SoCal Independent Haunts 2023

[DTH]

Grisly Garden is definitely a cause I would like to support, but so far (at least from the news report and the overhead shots on their Instagram), it looks like a lot of blank walls, even only being a week out. I am hoping they are coming to flood this in with scenic, because $33 a ticket for one maze is pretty steep. Also saw they are selling tickets to be a monster for a night for $500, which...I have thoughts about lol. Santa Clarita is a bit of a drive for me, so looks like I'll have to wait to see a minute or two of a walkthrough before I decide on that one. Also opening on a Monday is...a choice. Will definitely keep my eye on it though and looking forward to hearing some reviews from y'all.

 

[Jerroddragon]

Grisly Garden is definitely a cause I would like to support, but so far (at least from the news report and the overhead shots on their Instagram), it looks like a lot of blank walls, even only being a week out. I am hoping they are coming to flood this in with scenic, because $33 a ticket for one maze is pretty steep. Also saw they are selling tickets to be a monster for a night for $500, which...I have thoughts about lol. Santa Clarita is a bit of a drive for me, so looks like I'll have to wait to see a minute or two of a walkthrough before I decide on that one. Also opening on a Monday is...a choice. Will definitely keep my eye on it though and looking forward to hearing some reviews from y'all.

lol

Pay us so we don't have to hire a Scareactor.....lol

I hope someone pays for this and does a blog about it

 

[HORRORable Commenter]

lol

Pay us so we don't have to hire a Scareactor.....lol

I hope someone pays for this and does a blog about it

Isn't this in order to make money for the strike? Y'all know you're not actually paying for that, its a donation with a perk

 

[Freak]

Are there any indy haunts for this week that will be open Monday through Thursday? I'm going to Haunted Hayride Tuesday.

 

[Horror Lover]

Are there any indy haunts for this week that will be open Monday through Thursday? I'm going to Haunted Hayride Tuesday.

Make sure to check out Monte Revolta's show!!

 

[DTH]

Anyone check out Grisly Garden? I'm between that, Hayride and Shaq for my last haunt of the season.

 

[Wishmaster]

Anyone check out Grisly Garden? I'm between that, Hayride and Shaq for my last haunt of the season.

Shaq was okay. If they get more scare actors for each maze and focus more on horror, the event can excel.

 

[Freak]

So here's the rest of my schedule for the remainder of the haunt season:

Tonight: Driving out East on the 210 to check out the Dreich Society out in Ontario, Straight to Hale out in Alta Loma, and then hopefully Haunt 223 in Monrovia if I have time.

Tomorrow (Oct 27th): Going to a Halloween Party up in the SCV so I might try to sneak in a home haunt (Probably Willdwood's Ghostly Saloon in Newhall) and try to go to Grisly Garden afterward.

Saturday: Frosty's and then Coffin Creek!

Sunday: Might try to stop by Twisted Dreams and get a few mazes in at Scary Farm

Monday: Fearplex Lights Out

Halloween night: Closing night for HHN!

Going to see if I can go to the Lights Out event for RoT. If not, I'll bank on them doing the Christmas theme again.

 

[Stryker]

So here's the rest of my schedule for the remainder of the haunt season:

Tonight: Driving out East on the 210 to check out the Dreich Society out in Ontario, Straight to Hale out in Alta Loma, and then hopefully Haunt 223 in Monrovia if I have time.

Tomorrow (Oct 27th): Going to a Halloween Party up in the SCV so I might try to sneak in a home haunt (Probably Willdwood's Ghostly Saloon in Newhall) and try to go to Grisly Garden afterward.

Saturday: Frosty's and then Coffin Creek!

Sunday: Might try to stop by Twisted Dreams and get a few mazes in at Scary Farm

Monday: Fearplex Lights Out

Halloween night: Closing night for HHN!

Going to see if I can go to the Lights Out event for RoT. If not, I'll bank on them doing the Christmas theme again.

Man, I wish I was young again and had the energy to do all that. Sounds like a killer way to end the season.

I did Frosty’s non-haunted corn maze last Monday. Mondays are free, btw.

 

[Clive]

Any recommendations on a good corn maze in/adjacent to the Los Angeles area?

 

[Stryker]

Any recommendations on a good corn maze in/adjacent to the Los Angeles area?

I’ve never been but Cal Poly Pomona has one which isn’t that far away from Frosty’s so you can hit them both up easily.

 

[Freak]

Any recommendations on a good corn maze in/adjacent to the Los Angeles area?

The Dark Harvest at Frosty’s. Otherwise they have a free corn maze. It’s in Chino Hills so it’s technically out of the LA area but I think it’s great if you’re willing to drive.

 

[Jerroddragon]

Happy Halloween Everybody, Hope you have a spooky time where it's at home watching a scary movie, treat or treating, at HHN/other haunts or out partying. Have a good time

 

[DTH]

There any tactics to doing Hayride? How early to get there, what to hit first, what can wait, etc?

 

[Freak]

Welp thats a wrap on haunt season this year. I’ll quickly post what my haunt excursions were like the final week.

So on Thursday, I made a big goof and realized the home haunts wouldn’t open until the day after. Rip. Decided to check out Frosty’s instead. Really loved it. They had an awesome blockbuster facade which was really cool. Unfortunately we weren’t delegated by ourselves as we normally would be but we still had a great experience!

So Friday was the day I decided to hit up the home haunts along the 210. Grabbed dinner at the Haven City Market and hit up the Dreich Society, Straight to Hale, Haunt 224 in Monrovia, and finally Glenwood Haunt in La Crescenta. They were all four really awesome. Also Dreich is doing a Scooby Doo theme next year so if you want your Scooby Doo maze…there you go lol

Went to KSF on Sunday after work but unfortunately did not get the chance to check out Rotten Apple or Twisted Dreams. Oh well.

Finally we did the Grisly Garden on Monday. That was really neat! Was pleasantly surprised how intense it was and how good some of the effects were. Though it’s too late now, if they do it next year, y’all should check it out! It’s better than all of Fright Fest!

 

[Rideguy70]

Actually, there are at least two other options... ROT still runs this weekend, with a "Lights Out" option on Nov 4.

And The Willows is playing for the first few weekends of November. I'll be going next week.

 

[Rideguy70]

Just finished The Willows, and they just extended their run until the first weekend of December (dark during Thanksgiving week).

If you've never done a JFI/CreepLA production so far, this would be a great way to "extend" your Halloween season. Not gory, but a lot of psychological scares and creepiness. Light appetizers, salad, soup, and alcohol are included. Expect to be separated from your group, and to play along when spoken to.

 

[Tyr12]

Anyone done Delusion this year? If so, how early would you suggest getting there to explore before the show?

 

[Clive]

Anyone done Delusion this year? If so, how early would you suggest getting there to explore before the show?

I did Delusion this year and was sadly very disappointed. Granted, I went during the dress rehearsals, so they were still ironing a few things out... but it sounds like some of the foundational problems we had with this year's show have persisted.

There is very little to explore compared to previous years, and there is a decent chance they will be running very behind on getting groups in. If you have the VIP tickets, you'll want to do the "experience" after you do the show unless you have a later time slot. If you're among the last third of time slots, you won't be able to do the VIP experience after the main performance, so you'll have to accept some spoilers by participating in one of the sequences.

Otherwise, there's a bar and some mediocre food booths. Sometimes there's a close-up magician. I'd get there 15 minutes before your time slot and be prepared to wait.

 

[Rideguy70]

I did it... and I'd say if you've never done Delusion before, it'd be a great intro. It's a fun experience, and there isn't too much of one-on-one, interactive elements, and being pulled away from the group (though there is some).

At the same time, if you have done Delusion before, that's part of the problem. I miss a lot of the being pulled away from the group and the interactive elements. There also aren't as many effects as in past years. I had a good time, but felt past years were better and more intense.

Same goes for Creep... I had a good time, and if you've never gone before, it'd be a good one to try. But if you have done other Creep events, it's the same issue... very little one-on-one or being pulled away. The experience is much more passive than it has been in past years. On the plus side, the event this year both begins and ends with a semi-traditional "haunt maze" experience that is pretty fun. And there's a lot more tech/lighting/projection effects. While the event is based on a supernatural comedy show, the event itself is not comedic at all. Coincidentally (?), Creep is being held in the same location as the very first Delusion event from years ago.

I'm also doing Sleepwalker 2.0 later this week, so I can report back on that as well.