Summer is winding down, which means it’s time to start thinking about one of the best holidays of the year: Halloween! Costumes are being planned, trick-or-treating routes are being mapped out, and people all over Los Angeles will be on the hunt for a spooky house to visit once October hits. L.A. is home to some of the scariest haunted houses around, and each year they take the frights to new heights.
The attractions we’ve included on our list of the 10 best haunted houses in L.A. run the gamut from spooky to truly terrifying. Many of the homes belong to private citizens who do this for their love of Halloween, while others are full-on professional productions. From props to animatronic robots and even actors in makeup and costumes, every house on our list leaves no stone unturned when trying to make theirs the scariest spot in the city for Halloween.
Several of the attractions even offer lights-on and daytime tours for younger kids. A visit to one of them would make for a fun after-school activity with the babysitter or nanny. So plan to visit one or all of these hair-raising haunted houses this October… if you dare!
Rotten Apple 907
Address: 907 N. California St., Burbank, CA 91505
Email: rottenapple907@gmail.com
Dates & Times: Oct. 21, 22, 28, 29, & 31, 7 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Admission: Free, but donations welcome
Rotten Apple 907 started out as a child’s birthday party and has grown over the years into a must-see haunted attraction in L.A. The Meyer family transforms their home into a frightening attraction with the help of volunteers. Each year has a different theme. This year, the house will turn into “The Portal,” and the family is committed to making it even scarier than in years past!
Rotten Apple 907 is a nonprofit event and open to all, but they gladly accept donations for their charity of choice. Previous charities include Volunteers of Burbank Animal Shelter and Burbank Temporary Aid Center. One hundred percent of collected donations go to charity, so you can feel good about giving back while getting your scare on. This haunted house relies more on surprise and suspense than gore but is probably best suited for ages 10 and up.
Halloween Haunted House Tour at the Grier Musser Museum
Address: 403 S. Bonnie Brae St., Los Angeles, CA 90057
Phone: 213-413-1814 (Call for reservations)
Dates & Times: Oct. 29, 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. | Guided tours start at 1 p.m. & 2:30 p.m.
Admission: Adults, $12 | Kids, $6
If you’re looking for the creep factor of a haunted house without ghouls jumping out at you, the Halloween Haunted House Tour at the Grier Musser Museum is right up your alley. Located in a beautifully restored Victorian mansion, the museum holds monthly holiday exhibits. For Halloween, they display old memorabilia, decorations, and educational artifacts that celebrate the spooky holiday. This is a great option for younger kids who might not be ready for a real haunted house tour just yet! There are two guided tours, and refreshments are provided.
Los Angeles Haunted Hayride
Address: 4730 Crystal Springs Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027 (At the Old Zoo in Griffith Park)
Phone: 310-993-8289
Dates & Times: Fridays & Saturdays through October starting Sept. 29, 7 p.m. – midnight | Sundays through October starting Oct. 8, 7 p.m. – 10:30 p.m. | Select weeknights in October also available, check calendar for details.
Admission: Admission to all attractions, $39 | Hayride, $30 | VIP tickets & packages available. | Purchase tickets here.
One of L.A.’s premier terror attractions is back at it again this year with even more bone-chilling “scare zones” than before. The Haunted Hayride is held at the Old Zoo in Griffith Park, with four attractions to thrill and make you scream. This year, you’ll visit “Purgatory” at the haunted village, trick or treat in the suburbs of hell, get lost in a maze of darkness in the House of Shadows, and, of course, take a creepy hayride through the haunted woods around the Old Zoo. Each zone has its own freaky inhabitants, whose sole purpose is to scare you, so beware! This haunted attraction isn’t recommended for kids under 10 and is probably best suited for teens.
The Haunted Shack
Address: 5112 Maricopa St., Torrance, CA 90503
Email: info@thehauntedshack.com
Dates & Times: Oct. 28 & 31, 7 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Admission: Free, but donations welcome
The Haunted Shack is back for its 20th year of terrorizing L.A.! The owners of this small home in Torrance transform their driveway into a haunted maze every year, and people flock from all over to walk (or run!) through it. This attraction is full of custom-built props and special effects, and they rely more on ominous startles than gore or monsters. It’s a great option for younger kids, but it isn’t recommended for children under 6. The homeowners don’t charge visitors, but they do collect donations, which they give every year to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
Reign of Terror
Address: 197 N. Moorpark Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360
Phone: 805-492-1864
Dates & Times:
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Saturday, Sept. 30, 7 p.m. – 11 p.m.
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Every Friday (7 p.m. – 10 p.m.) & Saturday (7 p.m. – 11 p.m.) in October
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Sunday, Oct. 22 & 29, 7 p.m. – 10 p.m.
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Monday & Tuesday, Oct. 30 & 31, 7 p.m. – 10 p.m.
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Lights-on tours given on Saturday, Oct. 21 & 28, 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Admission: Regular admission, starting at $15 | VIP admission, starting at $25 | Tickets can be purchased here or at the box office. | Lights-on tours, $5 (must be purchased at box office on day of visit)
At more than 23,000 square feet, Reign of Terror is Southern California’s largest indoor haunted house. There are 100 rooms and eight attractions, each more spine-tingling than the last. As you exit one attraction, you immediately enter another, so there’s no time to regroup! This year’s rooms include “The Haunted House,” “The Asylum,” and “Fun House.” Reign of Terror is an intense horror experience, so it is not advisable to take young children through the mazes. However, for kids or the faint of heart, they do offer lights-on tours, which take you through the mazes with the lights on and no monsters or special effects.
The Backwoods Maze
Address: 1912 N. Pepper St., Burbank, CA 91505
Contact: Facebook Messenger
Dates & Times: Friday – Sunday in October beginning Oct. 13 + Halloween night, 7 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Admission: Free, but donations welcome
The Backwoods Maze isn’t so much a haunted house as it is a race through a terrifying maze of monsters and thrills. The private home has been scaring the pants off L.A. residents since 2003, and this year the owners are inviting everyone into their nuclear apocalypse wasteland. The setup is so convincing, you’ll feel like you’re trapped in some horrifying maze in the middle of nowhere. Lots of volunteers dress up and hide, ready to jump out from around every corner. Kids of all ages have braved the maze, so if you feel like your kids can handle the jump-out scares and scary set pieces, give this one a try! It won’t cost you anything to take a stroll through the maze, but donations help keep the Backwoods Maze coming back year after year.
Boney Island
Address: 4602 Morse Ave., Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
Phone: 818-621-6254
Dates & Times: (Oct. 21 – 31) Sunday – Thursday, 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. | Friday & Saturday, 6 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Admission: Free
Grab the whole family and join your host, Mr. Seymour Bones, for one of the best haunted houses in L.A. Boney Island is a fully animated Halloween destination, hosted every year at a private residence in Sherman Oaks. It’s full of kid-friendly frights and tons of fun for even the littles Halloween lovers, making this the best choice for families. Magical light shows, singing pumpkins, and even a dancing waterfall will have your kids shrieking in delight. Boney Island is incredibly popular, so plan ahead and be prepared to wait in line. The haunt is free, but they do have an optional treehouse attraction that costs $10, and baked goods are available for purchase.
Beware the Dark Realm
Address: 28621 Sugar Pine Way, Santa Clarita, CA 91390
Phone: 661-904-4766
Dates & Times: Oct. 14, 20, 21, 27, & 28, 7 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Admission: Free, but donations welcome
Beware the Dark Realm came onto the haunted house scene in 2013, but the owners have been designing and building home and professional haunt attractions for more than 45 years. Their house in Santa Clarita has a medieval castle theme, with a dark underworld feel. They create their scary magic with the use of actors who portray monsters, special effects, and realistic set pieces. It’s high intensity and big on the scares, so while there is no age limit, this haunted house might be better suited for ages 10 and up. Admission is free, and donations collected benefit the Santa Clarita Valley Domestic Violence Center.
Mistress Yvonne’s Annual Haunted House
Address: 19206 Bergamont Drive, Riverside, CA 92508
Phone: 951-347-0792
Dates & Times: Oct. 27 – 29 & 31, from dusk ‘til 10 p.m.
Admission: Free, but donations welcome
Mistress Yvonne is in her 15th year of frightening visitors to her home in Riverside, and this year she’s ramped up the terror! This free haunted house has ghouls and monsters hiding in every corner just waiting for unsuspecting bystanders to frighten. There will be rooms like the Morgue, Vampire Bar, Death Diner, and even a Zombie Walk. It’s definitely scary, so if you have younger kids, you’ll want to take advantage of the special modified tours they offer early every night. It’s absolutely worth the quick drive out to Riverside to experience the spooktacular setup at Mistress Yvonne’s house!
The Haunted Rose Haunt
Address: 12116 Groveland Ave., Whittier, CA 90604
Contact: Facebook Messenger
Dates & Times: Oct. 28, 29, & 31, 7 p.m. – 11 p.m.
Admission: Free, but donations welcome
For fans of horror fiction and real-life terror, the Haunted Rose is the best of both worlds. Inspired by the literary works of H.P. Lovecraft, an American author of horror fiction, this haunted house is a continuation of sorts of his creepy tales. The house transforms into a seaport village called Innsmouth, home of Dr. Macabro, a mortician whose sinister experiments with the dead have very evil consequences. The details that go into the sets and décor will transport you to a foggy seaside town where terrible things happen in the dark of night. This haunt isn’t for young kids or the faint of heart, but older kids will love the dreary and macabre world of Dr. Macabro.
