Celebrate Halloween Every Day in October with the Best Halloween Events in LA

Los Angeles doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to Halloween. Every day of the month of October there’s always something spooky to do in our city, from horror film screenings to haunted hayrides and escape rooms to family friendly carnivals and fright-filled Hollywood backlot tours, Los Angeles prides itself on being one of the finest destinations for scare-lovers. Below is a list of the best Halloween events in LA.

• Now through Monday, October 31 – Los Angeles Haunted Hayride, Old Zoo at Griffith Park –  The Los Angeles Haunted Hayride returns to its darker and more disturbing roots with this year’s brand new and most innovative theme to date, Secret Society. Inside the gates of the society, members will bear witness to the clandestine lives of their faction and in a shocking turn, will be commandeered by the society and sent into an initiation, confronting the ghosts of hayrides past on foot and face to face. That’s right, for the first time ever, guests will leave the safety of the hay wagon. Upon returning to their wagon, society members will continue “down the secret road of power, corruption, influence, tyranny, and evil, allowing members to see that this day is not all about costumes and candy.”

• Now through November 5th – After Dark Tour: Tales from the Other Side with Exclusive Access to Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Paramount Pictures Studios – The backlot of Paramount Pictures is maybe the most beautiful of the big six, and they’ve hosted plenty of events open to the public including Paris Photo and The Taste LA, but this is the first time they’ve opened the gates for horror lovers, film geeks, and Hollywood history buffs alike. During the Tales From The Other Side tour, you’ll get the chance to find out how the scandals of yesteryear still live amongst us. It starts at dusk with some champagne to toast the coming darkness. In the silence of the night, you’ll descend into the mysteries behind the iconic gates via cavernous sound stages and the darkest corners of our infamous backlot. Next you’ll creep through the legendary Hollywood Forever Cemetery to learn the tales of Hollywood’s most dearly departed and the secrets that followed them to the grave. If you’re lucky, you might get a glimpse of an apparition down a darkened alley or moonlit street. But you’ll definitely get a glimpse into the legends and superstitions that weave throughout the history that makes Hollywood what it is today.

• Now through Monday, October 31 – Guillermo del Toro: At Home with the Monsters and Fuel for Nightmares Film Series, LACMA – If you haven’t yet been to LACMA’s stunning exhibition of film director’s Guillermo del Toro’s collection of paintings, drawings, maquettes, artifacts, and concept film art now is when you should it. Rather than a traditional chronology or filmography, the exhibition is organized thematically, beginning with visions of death and the afterlife; continuing through explorations of magic, occultism, horror, and monsters; and concluding with representations of innocence and redemption. LACMA has added three film screenings of classic and classy Hollywood horror to pair with your day at the museum. October 18, 1 p.m. The Innocents, October 25, 1 p.m. The Night of the Hunter, October 31, 8 p.m. The Bride of Frankenstein. See the exhibit, catch a film, then get dinner and drinks at LACMA’s Ray’s and Stark Bar.

• Now through November 14 – Wicked Lit, Mountain View Mausoleum & Cemetery – Wicked Lit audiences will experience three short plays as they are led through the grounds of the mausoleum and cemetery by Storyguides. Wicked Lit is a walking show – patrons must be able to comfortably walk a minimum of 2,000 steps and climb stairs in order to experience this production. Wicked Lit  contains mature themes, adult language and theatrical violence. The evening will include three World Premiere plays – H.P. Lovecraft’s FROM BEYOND, ANANSI AND THE DEMONS, and Ellen Glasgow’s THE SHADOWY THIRD. It’s Immersive theatre adapted from classic literature at it’s scariest.

• Now through Monday, October 31 – Creep Los Angeles, Cypress Park – Creep LA is a fully immersive, multi-sensory experience where groups of eight are invited to explore hidden scenes, intimate ecnounters, and frightful situations. The story goes: In the 1970s, a controversial artist named Erebus Burwyck set out to explore the dark side of humanity and express it through his art, in the process unlocking something much deeper and more terrifying than he ever could have imagined. In 1974, Erebus disappeared from public view, spawning a cult-like following in his absence… a following intent on spreading his legacy and sharing what he found in the dark. This Fall, CreepLA invites guests “to enter the mind of this tormented artist. Get lost inside a world of twisted art and intimate terror, and uncover the darkness that CREEPs within us all.”

• Saturday, October 15 – Halloween & Mourning Movie Night, Heritage Square Museum – Gates open at 5:30pm and guests are invited to bring a picnic, blankets, chairs, and candy to enjoy the classic scary movie, Creature from the Black Lagoon, at Heritage Square. It’s free for Museum members and $10 for the general public. Oh, and it’s in 3-D of course so glasses will be provided. Halloween & Mourning is a great reason to visit Heritage Square Museum, which has reduced its open hours in recent years.

• Saturday, October 15 – Death Becomes Her, Hollywood Forever Cemetery – Cinespia will also be screening A Nightmare on Elm Street on October 22, but I recommend Robert Zemeckis’s hilarious dark comedy Death Becomes Her starring Meryl Streep, Goldie Hawn, and Bruce Willis. I also was a music editor on the film so I have the fondest memories of working on it. Join Cinespia for this special Halloween season screening, dress up for their famous themed photobooth, and bring a picnic with beer and wine for a night beneath the stars.

• Friday, October 21 – Beware the Dark Realm: a FREE Haunted House, Santa Clarita – Beware the Dark Realm is a FREE non profit Halloween Haunt to help raise funds/food for the local Santa Clarita Food Pantry. Beware The Dark Realm originated in 2013, however the haunt owners have been building home and professional haunts since 1971. Beware the Dark Realm haunted house is a high intensity walk-through attraction filled with terrifying live monsters, amazing special effects, and incredible sets, making this one of the premiere home haunts in California. Dates are Friday October 21st, Saturday October 22nd, Friday October 28th, and Saturday October 29th. Hours: 7:00pm-10:00pm

• Friday, October 21 – Blue Collar Working Dog Halloween Pack Walk, Echo Park Lake – Come celebrate Halloween with your dog with us!  We’ll be giving away goodie bags, raffles, holding dog costume contests, letting dogs rip apart a pinata filled with dog treats, and serving snacks and drinks for humans. Afterwards, we’ll form one pack of costumed dogs and parade them around Echo Park Lake!  Don’t miss out!

• Tueday, October 25 through Sunday, October 30 – Rooftop Film Club Halloween Screenings, The Montalban Hotel – One of the best outdoor film screening series in town, Rooftop Film Club is offering a diverse group of horror films the final week of October on the gorgeous Montalban rooftop in Hollywood. They’ll kick things off with this year’s remake of Ghostbusters on Tuesday, October 25, followed by Brian de Palma’s classic adaptation of Stephen King’s Carrie on Wednesday. On Thursday night, view the late Wes Craven’s comedic and scary ’90s slasher Scream. Friday night will certainly draw crowds with Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. Saturday will present the ’90s kids cult classic Hocus Pocus starring Bette Midler, with the grand finale happening on Sunday, October 30 with Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice. Shows begin nightly at 8pm.

• Friday, October 28 & Saturday October 29 – Horror Made Here: Halloween Twilight Tour and Screening, Warner Brothers Studios – Another backlot tour, this time at Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank and for only two nights, so I’d suggest reserving your tickets now. This limited engagement will offer guests the opportunity to enjoy a Halloween-themed movie screening and a special twilight tour of the studio lot. Guests will visit classic set locations and hear insider tales of the most iconic horror films shot on the Warner Bros. Studio lot. See the exterior sets and stages where scenes from iconic films such as The Exorcist, The Lost Boys, Gremlins, House of Wax, HBO’s True Blood, Monster Squad, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? and many more were filmed.  After the twilight- tour guests will watch a special screening of the supernatural horror film The Conjuring (on Friday) and The Conjuring 2 (on Saturday). Guests can get up close to props and costumes from some of studio’s best-known horror films at our immersive Stage 48 attraction. A spooky photo opportunity adds the final touch to the Horror Made Here experience, inviting guests to take the ultimate “head shot.” The final effect, achieved by a mirror illusion, reveals a photo of guests with their head on a platter providing guests with a fun memento of their visit.

• Monday, October 31 – Horror in the Hall: Halloween Organ with The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Walt Disney Concert Hall – Organ virtuoso Clark Wilson will improvise an appropriately atmospheric sound track on Walt Disney Concert Hall’s magnificent pipe organ for this groundbreaking 1920 silent film, one of the earliest, most influential and artistically acclaimed films in the German Expressionist genre, directed by Robert Wiene.

• Friday, October 28 – Sunday, October 30 – Danny Elfman: Halloween at the Hollywood Bowl: Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, Hollywood Bowl – Back by popular demand, Danny Elfman and Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas return to the Hollywood Bowl this year. Danny Elfman (Jack Skellington), Catherine O’Hara (Sally), Ken Page (Oogie Boogie) and Paul Reubens (Lock) will return to sing live with an orchestra on stage as their respective characters, while everyone’s favorite Halloween classic plays on a massive screen behind them. Get there early because before the show there will be several spooky activities including a costume contest, unique photo opportunities, and trick-or-treating stations. It’s sure to be a nightmare to remember.

Happy Halloween!

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