REVIEW: HAUNTED HAYRIDE
October 15, 2019
REVIEW: HAUNTED HAYRIDE
For eleven years, the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride has been transforming Griffith Park’s abandoned zoo into a spooky carnival with photo ops, mazes, and a twisted hayride experience. Throughout the years the hayride has had its ups and downs. Founder Melissa Carbone appeared on the television show, Shark Tank, and won a large investment for the ill-fated New York expansion (rumor has it that they endlessly cut corners resulting in a large amount of equipment stolen due to lack of security). And once again she has shown her desire to capitalize by selling her company to Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group while remaining on board as the event’s producer.
The shaky opening night of this year’s Haunted Hayride has been widely discussed. Stories included that tickets were oversold, thereby creating very long line wait times. We also heard that there wasn’t enough parking along with a general lack of organization and unprecedented request for refunds (which so far no one has received). We were morbidly curious and visited this weekend to fact-check this whirlwind of rumors.
To begin with, when we arrived at the parking lot it was full with a line leading down Crystal Springs Drive. The delicious, Halloween themed (pumpkin fritters!) vegan food truck is gone and has now been replaced with corporate food trucks like Auntie Anne’s Pretzels. Upon entering the event area, we had to go through metal detectors. This was very frustrating because the understaffed security did not manage the line well and hundreds of people were confused about where to go once the gates opened. This environment was very stressful for families as some had waited for almost an hour to get in. Adding to the stress, security was yelling conflicting and inconsistent instructions to attendees resulting in most people having to go through the (newly added) metal detectors multiple times and therefore delaying the line even more.
On the positive side, the layout of the event has greatly improved. The maze exteriors, lighting, and even fog were all presented in a more immersive manner. This is not surprising since Haunted Hayride made one good decision this season by hiring Plague Productions to be creative directors. A company known for the amazing “Intrepid” at Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor and “The Depths” at Knott’s Scary Farm, Plague Productions has imprinted itself on the Haunted Hayride by creating “Midnight Falls”, which has replaced the carnival feel of previous years with a cohesive, 1980’s horror theme.
For years the hayride itself has ironically been one of the worst parts of this event. Though the line for the hayride was sadly disrupted this year by an unnecessary photo booth, we greatly enjoyed the hayride more than we have in previous years. The experience took us through a cohesive narrative, complete with beautiful sets and unhinged characters. In two separate instances we had characters dive into our cart - creating an element of chaos and disruption which made the ride that much more enjoyable. Upon exiting the hayride, we walked through a black light cemetery while Misfits songs played in the background.
Per tradition, the mazes surpassed the hayride. Surrounding the consistently broken Scary-Go-Round were three mazes: the classic Trick-or-Treat maze and the new additions of Midnight Mortuary haunted house and Roadkill Ranch open-air maze (which replaced the terrible House of Shadows). These mazes were enjoyable and paired well with our favorite part of the park: the original Trick-or-Treat maze in which you go trick-or-treating to different monster’s doorsteps.
While we greatly applaud the creative direction of Plague Productions, the extreme lack of organization made this event difficult to enjoy. The corporate ads that are now scattered throughout the park are disruptive and a (bad) omen of things to come. The LA Haunted Hayride is a mixed bag of emotions for us and a reminder that corporate profiteering should not come at the expense of what Halloween is truly about: fun, artistry, and community building.
VC
October 15, 2019
Hauntsofla.com
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