Yesterday evening, The Haunt List took a quick trip to Griffith Park to visit Boney Island. This was their first year setting up in Griffith Park at the Los Angeles Live Steamers, and they really took advantage of the space. The attention to detail there throughout the event was inspiring. Some other SoCal haunts and displays (even scary ones) could benefit from taking a page out of Boney Island’s book.

We happened to walk in right in time to catch Maestro Maxilla, the animated skeleton host, and his company of Jack-O-Lantern singers. We sang along to Halloween favorites while he conducted cauldrons that make glowing green water dance to the music. The rest of the event is laid out in smaller displays of skeletons performing (or hilariously failing at) various magic tricks such as levitation, card tricks, axe throwing, and more. Make sure to head into ‘Huntington Gardens’ to visit the lively flowers and shrubbery, and maybe catch a glimpse of a skeletal hummingbird or two.

On our way out, we met Rick Polizzi, the creator of Boney Island, who used to host the whole spectacle in his front yard in Sherman Oaks. We chatted with him about the lack of family friendly displays that led him to create Boney Island, and were absolutely delighted to find out that he is the voice behind the silly characters inside. We hope to see Boney Island back again next year!

Would we recommend this event?
Yes – Bring your family and friends, or even a date! We spend a lot of the season on the hunt for scares, but still really enjoyed this enchanting Halloween display. Keep an eye (and ear) out for the ‘help me’ spiders. They were our favorite part and had us cracking up!

Boney Island is still open this evening and tomorrow (Halloween)! Get more information and tickets HERE.