Get an Early Start to Halloween in LA

If there’s one thing that can be said about Los Angeles, it’s that this city loves Halloween. There is no shortage of events to take locals and visitors through the weeks leading up to the fall holiday, from family-friendly trick-or-treating to terrifying haunts for teens and adults. In between, there are horror movie screenings, themed garden strolls, spirited cocktails and spooky puppets.

The party has already started, so get your tickets as soon as possible, since many events will sell out.

Guests will need to silence their screams when they enter the post-apocalyptic world of Paramount’s blockbuster A Quiet Place movies in an all-new chilling haunted house at Halloween Horror Nights, opening at Universal Studios Hollywood on Thursday, September 5 and running on select nights through Sunday, November 3. For the first time ever, HHN will incorporate American Sign Language (ASL) within the A Quiet Place haunted house to capture the authenticity of the films.

Along with A Quiet Place, guests will experience an onslaught of sinister scare zones, the iconic Terror Tram and eight all-new haunted houses, including Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, Insidious: The Further, The Weeknd's Nightmare Trilogy and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Tickets are on sale for HHN's entire run, with options like General Admission, Universal Express and the premium R.I.P. Tour.

Dim the chandeliers, the frightfully fun Hallowe’en Spooktacular has reawakened at Bob Baker Marionette Theater! The Hallowe’en Spooktacular is an hour-long, family-friendly boo-sical revue featuring more than one hundred spirited puppets rallying to regale you with silly things on strings. With new thrills and curious creations, from Frankenstein’s monster’s toe-tapping inception to an out-of-this-world Venutian dreamscape to a bone-rattling soirée of glow-in-the-dark skeletons in a hidden cabaret, Hallowe’en Spooktacular beckons you to the place where imagination … lurks!

Tickets are now on sale for the show’s run through November 10. Costumes are strongly encouraged - costume parades will be held at every Spooktacular performance beginning in October. You might even be asked to join the show!

Fright Fest Extreme opens at Six Flags Magic Mountain as California's largest haunt, featuring a combined record total of 20 haunted house and scare zones, including Stranger Things, Army of the Dead, Trick 'r Treat, SAW and The Conjuring Universe,. Plus monstertainment, eerie eats and more! Tickets are now on sale for the event's run through November 3. NOTE: All guests 15 years old or younger must be accompanied by a chaperone who is at least 21 years old with a valid government ID to be admitted to, or remain in, the park after 4pm to close on Fright Fest Extreme nights. One (1) chaperone may accompany no more than ten (10) guests age 15 years old or younger per day.

The Escape Game LA has teamed up with Hulu to bring you a new, one-of-a-kind escape game, inspired by the Emmy Award winning hit TV show, Only Murders in the Building, starring Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez! Step into the shoes of your favorite amateur sleuths and immerse yourself in a game thatʼs filled with mystery and suspense. The Only Murders Escape Game is now open at Westfield Century City.

Step right up and enter the mesmerizing world of The Vampire Circus! Unearth the abandoned cemetery and encounter an extraordinary circus that blends mystery, terror, and exhilaration. Behold a Tim Burton-inspired universe intertwined with the breathtaking acrobatics of Cirque Du Soleil. This transformative, immersive theater experience will leave you both amazed and scared. Populated by a motley collection of off-the-wall characters and incomparable acrobats, this visual vortex set in a twisted acrobatic fantasy delivers a phenomenal night of live entertainment, pushing the physical boundaries of human performances. The Vampire Circus offers a tantalizing blend of fear, joy, laughter, and wonder and takes audiences on an immersive ride through the Underworld and Vampires. So don’t miss out and get your tickets for The Vampire Circus in Los Angeles!

Now in its 16th year, the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride once again transforms the Old Zoo at Griffith Park into Midnight Falls, ruled by the Witch of the Woods and her army of spirited minions. New for 2024, Halloween icon Janelle Monáe invites you to step into the Monáe Manor, where it’s Halloween every night and things aren’t quite what they seem - where the walls talk and the music blares. You may have more than one ghostly encounter at this twisted soiree, and it may even be from Monáe!

Along with the Monáe Manor and the Haunted Hayride itself, attractions include Hellbilly Halloween, hidden deep in the backwoods of Midnight Falls; the ghoulish residents of Trick or Treat; the Midnight Mortuary, Midnight Falls Axe Throwing and the Monte Revolta Show.

Ticket options include General Admission, VIP (shorter wait) and Platinum for immediate access to all attractions. Group rates are available for 20+ guests. No costumes, face paint, props or handheld items are allowed. Note that the Haunted Hayride may be too intense for children 12 and under.

After a four-year hiatus, Dark Harbor returns to haunt The Queen Mary this Halloween! The legendary ship and its surrounding harbor will be transformed into a massive Halloween festival featuring all-new haunted mazes like Lullaby, the Infirmary, Big Top Terror and Breakout; live entertainment, themed bars and lounges, on-board experiences, and festive eats and treats. The resurrected Dark Harbor will honor its legacy with the return of beloved characters like the Captain, Ringmaster, Scary Mary and other fan favorites; along with many new surprises.

Dark Harbor will run on select nights through Saturday, November 2. Tickets for the entire run are now on sale, with options for General Admission, Fast Fright, Evil Express and VIP.

Beyond Fest, the highest-attended genre film festival in the U.S., returns for its 12th edition with an 83-feature slate spanning 15 days of cinematic excess, including 13 World Premieres, 4 International Premieres, 4 U.S. Premieres, 25 West Coast Premieres, over 100 in-person guests for anniversaries, tributes, marathons, restorations and more.

For the full schedule, visit the Beyond Fest website. Tickets are on sale at American Cinematheque.

The October calendar for Los Feliz esoteric knowledge institution The Philosophical Research Society is packed with screenings, lectures and events leaning into horror, magic and tradition.

Movie highlights include The Outcasts on October 2; a Bela Lugosi Tribute Night with his granddaughter Lynne Lugosi Sparks, film historian Justin Humphreys and a 16mm screening of White Zombie (Oct. 18); The Vourdalak (Oct. 20) and Ganja & Hess on October 22.

On Thursday, October 10, PRS presents Demons & Descents, a truly haunting and unforgettable multidisciplinary event. Actors from theatre dybbuk read tales of the supernatural from Jewish folklore accompanied by an improvised musical score. Throughout the presentation, a visual artist cuts out stunningly beautiful shadow figures, inspired by, and intersecting with, the stories being offered.

On Friday, October 25, Matt Schnittker presents "The (Somewhat) Sinister, (Mostly) Supernatural and (Completely) Pre-Cinema Halloween Magic Lantern Show," featuring a vintage projector, hand-painted slides and live piano accompaniment by Matt's son Benjamin.

Tickets for all events are on sale at the PRS Eventbrite page.

The Natural History Museum (NHM) presents Boney Island, an interactive light-up experience that transforms the Nature Gardens into an illuminated wonderland of fun and frights.

The bone-chilling highlights include:

• Take a walk on the weird side in the Skeleton Stroll
• Festively fiendish animals in the Deadwood Forest
• Skeletal symphonies in the Hauntington Gardens
• Prehistoric creatures in the Primeval Pass
• Celebrate your fave "skelebrities" in the Walk of Fame
• Be mesmerized by Maestro Maxilla’s Water Show under mysterious moonlight
• Live performances and NHM Living Collections showcases on the Boney Island Theater Stage
• See how the residents of Skeletown are celebrating Halloween
• Family-friendly photo ops Local food trucks and vendors

Boney Island takes place on select dates from October 3 through Halloween night.

Costumes are encouraged with some basic guidelines:

• No functional props or weapons
• No masks that cover the entire head and face
• Costumes of realistic depictions of American law enforcement, current American military uniforms, first responders, EMTs or any official government agent are prohibited
• Costumes must not obstruct or impede the flow of traffic or entryways

Boney Island is an all-ages / family-friendly event and costumes must be respectful of all guests.

Join the LA Opera for a spooktacular afternoon of haunting melodies and bone-chilling performances at the Central Library! Get ready to be mesmerized by a bewitching blend of mad scenes, phantasms, and witches in this Halloween-themed concert. Let the music transport you to a world of ghoulish enchantment and eerie delights. The concert will take place from 2pm to 4pm on Sunday, October 6 in the Mark Taper Auditorium.

Fall’s bounty takes shape at Carved, a family-friendly event taking place at Descanso Gardens for three weeks in October. Highlights include hundreds of carved pumpkins lining the Camellia Forest; the IG-ready pumpkin house, hay maze, black light experiences, artists sculpting pumpkins, and a special Día de los Muertos installation at the Amphitheater.

Timed entry tickets are available online, with discounts for Descanso Gardens Members. NOTE: Carved tickets do not include daytime entry to Descanso Gardens.

Cinespia hosts classic films and modern favorites at historic locations across LA. Its most popular events take place at the famed Hollywood Forever Cemetery. The outdoor screenings take place on the Fairbanks Lawn, named for the adjacent crypt housing both Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. and Jr. Guests picnic under the stars and watch films digitally projected against the wall of the Cathedral Mausoleum, which houses the crypt of Rudolph Valentino among many others. Upcoming outdoor screenings include Coraline on October 12; and Trick 'r Treat on October 19, featuring classic concessions, a DJ dance party and free photo booth.

On Halloween Night, Cinespia presents Suspiria, the original danse macabre from visionary director Dario Argento. Something wicked this way comes in Argento’s Giallo magnum opus that is as beautiful as it is bewitching. Suzy (Jessica Harper) finds her admission to a famed ballet school comes with a prickly price. A cabinet of otherworldly wonders awaits her with bucketfuls of creepy crawlies and supernatural hysterics. Party with Cinespia at The Orpheum Theatre and celebrate Halloween in spectral style! Beware the scares around every corner of the landmark movie house. DJ sets put the horror in motion and the free photo booth will take your breath away.

Tickets are on sale at the Cinespia website.

Just in time for Halloween, Source/Filter presents the West Coast Premiere of Paul Hindemith’s daring and rarely-performed opera, Sancta Susanna! This boundary-pushing horror opera will feature a new English libretto by Britta Sterling and Rae Shrum with a fully-immersive staging at Heritage Square Museum’s historic Lincoln Avenue Church.

Sancta Susanna transports audiences to a secluded convent where an innocent nun, Susanna, grapples with disturbing satanic visions. As she seeks solace from her mother superior, she uncovers a dark and sinister secret hidden within the convent's walls. Inspired by cult horror classics like Dario Argento’s Suspiria and Ken Russell’s The Devils, this production aims to deliver a spine-chilling performance that questions whether the nun will fall victim to her inner demons.

House of Spirits invites you to enter Casa Vega, a 14,000 square-foot haunted estate where an evening of macabre mystery and magic awaits you. After the mysterious death of their child Little Magpie, Francisco and Molly find themselves tormented by a strange entity that haunts the shadows of their home. As you freely roam the house, you’ll experience a night of themed cocktails, strange roaming specters, live music, immersive environments, giant Ouija boards and much more.

House of Spirits: Casa Vega is loosely based on real life inspirations, including Spanish painter Francisco Goya, his famous Black Paintings, as well as several other Spanish folk tales from throughout the centuries.

Tickets are on sale for select dates from October 4 through November 2. Guests are highly encouraged to dress in time period fashion, costume or elegant dress.