Editor’s Note: The North Coast Journal’s editorial staff would like to thank haunted house enthusiast Amber Saba for touring and scoring the local scare scene so we could cower in the safety of our newsroom. Below are her findings.
Griffin Loch’s Scream-a-torium at the Scaregrounds
Humboldt County Fairgrounds
Thursday, Oct. 30, and
Friday, Oct. 31, from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m.
$12-$40
screamatoriumhaunt.com
This is exactly what you expect from a haunted house adventure. Roaming haunters, spooky boutiques, fun food and beverages. And, of course, there are three haunted mazes to experience, each playing on your deepest fears. One house has dark and extremely narrow halls to bring out even your tiniest sense of claustrophobia. Another taps into your fear of loud chainsaws, dark and creepy barns, and demented killers chasing you. If that’s not scary to you, there is the psychedelic haunted maze with trippy acid swirls, lights and jump scares to make you question reality.
Good for teens and older.
Scale of 1 to 5 skulls
Theming: 5
Jump scares, sounds: 5
Actors, immersion, believability: 5
Overall experience: 5
Hall of Horrors: A Ritual of Fear, a Rite of Passage
Eureka Veterans Memorial Hall,
1018 H St., Eureka
Friday, Oct. 31, from 7 to 10:30 p.m.
$35
darkcouncilproductions.com
Your journey starts with instructions to head down to the basement! Spooky actors open a set of doors to a dark room, then swiftly close the doors behind you. This is where you will experience a theatrical and surreal haunted maze. Don’t let the beautiful scenes fool you — there are plenty of optical illusions, creepy haunts and jump scares to make you want to escape this basement. This haunted experience was complemented by local artisans and vendors, food trucks and stage performances.
Good for most ages.
Theming: 3
Jump scares, sounds: 4
Actors, immersion, believability: 4
Overall experience: 3.5
Haunted Kinetic Lab of Horrors
Thursday, Oct. 30, and Friday,
Oct. 31, from 7 p.m. to midnight
$15 (cash only)
kineticsculpturelab.com
Get there early because this haunted classic has lines around the block. But fear not, there is a live DJ at the ready to “lift your spirits” while you wait. This haunted maze is a guided tour that takes groups of people at a time through the experience, so if you get scared easily, you can hide in the middle of the pack. This maze uses more creative, kooky, artistic, gross and bizarre imagery than typical haunts. There is some nice comic relief from the guides and ultra-punny themes throughout. A haunt like no other!
Theming: 4
Jump scares, sounds: 4
Actors, immersion, believability: 4
Overall experience: 4
Amber Saba (she/her) is a Halloween queen and co-owner of Slice of Humboldt Pie.
This article appears in Halloween.