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Halloween 2013: Recommendations for October 30-31

Halloween Is Coming Scarecrow Black Cat Pumpkins

How will you spend Halloween Night in Los Angeles? Shivering at a horror movie screening? Or screaming in a horrifying Haunted Village? Hollywood Gothique assembles a list of your best bets for the final two days of October. Read on…if you dare!

Halloween is almost here! Incredibly, after more than a month of haunted houses, hayrides, and scare zones, there are still Los Angeles Halloween events opening their cemetery gates for the first time on October 30 and 31; in particular, a handful of the best Halloween Yard Haunts – some nameless, some all too well known – will unleash their restless spirits from atop their haunted hills, exhaling a last putrid gasp of Halloween horror before the midnight bell tolls, signaling the arrival of November 1.

Hopefully, you have already endured the terrors of our other Halloween Recommendations for 2013. Below, we list – with one or two exception – only those events making their debut over the next two days.

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Crossroads Haunted Village

Coffin Creek logoLocation: Crossroads Riverview Park, 14600 River Road, Corona, CA 92880

Dates: October 30-31.

Hours: 7:30pm till till 10:30pm on Wednesday, 7:30pm till midnight on  Halloween

Tickets: $13 for one attraction, $33 for all five. Parking is $5.

Website: Click here

Description: This professional mini-theme park attraction has been running all month, but we visited it for the first time this weekend – too late to include it on our previous lists of recommendations. There great thing about this one is the variety of events: Chambers of the Mausoleum, Coffin Creek Manor, Boy of the Abyss, Labyrinth of Lost Relics, Shady Hollow Hayride. Read our review here.

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Eternal Rest Cemetery

veniceHaunted2013Location: 414 Rose Avenue Eternal Rest Cemetery, Venice, California

Dates:  Thursday, October 31 and on Saturday, November 2.

Hours: usually 7pm to midnight.

Website: Click here

Description: The Eternal Rest Cemetery unleashes all manner of horror for Halloween. This home haunt features a small decorated yard overflowing with props and a brief but enjoyable walk-through that attracts long lines of adult trick-or-treaters. A great way to finish off a long Halloween Night!

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forest of mirrors path

The Forest of Mirrors

Location: 6124 Lederer Avenue, Woodland Hills

Date: October 31

Hours: 6:30pm to 10pm

Description: Located in a house once owned by silent movie comedian Buster Keaton, this Halloween yard haunt features a cemetery that seems endlessly extended thanks to strategic use of mirrors. That may not terribly terrifying when you read it, but in person the illusion is startling and remarkable. As you gaze in wide-eyed wonder at what you thought was an arched passageway – but which turns out to be a mirror casting your own reflection back at you – lurking creatures, hidden in the foliage, will take advantage of your distraction, sneaking up to deliver a startling scare.

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The Haunt with No Name Yet

Haunt with No Name Yet tombstoneLocation: 19351 Hatteras Street, Tarzana, CA

Dates:  October 30 &31, November 1 & 2.

Hours: 6-10pm, except Halloween Night, when the Haunt with No Name opens at dusk.

Website: Click here

Description: This spooky yard haunt – unnamed yet far from anonymous – returns for another Halloween of subtle scares. There are no living monsters, but there are plenty of spirits, decorations, and a few amazing effects.

Free for all. Great for kids, as long as they are not too easily scared.

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House at Haunted Hill tombstones 2013

The House at Haunted Hill

Location: 4400 Saltillo Street, Woodland Hills, CA

Dates: October 30 through November 3

Hours: 7-10pm on weekdays and Sunday; 7pm-midnight on Friday and Saturday

Website: Click here

Description: The most elaborate yard haunt in Los Angeles returns for another Halloween, featuring spectacular lighting and effects timed to a pre-recorded story conveyed with music, narration, and dialogue.

Admission is free, but the event does get crowded, so come early and expect to walk (nearby parking is at a premium).

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House of Restless Spirits - Slab

House of Restless Spirits

Location: 1008 Euclid Street, Santa Monica, CA

Dates: October 31 and November 2

Hours: 7-11pm both nights

Website: Click here

Description: The spookiest and most subtle yard haunt in Los Angeles once again summons its restless spirits to haunt and delight you. Don’t expect chainsaws, pop-scares, or shocks. Do expect some of the most marvelous and magical effects ever executed in an amateur Halloween event.

Closing time is firm. The lines will be long, so arrive early.

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ALSO ON OCTOBER 30-31

Halloween Carnival

Location: 1515 North Glenoaks Boulevard, Burbank

Website: Click here

Description: The city of Burbank presents this Halloween Carnival, intended exclusively for elementary school children. There will be games, candy, and prizes at the McCambridge Recreation Center, on Halloween Night, from 6:30pm to 8:30pm.

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Halloween Hop

Location: Montana Avenue between 6th and 17th Streets, Santa Monica, 9040

Website: Click here

Description: The Montana Avenue Merchants Association presents the annual Halloween Hop, which promises fun for kids of all ages as they safely stroll Montana Avenue on the lookout for tricks and treats.

The Halloween Hop runs from 3pm to 6pm on Halloween Night.

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Halloween Party for Downtown L.A. Kids

Downtown L.A. Party for Kids 2012Location: Grand Hope Park at FIDM, South Hope Street, Los Angeles, CA 90015 (323) 644-6661

Website: Click here

Date & Hours: Halloween Night, 5-8pm

Description: Once again, the Downtown Center Business Improvement District of Los Angeles invites families living in the area to bring their children out for a night of Halloween Fun and Games, including: trick-or-treat doors; inflatable bounce houses; video games; face painting, crafts; balloon animals, jugglers; marionettes; and hot dogs, cotton candy & popcorn.

Costumes are required for children and suggested for adults. Remember to bring a candy bucket or bag!

General Admission is $5. Children under 2 get in free.

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DIY House Haunt

DIY Haunt HouseLocation: 11206 Califa Street, North Hollywood, CA 91601

Dates: October 31 through November 2

Hours: sunset until midnight,

Web Page: Click here

Description: Do-It-Yourself Halloween enthusiasts “Charlemagne Lazarus” (a.k.a. “Charlemagne Kinsman,” a.k.a. Brian Miller) throws his hat into the ring with this new home haunt. The DIY Haunt House is described as short and suspenseful, with a low fright level but probably not appropriate for children under eight.

The haunt is free. The entrance is on the cross street, Fair Avenue.

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OldTownPasadenaHalloween 032

Old Pasadena Halloween Celebration

Location: One Colorado Courtyard Old Town Pasadena, CA

Date: Halloween Night

Hours: 5-8pm

Phone: 626.356.9725

Website: Click here

Description: Day 2 of the Old Town Halloween Celebration takes place on Halloween Night, with over 100 stores and restaurants opening their doors for free trick-or-treating – one of the largest civic destinations for Halloween fun in the Los Angeles area.

Starting at 5pm, merchants will supply a variety of candy to youngsters in costume. There will be costumed characters on Colorado Boulevard, and Old Pasadena guides will lurk in the area, offering Halloween eggs with unique prizes and candy inside.

Also on October 31, One Colorado Courtyard will offer free, professional photos shot against a Halloween-themed background, and there will be screenings of HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA at 6pm and BEETLEJUICE at 8pm.

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The Phantom of the Opera at Disney Concert Hall

Phantom of the Opera 1925 posterLocation: Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S Grand Ave Los Angeles, CA 90012 Phone: (323) 850-2000

Date: Halloween Night

Screening time: 8pm

Website: Click here

Description: The Walt Disney Concert Hall continues its annual tradition of screening classic silent horror movies on Halloween night, with live organ accompaniment. This year’s title is the 1925 version of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, starring Lon Chaney as the disfigured denizen of the hidden chambers and corridors beneath the Paris Opera House.

Tickets range from $33 to $66.

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Revenge of the Ninja 2010 monster

Revenge of the Ninja Block Party

Location: The Way of the Shadow Martial Arts Academy, 18727 Crenshaw Boulevard, Torrance CA 90504

Date: Halloween Night

Hours: 6-9pm

Website: Click here

Description: The Revenge of the Ninja Maze opened this weekend; it returns on Halloween Night as part of the Way of the Shadow Martial Arts Academy’s annual Fall Festival Block Party, which includes food, games, and fun for all ages. The block party is free. Suggested donation for the Revenge of the Ninja Maze is $5 (donations pay for next year’s maze).

Though essentially a local event, the party is fun, and the maze (which runs from 7pm to 10pm) is quite good – worth checking out if you can make the drive to Torrance (especially if you can hit The Haunted Shack and Spydrhill Cemetery while you’re in the area).

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Santa Monica Zombie Crawl

zombiecrawlsantamonicaLocation: Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica, CA

Date: Halloween Night

Hours: 6pm to 2am

Tickets: $10 in advance, $15 day-of

Web Page: Click here

Description: Watch out! Zombies will be taking over Santa Monica on Halloween Night. There will be a costume contest, a photo op under the pier, and lots of beverages at participating bars.

The Zombie Crawl begins at 6pm on October 31, at Rusty’s Surf Ranch Dining on the Santa Monica Pier, then moves to other locations on Ocean Front Walk, Santa Monica Boulevard, and the Third Street Promenade.

Registration is from 6 – 9 p.m. at Rusty’s Surf Ranch on the Pier.

Participating Bars & Route Times:

  • 6-9pm: Rusty’s Surf Ranch (256 Santa Monica Pier )- Official Starting/Check-in location
  • 7-10pm: Big Dean’s (1615 Ocean Front Walk)
  • 8pm: Official Zombie Photo Shoot under Pier Sign
  • 8pm-11pm: Ye Old King’s Head (116 Santa Monica Blvd )
  • 9pm-12am: Barney’s Beanery (1351 3rd Street Promenade)
  • 10pm-1am: Brittania Pub (318 Santa Monica Blvd)
  • 10pm-1am: West 4th & Jane (1432 4th Street #A)
  • 11pm-2am: Wokcano – (1413 5th Street) Official Zombie After Party (live music, dancing, costume contest)

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Spydrhill Cemetery

Spydrhill Cemetary cobwebsLocation: 1522 w 222nd Street, Torrance, California 90501

Date: Halloween Night

Hours: probably  6:30pm to 10:00pm, possibly later if trick-or-treaters continue to arrive.

Facebook page: Click here

Description: Good news: SpydrHill Cemetery is returning for Halloween 2013. The amateur yard haunt, which offered three rooms in its heyday (Cobweb Alley, Clowns of Chaos, and Spydrhill Cemetary) scaled back in 2012 after a Kickstarter account was unable to raise the necessary funds, and the haunt’s return in 2013 was an open question until late in October. This year is being billed as Spydrhill’s “final Halloween Haunt in Torrance,” so if you (like us) have never been, now is the time.

Admission is free, but donations are accepted to offset cost.

The Torrance location makes this an ideal yard haunt to visit after enjoying the thrills nearby at the Haunted Shack and Revenge of the Ninja.

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scream_1996

Scream at Street Food Cinema

Location: Exposition Park, 700 Exposition Park Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90037 Tel: (213) 744-7458

Date: Halloween Night

Hours: Doors open at 5:30pm. Music (presented by The Viper Room) egins at 6:30pm. Contest starts at 7:45pm. Movie screens at approximately 8pm.

Website: Click here

Description: Street Food Cinema, which presents movies in outdoor venues around Los Angeles, wraps up their October series of classic horror films with SCREAM. Come on out, bring a blanket, snuggle up, and get scared – and enjoy food, fun, and music, too!

Street Food Cinema is Fido Friendly.