Wondering what to do Halloween weekend? This year we are fortunate to have more Halloween attractions than ever before in the area. Below is a summary of all your major options (click the names to go to the website):
Easily the most impressive haunted attraction that I have every been to in the Bay Area. It is the only haunt in a location that is creepy in and of itself. Not only does the maze wrap around the world famous Winchester Mystery House, but it incorporates a real pet cemetery as well as various authentic buildings on the property. The props seem like they are straight out of a Hollywood movie and the scares are impressive and unpredictable. The finale in the seance room will blow you away! It may be worth getting the VIP pass because you'll want to do this one more than once. The cost is $20 per person ($30 per person for VIP with multiple entries).
World's Largest Haunted House - San Jose
A massive haunted maze that is actually 2 haunts back to back. The first one is a little bit tame but has great ambiance. The second seems to go on forever and is downright terrifying. Everything is pitch black in the second maze, which gives the staged scenes a lot of extra pop. The cost is $20 per person for both mazes.
Pirates of Emerson - Pleasanton
Halloween Haunt @ California's Great America - Santa Clara
The largest Halloween event in Northern California by a mile. This is the fourth annual Halloween Haunt and maybe the last given the sale of the theme park. There are 6 haunted mazes (only one is new) a single haunted ride, 3 scare zones (one less than last year), and various shows. Most rides worth going on are still open and the roller coasters are being run with all the lights turned off. I hate to say it but this was a huge disappointment this year. Even on opening weekend it was completely packed, they were not spacing out entrances properly so none of the attractions were able to provide good scares, and they really didn't even try to make it bigger or better than last year. The cost is between $25-40 per person.
Swank Farms - Hollister
I didn't do this one this year, but I heard it was great. Instead of doing 2 haunts they have one very large maze (seems to be becoming a trend). The haunt should take 15+ min and incorporates part of their cornfield maze. The cost is $25 per person.
The Scotts Valley High Haunted House - Scotts Valley
A high school production may seem out of place on this list, but I assure you that this one is 100% worthwhile. As opposed to your typical maze where you have people randomly popping out at you, each year there is a unique story with hundreds of actors, making you truly feel like you're immersed in a horror movie. You can also forget the saying "don't touch the actors and they won't touch you." Past events have included surprises like receiving fake shots, being completely separated from your party, and even wet hands touching the back of your neck while you are in pitch darkness. Insanely scary and much more interactive than any of the major venues. Plus the money connected is donated to charity. One caveat, due to how awesome this haunt is there may be a 2-3 hour wait. At least you'll have the high school dance team dressed up as zombies entertaining you while you wait (and performing Thriller in its entirety every 15min). The cost is ~$10 per person. Oct 27-29 only, starting at 7pm. 555 Glenwood Dr., Scotts Valley.
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