By Selvin Ramirez
For The Signal
Halloween has descended upon the Santa Clarita Valley — and there is something for everyone, from family-friendly community events to numerous scary haunted walk-throughs. Here is a sampling of what you can expect to see this spooky season.
Castaic Lake Halloween Haunt
Castaic Lake is hosting its annual haunted hike from Oct. 27 to 29. Come to the circus of mayhem and literally crawl, crouch and interact with clowns. This immersive experience challenges even the bravest as obstacles include blood, slime, gore cannons, slides and real balls of fire. Tickets can be purchased at castaiclake.com/halloweenhaunt.
A spooktacular kids festival will also be held at Castaic Lake on Saturday, Oct. 28, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. There will be trick or treating, a mini maze, costume contest, inflatables, face painting and games.
Halloween Movies
The city of Santa Clarita will be showing “Hocus Pocus” as part of the City Cinemas in the Park on Friday, Oct. 27, at 7:30 p.m. Bring your own chairs and blankets, and food will be available for purchase from food trucks.
Tapped Out Gaming, at 28410 Avenue Stanford, in the Valencia Industrial Center, will be hosting a horror movie marathon on Oct. 28 and Oct. 29. Bring your favorite games to play and enjoy some scary movies. Movies shown will be R-rated due to blood, language, gore and more.
Haunted Hallway at Valencia High School
Valencia High School is hosting its inaugural Haunted Hallway event on Tuesday, Oct. 24, from 6 to 8 p.m. The event is open to the community, and it will feature live scare actors, food trucks and games. Admission is free, but donations will be accepted to go toward breast cancer research.
Halloween at the Library
All three branches of the city of Santa Clarita Public Library will be hosting various Halloween-inspired activities that include crafts, scavenger hunts, taxidermy demonstration and costume parades. Those wanting to see the full calendar of library events can visit santaclarita.librarycalendar.com/events/month.
Community Center Halloween Events
The Newhall Community Center is hosting its 24th annual Halloween Fiesta on Friday, Oct. 27, from 6 to 8 p.m. It will feature a children’s costume contest, trick or treating, a haunted house, mini golf, carnival games and fun for the whole family. For more information, contact Yolanda Ledezma, Newhall Community Center Supervisor, at 661-286-4006.
The Canyon Country Community Center is hosting its second annual Halloween event on Saturday, Oct. 28, from 3 to 5 p.m. This event will provide the community with the opportunity to honor, celebrate and learn about Día de Muertos and to see an altar with ofrendas to honor family members who have passed. There will be live mariachi, trick or treating, tote decorating, Halloween ceramic crafts, scratching spooky art, face painting and the popular youth sports “Zombie Run.” For more information, contact Julie Calderon, Community Services Supervisor, at 661-290-2266.
Dangling Carrot’s Grisly Garden
Immerse yourself in a world where everything goes wrong. This haunted house attraction will give you fright, mystery, confusion and gore. Designed by experts from the film industry, you will see state-of-the-art sound, lighting, scenery and special effects. Dangling Carrot’s Grisly Garden is open Wednesday to Sunday nights and Halloween night from to 11 p.m. Tickets are available at danglingcarrotcreative.com. Proceeds benefit film and TV industry professionals who have been out of work due to the actors’ and writers’ strikes.
Sebi’s Spooktacular Haunted Hill (Holidays on the Glen)
Benefiting Project Sebastian, a foundation that provides support for those battling rare diseases, Sebi’s Spooktacular Haunted Hill is a Halloween haunt that features animatronics, special effects, scare actors and magicians from the Magic Castle. Those wishing to visit at 27747 Sequoia Glen Drive can see it Oct. 27 to 31 from dusk until 10 p.m.
Bar Harbor Scares
Alan Baxter set out to create a haunted house that is suitable for elementary-age kids. This family-friendly display features an array of lighting, sound and fog effects. You’ll have to walk past a cemetery where a scarecrow is on guard. When you make it to the end, watch out for the spiders and ghoul.
“This is something I started with my daughter who is now 8 years old,” said Baxter. “This year she told me to make it scarier and have stuff pop out at you. However, it’s still a fun scare that families can enjoy.”
Those wishing to see the display at 23935 Bar Harbor Court can see it during the weekends and Halloween night from 7 to 9 p.m.
Halloween Light Show
Known for their Christmas light show display, the Thomas and Cody house is incorporating Halloween for the first time this year. The show consists of 22,000 lights synchronized to your favorite Halloween songs. Visitors can tune to 99.7 FM to hear the accompanying show music. Those wishing to see the show at 25851 Royal Oaks Road can see it every night until Nov. 1 from 7 to 9:30 p.m.
Nightmare on Linda Vista Street
See the expansive display of lights and animatronics that features ghouls from your worst nightmares. Visit on Halloween night to go through three free mazes. Those wishing to see the display at 28343 Linda Vista St. can see it every night from 7 to 10:30 p.m.
Witch City
For the third year in a row, Witch City is back and spookier than ever. Witch City features over 13 custom witches and lots of animatronics and spooky props, according to the website. This display is suitable for kids of all ages and includes a “free child care” if you dare. Those wishing to see the display at 25420 Vía Jardin can see it every night from 7 to 11 p.m.
Pumpkin Hallow Haunt
Pumpkin Hallow is a graveyard full of fun gravestones, ghosts, skeletons and of course pumpkins. You’ll even encounter Christine, who has awoken from the grave.
Those wishing to see the display at 22702 Pear Court can see it every night from to 10 p.m.
To see a list of other haunts that are happening throughout Southern California, visit socalhauntlist.com.
To see a larger list of local SCV haunts, click here.
