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Lunar Terror: SAWYN (Lancaster)

‘SAWYN, a brand new “cine-haunt” by Lunar Terror with an all-original soundtrack. In somber woods, another lorn house gets claimed by the KOVEN… Their dark, yet remarkable power only grows as more decay wraps the pine and plaster. In this place, not even the most wicked tree could watch the terror of their supernatural game of “Cadavre Exquis”, turning what would’ve been corpses into what we only hope could just be scarecrows…’

 

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The Escondido Mad House (Hidden Meadows)

‘The voices in your head were right? “Best home haunt in the western USA” The Escondido MadHouse is BACK!! Come and see this free TWO NIGHT ONLY event!! Featured on KUSI, FrightMaps, Yelp, and given high praise by @knottsscaryfarm creative minds! This twisted nightmare for the community will have you running for your life!’

 

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House of Horrors: Decomposed (Van Nuys)

‘The castle welcomed us into a dimly lit medieval world of witches, knights, and seemingly possessed entities. Around every corner we were surrounded by dozens of kids who screamed “GET OUT!” while being fully immersed in their characters. The rooms of the haunt were well-crafted with torture rooms and candlelit madness – taking us back to the time of knights and kings. The maze was one of the highest levels of energy yet this season and at times was intensely overwhelming in the greatest of ways. The spirit of Halloween was truly captured here in a way that only middle schoolers could deliver!’

 

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Cannibal Creek (Yucaipa)

‘Deep within the forgotten woods lies a place few have discovered and even fewer have escaped. Wander too far off the beaten path, and you may find yourself at Cannibal Creek. A secluded backwoods settlement where a seemingly welcoming family lives by their own simple ways. With warm smiles and a charm that feels almost comforting, they draw you in like a moth to a flame. But beneath their hospitality lies a much darker truth. Their kindness is only the beginning… and once you become part of their world, finding your way home may no longer be an option. Loved ones have ventured into Cannibal Creek searching for missing family members, only to disappear themselves, leaving behind nothing but questions, rumors, and the echoes of those who never made it out. Enter if you dare… but remember, the woods always keep their secrets.’

 

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Santa Clarita Saw Haunt (Santa Clarita)

‘Enter Southern California’s only SAW-inspired haunt, where you’ll step inside a cinematic world of rusted industrial corridors, grimy bathrooms, flickering CRT security monitors, and twisted games that would make Jigsaw proud. Our completely redesigned 2026 walkthrough features all-new scenes, immersive lighting and sound, interactive effects, and highly detailed movie-quality sets designed to make you feel like you’ve wandered into the films themselves. Every room has been handcrafted with an emphasis on realism, atmosphere, and storytelling, not just jump scares. This is an intense, actor-driven walkthrough recommended for teens and adults.’

 

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Cursed Cul-De-Sac: Haunted Insane Asylum (Buena Park)

‘Visitors enter a cursed environment where hosts claim the curses will follow them everywhere, asking for a symbolic sacrifice to enter the next dimension.’

 

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Backwoods Massacre (Simi Valley)

‘This maze is in a league of its own, foregoing the use of scare actors and instead relying on ambience and suspense as its main form of frightening storytelling. Its designer, Jesse Reed, converted his two car garage into a shack themed maze which funnels out through a side yard. With its flickering lights and environments accented by body parts and taxidermy, you feel like you are lost in a Louisiana swamp. You come upon a mysterious cabin, and every turn feels like you are about to encounter an armed hunter who is ready to kill and dismantle anyone who dares to trespass. This theme is very original and enhances the singular nature of this haunt.’

 

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Eulogy Collective Presents: Shades of Hell (Anaheim)

‘Shades of Hell is a live immersive horror experience set within the different realms of Hell, where guests are drawn into a continuous story unfolding around them in real time. As you descend through the experience, you move through a series of interconnected environments, active scenes, and encounters that reveal different sides of the world and the horrors that inhabit it.

‘Rather than simply moving from set to set, guests become part of the story as it unfolds. Characters interact, scenes play out around you, and the environment itself becomes part of the experience. The world is designed to feel alive, structured, and constantly in motion, with horror and scares woven throughout from start to finish. You are not just walking through a haunted house. You are inside the story as it happens.’

 

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The Haunt on Chase Street (Garden Grove)

‘The Haunt on Chase Street offers frightful visuals, ominous sounds, and a pathway through darkness, gore, and despair. This year’s theme: Terror Palace. Finish Him! During peak hours wait times can be 30-45 minutes. Over 1100 souls braved The Haunt on Chase Street last year. Free to enter, $5 VIP line (shorter wait). A tamer experience, for the uninitiated, is available upon request. Young, impressionable visitors can stroll through the premises at dusk without the scares. Beware the dragon acid!’

 

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Darkwood Drive: Murder On Beachwood (Burbank)

‘I’ve heard of this haunt for a couple of years and tonight, I finally made it. This walk through FREE haunted maze is SO GOOD!!! I screamed my ass off, and that’s a lot of screaming to do that. My family honestly had the best time tonight getting scared and trauma bonding together.’

 

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Beware the Dark Realm: Diary of a Madman (Santa Clarita)

‘Enter the world of the Prince of Darkness and begin your descent into various themed landscapes inspired by the music of Ozzy Osbourne/Black Sabbath. Not only will this year’s event feature multiple themes throughout, it will also be the haunts largest layout to date! This year’s event is FREE as always, and will take place on October 24th / 25th / 31st / and November 1st from 7:00pm-10:00pm. With a soundtrack as iconic as the legend himself, make sure to join us for a ride on this crazy train.’

 

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The Chainsaw House (North Hills)

‘For years we have been terrorizing the heart of the San Fernando Valley with our walk-thru haunt! Changing the theme every year and creating all new props and scares to keep your head on a swivel. This year we bring to you The Chainsaw House presents: Willie’s Wounderland!

‘After helping a certain company grow into an empire, Steamboat Willie was fired and replaced by a new mascot we will call “Mickey M.” Willie decided he would make his OWN theme park with some new friends and get rid of the competition all together. Come see what happens when you double cross Willie.’

 

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Dread Town (Chino)

‘Dr. Dready’s manor is once again materializing for its annual Open House. Come take a tour through his lab and experience all the wonders that modern (and archaic) science can explore! Meet his staff, encounter his guests, and see wonders beyond imagination AND maybe even participate in his latest experiment (which is absolutely and 100% completely safe…this time…he promises).’

 

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Cats and Bats (Glendale)

‘You’ve probably driven past it on Chevy Chase and felt the chill. Our canyon’s very own haunted house, Cats and Bats, is back this Halloween. Scary both inside and out, this artful nightmare is a work of frightful love by homeowner’s Lisa and Damien.’

 

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Fairbrook Manor (Long Beach)

‘A 1930’s manor themed around a woman who kidnapped the local children. They return on Halloween night to capture more. Fairbrook Manor is a linear, walkthrough home haunt that employs a host of drama students from local middle and high schools to create an immersive environment with passionate actors.’

 

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Hatteras Halloween House Presents “Haunted Hallows”! (Van Nuys)

‘The Hatteras Halloween House has become one of the more well-known home haunts of the San Fernando Valley, a region now known for extravagant, do-it-yourself Halloween displays, especially in Burbank. To enter is to walk through a small cemetery before encountering a winding array of thematic spaces — a skeleton seated at a decrepit vintage piano gives way to a rickety bridge, a smooshy swampland, a doll-laden tea temple, a chapel and an exorcism room. The displays are so massive that when the facades for the bridge and mini church started taking shape, the family received a visit from a city inspector. A neighbor, says Nia, complained that the family was building an unsanctioned ADU.’

 

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Delusion: Den of The Mosquito (Los Angeles)

‘Den of the Mosquito is set in 1920s New Orleans. Bloodless corpses, strange abductions, supernatural sightings, and a missing mayor. In response, President Woodrow Wilson forms Anomaly, a secret organization tasked with investigating supernatural threats. Guests play Anomaly agents. A report from a missing colleague describes an ancient relic held inside a brothel in the bayou, run by the NOLA Mafia, and ends on a broken transmission: “they fight over it— flesh and blood–feeding like mosquitos.”’

 

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Terror on Laura Street (La Habra)

‘We are a home haunt in La Habra, CA providing FREE scares for over 15 years! We are a small haunted walkthrough that pulls in over 1400 guests a year!’

 

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Hellizondo Haunt: “The Rift” (Canoga Park)

‘The ground still trembles beneath your feet as you step into the aftermath of the Great San Francisco Earthquake. The once-bustling wharf lies in shambles: timbers split, piers hanging by a thread, and black water leaking into the crevices of what remains. But it isn’t just the destruction of the city you need to fear.

‘From the shattered depths of the bay, something ancient has awakened. A deep rift torn open beneath the waves has unleashed grotesque sea creatures, with writhing tentacles, glassy eyes, and gaping maws hungering for prey. And they aren’t the only danger lurking in the ruins. The surviving residents of the wharf, driven to madness by fear and desperation, will do anything to save themselves, even if it means sacrificing you.

‘Your only hope is to cross the broken wharf, dodging collapsing planks, deranged townsfolk, and the horrors slithering in from the sea. But be warned: the deeper you venture, the closer you come to the source of the rift… and not everyone who enters will find their way back.’

 

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Murder House Productions: Carrie Prom Ultimate 50th Experience (Hermosa Beach)

‘Carrie Prom Ultimate 50th Experience. Watch it where it was filmed. Dance in the real Bates High Gymnasium and relive the night it all went down.’

 

 

*

p.s. Hey. ** Thom, Mind meld. Or rather you and Sypha. I’ve never fallen in love with Current 93, but then I haven’t given them/him the degree of attention I think I would need to. I remember trying out Current 93 and Nurse with Wound around the same time and drifting more towards the latter. I got back to you on insta, as you know. Sounds great. Well, when the home haunts arise — see: today — that’s when Halloween’s for real for me. ** scunnard, Hey. Not sure to what degree that Zac and I will pulled into the fundraising, but yeah. I like to keep things I’m working on pretty mysterious until they’re far along and locked in, so yeah again. With Jordan Rothacker, interesting. And Kier! Obviously excited for that. The only time I’ve seen Laibach live was back in the Neue Slowenische Kunst days. They wore animal skins and horns and performed on large pyramid. Things have changed. But, yeah, Irwin and Red Pilot and all those NSK guys. So good. ** _Black_Acrylic, I’ll try out the linked noise once I’ve inserted the p.s.’s final ‘.’ for the day, thanks. Eccentric, perhaps. I’m right there with you on the outskirts, buddy. ** Dominik, Hi!!! Yeah, we’ll be there for the second screening too. 600 pages! You’re ambitious, pal. How’s it so far? Do they have those rental bikes in Vienna? They certainly do here. Everyone I know tools around on them, but not me. Love wiping the tears from his EU-bound eyes while he was making this post, G. ** Adem Berbic, Length in your case is more than forgivable. No spookiness here either. Although the fact that mosquitos keep invading my bedroom this late in the year is spooky. The Williamson story is indeed very mysterious. I’m pissed abstractly at him because he won’t let ‘Eden Eden Eden’ be reprinted, for one, and why the fuck does he still have the rights, etc. I think Peter S. is one of the few if any other authors who speaks well of him. At least privately. I clearly need to dive back into Tibet’s stuff and see what happens. He’s off my radar. Bountiful? We just got two new screenings for ‘RT’ (in Brussels and Salem, Mass.), and that will have to count. Pretty still around here atm. ** Regina, Hi! Your short film sounds ambitious and potentially pretty powerful. Wow. Not easy stuff to portray with actual, distinct power. I hope I’ll get to see it. Amazing, but good you’re not worried. Worrying is such a pointless obstacle. ** Steve, Ouch, sorry: allergies. I don’t know of any London Halloween stuff as of yet. I don’t think there’ll be much that interests me. No haunts that I’ve been able to track down. Lots of themed club nights and so on, I’d guess. There’s a Halloween makeover of the nearby theme park Thorpe Park, but I don’t think we’ll have time to go. New RNR! Everyone, Steve’s here. Listen up: ‘The latest episode of “Radio Not Radio” offers half an hour of new South African music, folk music from around the world and one chord played for 20 minutes. This one features Water Damage, Abronia, Baba Zula, Saicobab, Thabo Tonick, Kea Mandela, Citizen Boy, Mihlali The Guy/Danklie Boi/Mr. Thela/Cairo GPT, Mordecai/Jayjay/NTK101, Makhanj & Atmos Blaq, Pentangle, Arleta, Rhiannon Giddens, Radie Peat, Emma Ruth Rundle, Infinite Knives X Brian Ennals, Resonant Bodies/Jacken Elswyth, Joshua Barfoot, Third Ear Band, Space Afrika, Light Conductor and Vince Staples. You can listen here. I just fell into a little Pentangle rabbit hole not even two days ago. ** Carsten, Wondered if Tibet’s thing would intersect with yours. Cool. Based on how severely ‘Digger’ seems to be flopping, you might want to hit it up soon. Does the job, yes. You look like the pioneer you are. ** laura w, Hi. There are a bunch of young/new adventurous, exciting British fiction writers arriving in the last few years, so I have an eagle eye trained over there for the first time since the Scottish New Wave writers or whatever they were called. I absolutely love Wall of Voodoo. In the Stan Ridgway era, yes. They’re one of my favorite all-time bands. I saw them live a lot. Really exciting. LA was such a hotbed of really good, experimental bands in general back then. I’ll follow that link and discover Amphibious Man, thank you! Thanks about the producer, etc. I’m on pins and needles waiting to hear how it’s going. ** HaRpEr //, Hi. Agree about Pinget. He was pretty complicated. Queer but quite closeted about it until almost his death. You may know that for a while he renounced ‘Fable’ because he thought he’d gone too far there. Such a different time back then. I’m friends with Catherine Robbe-Grillet, and I asked one time what Pinget was like, and she said that Alain and her didn’t really know him very well because he was gay. Strange. ** Okay. Halloween is for sure extant since I have now made the first of my annual theoretically favorite Home Haunts posts. If anyone reading this is in or around SoCal and doesn’t go to at least one of the Haunts up there, you’re crazy. Haha, but for real! See you tomorrow.