10 Haunted Attractions in the Los Angeles Area for Halloween 2018
This Halloween, Los Angeles has a treat — and trick — for everyone, from families looking to stock up on candy to adults looking for something more scary than sweet. Come October, don’t miss out on these 10 haunted houses, theme park attractions, and interactive theater performances.
Boo at the L.A. Zoo
Where: Griffith Park
When: Weekends in October
Why: All month long, Boo at the L.A. Zoo will celebrate the Halloween season with family-friendly live shows, feedings, and animal encounters. Highlights of the 2018 program include masterpiece pumpkin carving demonstrations, fearsome animal feedings, and “boo bird show” focused on owls and vultures. Boo at the L.A. Zoo will also offer trick-or-treating stations throughout the park during the last two weekends of October, as well as an overnight “creature campout” at the zoo on the evening of October 27.
All ages | Tickets
Creep LA
Where: DTLA
When: Select nights September 27 through November 4
Why: Step into your very own horror movie with this immersive walkthrough theater performance held at ROW DTLA. Each show lasts 75 minutes and is limited to only 25 audience members, allowing the cast to craft an individualized and intimate landscape of hidden scenes, scary stories, and frightening encounters across the 60,000-square-foot event space. Unlike many other haunts on this list, those attending Creep LA should be prepared for (and comfortable with) being touched by actors.
All ages | Tickets
Horror Made Here
Where: Burbank
When: Select nights October 5 through 28
Why: For the second annual Halloween season, the Warner Brothers Studio Tour is transforming the backlot into an immersive experience from the same people who gave us IT, The Conjuring, and The Exorcist. In addition to film-themed mazes, the seasonal programming will include a horror movie location tour, behind-the-scenes Tim Burton exhibit, and creepy carnival, featuring live DJs, a retro arcade, and SFX demonstrations.
Ages 13+ | Tickets
Knott’s Scary Farm
Where: Buena Park
When: Select nights September 20 through October 31
Why: Are you a thrill-seeker looking for more than the standard haunted houses and Halloween mazes? Knott’s Scary Farm takes tricks, treats, and terrors to the next level with high-flying attractions, death-defying rides, and Halloween-themed concessions across multiple scare zones and the fully transformed theme park. With more than 1,000 creatures lurking around the park and ready to jump out at any moment, visitors enter this annual haunted theme park at their own risk.
Ages 13+ | Tickets
LA Haunted Hayride
Where: Griffith Park
When: Select nights September 29 through October 31
Why: The 10th anniversary of this Griffith Park Halloween attraction boasts four distinct scare zones — purgatory, house of shadows, trick or treat, and, of course, the haunted hayride — each with its own unique scares, screams, and special features. General admission includes a single entry to each; upgrade to VIP to skip lines and get “platinum” tickets for unlimited admission to all attractions.
Ages 8+ | Tickets
Mickey’s Halloween Party
Where: Anaheim
When: Select nights September 19 through October 31
Why: Every year, The Happiest Place on Earth becomes The Spookiest Place on Earth, thanks to Halloween attractions, events, and decorations across Disneyland and the California Adventure parks. The best way to celebrate is with Mickey’s Halloween Party, held after park hours. Ticket holders are granted access to both Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park for up to three hours before the event, which itself includes five hours of Halloween-themed characters, fireworks, and parades. Best of all, Mickey’s Halloween Party attendees are encouraged to come in costume — a rare exception to park rules.
All ages | Tickets
Reign of Terror Haunted House
Where: Thousand Oaks
When: Select nights September 29 through November 3
Why: Held at Janss Marketplace, this walkthrough haunted house features 105 rooms over more than 23,000 square feet, and dozens of characters waiting for the right moment to scare the living daylights out of attendees. This award-winning haunted house also features eight distinct yet interconnected attractions, including a haunted fun house, hospital, and mine, as well as the Holy Grail of Los Angeles events: free parking.
Ages 13+ | Tickets
The Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor
Where: Long Beach
When: September 27 through November 2
Why: With more than 200 monsters and six distinct mazes, The Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor is a comprehensive Halloween experience that also features a hookah lounge, nightly dance party, and live performances across multiple stages and theaters. Need some liquid courage? Visitors aged 21+ can purchase additional tickets for the pre-show “happy haunting hour,” held from 6pm to 8pm each night at The Last Drop Bar and The Barrel Tasting Room, or upgrade to VIP for access to the RIP Lounge.
Ages 12+ | Tickets
Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights
Where: Universal City
When: Select nights September 14 through November 3
Why: The scariest storylines, characters, and villains from film and television come to life at Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights, Los Angeles’ most notorious fright fest. With a masquerade ball, pagan harvest festival, and Jabbawockeez performance each night, this park-wide seasonal event has something new — and scream-worthy — at every turn. Visitors can journey into the heart of darkness with eight distinct labyrinths, with this year’s designs drawing inspiration from Stranger Things, Poltergeist, The Purge, and other scary films and shows.
Ages 13+ | Tickets
Urban Death: Tour of Terror
Where: North Hollywood
When: Fridays and Saturdays from October 5 through November 3; October 31
Why: The tantalizing and terrifying world created by Zombie Joe’s Underground Theatre Group comes alive once again at the annual run of this troupe’s Halloween-themed show. During this experimental and provocative live performance, actors will lead theater-goers through a maze of horrors, monstrosities, and spirits that blur the boundaries between alive and dead, world and underworld, and real and unreal.
16+ | Tickets
