Los Angeles Haunted Hayride

[Freak]

Since I have not been there since 2014, decided to give this another go. Here are my thoughts:

Hayride: Though the scenes are different, it overall feels kinda the same. I even remembered a couple of scenes they reused. I got one really good jumpscare, but it just wasn't scary or interesting. Just meh.

Overall: D+

Trick-or-Treat: The line for this moved really slow. They would let in like three groups of VIP guests and only one group from GA. Going through, it's not great. You knock on the door and get a "trick" or a "treat". Kinda bland. Not worth the wait.

Overall: D

The In-Between: This is literally a maze. You get lost in here. I remembered getting a solid runthrough on this a while back even though it is a bare, black wall maze. This time, they added a couple of rooms with bare scenic to add to it. While a dark maze you can get lost in sounds cool, they had the bright idea to have blinding, flashing strobe lights the entire time. It was cool for like, ten seconds, then it got to the point of hurting my eyes. It was awful. I was so distracted by the strobes, I wasn't even scared of anything. It just sucked. Basically an HHN house with seizures and dead ends.

Overall: F

Before leaving, I decided to ride the merry-go-round. It didn't go backwards like it used to (Boooo!!!!), but that's not the worst part. It was literally falling apart. They told us before going on to spread out or the whole ride would tip over. When we got on, the whole thing shook than Murdy in front of a black wall just taking one step on there! This was like a Chinese bootleg ride you would see on those TPR videos. It felt like it was going to collapse. It's probably time to fix it or wreck it.

Overall, I forgot why I haven't been in several years. It sucks. I was hoping they would improve for their ten year anniversary, but it's still total crap. I had a better time at Warner Bros and that was from not being able to do everything! At least that place had a carnival ride that wasn't going to fall apart or tilt like crazy while riding!

Just don't do it. DON'T.

 

[Horror Lover]

Thirteenth Floor to Unveil Re-Imagined LA Haunted Hayride at Midsummer Scream Under Creative Direction of Jon Cooke – Theme Park Duo Apparently L.A. Haunted Hayride is gonna be under new management and creative direction this year..

 

[Freak]

Thirteenth Floor to Unveil Re-Imagined LA Haunted Hayride at Midsummer Scream Under Creative Direction of Jon Cooke – Theme Park Duo Apparently L.A. Haunted Hayride is gonna be under new management and creative direction this year..

Dang it. Now there’s another haunt I gotta check out this year.

 

[HORRORable Commenter]

Cooke is exactly what the event needs. It felt really stale in 2017, and only a little better in 2018.

 

[HHNManics]

Griffith Park's Haunted Hayride is going totally '80s to compete with theme park scares - Los Angeles Times
This sounds great.

 

[Freak]

“No more, says Jon Cooke, creative director of this year’s Haunted Hayride, can you ‘get away with some black walls and [ultraviolet] paint.’”

OOOOOOOOOHHHHH SNNAAAAAAAAAPPP

 

[HHNManics]

LOS ANGELES HAUNTED HAYRIDE GETS MAJOR REVAMP FOR 2019 SEASON KICKING OFF SEPTEMBER 28th - PARKS AND CONS
Here is also the details on the attractions.

 

[deadbydawn]

The event is fantastic this year. The Midnight Falls theme is great. We loved the character interactions. The three maze offerings were very fun and of course the hayride itself is campy and makes you forget that you are in Griffith Park.

If you're thinking about going this year, I suggest it!

 

[HORRORable Commenter]

My review of the event (went opening night)

Hayride - C+
The hayride’s scenes are fantastic, but it feels empty for quite a bit of it. Whether it’s the lack of scares, actors, or set pieces, I don’t know, but it really dampens my experience

Midnight Mortuary - B
The underdog maze, this was really well done. Scares were lacking, and budget was obviously low, but the environments felt immersive and pretty strong

trick or Treat - C
Worse than last year, and lack of door knocking made the maze feel really boring. Did enjoy the idea, but execution was lacking

Roadkill Ranch - Why

 

[deadbydawn]

My review of the event (went opening night)

Hayride - C+
The hayride’s scenes are fantastic, but it feels empty for quite a bit of it. Whether it’s the lack of scares, actors, or set pieces, I don’t know, but it really dampens my experience

Midnight Mortuary - B
The underdog maze, this was really well done. Scares were lacking, and budget was obviously low, but the environments felt immersive and pretty strong

trick or Treat - C
Worse than last year, and lack of door knocking made the maze feel really boring. Did enjoy the idea, but execution was lacking

Roadkill Ranch - Why

I had heard that opening night was a little hectic. When I was there last week, we rang every doorbell at Trick or Treat. I didn't go last year so I can't compare it, but I loved the concept of that one.