Los Angeles provides haunted attractions


With Halloween around the corner, the best way to get festive is to get scared. Though theaters are chock-full of horror films, another surefire strategy to find thrills is to go to haunted houses. Sprawled across Los Angeles, haunted experiences range from big-budget theme park attractions to historical sites. Before the spirit diminishes and it becomes Thanksgiving season, go to these attractions for a range of frightening experiences offered in the city.

Halloween Horror Nights

The Walking Dead has one of the most devoted fandoms, and Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights allows the show’s enthusiasts to experience a zombie takeover. Thrill seekers can attempt to escape from the walkers or they can check out the other themed sites. This year, Crimson Peak, dark fantasy director Guillermo del Toro’s latest film, also makes an appearance at the park in the form of a maze. On top of that, guests can also journey through the demonic world of Insidious or try to outrun Halloween’s Michael Myers. Ultimately, with this many choices, the approximately $75 ticket price is worth it.

Ward 13

Now, fans of the horror genre can combine their passion with giving back to the community. Patrons of South Pasadena’s Ward 13, otherwise known Raymond Hill Sanitarium, can take a 15-minute tour of the site and view the harrowing experiments that supposedly once took place there. In reality, Ward 13 is just an old school building, and all proceeds go to South Pasadena Educational Foundation.

Dark Harbor

This haunted attraction, trapped by the confines of the Long Beach waters, takes place on a huge ship, the Queen Mary. When the Queen Mary was built in the the 1930s, it was a sight of opulence. At one point, the ship was the premier luxury cruise liner, carrying celebrities such as Clark Gable and Bob Hope. Though the surge of airplanes caused the Queen Mary to shut down, legends still haunt it. Over the years, there have been 49 reported deaths and hundreds of reports on its paranormal activity. Now open for events and tours only, the chilling backstory adds to the experience, complete with mazes and monsters. Time Out Los Angeles advises people to get to the boat before 8 p.m., when guests can enjoy a $20 happy hour discount.

Stay on Main (Formerly Cecil Hotel)

Right at the heart of downtown Los Angeles lies the inspiration behind one of the scariest television shows, American Horror Story: Hotel. Stay on Main, formerly known as the Cecil Hotel, has been a host to many scary instances in the past. Over the nearly 100 years the hotel has occupied Main Street, two serial killers have made the building their main residence. Additionally, murdered guests have been reported to lurk the hallways. The hotel isn’t open to the public, but Esotouric’s “Hotel Horrors & Main Street Vice” offers tours to those curious of the city’s dark past.