SoCal Haunt List 2022: What are You Checking Out This Year?

[Freak]

Westcoaster has been at it again offering a through list of haunts that are happening this year. So far here are the haunts I'm thinking of doing:

Events:
-HHN and KSF: Duh.
-Fright Fest: Maybe? Haven't been since 2018 or when they did that Hellfest overlay for Vault 666
-Shaqtoberfest: Gonna wait until videos come out to check this out,
-Coffin Creek: This one is a wee bit of a drive for me but I liked it the old-school nature of it. Might check it out again.
-Castle Dark: Also a drive for me but I heard they have a new creative team. Again, might wait for videos.
-Sea World HoS: I liked it last year but ehhhhhh it's a long drive. Might wait til next year when they retire one or two repeats for new ones so that I have more new ones to see then.

Indie and home haunts:
-Haunted Rose in Whittier: Never saw this one. Heard it's good. Not too terribly far from me
-Rotten Apple: Kinda close to me. Always a must every year for me.
-Ghostwood Manor: Might check it out even though its family friendly. Pasadena needs some more good haunts cuz I LOVE Pasadena and I miss the haunts they had! (Old Town?)
-Hauntington Beach: This one is definitely a drive but I may do it if I can find another haunt to do that's close to this to get more out of my excursion.
-Bones Gultch SCV Heard the Dark Realm team helped out on this. Will check it out.
-Coffinwood Cemetery: Will check it out on my SCV home haunt exploring night
-Beware the Dark Realm: Are they doing anything this year? Anyone know?
-Reign of Terror: Will check this out but want to see if there's other indie haunts closeby to make the trip out to Thousand Oaks worth my while.
-Straight to Hale: (See below)
-Dreich Society: Will probably check this and Hale out as they're fairly closeby. Gonna go by Rad Coffee as well.

I've also wanted to check out All Saints and Fear Farm but those two are waaaaaaaay the heck out there.

I may change my mind or add some haunts to this list, but what other haunts do you plan on doing in the Southland this year?

 

[ghostsarejerks]

For anyone who's into more extreme thrills I always recommend 17th Door. This is the last year with their prison theme so if you haven't checked it out yet might be the last chance in its current form.

 

[baconwhiskers]

Frosty's haunted corn maze was a lot of fun last year, they let in one party at a time and it was around 25-30ish minutes. You're basically going alone in a corn maze with fog and scareactors with scenes in between the stretches of corn maze, you get every scare pretty much.

 

[JS610]

I live 15 minutes from 17th door but I've never been. I generally prefer fun haunts, but want to try an "extreme" Haunt eventually.

I will visit HHN and KSF, and also Fright Fest, since I have a grandfathered Six Flags membership lol. I'll be there on the 17th when Trick or Treat opens.

 

[deadbydawn]

My fiance and I generally try to spend at least one October weekend evening in Burbank/Pasadena/Glendale checking out the yard displays. Once the SoCal Haunt List comes out, it's a great tool to help with planning!

 

[NuteGunrayWasFramed]

My wife and I are hitting up:
-HHN
-Knott’s
-LA Haunted Hayride
-The Willows

 

[Rideguy70]

Delusion all the way! Also enjoyed Witch! from the Downtown Repertory Theater. It's more of an immersive theater experience, not a haunt, but was a blast. If you go with friends, be prepared to be separated from your groups and expect one on one interactions with the actors.

Will also do Fright Fest and likely give Haunted Hayride a chance... haven't been to that in years.

I usually do CreepLA, but The Willows experience is just a bit too much out of my price range ($185 per person). That said, I have absolutely loved every other event they've done (Erubus, Lore, Sleep, Haus of Creep, and the self named Creep).

And it's a family friendly experience, but I think I will likely visit Bob Baker Marionette Theater for their Halloween offering this year.

Also, Westcoaster has their own SoCal Haunt list: Southern California 2022 Haunted Attractions Guide — Westcoaster

 

[Freak]

For anyone who's into more extreme thrills I always recommend 17th Door. This is the last year with their prison theme so if you haven't checked it out yet might be the last chance in its current form.

I've done it back in 2019 and I'm good. I like something a little more intense, but getting tased was a bit much. I'll pass.

Frosty's haunted corn maze was a lot of fun last year, they let in one party at a time and it was around 25-30ish minutes. You're basically going alone in a corn maze with fog and scareactors with scenes in between the stretches of corn maze, you get every scare pretty much.

Dark Harvest/Frosty's is AWESOME. That's always a must-do for me every year.

 

[Adam W]

Westcoaster has been at it again offering a through list of haunts that are happening this year. So far here are the haunts I'm thinking of doing:

Events:
-HHN and KSF: Duh.
-Fright Fest: Maybe? Haven't been since 2018 or when they did that Hellfest overlay for Vault 666
-Shaqtoberfest: Gonna wait until videos come out to check this out,
-Coffin Creek: This one is a wee bit of a drive for me but I liked it the old-school nature of it. Might check it out again.
-Castle Dark: Also a drive for me but I heard they have a new creative team. Again, might wait for videos.
-Sea World HoS: I liked it last year but ehhhhhh it's a long drive. Might wait til next year when they retire one or two repeats for new ones so that I have more new ones to see then.

Indie and home haunts:
-Haunted Rose in Whittier: Never saw this one. Heard it's good. Not too terribly far from me
-Rotten Apple: Kinda close to me. Always a must every year for me.
-Ghostwood Manor: Might check it out even though its family friendly. Pasadena needs some more good haunts cuz I LOVE Pasadena and I miss the haunts they had! (Old Town?)
-Hauntington Beach: This one is definitely a drive but I may do it if I can find another haunt to do that's close to this to get more out of my excursion.
-Bones Gulch SCV Heard the Dark Realm team helped out on this. Will check it out.
-Coffinwood Cemetery: Will check it out on my SCV home haunt exploring night
-Beware the Dark Realm: Are they doing anything this year? Anyone know?
-Reign of Terror: Will check this out but want to see if there's other indie haunts closeby to make the trip out to Thousand Oaks worth my while.
-Straight to Hale: (See below)
-Dreich Society: Will probably check this and Hale out as they're fairly closeby. Gonna go by Rad Coffee as well.

I've also wanted to check out All Saints and Fear Farm but those two are waaaaaaaay the heck out there.

I may change my mind or add some haunts to this list, but what other haunts do you plan on doing in the Southland this year?

Beware the Dark Realm is part of the team for Bones Gulch. They joined up with Restless Souls Manor and The Farm Haunt. Definitely going to try and make it out to their haunt this year even though it is pretty far for me.

 

[Freak]

Just checked out two haunts this evening! Rotten Apple in Burbank and Glenwood Mines in La Crescenta. Both were good but while Glenwood was a little shorter, it was absolutely better on the scares.

If you’ve never done Rotten Apple I highly recommend it! It’s not a very intense haunt, but for a free haunt, it’s really good! This year they’re doing a jungle theme. It’s really cool how much effort and detail goes into this haunt every year. But if you want to check it out, I strongly recommend you get there about 10 or 15 min at least before they’re open at 7 if you’re in a rush. Bare in mind they may close the line an hour early due to the local ordinances. So get there early!

Glenwood Mine is a really cool home haunt that started for the first time ever this year. It’s located in La Crescenta on the corner of Stevens and Glenwood. It’s a short little haunt that has a mine theme. There are some really cool effects and details I didn’t expect in this humble little home haunt. If you’re around the Glendale or Pasadena area or if you’re willing to detour from Burbank, I would say this is worth stopping by! I think it will surprise you.

 

[Rideguy70]

Just posted this in the "Local Haunts & Reviews" thread, but thought I'd mention it here, too:

I just did Hauntington Beach Manor and Prism Haunts. While a bit pricey, they were a lot of fun. It's supporting local, independent haunts, so I didn't mind.

HBM is a mix of Paranomal, Inc. and traditional haunted house vibes, very detailed sets (the sewer scene has you going over real water in a flooded space), fun effects, and tons of scareactors everywhere. Only minor downsides: not especially long, and the ending was a bit abrupt/weak.

Prism has more of a 28 Days Later/apocolyptic labraotry vibe. Lots of interesting tech and lighting effects. A tad bit on the interactive side, but not overwhelmingly so. Had a great story with a fun ending. Minor downsides: scareactors are not as aggressive or plentiful, and also not especially long.

Despite minor issues, I'd recommend them!


EDIT: I also totally forget to mention that I did Sea World's How-o-Scream. It's a mixed bag. Some mazes improved, some went down. Quality is uneven, but when it's good, it's quite good. But it's got a great price point, so I'd argue it's a good value. Also did Haunted Trail in Balboa Park. It's long, and has some nice facades, but if you're a seasoned haunt person, it's probably not what you're looking for. However, people just starting haunts would enjoy it and not be too overwhelmed (which, frankly, did seem to be their main audience). Basically, after a mini maze portion (with a lot of black walls), you walk outside to a set with 1-2 rooms and 1-2 scare actors (usually just 1), and then repeat.

I'm passing on Haunted Hayride this year, as I've heard not so great things this year from them. Went to SFMM Fright Fest, and it's pretty crowded. Truth or Dare is terrible in terms of theming, but there are a few unique scares... if you have any interest in do it, do it right away at 7pm, because of a pre-show video, the line absolutely crawls (even if you get Express... it backed up a long way). There's minor improvements in other mazes,but it's mostly the same. Pretty decent scareactor talent though. While I wouldn't pay top dollar for it, if you have a pass that allows you to go for cheap, it'd be a good time.