Things To Do In Los Angeles: Halloween 2014: LA Haunt and Theme Park Guide

Here you have this Halloween's Haunt and Theme Park Guide for all the places in and around LA that can give you a scare. Things To Do In LA will have reviews on most of these dark beauties soon. Theme park horrors, professional haunts and some enthusiastic fans are all here.Fans here in LA that might work on movies.

This guide will be updated with links to reviews of haunts and any added haunts in LA. There's a bit less this year, no haunted Prison in Hollywood, nothing in Santa Monica.

Halloween Horror Nights

September 19, 20, 26, 27, October 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 16, 17, 18, 19, 23, 24, 25, 26, 30, 31, and November 1, 2, 2014.
Universal Studios Hollywood
100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, CA 91608
Tickets start at $52 online, higher when bought at gate

There's a slate of new mazes, many from Universal properties. Many that seem like they'll be very weird to go through. They're bring back the Walking Dead based on the fourth season. "Terminus" will place guests on the same journey your favorite band of zombie fighter went on trying to find sanctuary. The Walking Dead won't leave you at the park you can try out "Terror Tram: Invaded by the Walking Dead” also going the path to Terminus with mud and burnt zombies after you.

From Dusk Till Dawn is a new maze based on Robert Rodriguez’s show of the same name that features “Culebras,” serpent-like vampires who have tormented the Earth for centuries. Clowns 3D Music by SLASH will feature a original soundtrack from Slash himself.

Based on Universal properties comes: AVP: Alien vs. Predator maze; based on the iconic alien enemies. That should be a weird one to see. An American Werewolf in London, based on the iconic movie.

Two mazes TTDILA isn't giving its approval on until we see them for ourselves our Dracula Untold: Reign of Blood, based on yet another take on Dracula, you'd think Universal would get a hint after the TV show was staked. Next we have " Face Off: In the Flesh, from the SyFy show where make-up artists can make it big.

Scare Zones: Mask-a-Raid, chosen by fans this year, features hordes of French aristocrats hungry for blood, they're cannibals. Dark Christmas features a Pagan-themed dark version of the holiday. Skullz scare zone is based on the Wendigo mythology also hungry for human flesh. The Purge Anarchy rounds out the areas as a future America allows one night of all legal crime.

Universal’s rides and attractions open to guests at night include Transformers: The Ride-3D,” “Jurassic Park—In the Dark,” “The Simpsons Ride” and “Revenge of the Mummy—The Ride.”

Knott’s Scary Farm

Sept 25- Nov 3

Select Nights

Knott's Berry Farm

8039 Beach Blvd, Buena Park, CA 90620

Starts as low as $33

Stiff competition from the longest running haunted theme park in SoCal. Knott's brings out all the stops this year with the only theme park where you can shoot down the dead. Special Ops: Infected has you sporting a gun to kill zombies. Not a pellet gun, but an interactive gun with LCD screens that record your kills and accuracy. The guns is so smart it knows if you've shot a zombie in the head and will lower your score if a zombie comes within a 10-foot radius.

Special Ops: Infected will not be able to accommodate even half of the people coming to the park per night so be prepared to get in line early. It lasts around fifteen minutes.

In your 12 person squadron you'll be given different missions on your zombie fight. You'll meet an unruly militia and a scientist that knows what caused the outbreak. Zombies can hide in buildings, under bridges and a lot of terrain, you'll have acres to find them... or they find you.

None of the other major theme parks are doing anything close to this. There is competition with Haunted Hollywood Sports, but they aren't a theme park, just a hunting ground to fight zombies.

Two new mazes, with "The Tooth Fairy"; going to the desntist can be scary, Knott's has made it much worse. Special effects in this maze include a blackout room and a x-ray strobe light. A final encounter with Knott's famed giant bosses, this time, a massive TOOTH FAIRY! "Voodoo"; Stuck in the Deep South swamps, you choose multiple endings with different paths.

Trapped: Lock and Key bring back Trapped for another year. This extra maze asks for $60, but allow for six people with it. Unlike the other mazes you're given limited time to find your way out and must deal with specialized challenges.

Some of TTDILA's favorites mazes our returning: Forrvemore based on a Edgar Allen Poe serial Killer and Trick-Or-Treat, the colorful, haunted house maze. They're joined by Black Magic, Pinocchio Unstrung and the lesser mazes of Witch’s Keep and Dominion of the Damned.

Four Scare Zones to be made fun of at and get frightened.

Elvira returns with a new show, Elvira’s Big Top, last year's show was comedy gold. The Hanging is comedy dirt. Whoever writes the show wasn't a Groundling, if you want cheap pop culture jokes... well you just don't want these. Go for Elvira.

Delusion: Lies Within
September 25 through November 2

The Fitzgerald House
2525 Arlington Ave Los Angeles, CA 90018

September 25 through November 2

Delusion: Lies Within is the fourth living horror play you star in this Halloween season. You'll play the part of fans of Elena Fitzgerald. She's long since been lost to you. This revered recluse is an author whose home has been taken over by her writing and now you've entered it.

Delusion has been, if not the best, one of the best haunts in LA since it started four years ago. You are in your own horror film. You are in your own horror game. To mix things up, the haunted interactive play changes every year to a new sequel.

From what I heard from Jon Braver, the creator of Delusion, at Scare LA, last year's Delusion was a gasp. You had to hide underneath beds from a monster, just like some horror movies.

The interactive play has you solving mysteries, facing fears and of course getting a little to close to comfort with demons and monsters.

Now in a new location, another mansion awaits you will a new assortment of stunts and tricks to grab you.

Six Flags Fright Fest
Sept. 27 through Nov. 1
select Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights
Six Flags Magic Mountain
26101 Magic Mountain Pkwy, Valencia, CA 91355
$$

Three new mazes to be filled with fright at this year including: Red’s Revenge; Red Riding Hood now stalks the Big Bad Wolf. Vault 666; a secret government facility that's been crossing animals with humans. Willoughby's Garden of Darkness; join the garden party or you're plant food. Man-eating plants and creatures living in plants need nutrients, you're the nutrients. Five returning mazes and six scare zones to be horrified at. The scare zone are: Ravenstitch, Nightmares, City Under Siege, Exile Hill, Zombie Crossing, Wastelands and Demon’s Door.

Queen Mary's Dark Harbor
October 2 -November 2; select nights
The Queen Mary
1126 Queens Hwy, Long Beach, CA 90802
7 p.m. to midnight Ticket prices start at $20 online, with Fast Fright, VIP Passes, and lodging packages available. Season passes are also available.

Queen Mary's Dark Harbor has two new mazes their happy to scare you with Soulmate and B340. New to try, the Exclusive Encounters, has you looking through the ship in much smaller groups. You have to sing you life away before going on the encounter, we at TTDILA hope that's a real contract they have you sign before going on your paranormal journey.

Returning: The Monster Midway, Freakshow, Mechanical Monster, The Ringmaster and all of the terrifying spirits of the Queen will return for the horror amidst freaks, food, and live entertainment.

Purge Breakout: Halloween
Oct 2- Nov 2, Select Nights
2323 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90057
$25

Out of nowhere comes a longer version of the summer tie-in escape game. Now last year's The Purge did so poorly it didn't get very good reviews from fans and critics.

Here's this year's synopsis:
It’s Purge Night, and your group is being held captive by a demented torturer…with only 30 minutes before the start of The Purge. Trapped in his house, groups must work together—solving a series of increasingly complicated mind-bending puzzles and clues—to escape captivity and survive THE PURGE. Based on popular escape room adventures taking the U.S. and Asia by storm, the experience is like a real life video game. Visitors will be completely immersed into a horror experience like no other.

Haunted Hayride 6 Echoes from the Rift
Griffith Park’s Old Zoo
October 3^rd –31^st
General Admission is $30, All Attraction Pass is $42, and VIP pass is $58 (allowing guests to surpass any line)

Echoes from the Rift. So you have you're own way to gain access to Hell. What's coming with the new theme? Two new mazes and the classic In-Between Dark Maze, which does make you go blind for a bit, by being in darkness. The two new mazes "House of the Horsemen” and “Seven Sins Sideshow" adds to the time to keep you up at night. Returning is the Death Row tent housing ways people have been killed, perfect for you to take photos in.

Added this year, a 40-foot long Leviathan and an interactive theatre production (“Theatre Macabre”).

"Beyond the Mirror"
A Bloody Mary Tale
September 26th-November 2nd
Sinister Pointe Haunted Attraction

131 East Imperial Hwy

Fullerton, California

Tickets Start at $17, Higher on weekends

Sinister Pointe wows with a new theme this year based on the old schoolyard tale of Bloody Mary, better not summon her. Groups of four will enter the new maze and then be separated from each other at various points.

Haunted Hollywood Sports
Oct 3- Nov 1 select weekend dates
October: 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 18, 24, 25, [26], 31
November: 1st (Day of the Dead)
(Ticket Box opens 7:30pm. Gates open 8:00pm and close MIDNIGHT)
9030 Somerset Blvd, Bellflower, CA 90706
Starting at $29

This is the haunt where you get to shoot at zombies. Take out your gun and shoot down monsters. Now, they haven't had the best reviews in the past. They said they've taking the input and have really pulled it together this year.If not, can't wait for the Vice hate article, "I shot at people dressed as zombies."Vice, don't be such a drag.

Five mazes and three killhouses, killhouses are courses/haunts where you get to fire pellet/paintball guns at zombies/mosnters. Four scare zones where you can't shoot anybody, just be frightened.

The suicide rock wall might be fun if it looks as nasty as it sounds with simple axis gun range.

Certain nights will have side shows and main stage shows including a horror film festival.

They even have some college nights.

Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party
September 1 - October 31, 2014
dates--including most Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays 7pm
$62-$77
Disneyland
1313 Disneyland Dr, Anaheim, CA 92802

As far as what actually happens, a lot of areas are Halloween themed, in the same way the Haunted Mansion gets its annual Christmas makeover. A highlight of my visit last year was the undead barbershop quartet singing on a raft in the fog on that "river" in New Orleans Square. As I recall all the rides were open as normal, as well as most shops, and some buildings were set up as trick-or-treat stations. There was also a fireworks show and a parade that involved characters like Donald and Goofy dressed in Halloween costumes.
- James C

Brick-or-Treat

Oct 4-25 Every Saturday and the 17th and 18th

5pm-9pm

Legoland

One LEGOLAND Drive, Carlsbad

Starting at $30

Legoland gets into the Halloween spirit with its own take. This is much more for younger kids than a teenage audience. They promise live entertainment, costume contests, treats, dancing, rides, giant LEGO® Halloween models and fireworks. A Brick-or-Treat Trail with plenty of surprises and snacks along the way including a collector Lego brick and toy for little one's wanting to get some trick or treating practice in.

The Basement
Starts Oct 1st
12909 Foothill Blvd., Sylmar, CA 91342
$25

A live escape room experience.

"You and up to eleven of your friends (12 people total per hour block) will show up, get a safety spiel, and be locked in a room. You then have 45 minutes to find your way out using the hidden clues and items within the space. Various startling events (intense lights, sounds, rabid dogs, etc.) will "distract" you throughout your journey and make the task of escaping slightly more difficult."

Halloween Harvest Festival

Friday, September 26th and runs through November 2nd

Sunday – Thursday from 10:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.

and Friday and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. till 12:00 midnight

Pierce Farm Center in Woodland Hills

20800 Victory Blvd

Starts at $5 for entry, more per activity

Getting lost in the corn maze... it's so spooky at night! During the day it'll be fun for you and the family. It's 3-acres to get lost in. The corn is tall enough for you to not find your way.

Other activities include: Hay Rides, Rock Climbing, Pony Rides, an animal farm, Gemstone Mining, Arts and Crafts, Food, Live Music, Entertainment and much more.

FrightFair Scream Park

September 26th through November 2nd

Sunday – Thursday from 7p.m. – 10:00 p.m.

and Friday and Saturday from 7p.m. till 12:00 midnight.

Same location as Halloween Harvest Festival

$13

It features three mazes: Factory of Nightmares Haunted House and Creatures of the Corn Haunted Trail and Insane Reaction. FrightFair Scream Park is open select days at dusk during the Festival.

Mr. Bones Pumpkin Patch

October 3-31st, 2014

702 North Doheny Drive, West Hollywood

A pumpkin patch that’s been operating in West Hollywood since the 80’s. All your pumpkin needs that don’t come from a local supermarket.

Reign of Terror

Oct 4- Nov 1, check exact dates

7pm-10pm

197 N Moorpark Rd, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360

$17 General, Express $25

The Backwoods Maze
October 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, 24, 25, 26 and 31
7:00 pm to 10:00 pm
1912 N Pepper St

Burbank, California

Free, Donations welcome

A home haunt with heart... your hear ripped out! A post-apocalyptic wasteland is this year's theme. Can you make it past robots, messed-up survivors and raiders. Make it through the wreckage of tomorrow and deathmobiles.

Ghost Train

October 17-Nov Multiple Nights, check exact dates

7:00pm - 10:00pm

5202 Zoo Dr., 90027

$10 donation per person

The Los Angeles Live Steamers Railroad Museum has you getting on a tiny train and being spooked by a huge mess of Halloween decorations. Much more family friendly than the Haunted Hay Ride.

Big Worm's Sherwood Scare

October 17^th-Nov1 Fri- Sun

Special "Lights On" Event for Children 5pm-6:30pm

7-10pm

8856 Encino Ave

Northridge

A Kickstarted haunt that has the community behind it. A haunted house made by some entertainment industry types with a new theme every year.

Boney Island

Oct 18-19, 22-31

6pm-9pm Sun-Thurs

6pm-10pm Fri-Sat

4602 Morse Ave

Sherman Oaks, California

One of the most liked … not a haunt, but worth checking out.

Raymond Hill Mortuary Haunted House

October 18, 24, 25, 26, 31, November 1

7:00 - 11:00 PM

Fremont Centre Theatre

1000 Fremont Ave

South Pasadena, CA 91030

$13.00

In its 50 years of operation, the Raymond Hill Mortuary interred over 35,000 bodies. Unfortunately, respect and dignity were not a priority, but the grieving had few other places to go for burial services at the turn of the century. People focused their anger on Orson Cross, the appointed head of the Mortuary. Simply known as The Mortician, he was vile, debased, depraved, and corrupt, but what the law can’t prosecute, fate has a way of dealing with.