2020 has tried us all, but one thing is for certain, HALLOWEEN ISN’T DEAD! With many SoCal haunts adapting to drive-in formats, and tons of immersive virtual events announced, we’ve got you covered with 31 fun (and safe!) ways to celebrate the season! #THL31Days
Most of these haunts and activities are open select days throughout the month (some are year-round!), so make sure to visit their sites for additional dates and information. While we’ve included brief descriptions and age suggestions, we also recommend visiting each attraction’s website for age, health and mobility restrictions.
New for 2020! COVID-19 PRECAUTIONS: While we have chosen to include only those attractions with announced safety protocols in place, please note than an inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public location where other people are present. COVID-19 is known as an extremely contagious disease that can lead to severe illness, including death. According to the CDC, senior citizens and anyone with underlying medical conditions are especially vulnerable. We encourage you to exercise caution and best judgement this season. Let’s keep Halloween alive and our community safe!
**31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN**
*Thursday, October 1 – Freeform’s 31 Nights of Halloween
Live TV – Kick off the month with a movie marathon on the Freeform channel! They’re celebrating Halloween every day in October with ‘Freeform’s 31 Nights of Halloween’. Check out the rest of the programming HERE.
12:30p/11:30c – Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
3p/2c – Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride
5p/4c – Casper (1995)
7p/6c – Hotel Transylvania
9p/8c – Hocus Pocus
12a/11c – Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
Family Friendly!
*Friday, October 2 – Urban Legends Drive Thru Haunt
Costa Mesa, CA – A drive-thru where scare-seekers will experience immersive story-telling and terrifying sets. Guests will be entertained by live performances, plus experience 3 interactive show zones and an immersive show of lights, sound, special effects and monsters!
Recommended for 13+
*Saturday, October 3 – 17th Door
Fullerton, CA – The 17th Door Presents – COVID-19: 2020 With Paula returning to Gluttire University for the conclusion of her saga, her story takes an unexpected turn. We are now forced to visit Perpetuum Penitentiary once again. The prison remains much the same. However, with the outbreak of Covid-19, life is even more insufferable than before. **Please note that this is an indoor haunt. Covid safety precautions can be found HERE**
Recommended for 16+
*Sunday, October 4 – Live Oak Canyon Pumpkin Farm
Redlands, CA – Live Oak Canyon Farm Pumpkin Patch and Farmer’s Market is open daily from September 25th – October 31st, 2020. Admission includes the flower garden walk through, a tractor pulled hayride, U-pick pumpkin fields, photo op spots and much more!
Family Friendly!
*Monday, October 5 – Terror DTLA: Son of Sam Escape Room
Online – Could this terrifying copycat killer of the infamous 1977 Son of Sam murders be lurking now outside your own front door? Solve puzzles, search rooms, complete challenges, battle evil forces, live the story, and survive the fear!
Recommended for 10+
*Tuesday, October 6 – Books of Blood @ Screamfest Opening Night “Horror in the Woods” Drive-In
Malibu, CA – Based on Clive Barker’s acclaimed and influential horror anthology BOOKS OF BLOOD, this feature takes audiences on a journey into uncharted and forbidden territory through three uncanny tales tangled in space and time. Watch the film drive-in style as part of Screamfest Opening Night.
*Wednesday, October 7 – Halloween at Descanso
La Cañada Flintridge, CA – Halloween at Descanso is a pumpkin-filled extravaganza that invites guests to safely wind their way through socially-distanced, pumpkin-themed displays in the most popular sections of Descanso Gardens.
Family Friendly!
*Thursday, October 8 – NIGHTSTREAM Film Festival
Online – Together the Boston Underground Film Festival (MA), Brooklyn Horror Film Festival (NY), North Bend Film Festival (WA), the Overlook Film Festival (LA), and Popcorn Frights Film Festival (FL) are joining forces under the banner of NIGHTSTREAM to present a dynamic and accessible virtual festival, to run from Oct. 8-11.
Age recommendations vary per film
*Friday, October 9 – County Line Fright
Yucaipa, CA – Known as one of the most notorious asylums on the west coast. The horrifying stories that have come from inside these walls are enough to make your skin crawl. When the asylum goes dark…The Patients Come Alive! This haunt operates 100% outdoors.
Recommended 12+
*Saturday, October 10 – Fright Ride
Las Vegas, NV – Fright Ride is Las Vegas’ largest immersive socially-distanced haunted attraction. Are you brave enough to join the experiment? Test subjects needed. Take a ride on one of our research transport vehicles and participate in our “fear diagnosis” as you cruise through 75,000 scare-feet of Dr. Craven’s top secret research lab. **Please note that this is an indoor haunt. Covid safety precautions can be found HERE.**
Recommended for 12+
*Sunday, October 11 – Ghost Golf at Castle Park
Riverside, CA – Visit Castle Park for Ghost Golf! Admission includes one round of miniature golf, 2 skill games, a snack voucher, and one Trail of Terror walk through.
Family Friendly!
*Monday, October 12 – Knott’s Taste of Fall-O-Ween
Buena Park, CA – Knott’s pays tribute to the year’s spookiest season with a Fall food event unlike any other. The spirit of Halloween comes to life with a cornucopia of Harvest and Halloween décor that will transform the park for the season. Guests of all ages can dress up in their most festive costumes* to experience one-of-a-kind themed food and treats, exclusive event merchandise including specialty items from local crafters, an all-new “Into the Fog” art show, and so much more.
Family Friendly!
*Tuesday, October 13 – Haunt ‘O Ween
Woodland Hills, CA – A massive all-ages-friendly drive-thru experience. Keep the fun traditions and excitement of Halloween alive in a safe, engaging, interactive & immersive format. Windows down, masks on! Includes Pumpkin “Picking,” “Door to Door” Trick or Treating, a Video & Photo Op from the 90’ Jack-O-Lantern Tunnel and much more!
Family Friendly!
*Wednesday, October 14 – Icons of Darkness
Hollywood, CA – Representing over 100 years of Hollywood film history curated and collected over the last 60 years, Icons of Darkness is on display to the public for the first time ever, offering a chance get up close and personal with hundreds of its most spectacular items. This exhibition is a unique opportunity to experience one of the world’s most extensive, privately-owned collections of authentic sci-fi, fantasy, and horror film memorabilia! From “Star Wars” to “Jurassic Park”, “Terminator” to “Harry Potter”, “Batman” to “Ironman”, and so many more, the Icons of Darkness exhibition has something for everyone.
Recommended PG
*Thursday, October 15 – The Haunt List’s Virtual Pet Costume Parade
Online – Join us to watch our Virtual Pet Costume Parade as part of Creepy Kingdom’s Halloween @ Home programming! A live watch party of the parade will be hosted on Creepy Kingdom’s YouTube channel HERE.
Family Friendly!
*Friday, October 16 – Sinaloa Scream presents Friday the 13th
Simi Valley, CA – An incredible Halloween-themed drive-in experience! The Sinaloa Scream Drive-in will be decorated to chill your bones. Arrive early for a Live DJ, Laser Lights, Spooky Fog, and more!
Rated R (family friendly options available other dates)
*Saturday, October 17 – Beware The Dark Realm
Santa Clarita, CA – Beware the Dark Realm is a FREE non profit Home Haunt to help raise funds for Family Promise of Santa Clarita. The Sivley Family have been building home and professional haunts since 1971. This year, due to Covid 19 precautions, Beware The Dark Realm will be an immersive visual display.
Recommended PG
*Sunday, October 18 – Ghosts of the Past: An Outdoor Dining and Haunt Experience
San Diego, CA – An outdoor socially-distanced immersive dining and haunt experience. Indulge in a three-course meal complete with themed libations and a spirited cabaret!
*Monday, October 19 – Adopt a Vampire Bat through WWF
Online – Adopt a Vampire Bat! Multiple packages available! Vampire bats inhabit the tropics and subtropics ranging from Mexico to Argentina and Chile. They are parasites and feed exclusively on the blood of other species, including livestock and wild animals. Vampire bats have 22 teeth, but use only about half of the sharpest ones for feeding.
Family Friendly!
*Tuesday, October 20 – Scare Your Friend: An At-Home Haunted House Experience
Online – Scare Your Friend is a bundling of two of Psycho Clan’s wildly popular blindfolded haunted houses – The Empty Place and A Dark House. Now, they are available to the public as audio downloads that come with digital how-to manuals that guide you in staging these unique horror experiences safely in the privacy of your own home! Your personal surroundings and your own imagination will bring the whole experience alive.
Not recommended for children
*Wednesday, October 21 – Drive-Thru Scream Zone: Road Kill
Del Mar, CA – The Scream Zone has been tempting terror-lovers for the past 23 years, but the 2020 event will take a whole new spin. To comply with COVID-19 health and safety protocols, guests will experience the frights from the dis-comfort of their own automobile. Vehicles will weave through a mile-long course transformed into scenes from classic horror films and the demented minds of the Scream Zone’s imaginative creators. At the Drive-Thru Scream Zone: Road Kill, the only roadside assistance coming to your aid is a triple threat of zombies, serial killers, and killer clowns.
Recommended for 10+
*Thursday, October 22 – Hellsir: Purge Night 2020
Rancho Cucamonga, CA – Hellsir Cemetery is an Inland Empire-based yard display in Rancho Cucamonga, CA run by a second-generation home haunter. This year’s theme, Purge Night 2020.
Recommended PG
*Friday, October 23 – Night of the Living Dead 2020
Fullerton, CA – A modern day take on George Romero’s classic horror film. Guests will follow actors through various locations as they try to escape the flesh eating zombies that lurk everywhere.
*Saturday, October 24 – Los Angeles Haunted Hayride
San Dimas, CA – A first of its kind immersive experience from the creators of LA’s favorite Halloween event. Not just a drive in! Experience this reimagined haunted “drive up”. An original haunted show featuring a multimedia story displayed on a 40 foot screen, as well as horrifying sets and characters from Midnight Falls that surround the theater and bring the story to life!
Recommended for 12+
*Sunday, October 25 – Corona Haunt: Shadow Mountain
Corona, CA – Corona Haunt’s 9th maze, and its darkest yet! “Discovered in the early 1900’s, Shadow Trail was home to wildlife and beautiful scenery. After a freak accident in 1940, leaving hundreds of gold miners dead, the trail has since then been permanently closed. Legend has it, the missing miners who did not make it out, are now permanent residents of Shadow Trail.” **Click HERE for information on their Covid-19 safety guidelines.**
Recommended for 12+
*Monday, October 26 – Nights of the Jack
Calabasas, CA – Nights of the Jack is a family friendly Drive-Thru Halloween experience. Expect to see some larger than life pumpkin installations as well as detailed artist depictions of your favorite movie stars, sports heroes and animated characters.
Family Friendly!
*Tuesday, October 27 – The Haunted Barnyard: Land of Nightmares
Santa Clarita, CA – The Haunted Barnyard concept is an exciting immersive drive-thru experience in Santa Clarita curated by a team of designers including a film and themed park set designer, set dressers, costume designers and makeup artists from Universal Studios Horror Nights, Knott’s Scary Farm and Six Flags Fright Fest. Your unsuspecting passengers or (victims) will get the scare of a lifetime in The Gentle Barn’s transformed land of nightmares. Wind your way through a multitude of ghastly scenes while being guided by a ghostly audio with sound effects in the safety of your own vehicle!
Recommended for 13+
*Wednesday, October 28 – Into The Black
Rancho Cucamonga, CA – Into the Black is a terrifying Halloween Experience featuring a Haunted Market coming to Haven City this October. Follow in the footsteps of a paranormal investigative team as they explore the infamous “Black House”- an eerie Victorian mansion that once housed a family notorious for Devil Worship. Are you brave enough to explore the Black House? Groups of 1-2 guests will be allowed to venture Into the Black and to discover what lies within. **Please note that this is an indoor haunt. Covid safety precautions can be found HERE**
Recommended for 12+
*Thursday, October 29 – Candlelight Open Air Dinner: Halloween Film Scores and Soundtracks at SeaLegs
Huntington Beach, CA – This special Halloween-edition Candlelight dinner will feature Halloween film scores and soundtracks. Whether you’re looking for a beautifully unique music performance or a romantic candlelit experience, this performance is for you. You don’t need to know all the film scores or soundtracks to enjoy the evening, simply sit back and savor the stunning pieces you’ll hear. Prepare for a one-of-a-kind Halloween experience filled with music and candles!
Recommended for 10+; 21+ with valid ID to consume alcohol
*Friday, October 30 – The Bite LA
South El Monte, CA – This unique twist on the drive-thru/drive-into haunted attraction offers a delectable Halloween food crawl that snakes its way around eerie Legg Lake, includes 8 Bites, campfire dessert, fall-favorite warm beverage and immersive entertainment that guests can enjoy from the safety of their own vehicle.
No age restriction, but there will be a few frightening creatures
*Saturday, October 31 – Creepy Kingdom’s Halloween @ Home – Halloween Night Live Stream
Online – The ultimate Halloween night live stream party! The original ‘Losers Club’ cast from the 1990 It miniseries will be joining to read scary Halloween stories and many more appearances will be announced for it over the next few weeks. Follow Creepy Kingdom on social media or visit their website HERE.
Family friendly!
