There are plenty of horror haunts you can check out in the Los Angeles area. It’s the mecca for the entire haunt industry. You take the actors, makeup artists, special effects people, writers, set designers, and anyone else that works in Hollywood and plant them with a budget to scare the crap out of people. That’s what Thirteenth Floor Entertainment does with the LA Haunted Hayride. It’s a long-running haunt that provides a little bit of everything for horror fans.

It resides in Griffith Park, and it’s a bit of a trek to get to, depending on where you want to park. There’s free parking available at the LA Zoo with shuttles that take you to the event. You can also buy preferred parking, but that still has a shuttle to take you to the event. It’s just less of a drive. Once you’re in, you go through a security checkpoint and into the park. Except this time, it’s not just Griffith Park. It’s the town of Midnight Falls with plenty of residents and, of course, the Mayor, Monte Revolta.

If you’re planning a stay in Midnight Falls, there are plenty of activities, including axe throwing, zombie splatting, mazes, merchandise, food, Monte Revolta and his band, and, of course, the main event, The Haunted Hayride.

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There are three mazes this year for the Haunted Hayride: Midnight Mortuary: Scorched Remains, Hellbilly Halloween, and Trick Or Treat. Of the three mazes, Midnight Mortuary is the best one of the bunch. It actually feels like a maze at points with areas that disorient you as you walk through. The scares here are also the best of the mazes with people popping out of areas you wouldn’t think.

Hellbilly Halloween is the newest maze for 2023, and it resides in the back reaches of the event. It does a fine job of scaring you, but for the wait, it’s not the best. There aren’t as many scare actors in the maze as you’d like to see. In the middle section that’s open air, the hillbilly characters with cattle prods gave the best scares.

Trick or Treat returns and gives guests a look into the nightlife of Midnight Falls. The spirit of Halloween takes over as you walk through the neighborhoods. This is an inventive maze that’s been at the Hayride for a bit, but it doesn’t follow the same exact path every year. This one was well populated with scare actors and animatronics to frighten you.

Overall, the three mazes still do a good job of providing scares for those that are waiting for the Haunted Hayride or have already done it.

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The actual main event, though, is the Haunted Hayride. This year, the Hayride takes you through some landmark locations in Midnight Falls. The locations are pretty inventive, and take you across time. There’s an old-style movie theater, a mineshaft that’s about to be blown up, an army of crops controlled by a witch, acrobatic monsters that fly above you, and plenty of other frights. The only critique that I have for the actual hayride is still the seating arrangements. They’ve upgraded the hayride vehicles this year, so that you’re sitting on bales of hay, instead of the ground. That makes it a bit easier to see all the way around you, but it’s still uncomfortable to crane your neck around to see all the action.

Monte Revolta and his band for the Monte Revolta Show are just as exciting and fun as previous years. This year, they do tributes to classic horror movies with songs like “Call Me” by Blondie for Scream. They do shows around the clock depending on how late the night goes for 30 minutes a show.

The only real critique I can think of for this year’s event is the lack of food options compared to ones in the past. The big sort of picnic area has three food trucks, and some booths for sweeter food on the other side. That’s less than previous years, and the options are limited to chicken, fried foods, and pizza. If I could change anything, it would be adding more food and beverage options for people to enjoy.

These issues don’t take away from the fact that the Haunted Hayride does a great job of building atmosphere, and providing entertainment for all kinds of horror haunt fans. Grab your tickets at HauntedHayride.com!

For more on Halloween, make sure to check out Fright-A-Thon!

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