The Haunt List recently visited the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride to join them in celebrating their 10th year as a LA haunt staple. As soon as we walked up we noticed some great new additions to the Purgatory grounds including a creepy pumpkin tunnel and gigantic new animatronic creatures, both of which make for fantastic Instagram-worthy photos. Purgatory also includes Theatre Macabre, the Scary-Go-Round and fortune tellers!
First on our list, we made our way to the food truck (provided by Doomie’s Home Cookin’) for a vegan bite to eat. Then, snacks in-hand, we headed to the main attraction – the Hayride! And while we wouldn’t say it was our favorite year, we enjoyed it. We were particularly impressed by a couple of the more elaborate sets (one impressively included rainfall), and of course, some stand-out scareactors. We also appreciated not having to exit the hayride and get back on, which we think was a good choice this year. Pro-tip: bring a bandana for your face if you’re prone to allergies because this is literally a ‘hayride.’
The second attraction House of Shadows is a strobe-heavy dark maze where you can actually get lost. It’s simple, yet effectively disorienting. We would have liked to be in there with a few less guests, and a few more scareactors, but we had a fun time trying to find our way out.
Finally, we visited Trick or Treat and it was our favorite event of the evening! It’s LAHH’s most creative area and unlike any other haunts in SoCal. The fantastic sets made it feel like we were trekking through a fun and funky real-life Halloweentown. We roamed from door to door, filling our purses with candy. But beware, a couple of residents do have tricks up their sleeves!
Would we recommend this haunt?
It depends. Pros: This is great event for a group Halloween outing where even your scaredy-cat friends can have some spooky fun. The ambience is festive and we always enjoy the various photo opps (though we are missing some of the sets they had in previous years!). We think LAHH will definitely appeal to the teens and tweens in your family.
Cons: If you’re looking to be terrified this event isn’t your best bet. The ticket price is fairly high for the amount of time you’ll spend there (though they make up for it a bit with the free and abundant parking). Definitely use the bathroom before you drive here, as every year it’s been an obstacle. It’s a pitch black hike (not scary, more twist your ankle-y) to porta potties with no lights!
For tickets and more information, visit their WEBSITE.