on ghosts that are rumored to haunt the ship.
This year there are six mazes including a new one dubbed “Voodoo: The Queens Curse,” which is based on a voodoo priestess who is obsessed with the Queen Mary and has decided that she must have the ship. “She’s lured a group of pirates to bring her back to Long Beach. She’s landed in Long Beach with this group of pirates who are possessed by her and are her navy of the dead,” Hollaman said.
Also on hand to scare people is “Breakout: Maximum Security,” based on Samuel the Savage, who is said to haunt room B340 on the ship, and “Feast: The Final Cut,” a maze that tells the story of a mad chef aboard the ship. According to Hollaman, this will be the final year for the Feast haunt. “So if you want to see Feast you need to come this year. It’s the ending of the story and if you peek around the attraction you may find a new speakeasy because the hidden bars are back,” she said.
Rounding off the list of walk-through mazes are the circus-themed “Big Top Terror, Infirmary,” plus “Infirmary,” which focuses on a maniacal surgeon and his accomplice Graceful Gale, and “Lullaby,” which features Scary Mary, the ghost of a girl who drowned in the ship’s pool in the 1950s.
Los Angeles Haunted Hayride
When: Sept. 19-Nov. 2
Where: Griffith Park, 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Los Angeles
Information: losangeleshauntedhayride.com
The long-running hayride takes people through the dark haunted woods in the back of a wagon filled with hay. Along the way they’ll see monsters and get a few jump scares. People can also roam around the area through the town of Midnight Falls where they’ll see a couple of mazes that include Hillbilly Halloween, where a cannibalistic family celebrates the season with some really gruesome treats. And this year a horror star will lead the town because Cassandra Peterson, better known as Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, will have her own maze that will include her voice and other surprises.
Magic of the Jack O’ Lanterns
When: Sept. 19-Nov. 2
Where: South Coast Botanic Garden, 26300 Crenshaw Blvd., Palos Verde Peninsula
Information: magicofthejackolanterns.com
The picturesque gardens will become a fitting background for this family-friendly event that includes thousands of hand-carved jack o’lanterns, pumpkin scenes, inflatables, and a light show synced to music. “It’s great for families, it’s also great for date nights,” Hollaman said. “This is a more chill version of Halloween,” she added.