REVIEW: WB's Horror Made Here - A Festival of Frights

When it comes to the LA haunt scene, we may not have much in the way of mazes set in actual abandoned or historical buildings, but we do have one asset that sets us apart from pretty much every other city in the world: Hollywood, baby! This is the epicenter of The Industry, and if you've seen it on screens big or small, there's a pretty good chance it was made on a lot in southern California. Small towns especially; from Haddonfield to Stars Hollow, your favorite quaint suburbs may look like middle America, but they're actually as West Coast as you can get. So it's actually kind of surprising that more movie studios haven't gotten in on the act for Halloween. In fact, for years Universal Studios' Halloween Horror Nights ran pretty much unchallenged as the Hollywood Home of Halloween Horror. But no more.

Universal, keep an eye on that crown of yours, because Warner Bros. is hot on your heels with Horror Made Here.

Billed as a "Festival of Frights," HMH isn't quite on the same level as its more notorious bicoastal competitor yet, at least in terms of sheer scope, but for those of you who are getting burnt out on HHN, this is a fun, refreshing alternative with plenty of macabre movie magic and its own totally distinct flavor. 

First of all, I love the fact that you're right there hanging out on the backlot, wandering around sets and full-sized buildings converted into mazes, screening rooms, bars, and arcades. This does not feel like a corporate amusement park; it feels more like a small-town carnival in bizarro world - everything familiar and yet not quite right, in the best possible way. The entrance plays up that carnival feeling with a demented circus/sideshow theme, complete with rusty rides strewn with corpses, killer clowns, and the smells of popcorn and cotton candy wafting through the fog.

Once you make it through the initial gauntlet, why not stop for a bit of liquid courage at Fangtasia, a Gothic vampire bar that will be familiar to fans of True Blood, where you can suck on blood bags, take shots from test tubes, or imbibe other specialty cocktails? Otherwise, grab a bite at the Crave Inn, which is - of corpse! - a cheeky tribute to the late Wes Craven and his most famous creation, Freddy Krueger.

Once you've been properly sated, you have quite a few options for entertainment. There are three proper mazes at Horror Made Here, plus an outdoor maze that could be described as their take on Universal's Terror Tram. I honestly loved all of these mazes, particularly because I felt like I was in a real space, not a hastily constructed facade. My favorite was the It maze, followed by the outdoors-set Nightmare on Camp Crystal Lake, a Freddy vs. Jason mash-up maze that makes you feel like you're at an actual abandoned summer camp - moonlit lake, creepy cabin, overturned canoes and all.

Escape from Arkham Asylum was also a total success - maybe a Batman maze doesn't seem like the most obvious choice for Halloween (it didn't to me, at least), but it works, and it was a fresh take on the spooky asylum trope. The maze set in The Conjuring universe was also very cool, although be forewarned that the line moves slowly due to the fact that guests are ushered through each room by a variety of characters. Keep an eye (or ear) out for the "dead ringers" from The Nun around the periphery of the maze as you wait in line!

With the mazes properly vanquished, you can move on to the Devil's Drop ride (no thanks!), retro video games in the Lost Boys Arcade, or a "Forbidden Screening" of clips from The Exorcist in a decidedly demonic church. Finally, make your way over to Stage 48: Script to Screen to see an exhibit of props and costumes from a huge range of iconic films and TV shows - everything from a shrimp glove from the dinner party scene in Beetlejuice to a real Oscar you can hold for a photo op to a green-screen broom from Harry Potter so you can whiz around like Neville Longbottom on the first day of flying lessons. No matter how cool and jaded you think you are, I guarantee there's some object on display that will make you shriek and take your phone out for a photo.

Other haunts might boast more mazes and monsters, but for a professional studio-set Halloween party, Horror Made Here wins on class and charm alone - and I think it's only going to get bigger and better next year. Why wait? Get in on the ground floor while you still can and head to this Festival of Frights right now.

Disclosure: I was provided with complimentary passes to review this event.