LOS ANGELES HAUNTED HAYRIDE 2023
- LOS ANGELES, CA
We returned once to Midnight Falls, the town that never sleeps and it is Halloween everyday 24/7. The format and offerings were similar to last season’s but with a few modifications. Situated in Griffith Park, the L.A. Haunted Hayride is still the only multi-haunt attraction in Los Angeles.
L.A. HAUNTED HAYRIDE TOWN SQUARE
The Town Square folks don’t miss a beat. When there isn’t a loud concert overbearing the area, it is perfectly safe to interact with the townsfolk and they will surely hit you with a jump scare or conversation whether you want it or not.
L.A. HAUNTED HAYRIDE MAZES
Midnight Mortuary: Scorched Remains saw a different darkness this year. We mean that literally because the maze was very dimly lit for the most part and there was more usage of strobe than previous years. It was definitely harder to see the scares coming. Once you make it out of the mortuary, you’ll walk through the open air cemetery to try to make your escape. What was missing when we walked-through were scare actors that resembled The Undertaker and Funeral Director who we loved from previous years. However, we did realize that the route and layout was significantly different and that gave returning guests a mini adventure since they had to explore all over again.
Trick Or Treat followed a similar format as the first maze above. It was dimly lit in the house scene. The maze overall also seemed to be scaled back a bit compared to the previous season’s. The point of the maze was to meet the residents of Midnight Falls but a few were missing from their “houses”. Gone were the days we get to actually “trick or treat” through the walk-through. However, for the first timer; this is probably an enjoyable walk-through as each house you pass by reflects the type of scare actors.
Hellbilly Halloween is the new maze for 2023 and is the star of the show. We saw a new maze last year but it was more a refresh of the previous season’s. Hellbilly Halloween utilizes the same sets and decor but with a brand new added section and it was long. The endless portion of lightning strobe is gone and replaced with a long walk-through in a building made with realistically looking bricks. So real-looking we had to touch it. This was a very enjoyable labyrinth that felt like it was never ending and the way it was designed, it felt the scare actor can be mobile and scare you at the next turn without you realizing it.
The Haunted Hayride had a noticeably shorter line all night long and this was a Friday night. The ride improved much in terms of comfort. There are now haystacks for you to sit on where you have more mobility and won’t have to strain your neck or be numb getting up. With a much more comfortable ride, it really made the experience much more enjoyable as it is easier to turn our heads to have an almost 360 degree visibility versus being able to only look at one side. The theme is still true to tradition, where the Witch of the Woods has unleashed the spirits onto the town of Midnight Falls. You’ll encounter different creatures and scares that tap into the spirit of Halloween. One word of advice: watch out for the beach ball.
L.A. HAUNTED HAYRIDE EXPERIENCES
Zombie Splat is a Gellyball Experience where you have a free for all shooting experience with live zombie actors. This had a $7 surcharge on top of admission and was a fun event outside of the mazes.
Midnight Falls Axe Throwing offers 5 axe throws for a surcharge of $5. We did not participate in this experience but guests seemed to have enjoyed it.
The Boogeyman Photo-Op Experience is a free and unique one. It is a free photo op where you can get a photo on the bedroom set from the movie just released earlier this year. But beware, when the light goes out; out may come the Boogeyman.
LA HAUNTED HAYRIDE CONCLUSION
Guests that come to the L.A. Haunted Hayride for just one experience may be disappointed. However, if they were to experience the event to its entirety then they may feel it is worth the visit. We enjoyed Hellbilly Halloween and the Haunted Hayride the most. The food vendors this year also were simplified as there were no cute or fancy facades in front of each stand and it was all food trucks. Preferred parking is recommended since it would cut down your walk by a large amount and will discard the need for a shuttle. With extra logistics planning needed to visit the LA Haunted Hayride; that’s why if you are going to be there then you might as well do everything to make your trip worthwhile. The Los Angeles Haunted Hayride is still the only multi-haunt that’s in the greater LA area.
#AttractionsAtAFraction
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For more info, visit: https://losangeleshauntedhayride.com/
Los Angeles Haunted Hayride 2022
- los angeles, ca
We returned to Midnight Falls, the town that never sleeps and it is Halloween everyday 24/7. Once again held at its new location since 2021 which is south of Griffith Park Blvd; this event seemed like an encore of 2021 but with slight modifications. For the returning mazes, feel free to read the previous year’s review below this one. We will go into more detail regarding the new experiences for 2022.
L.A. HAUNTED HAYRIDE TOWN SQUARE
The Town Square is always the part with the most fun at Los Angeles Haunted Hayride. The characters picked up where they left off last season. They are witty, they are clever and can do improv at the drop of a dime. We like to throw the scare actors curveballs to see if they can maintain their character and they did not disappoint. They’ll even go as far as asking someone from your party what your name is when you aren’t looking and they’ll shout it out loud making you wonder how they knew you. This is an area where you can grab an ice cream from Herschel’s Ice Scream stand and people-watch for hours.
L.A. HAUNTED HAYRIDE MAZES
Midnight Mortuary: Evil Earth is a returning walk-through with a slight variance in its name and its pathways. If you are dying to see what’s inside the mortuary, well then you’re in luck because they are dying to meet you. Their open house preview will give you just what you need to decide if you’d like to stay here…permanently. We still like the facade of this maze and that the mortuary is open midnight for all to see what’s awaiting you inside.
Trick Or Treat allows you to meet the neighbors of Midnight Falls; the ones that are too shy to hang out at town square. This year, there were less houses and talent compared to last year’s and some houses did not have doorbells. No candy was given presumably to speed up the pace of the maze. The overall walk-through felt shorter overall. However, it gives the first-timer a good amount of time to appreciate the sets of each house inside this Halloween town.
Laughterhouse is the new maze for 2022. We entered a very impressive and tall building facade that read “Midnight Falls Meat Packing” and then we realized they repurposed the Dead End Diner interior for this maze. With gorey commercial walls and an even gorier kitchen; it could be believable that this is a meat packing plant. Once we exited the plant, we braved an outdoor trail full of fog and what seemed to be a plethora of non-stop strobe. If you can handle the strobe, then this would be a good maze for you as it builds suspense especially paired up with the fog. If you were able to survive all that, then you would find yourself at the slaughterhouse which was arguably the best part of the maze. This portion had the most scare actors and well hidden areas that keep you guessing where the next scare will come from.
The Haunted Hayride felt slightly shorter compared to last season. This could be done to move people from the queue lines through faster so that everyone may have an enjoyable experience. There also seemed to be less scare actors but labor shortages are hitting haunted attractions as well. We did enjoy the animatronics, pop-up scares and the well-timed effects as our tractor passed by them. With less to see and less people in your vehicle; it did allow us to see more and appreciate more than we did ever before.
LA HAUNTED HAYRIDE CONCLUSION
Though a bit simplified compared to last year, we feel that the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride and all its attractions does offer good value for your money compared to other surrounding theme park/multi-haunt attractions. For a fraction of the price at Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights; you can get the VIP or Platinum pass here and ensure that you will get to everything before the night is over, even revisit some multiple times with the Platinum pass. We definitely wouldn’t come here just for the hayride, because for just a bit more you can do all 4 attractions. At the price of the Platinum pass; if you rode the hayride three times, you would’ve gotten your money back and that is not counting the other 3 mazes. The parking is free even though it may require some walking or a shuttle depending where you parked, but you can always get dropped off. Lastly, we are huge foodies and are fans of the main company that's in charge of the food and beverage this year; we found the food to be absolutely delicious this year and the food stands to feature amazing themed facades as opposed to last year’s. It’s basically yummy fair food at the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride!
#AttractionsAtAFraction
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For more info, visit: https://losangeleshauntedhayride.com/
Los Angeles Haunted Hayride 2021
- Los Angeles, CA
The Los Angeles Haunted Hayride is officially back and to its regular format and then some! We missed the entire feel and essence of Midnight Falls; the town that served as the overlying theme of the entire haunt attraction. The Los Angeles Haunted Hayride attraction could not perform it’s usual program last year and modified their haunt attraction to feature a spooky drive-in theatre experience of sorts. This year, they came back with a bang and upped the game and made everything better! The location has been changed this year to offer a larger and more open-air experience. The attraction is now located south of Crystal Springs Dr., compared to being north of it and past the main parking lot from all those years ago. This new location, though harder to get to from the parking lot, does offer us the feel of a majestic hidden Halloween town and gives us a more “town” feel because of the environment of the grounds.
MIDNIGHT FALLS NON-SCARE ZONE
Patrons enter a tunnel to get to the town of Midnight Falls, where everyday is Halloween. Residents of the town can be seen walking around, talking to guests and visitors, promoting their local diner and even giving you their life story. Every character seemed to be able to improvise at the drop of a dime and none had any problems stopping and interacting with guests. However, since the town has expanded; a lot of areas were lacking scare actors/characters of Midnight Falls. They were usually seen around the General Store and around the area facing the Midnight Falls stage. The food vendors are not too far away as well as the outdoor cinema and the Midnight Falls stage.
L.A. HAUNTED HAYRIDE MAZES
Midnight Mortuary is a returning favorite. What happens after hours when a mortuary is left unattended? Or when the living has clocked out? The dead come out and play and roam the mortuary grounds. The entrance led us into a fancy foyer/lobby area of the mortuary. Then we entered a wake with multiple attendees seated on the benches. The question is, who’s real and who’s fake? Only way to know is to walk through it and see if they attack you. Once we made it past the wake at the chapel, we ended up backstage where we found a morgue and a cemetery. We spotted the dead roaming, an office manager, a mortician trying to get you to leave her alone while she worked on a body, ghouligans (hooligans + ghouls) in the cemetery and bodies waiting to be worked on. It seemed that no matter which room we entered, there contained the dead walking around and reclaiming their territory. The message was clear: “Don’t try to fit in where you don’t belong.”
Trick Or Treat is also back and seems to be the most popular walk-through. We entered a home and then walked through the backyard and then to the other homes in the neighborhood. With each house you encounter, there’s no telling who lives there and what they’ll do to ya. Be sure to ring the doorbell as you approach each house, otherwise you’ll never get them to open the door. With distinct house facades and different scare actors, part of the fun was to see who or what is behind that door. The Trick Or Treat maze of yesteryear offered candy or a trick. Unfortunately this year, there is no candy due to an effort to decrease virus transmission. However, the real treat has always been seeing who’s behind the door and how they will interact with you. Our favorites were the “babyshark” and “80’s werewolf” characters.
Dead End Diner is a brand new maze this year. This replaced the blackout/”In-Between”/dark maze they always had in front and we love it. Though it still contains some of the same elements where if you make the wrong turn then it’s a dead end; it was still infinitely more fun than their blackout maze with pulsating strobe light. Dead End Diner has a classic 50s/60s diner facade on the exterior. Inside the diner; the booth, jukebox and menu really puts you back in that era. However, as you mozy along the diner and eventually exit; you’ll soon realize that this feels more like a horror movie from the late 70s/early to mid 80s. You’re trapped inside a horror movie where dumb rebellious teenagers stay out too late at a local diner on a night when there is a full moon. Of course, where there is a full moon there are werewolves. All hell breaks loose as you try to find a way to escape these werewolves. But you better be careful because the next turn you make could be a …”dead end.”
The Haunted Hayride is by far the most popular attraction and the marquee for the event. The line is seemingly always long and people keep returning. Since its inception, The Haunted Hayride has come a long way and has gotten more and more elaborate as time passed. This year however, we noticed that they have shortened path and ride length. However, the gaps between each section was smaller so it likely evened out. There was no narration or speaker to accompany us on the ride. The hayride this year took us to the forgotten parts of Midnight Falls. We’re talking: a public execution, a crappy out of tune band, vampires, giant spiders (ew) and sea monsters just to name a few. No wonder these were parts of the town that was seemingly left behind. The coolest part of the ride was when they found a new way to use an old trick. You know those swamped theme rooms in a maze with the green laser light is aimed at your torso to simulate a “swamp”? Well, they found a way to implement that technique on the hayride and it was fascinating to see!
LA HAUNTED HAYRIDE CONCLUSION
LAHH is back, bigger and better! There is a lot more seating areas, more space to roam around, extended length on all the mazes and a lot of bang for the buck. With this format having gone dark in 2020, they did not seem to miss a step but instead took a bigger leap forward! The character interactions were on point and contained cleverly crafted improv; and they never seemed to mind if you stopped them to chat or to take a photo. Bottom line is, there are lots to do here and if you finish early then do it again. Because it is definitely fun enough to see everything more than twice! When planned correctly, it should be possible to see the whole town and its 4 attractions. However, we do recommend getting the VIP or Platinum pass. At this quality and rising costs at other major attractions; you just can’t find a deal like this anywhere else!
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https://www.losangeleshauntedhayride.com/
the l.a. haunted hayride presents:
midnight falls 2019 - Los angeles, ca
L.A. Haunted Hayride Presents: Midnight Falls 2019 – Los Angeles, CA
Embarking on it's 11th season through the trails of Griffith Park, the newly revamped L.A. Haunted Hayride superseded even the 10th Anniversary event last year. Guests can venture back to 1985 this time in the small town of Midnight Falls where it is supposedly Halloween every night.
Town Square – A scare zone with a stage that features entertainment throughout the night. Plenty of photo-ops here and live entertainment. However, the entire attraction of Midnight Falls technically qualifies as a scare zone as scare actors are seen roaming around all throughout the grounds. Patrons in the Haunted Hayride VIP express line are kept company by the Monsters of Midnight Falls either by scaring them or exchanging playful banter and stories of the old town.
Haunted Hayride – Once again delivering a thrill ride through the dark side of Griffith Park, The Haunted Hayride has a better storyline this year and is in unison with the theme of Midnight Falls. Past years had some wondering what the overall theme on the hayride was, but this year, there was no question. The Hayride itself allows you to journey further into the story of the town and meeting characters that are not roaming the grounds. Like any small haunted town, things usually don't go right if you venture off too far into the woods. What we loved was that they did not overpack the hayride this year compared to last year. This means more leg room and no legs falling asleep when you get up! As an added bonus, once you exit the hayride, you exit through the town graveyard. Beware of what lurks in the fog.
Trick Or Treat – A returning favorite yet it still fits into the Midnight Falls theme seamlessly since every small town has trick or treating as a tradition. In previous years, the trick or treater would ring the doorbells of the houses of the residents in order to get a treat...or get tricked. The major change this year is that most of the resident's of each house is out in front so it took away the experience of ringing the doorbell. Therefore, you either get a treat or get tricked while walking to the front door. Some houses still require a door bell to be rung. As proponents for short wait times, we understand why the change in having the Monster outside as opposed to waiting for the door bell to be rung; this speeds up the walk-through time dramatically and keeps the line moving. However, it is still a great walk-through as most have never seen a maze that lets you go “trick-or-treating”.
Midnight Mortuary - Ever had a creepy house in town where your parents tell you to never go to? Well, apparently so does Midnight Falls. The local funeral parlor that watches the entire town, is maybe where all the horrors started. Sure the thought of Halloween every night is fun and all...but if classic horror films ever taught us anything is that Halloween night isn't always pleasant. This dark and worn out haunted house is filled with monsters that clearly aren't friendly. Once you escape the house, you'll have to deal with the backyard and then the mortuary. As a matter of fact, to survive the night; one might have to crawl through the mortuary freezer unless...you can find another way out.
Roadkill Ranch – No it's not a steakhouse or grill for opposums or raccoons. Instead, it's a questionable ranch just outside of Midnight Falls. The ranch has a knack for collecting dead varmints and similar animals and disposing them or do they? We faced what would happen when you merge a varmint with a human body and the site was not pretty. Like the funeral march scene from Pet Sematary; prepare to face off against human bodies with non-human heads. Will you be staying for dinner?
There was also their carousel with skeletal horses and Mini Escape Games which we did not partake in. The Mini Escape Game is a $5 surcharge and your group gets 5 minutes to solve the puzzles to escape.
The Los Angeles Haunted Hayride Presents: Midnight Falls is tons more fun than the previous year. It is definitely worth buying the all attractions pass to see everything. However, do keep in mind that parking is limited and lines get long so one should always come early when possible especially if you are buying a General Admission pass. Aside from the lack of parking and long lines later in the evening, we loved the “Midnight Falls” concept and the immersive experience. The scary stuff starts as soon as you pass through the pumpkin arches, or in other words the moment you enter; isn't this how it should be?
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The LAHH celebrates it's 10th Anniversary. Long gone are the memories of the inaugural Hayride in the hills of Calabasas. Here to stay is the annual and tenured LAHH at the world renowned Griffith Park. The annual multi-haunt features the infamous hayride, the House Of Shadows "dark" maze, the fun-filled Trick Or Treat maze, The all-encompassing Purgatory scare zone, the Boo-tique and other smaller carnival activities and a food vendor. Guests were also in for a treat as the creator was also in attendance.
THE HAUNTED HAYRIDE was first on the list. Guests embark on a haunted trail while a tractor pulls a bed of hay. The space can be a little tight and it may be hard to move as there seemed to be too many people on our ride. It may be hard to turn your torso to take video or photos. However, it is a good option for those that do not wish to walk much in order to get a few scares. The Haunted Hayride takes you to different themes and realms so you can kick back and enjoy the scares without having to leave the tractor. From demons to punk rock zombies to the devils; there are plenty of scares on your trip away from Purgatory and back to. You may have to stretch your legs for a second when ti's time to exit the hayride.
HOUSE OF SHADOWS is perhaps the closest definition to an actual maze. Guests who enter will have to find their way through a semi-dark maze with only a guiding strobe light over fog. Through the midst of it all, we encountered some very unhelpful creatures who pointed where to go. The only question was: were they trying to show us the way out or keep us in the shadows? Best wear your survival cap when visiting the HOUSE OF SHADOWS.
TRICK OR TREAT was the highlight of the multi-haunt attraction in our opinion. It has the fun factor behind it combined with scares; most of all, it is creative and innovative. We've yet to witness any maze such as TRICK OR TREAT. Instead of letting the monsters come to you in a normal Halloween maze; the guests actually go “Trick or Treating” and knock on doors of houses belonging to Monsters and Ghouls. The fun part is that you may actually get a treat; the scary part which is the “trick”, may result in a character gunning towards you to scare you off his/her property. This was easily the most interactive attraction of the night. PURGATORY refers to the scare zone that is everything but a maze, hayride, or activity. Basically the entire common area is a Purgatory. You'll never know where you can stand or sit where it's completely safe. Not even in the Boo-tique, may you be shielded from these monsters; there may be a reason why it's called a “Boo”-tique. It's nice to see that the entire common area of a Halloween attraction be one big scare zone; because, isn't that how it should be once you enter a Halloween haunt attraction?
THE OTHER ACTIVITIES include a Carnival Games area where you can play ring toss but with impaled zombie carcasses, ride a skeleton horse on the Scary-Go-Round, see if you'll make it out alive by visiting a Psychic, if you do you can buy yourself something commemorate your survival at the Boo-tique and of course replenish yourself at the Grub Shack. Of course there is a surcharge for all these activities. Aside from being a bit uncomfortable sitting in an awkward position on the hayride, everything else was enjoyable and memorable. For about $10 more on top of the hayride, it would be unwise not to see TRICK OR TREAT and HOUSE OF SHADOWS. The savings from parking can easily go towards that or something in the Boo-tique; where we were assisted by an extremely helpful associate by the name of Jenna.
All in all, it was an experience that touched on new emotions and we saw mazes here that we've never experienced elsewhere.
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https://losangeleshauntedhayride.com
