Wicked Lit 2017: Let's Visit A Mausoleum and Cemetery at Night

No, we didn't just visit a mausoleum for Instagram pictures for Halloween or to go ghost hunting. We went for Wicked Lit, which has been scaring fans for more than five years. You'll be watching tortured souls relive their lives as you too are dead. It's not your average haunt.

So is Wicked Lit a haunt or a play? Well, it's kind of both and it takes place in an honest to goodness mausoleum and cemetery, Mountain View Mortuary Cemetery and Crematory in Altadena to be specific. You"ll be spending the night-and we mean hours- watching four plays with a horror theme throughout Mountain View.

Wicked Lit 2017
Now – November 11, 2017
Mountain View Mausoleum and Cemetery
2300 N. Marengo Ave. Altadena
$50.00
Bring cash for confections and drinks, they don't take card

We started the night be entering Mountain View Mortuary. We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. It turned out as soon as we started the night's festivities that we were all dead. All the guests were presented with that info in the first play Liliom. A sort of purgatory town and the wrap-around play, Liliom was a nice starting point for the night. Liliom is both a play and sort of home base.

We were met by The Mayor with no hands and other disfigured folk who interacted with us and the rest of the crowd throughout the night. We even tried to make some pasta with a kind hearted howling missing-some-of-her-neck Italian Momma, Widow Saverini.  Oh, how we liked howling with her in our pack. Owwww-ooowwwww!

While in Liliom we suggest getting some delicious looking baked goods from TotallySeriousBaking at $5 each. We wanted to have some Red Velvet Skull Cakes, but sadly didn't bring any cash. They don't take card.

From Liliom you'll walk Mountain View to three different plays. Each with its own troubled souls to excite you.

The first played we experienced was The Open Door. Now we were in another time and another place with a father in the British navy returning home, beckoned by his his wife in fear for their son's health. We walked around an outdoor mausoleum first above them and then with the frightened couple in search of a ghost spouting, "Mother, Let me in!" We even had a child actor out walking the mausoleum scaring a friend of ours. We guess British children at night around graves isn't the nicest thing if one want nightmares, which our friend did get.

We really enjoyed the performances of our first group including Richard Large as both Admiral Smith and Reverend Moncrief. He reminded us of plays of old a pulled off a rather convincing British Admiral.

With a very thespian atmosphere this felt like a play you might see in a proper theater, but it came more alive as you had to creep around looking for a ghost at night.

Then we were back in Liliom where the folks revealed more of their past and why they might be stuck there, unable to move on. We had to move on though. As soon as we were there we were on our way.

We went out to visit a newly deceased friend in The Damned Thing. With an even smaller cast came to life the story of a man searching for a monster and then finding one, unfortunately. Fortunately for us, we could now learn with our new friend about his new ghost powers, which meant he could use telekinesis and move objects. He also had the power to show us the past or time travel. We needed some info, because something killed him horribly, so we were happy about whatever his powers was as it led us to the cemetery.

Yes, we were walking at cemetery at night to discover what exactly went wrong and it is weird to do so...even in a big group. Past the tombstones we had to figure out what exactly the monster that took our friend out was up to and why it was doing what it was doing.

This performance had some nice special effects for time travel and for scaring us in a graveyard at night. We also liked a starting point which was a small chapel to examine the deceased's body.

Back to Liliom, we mean, where else are we gonna go. Then off to the last play of the night, Thoth’s Labyrinth.

Thoth's Labyrinth had to be our favorite. It had many factors going for it with the largest cast, great locations to visit in Mountain View and the most adventurous story.

We first me our guide, as all stories start with a guide, taking us to another region of the mausoleum. Shortly after, we found ourselves picking a totem that we liked. Soon, we were seeing three sets of adventurers. A female British Professor and horny hippie sidekick, a rip-off of Indiana Jones' friend with a Shriner's hat with a female Indian Jones. An untrustworthy scoundrel with a young female linguists. All three were entering a tomb maze and we were going with them.

We were separated into groups and then followed a chosen pair. We got the Indiana Crew and headed inside the mausoleum at night. It was beautiful sight at night. They had some colored lighting that made walking through like just out of a film. It really made us feel like explorers. Our two guides weaved as story we trans versed the mausoleum.

We went back and forth  as we met some shocking revelations about the other groups of when and where they were. We sort of all came back together for a big finale in a central chamber. This was only after the actors had us going through huge corridors and giving us a feeling of a maze.

A tremendously fun adventure to end the night and possibly the lives of all involved.

Soon we were back in Liliom for some last revelations and to applaud all the wonderful actors for their work. Truly, some great performances that evening in strange conditions perfect for Halloween.

Now for those who want jump scares and a traditional haunted house this isn't your cup of tea. This is more if you want some entertainment; ghost stories that you can get behind. Acted out by some great performers in a creepy setting of an actual mortuary with mausoleums and a cemetery you'll be walking through at night. If you wanted to see a scary play with a new perspective it's an experience you shouldn't pass up.

Add this to your list of one of many Halloween activities you won't find anywhere else.

all photos in article by Daniel Kitayama