OPEN 7PM-12AM

FRIDAYS & SATURDAYS 7PM-1AM

We recommend arriving early to avoid the lines!

Oct. 5, 2014

Hillary Harmon Powell

Let the Ghoulish Games begin!!

This Halloween Haunt is not your average Los Angeles Horror Night! With a plethora of creepy touchy-feely Halloween options in Los Angeles, an event with “Evil Lurking Within” should really ante up. 2014 Dark Harbor truly delivers.

This was our very first visit to the “DARK” Harbor. We had been to the bright and delightful “Chill” event last December at the Queen Mary so boy were we impressed when the land of sugarplums and giant lollipops was transformed into a seething, dark carnival of heat and horror. We were greeted with was a macabre cast of characters hinting a bit to the Rocky Horror Picture Show and a live band, dressed “darkish” appropriately.

The Ringmaster definitely had control over his cast of collaborators however, it was the Captain who demanded respect and repulsion. (Maybe he needs a bit of drying out and that barnacle problem might subside! )

The Captain of the Grey Ghost has hatched two (of three new) mazes on the Queen Mary that really raised our goosebumps. Mainly because both the B340 and Soulmate are ON BOARD the QM and are very, very DARK. I tried using my iPhone flashlight but that didn’t even help! Needless to say, we do not have any pictures on the inside. Only dark memories of scary images that haunt our dreams! Just kidding. But, if you do visit Dark Harbor, there are six different mazes to chose from and although we only went through four of the six, we were very impressed.

One event that we did not take part of but should be worth mentioning is an exclusive “Encounter.” Guests can pay $15 for a guided ghost hunt where the paranormal spirits might just reach out and touch you! (so we’ve heard)

The Queen Mary has a haunted history of it’s own. B340 is a stateroom that was closed off due to it’s negative history and paranormal activity. Legend has it that a pursor on the ship was murdered there so, its fitting they have a maze through that area. And the added illusion of actual ghosts is quite frightening. Additionally, Soulmate is another new feature maze on board. Graceful Gale (a bloody Marilyn Monroe type) haunts the ship and lures men to their death as she eternally searches for the perfect mate.

Again, it was super dark in those two mazes, so we couldn’t take good pictures. But, I did manage to capture some of the creepy suitors dressed in masquerade! Reminded me of a twisted scene from Kubrick’s “Eyes Wide Shut.”

Other mazes include SUBMERGED (featuring Scary Mary), VOODOO VILLAGE (featuring the VooDoo Priestess), CIRCUS (in the big Dome Structure) and DEADRISE (featuring the Grey Goose Captain’s dead sailors) All have definite personalities and a variety of sets… great casts and ambiance. In particular, we had a great time in CIRCUS because not only was it scary, but it was playful and sinister – a match not easily achieved.

VOODOO VILLAGE was a dark, twisted maze through different buildings – leading you from the underground type witchdoctor kitchen to the swampy marshes of New Orleans.

We had a really great time wandering the DEAD RISE maze because it was planted smack dab in the middle of the Dark Harbor action of the Monster Midway. Not only were you seemingly on a boat, but you had the hot blasts from the fireball shooters going off every five minutes outside, and there was enough fog pumping that you could never see what was in front of you!! We were so scared in there that we were actually laughing! You know that kind of scare?

The scariest ride of the whole place was the one they got from Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch. They should have renamed it “Death Swings” or something. But, it added to the insanity of the evening and made great pics:

Well.. one more thing to note. The food was very gruesome in choice. All were meaty, greasy choices and not many for the Vegetarian types. (*They do have Cheese Pizza though) I had to finally give in and have a pulled pork sandwich that I regretted the next day. It was tasty at the time! That’s all that matters.

Plenty of booze to be had – several bars peppered the grounds and there was a VIP area. You can go and rent a VIP tent as well! This would be a great idea if you had the whole crew with you and made a night of it. Who knows… you could stay in one of the rooms aboard the Queen Mary even!! If you have that kinda cash…$$$$$ I recommend it.

Would LOVE to go again sometime this Halloween season. Definitely worth it to check out the acting, the ambiance, the makeup and the ship itself. Quite magestic that Queen Mary! THANKS FOR CHECKING THIS OUT!