Los Angeles is home to tons of different haunts that are for all kinds of Halloween fans. The Haunted Hayride is one of the longest-running and most storied haunts in the area. For 2022 the haunt has added a new haunted house, improved the hayride itself, and made the atmosphere that much spookier. This year, Los Angeles turns into Midnight Falls, a town filled with all kinds of ghouls, ghosts, vampires, werewolves, monsters, and other unsavory folks.

The event features the Haunted Hayride and three haunted houses: Midnight Mortuary, (S)Laughterhouse, and Trick Or Treat. The whole thing is held together by Mayor Monte Revolta with his band taking center stage for guests of the Hayride. Even if you’re not into the frights, getting into the plaza is free, you just have to park, and take the shuttle to the area where the Hayride is. While the event is pretty “family-friendly” in regards to content and language, you don’t really want to be taking kids that are 12 and under.

Once you’re through parking, the shuttle, and security, Midnight Falls awaits.

The Haunted Houses Are The True Highlight Of The Haunted Hayride

Midnight Mortuary

Midnight Mortuary is the first house when you walk past the queue for the Haunted Hayride. The house was surprisingly long and incredibly scary. Even with a seemingly low amount of scare actors, they’re augmented with a collection of very well-placed dummies and other assorted monsters. Going through, the Mortuary is well decorated and goes from inside to outside and back to the inside. Once you think you’re done, there’s an entire section that has dolls. These dolls were well placed, frightening, and they really make you think that someone is going to pop out. Even if they don’t, you’re on edge the entire time. It’s that triggering of the fight or flight response that lingers with you once you’re out of Midnight Mortuary.

For the money, this is one of the best experiences for a haunted house you can get. Make sure to stick around through to the end for an absolutely awesome fright.

(S)Laughterhouse

You can see the (S)Laughterhouse coming from a mile away because of the massive facade and the giant strobe light on the side. I didn’t go to the Hayride in 2021, but this is a new house for the 2022 year. It’s in the same place as the previous Dead End Diner and now is a meat packing plant. Right off the bat, you’re greeted by a ghoul in the front room of the butcher shop. If you’re sensitive to light or flashing strobes, this might not be the house for you though. It’s incredibly disorienting in a way that not many other houses have done in the area.

If there’s one thing the Haunted Hayride utilizes more than any other place its fog. They use fog machines throughout this house to create an environment where a monster or scare actor could pop out at any moment. The theme might be a bit overused across all the different haunts we have, but this one is a solid haunted house, especially with the environmental effects.

Trick Or Treat

The gimmick of Trick Or Treat in the past was interactivity to the house with guests able to ring doorbells and knock on the doors of the various residents of Midnight Falls. This year, that interactivity is severely limited or in some cases nonexistent. Of all the houses, this one felt the most empty, with some sections not having any scare actors or even dummies to keep your attention. The actors that were on duty did an admirable job though. Between the ambiance and the scares on display, this was a pretty good house that also stretched out far longer than I thought it would.

This is a fan favorite for a reason, but if it was more populated, this would go into the classic territory.

The Haunted Hayride

The Haunted Hayride might be the most disappointing part of the whole experience. But that doesn’t mean the Hayride isn’t great. The three houses and the environment of Midnight Falls are all excellent. The Hayride is a decently long wait for people without VIP access, but they push people through at a reasonable pace. It doesn’t ever feel like you’re not getting your full value though. There are plenty of monsters, vampires, zombies, clowns, and other characters as you go through. The only real issue I can see with the Hayride is that the viewing angles for some of the scares are much better from one side of the hayride. Unless you can sit facing forward, you’ll be craning your neck the entire time trying to catch a glimpse of everything.

The format of the Hayride lends itself to some pretty good scares and it takes you through the various locations in Midnight Falls. With some really cool effects and the excellent use of fog, this one is definitely worth the money and time.

Food And Entertainment

The Griffith Park location gives plenty of room for food and activities. If you want dessert, dinner, or just some live music, the whole area around the Haunted Hayride is great for grabbing food with friends. The prices might be a bit higher, but you’re paying the “attraction” premium for food around the area.

Parking is free and the shuttles are free to and from the Hayride to the parking lot at the LA Zoo. There are no alcoholic beverages sold as it’s in a public park, so get your party on before you head over.

Overall Thoughts On The Haunted Hayride 2022

The Haunted Hayride in 2022 is one of the best experiences you can do in Los Angeles for the money. You get at least four haunted houses/the hayride for about half or less the price of Halloween Horror Nights or Fright Fest. Those two are among the most illustrious in the area and Haunted Hayride should go alongside them. If you have the chance, go check out the Hayride before Halloween!

Grab tickets at their website, they’re open Wednesday-Sunday from 7:00 PM- 10:00 PM on weekdays and 7:00 PM – Midnight on weekends.

For more on Horror, make sure to check out Fright-A-Thon, the 61-day Halloween content marathon!

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