Well it’s that wonderful time of the year! The time when spiders build extra sticky webs everywhere and ghosts emerge from the dark corners and shadows on the streets. Spooky season has arrived and what better way to start it off than to attend an annual Haunted Hayride! Check out the scenes and attractions from our visit to this year’s hayride in Los Angeles.
I’m still getting over my allergies after last night’s visit to the 2023 Los Angeles Haunted Hayride but gotta say it was totally worth it! The annual hayride which began in 2009 has really grown into an awesome event. The Halloween decor throughout is right up there with more expensive theme parks and although there are not as many attractions, the ones they do have are very fun and scary! Everywhere you look are giant skeletons, creepy creatures and amazing lighting to give the entire area a fantastic Halloween and spooky ambiance.
The Town of Midnight Falls
I love the intro from the Haunted Hayride’s website so I’ll paste it here so you can read the backstory to get you in the spooky mood. “Within the foothills of Midnight Falls, the leaves turn brown and the veil between the living and the dead is at its thinnest. The Witch of the Woods has cast her spell to summon the spirits of the underworld to cross over and assimilate into form. The Hayride leads to a thrilling adventure of horrors afflicting the town. Dazed within the spell cast upon them, the Witch commands her army of crops and flesh to seek revenge on the people that have casted her out. The Spirit of Halloween comes to life surrounding helpless victims brave enough to board The Hayride.
The Town Square of Midnight Falls is the epicenter of the festivities. While guests walk around between attractions or hang out to soak in the atmosFEAR various townsfolk from the Midnight Falls community roam the space interacting with guests and attending to their local business.”
The Haunted Hayride has a variety of attractions each year. This year they had 3 walkthrough mazes: 1) Midnight Mortuary, 2) Trick or Treat and 3) Hellbilly Halloween. All of them were super fun with really good special effects and enthusiastic monsters hiding throughout the maze. We laughed as everyone in our group fell victim more than once to a surprising jump scare! As I walked through I really was in awe of how professional the mazes were and how much attention to detail the creators had.
Carnival Sweets & Spooky Sounds
After getting plenty scared in the mazes we took a break and indulged in tasty sweet carnival treats. Burgers, pizza, and corndogs is what we started with. I couldn’t decide between the fried twinkie or the funnel cake so I bought a bag of old fashioned kettle corn instead. Delicious! After washing it down with a big cup of fresh lemonade it was time to see what else the hayride had to offer.
On stage was a motley crew of ghouls that called themselves The Monte Revolta Show. Dressed as the “undead” this group of musicians belted out classic rock hits and spooky music to a crowd of enthusiastic onlookers. The musical comedy show was a macabre theater experience for sure.
Scares In The Haunted Hayride
Of course the main attraction is the actual hayride. After we were seated on a long-bed trailer filled with hay, the tractor pulled us through a spooky forest teeming with horrifically fun scenes, roaming monsters and quite a few excellent jump scares. I won’t reveal the final effect but it was so awesome and totally caught me off guard that I literally jumped off the hay onto the floor in fear and complete surprise. That scare by itself was totally worth the price of admission.
Hope you enjoy a haunted attraction or event in your area too! There is nothing better than finding a way to get that Halloween and October vibe going early on to start your month of fun. If you’re interested, here is the link to Los Angeles Haunted Hayride so you too can test your bravery and enjoy the Halloween excitement.
