I’ve long described the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride as “baby’s first halloween haunt”. That doesn’t really change for this year with a new maze and some different activities. What does that mean? Well, its not a bad thing. If you have friends that want to join in on the Halloween fun but might be a bit of a scaredy-cat, this event is perfect for them. It combines nostalgic feelings of the 80s and 90s with scares that are accessible. If you don’t want to go 0 to 60 with a trip to Halloween Horror Nights or Knott’s Scary Farm or Dark Harbor, this is the best option.
Los Angeles Haunted Hayride turns Griffith Park into Midnight Falls. A town stuck in Halloween in the 80s with a mayor who might or might not have sold out the townsfolk in Monte Revolta. This year, they have the Haunted Hayride (with some improvements) and three mazes: Fallen Angel, Elvira’s Trick or Treat Mayhem, and Hellbilly Halloween.
To start off, we’ll talk about the actual Haunted Hayride itself.
The Haunted Hayride Makes Some Necessary Improvements
The Haunted Hayride has been a main event for the event for a long time, but it isn’t necessarily the scariest thing ever. I’ll give them props for trying year over year to make improvements. This year actually has some pretty impressive set pieces that’ll shock you and at the very least will impress you. There’s lots of fog, lots of scare actors, and even though it’s a moving vehicle, you might get some visitors in your haycar.
My favorite section was the church segment of the ride with one of the more impressive haunt effects that I’ve seen. It would suck for them to just stand pat with the hayride and keep going the same way, but they’ve made some genuinely good changes over the past couple of years.
Ranking The Los Angeles Haunted Hayride Mazes
3. Hellbilly Halloween
Hellbilly Halloween is the longest-running maze at the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride, and it’s starting to show a bit. While this one still has some great scares, the latter stages of the maze are a bit sparse. The Jasper family brings more chainsaws throughout, but this one could use a refresh for sure. I’ve loved this one in the past, and a bit of an update would go a long way to revitalizing it to its previous glory.
2. Elvira’s Trick Or Treat Mayhem
Elvira’s Trick Or Treat Mayhem is what makes the Haunted Hayride so special. Its got some new updates that add fun elements like walking through air bags that resemble Elvira’s famous cleavage and interactive monsters throughout the neighborhoods of Midnight Falls. This captures the nostalgic vibes perfectly but doesn’t have very many over-the-top scares. There’s plenty of Elvira for fans of hers and they even had an impersonator outside the house to talk to.
Overall, this one might not be the scariest, but it is the most nostalgic.
1. Fallen Angel
Fallen Angel tells the story of an 80s heavy metal band that played their final concert but their music brought back the dead. It takes over the old Monae Manor, and while the interior does look similar to that maze, the scares are better in this one. My biggest complaint here is 1. the use of generative AI for a lot of the stuff on the walls and 2. the band doesn’t sound anything like an 80s heavy metal band in the slightest. The music playing throughout the maze ranges from awful to tolerable.
But the scares are there, which is going to be the most important thing to a lot of people. This one is long, has scares throughout, and the scare actors are really going for it.
A Total Package Of Halloween Goodness
It might still be hot and ugly out there in Los Angeles in regards to weather but at least for a little bit you can get a slice of Halloween heaven with the Haunted Hayride. The ambiance, the atmosphere, the music (thanks Monte Revolta), the food, the drink, it all adds together for an event that is great for any enjoyers of all things spooky.
The Los Angeles Haunted Hayride runs select nights through November 1st.
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