LA Haunted Hayride: Watch Exclusive Video From The Haunt’s Opening
LA Haunted Hayride has returned home to Griffith Park, Los Angeles for 2021, and we couldn’t be happier. Actress Sarah Nicklin took a trip to Haunted Hayride’s fictional town of Midnight Falls on October 1. She brought back an exclusive look at the Halloween goodness on display.
So, what can you expect from LA Haunted Hayride? Check out the video below:
LA Haunted Hayride is back for 2021 with a bang, returning to its physical roots after a year away. (In 2020, the event was recalibrated as a “drive-up” in San Dimas, CA.) Located just adjacent to its old stomping grounds, this year the Hayride occupies the Crystal Springs picnic area. The larger footprint allows for a more intuitive and dynamic layout of the attraction.
Greeted by the iconic LA Haunted Hayride pumpkin display, we entered the event through the fog-filled, jack-o-lantern strewn passageway. It’ll feel familiar to those who’ve attended in 2018 and 2019, as 13th Floor Entertainment Group Creative Director Jon Cooke, the man behind Hayride, has continued those years’ narrative. Then we walked into the delightfully spooky town of “Midnight Falls.”
Related: Interview: Melissa Carbone on Creating the LA Haunted Hayride, Her New Book, and Doing Halloween on a Budget
Forever stuck in 1985 and populated by scare actors eager to playfully interact with not only each other but event visitors, the main square of “Midnight Falls” is wonderfully nostalgic in design and concept. In addition to the Midnight Falls General Store (which offers up branded merchandise) and food trucks hawking seasonal goodies, the main square boasts a central stage. There Monte Revolta and His Band of the Living Dead play several shows an evening. It’s here you can expect a menagerie of scare actors dancing away to the spooky, kitschy tunes and going about their nightly business. We loved every second of it.
Also located in the town square is a central signage post, which directs attendees to the other attractions located within LA Haunted Hayride. THere’s the returning walk-through mazes “Midnight Mortuary” and “Trick or Treat”; the new for 2021 “Dead End Diner,”; and the eponymous hayride itself, historically the event’s main attraction. While we won’t spoil what lays within, we will say, all four elicited abundant laughs and shrieks from everyone in attendance. Not surprising, given the quality of the fully realized world which the event delivers.
Please note Haunted Hayride is complying with all local LA COVID protocols. They strongly encourage all guests to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 and/or obtain a negative COVID-19 test result prior to visiting. Guests who are not fully vaccinated are strongly encouraged to wear a face covering during their visit.
LA Haunted Hayride runs on select evenings through Sunday, October 31. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.losangeleshauntedhayride.com, and you can follow Hayride on Instagram @lahauntedhayride.
