Hollywood Gothique
The Vault

Last-Minute Halloween 2015 Recommendations

Happy Halloween everyone! Here are some recommendations for what to do on this, the final day of October – Halloween Night!

What’s the difference between a review and a recommendation? The latter is based on past experience. Below are a handful of Los Angeles Halloween attractions that Hollywood Gothique has not attended this year; however, because they have been so enjoyable in the past, we know that you will have a chilling, thrilling Halloween indeed if visit them tonight.

Many of these haunts remain open only tonight, Saturday, October 31; some will also be open tomorrow, November 1, the Day of the Dead.

If you’re looking for this season’s other great Halloween haunts, check out our Reviews, Haunted House Videos, and Halloween Haunt Odyssey posts.

divider

Beware the Dark Realm 2015: 2nd weekend
28621 Sugar Pine Way, Santa Clarita, 91390
The King of the Dark Realm
Lord of the Dark Realm

Beware the Dark Realm is an imaginative home haunt that offers trick-or-treaters a trip through a haunted castle. The exterior facade is excellent, and there are some clever touches inside, including some professional-quality monsters.

Beware the Dark Realm is open tonight. A non-scare version for the kids runs from 6pm to 7pm. Regular haunting tales are 7-11pm. Admission is free.

Read our review of the 2014 version – Hollywood Gothique’s pick for the best amateur Halloween attraction of the year.

divider

The Empty Grave
Laguna Hills Mall
24300 Laguna Hills Mall, Laguna Hills, CA 92653

Empty Grave ghoulHollywood Gothique has not entered The Empty Grave since it moved to a new location Laguna Hills for Halloween 2014; however, we have plans to make it out this weekend. Since its 2009 debut, this haunted maze had expanded into something quite colorful and entertaining at its original Anaheim location; we can only imagine that it has continued to improve at the new venue.

The Empty Grave remains open tonight and November 1. Hours are7pm-midnight on Halloween Night;  7-10pm on Sunday.

Tickets are $13 for General Admission, $20 for VIP Quick Death Passes.

Visit the official website.

divider

The Haunt With No Name Yet 2015
19351 Hatteras Street, Tarzana, 91356
The Haunt with No Name Yet
The Haunt with No Name Yet

In operation since 1996, The Haunt with No Name Yet is effective and memorable but not too scary for trick-or-treaters (except perhaps the very youngest). There is an overall sinister feel, with low-key lighting, tombstones, and myriad hand-carved Jack O’Lanterns filling the wide yard of the corner home, creating a sense of entering an eerie otherworld. A handful of special effects (a floating candle, a ghost in a tomb, a spectral voice reciting an incantation) add the perfect frosting on this tasty Halloween treat.

The Haunt with No Name Yet is open tonight from dusk-11pm tonight. Admission is free.

divider

Rise of the Jack O’Lanterno
Descanso Gardens
1418 Descanso Drive, La Cañada Flintridge, CA 91011

Rise of the Jack O'Lanterns 2015 t-rex 2We attended Rise of the Jack O’Lanterns at Santa Anita Park this Halloween, but Descanso Gardens is the must-see location. As much an art exhibition as a tour, The Rise offers over 5,000 Jack O’Lanterns arranged in themed installations over the course of a one-third mile trail, accompanied by original music. See a safari-full of larger-than-life animals, an auto show, movie and television stars, dinosaurs, and a 50-foot dragon. The atmosphere is old-school Halloween fun, sometimes spooky but never scary. There are no mechanical pop-scares or costumed actors, just gorgeous sights and sounds.The walk is leisurely, requiring from 45 to 75 minutes, depending on how long you want to pause and gaze in wonder.

Rise of the Jack O’Lanterns will be open at Descanso Gardens on Halloween Night and November 1. Hours are 6:30-10:30pm on Halloween; 5:30-9:30pm on Sunday. Website: www.therise.org. Tickets are $28.

divider

Sinister Pointe: Fear the Darkness
220 South Brea Boulevard, Brea, 92821

Sinister Pointe 2015 Fear the DarknessWe have not seen Sinister Pointe’s new show, Fear the Darkness, but it sounds fascinating: visitors choose and confront their fears, guided in absolute darkness only by a friend in a control room equipped with infrared cameras. Visitors may select from Clowns, the Living Dead, Deranged, and Possession.

Prices at the door will be $25 for General Admission and $35 for Fast Pass; there is a $5-discount for advance online purchases, with an additional $2-off for the promo code “Fear.”

Fear the Darkness will be open on Halloween Night. It continues next week with dates on November 1, 5-8. Hours are 6-10pm on Thursdays and Sundays, 6pm-midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. Tickets are $25. The website is here.

divider

20th Annual Historical Cemetery Tour
Long Beach and Sunnyside Cemeteries
1095 Willow Street, Long Beach, 90806
A guide introduces "From Orphans to Oil Wells," the story of Louis and Elisa Denni (David Narloch and Vanessa Rose Parker)
Actors bring the dead to life in Long Beach Cemetery.

The Historical Society of Long Beach presents its 20th annual historical tour of Long Beach Municipal and Sunnyside Cemeteries. Though not specifically billed as a Halloween event, the Historical Cemetery Tour features a ghostly element, with actors embodying the spirits of the buried dead, telling the stories of their lives and deaths. The result is part historical walking tour, part living history – and well worth a drive to Long Beach.

The event runs today, with performances until 2:30pm. Admission is $20. The historical society’s website is here.

Read our Halloween 2014: Long Beach Historical Cemetery Tour review.

Steve Biodrowski, Administrator

A graduate of USC film school, Steve Biodrowski has worked as a film critic, journalist, and editor at Movieline, Premiere, Le Cinephage, The Dark Side., Cinefantastique magazine, Fandom.com, and Cinescape Online. He is currently Managing Editor of Cinefantastique Online and owner-operator of Hollywood Gothique.