Hollywood Gothique
The Vault

Awesome Line-up of Halloween Events This Weekend!

The on-going problem here at Hollywood Gothique is that, like most websites, our posts appear in chronological order – even though the information contained therein is most useful not when originally posted but when the event actually arrives. That’s why we have the Events Calendar in the upper left-hand corner, and our Impending Events category highlights a couple of current items each day. However, on the weekend of October 15, a couple items is not enough to do justice to the vast variety of Halloween events opening in Los Angeles. Hence, we have gathered together in one convenient place, a list of exciting attractions now available to you.

Both Nightmare at Scareview Farms and 13 Nights of Terror opened on Thursday, October 14. Nightmare is a multi-maze attraction at the Fairplex in Pomona; judging by last year’s experience, the scares are not too intense, but the scale of the presentation is very impressive. 13 Nights of Terror is a new haunted attraction in Simi Valley, from Shipwreck Productions, the company that used to haunt the Queen Mary’s annual Halloween Terrorfest.

Two recommended haunted house attractions open on Friday, October 15: Heritage Haunt and Reign of Terror. Both of these straddle the line between amateur and professional status, which is not to suggest that the quality is subpar. Heritage Haunt is a non-profit enterprise that raises money for the Heritage Museum in Newhall; there are multiple attractions, including a haunted house, a hayride, live entertainment, and scare zones. Reign of Terror raises money for the community center in Thousand Oaks; formerly a single-maze, it has expanded to two this year.

If you are looking for something less intense, especially something for children, then check out the Los Angeles Live Steamer’s Ghost Train in Griffith Park. While you’re there, you can mosey on over to the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride for carnival fun, a hay maze, and the hayride itself (although the latter is definitely not for younger trick-r-treaters).

If you’re in the mood for Halloween entertainment that does not involve monsters and decorations, the 4th Annual Haunted Hollywood Scavenger Hunt starts on Saturday, October 16.

Interested in scary movies? The Screamfest horror film festival wraps up this weekend at the Mann Chinese 6 in Hollywood, and Creation’s Weekend of Horrors haunts the Marriott Airport Hotel in Burbank from Friday through Sunday. There are also numerous one-off screenings happening around town; check out our Calendar for a complete listing.

If you prefer the legitimate stage, then check out one of the final two performances of DRACULA, THE VAMPIRE PLAY at the Westchester Playhouse, on Friday and Saturday. Also on Friday night, The Comedy Store presents its second installment of Haunted Midnights, which recounts stories of ghosts that have allegedly appeared on the premises, followed by a flashlight tour of haunted hot spots hidden behind the scenes.

As we have been warning you for the last few weeks: this is no time to put off till tomorrow what you can do today. More and more Halloween events and attractions are opening in and around Los Angeles, and they last only until the end of October. If you don’t want to miss out, start visiting them now!

Location and contact information for these and other events is listed below.

HAUNTED HALLOWEEN ATTRACTIONS

GHOST TOUR AT STRATHERN PARK

Location: Strathearn Historical Park & Museum, 137 Strathearn Place, Simi Valley, CA 93065
Dates: October 15-17, 22-24, 29-30 (no show on Halloween night)
Hours: 7-10pm Fridays, 6-10pm Saturdays, 6-9pm Sundays
Link out: Click here
Description: Ghost Tour at Strathearn Park is a family friendly event. It is NOT a “Haunted House” type of event and is appropriate for children of all ages. It is the history of Simi Valley told in a very entertaining way by those who created it.

HERITAGE HAUNT

Location: Heritage Junction, 24151 Newhall Ave, Newhall, CA 91322
Dates: October 15-16, 22-23, 29-30, from 6:00 to 9:30pm
Link out: Click here
Description: An amalgam of different haunted attractions, centered around Heritage Junction, an allegedly authentic haunted house decked out for Halloween. Open October 15-16, 22-23, 29-30. There is a “Pumpkin Blue Grass” festival on October 23, and a special “Night in Heritage Junction” on October 22-23, hosted by the American Paranormal Research Association.

LOS ANGELES LIVE STEAMERS GHOST TRAIN

Location: Griffith Park, 5202 Zoo Drive, Los Angeles, CA
Dates: October 15-16-17; 22-23-24; 28-29-30-31, from 7-10pm
Description:
The Los Angeles Live Steamers Ghost Train steams back into Griffith Park for another Halloween of family-friendly fun. The usual train ride is decorated with over 30 scenes of spooks and ghouls – not too scary for the kids.

NIGHTMARE AT SCAREVIEW FARMS

Location: Fairplex, 1101 W. McKinley Avenue, Pomona, CA 91765
Dates: October 14-16, 21-23, 28-31, from 7-11pm.
Link out: Click here
Description: Having made its debut in 2009, Nightmare at Scareview Farms returns to the Pomona Fairplex (home of the Los Angeles County Fair). This year, the Halloween haunt expands from three to five mazes: Bride of the Pitchfork, Cleopatra’s Tomb, Transylvania Terror,  Skull Island, and Zombies of the Grave. Not recommended for children under 13.

REIGN OF TERROR

Location: 215 North Morpark Road, Thousand Oaks, California
Link out: Click here
Description: Nine nights of terror begin on October 15. This used to be an Amateru/Community Haunt, but it made the transition to pro-status last year with great results. Runs October 15-16, 22-24, 28-31 from 6-10pm, with a 1-4 Kid show on Sunday the 24th. Recommended.

13 NIGHTS OF TERROR

Location: Lost Canyons Golf Club, 3301 Lost Canyons Drive, Simi Valley, CA 93063
Link out: Click here
Dates: October 14-17, 21-24, 27-31
Description: A new haunted event opens its doors for the first time this season, offering a Halloween Family Festival, a Family Safety Fair, and a Haunted House. The latter is billed as scary but not “offensive”; it is not recommended for children under 13. The premise is that toxic waste from rocket testing has produced unexpected terrors.

FESTIVALS & CONVENTIONS

CREATION WEEKEND OF HORRORS

Location: Marriott Burbank Airport Hotel – 2500 N. Hollywood Way, Burbank, CA
Dates: October 15-17
Website:  click here
Description: This October’s installment of Creation’s Weekend of Horrors features these guests:

SCREAMFEST

Location: Mann Chinese 6 Theatres in the Hollywood & Highland Complex, 6801 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood, CA
Dates: October 8-17
Link out: Click here
Description: Hollywood’s oldest and biggest horror film festival returns for its tenth year, featuring a bloody barrel-full of gory goodies, including feature films and short subjects, often with filmmakers in attendance. There is also a private awards show on Sunday.

ON STAGE

DRACULA, THE VAMPIRE PLAY

Location: Westchester Playhouse, 8301 Hindry Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90045
Final Performances: Friday & Saturday, October 15 & 16 at 8pm
Link out: Click here
Description: With Halloween just around the corner, why not pop over to the Westchester Playhouse for the final performances of the Kentwood Players production of Dracula, the classic vampire play dramatized by Hamilton Deane and John L. Balderston (this is the one that was adapted into the 1931 film starring Bela Lugosi and the 1979 film starring Frank Langella).

HAUNTED MIDNIGHTS

Location: The Comedy Store, 8433 Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood, CA 90069
Dates: October 8, 15, 22, 29 at midnight.
Link out: Click here
Description: The Comedy Store throws open its doors for this tour of its allegedly haunted premises. The venue claims to be renowned as “one of the most haunted places in Hollywood.” “Haunted Midnights” offers a behind the scenes look at the spooky happenings that have allegedly taken place. The tour promises to reveal the results of paranormal researchers; there will be a live séance to summon the spirits, and you will hear first hand accounts from the staff regarding hauntings by “Gus” and “The Lady In White”.

EXHIBITIONS & EVENTS

4TH ANNUAL HAUNTED HOLLYWOOD SCAVENGER HUNT

Locations: To Be Revealed…
Dates: October 16, 17, 22, 23, 24, 29 and 30th, 6:00-8:30pm
Link out: Click here
Description: Hollywood is said to be one of the most haunted cities in the U.S. Full of murders, fires and suicides – many of these tortured souls still haunt Hollywood Blvd today.

HORRORWOOD ART EXHIBITION

Location: WWA Gallery, 9517 Culver Boulevard, Culvery City, CA 90232
Dates: Opening Night Reception on October 15, 7-10pm; exhibition runs through December 4th.
Link out: Click here
Description: Come join the Blood Bath on Friday, October 15th as WWA gallery in Culver City, CA presents a group show of Halloween horror art titled HORRORWOOD! This exhibition features the spine-tingling work of over 40 fresh and emerging artists who were asked to pay homage to such Horror films as Psycho, The Exorcist and Halloween.