This celebrated immersive horror theater event is returning for spooky season at a new location: a century-old Historic-Cultural Monument in DTLA. Delusion, an interactive seasonal event that combines elements of immersive theater with a more story-based approach to a walk-through haunted house, will take over the Variety Arts Theater from September 18 through Halloween till November 9. This year’s theme, “Harrowing of Hell,” puts you in the role of a supernatural cult member who must pass a Dante’s Inferno–inspired set of challenges. Tickets don’t come cheap (they start at $113), but for true Halloween devotees, it might be worth it: Delusion regularly ranks among the best haunted houses in the city.

Far from those kid-friendly rides through a pumpkin patch, this hayride unleashes all sorts of demons and bogeys on Griffith Park. This haunted Griffith Park hayride once again returns to the mid-’80s fictitious town of Midnight Falls. And this year the Mistress of the Dark herself, Elvira, is taking up residence.  The Griffith Park tradition, which has been running for 17 years now, centers on a relatively lengthy hayride. The premise: A witch has summoned creatures that’ve hidden themselves among Halloween decorations in the town’s foothills. This year’s event promises new Elvira–themed takes on the Scary-Go-Round and Trick or Treat attraction, as well as a cozy lounge where apple cider and doughnuts provide a respite from the scares.

What could be a better fit for Halloween than spooky films screened in a cemetery? This October, Cinespia will be showing a 50th-anniversary screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Craft, Paranorman and A Nightmare on Elm Street at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Plus, for the first time in a decade, the series is hosting a Halloween-night party in the cemetery itself (it usually hosts a soiree inside a Downtown theater) Catch a screening of Scream on October 31—costumes are mandatory.

Hollywood recently opened its first-ever distillery, right across from the iconic Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Sample its spirits—including the world’s first-ever date vodka, Oasis—and step into character at a Halloween murder mystery set inside an immersive ’20s speakeasy. The ticket price includes the show, a cocktail and complimentary tacos. 

The only thing better than a haunted attraction is a haunted attraction on a giant boat—which has its own haunted history. You’ll find all the usual horrors here—think fog, mazes and countless monsters. What sets Dark Harbor apart is its use of its surroundings; the dark, cramped confines of the Queen Mary are already pretty spooky even without monsters—just be prepared to climb a lot of skinny staircases. The event’s 2025 “Summoned by the Seas” iteration dives further into the ocean liner’s lore with new and reimagined mazes set in the ship’s swimming pool, kitchen and staterooms. When you tire of the terror, take a spin on the carnival rides, sip spirits at secret speakeasies or catch spooky live entertainment.

Like a Halloween version of itsYuletide Cinemaland series, Street Food Cinema will turnHeritage Square Museum into a spooky, cinematic playground. On the movie side, you can catch a different double feature each night (picks includeAmerican Psycho, Ready or Not and Scream 2, among others) while embarking on Victorian home tours and adult trick-or-treating and perusing food trucks, a bar and market vendors.

Carpenter didn’t just direct seminal thrillers like Escape From New York and The Thing; he also composed their creepy, synthesizer-ridden soundtracks. He’s expanded upon the aesthetic with his four Lost Themes albums, creating original electronic arrangements that would be at home on the score of yet another Halloween sequel. Expect to hear some of Carpenter’s latest work and classic cues from his films during this residency at the Belasco theater Downtown—his first live performances since 2018—just in time for Halloween.

Go behind the scenes of classic Warner Bros. horror films, and then watch them on the studio lot during a series of after-hours tours and accompanying screenings at the Stephen J. Ross Theater. See filming locations, original props and costumes from frightful fan favorites on an hour-long tour. Then, before the feature presentation, you can buy themed snacks and drinks on the backlot’s Brownstone Street. First up on the movie lineup isIt (Oct 24) and sequelIt: Chapter Two (Oct 25), followed by bothThe Conjuring (Oct 30) andits sequel,The Conjuring 2 (Nov 1). Each film will be introduced by special guests. Before the tour, check out the free display in the WB Studio Tour lobby, where you can see the Annabelle doll in her original glass case, Sister Irene’s costume fromThe Nun II and artifacts from The Exorcist and It.

Step inside a historic—and haunted—Glendale theater to find a supernatural shindig full of magic, spirits and mystery. Don your best gothic glamour—the vibe here is dark elegance—and set out on a chilling journey with themed drinks in hand (not included in the ticket price).  Formerly known as House of Spirits, Haunted Soiree is an adults-only, two-hour immersive experience that allows you to roam around and discover all sorts of macabre performances and pop-ups. This year’s fang-tastic experience is all about vampires.

Each year the Walt Disney Concert Hall adds a little bit of Frank Gehry architecture to Halloween with a silent film screening accompanied by a live soundtrack by organist Clark Wilson for an extra eerie feel. This year, take a seat for the silent 1923 masterpieceThe Hunchback of Notre Dame, starring Lon Chaney as Quasimodo.

This traveling horror-themed Halloween cocktail pop-up will have three locations in L.A. this year: Melrose Umbrella Club in Beverly Grove, the Corner Door in Culver City and the Ordinarie in Long Beach. Halloween lovers can sip expertly mixed cocktails amid metal music and goth decor, including the famous 12-foot-tall skeleton from Home Depot. Drink highlights include the Corpse Flower (tequila blanco, ube syrup, Giffard Banane, lime juice, sherry) and the Creature’s Curse (rice-washed rye and rum, sherry, sweet potato or pumpkin syrup, bitters). Non-alcoholic options will also be available.

The masters of alfresco rooftop movie viewing are awakening the spirits in October with a slate of Halloween favorites at their DTLA rooftop. The festive flicks continue to pick up as Halloween approaches, with plenty of chances to see Hocus Pocus, The Addams Family, Scream and Halloween—plus newer picks likeSinners andHereditary—among others. There’s even a mini marathon of Brooklyn Nine-Nine Halloween episodes.

Encounter free-roaming monsters and 10 terrifying mazes—think: a zoo with animal-human hybrids, a convalescent home with “spider-possessed residents” and a greatest-hits parade of past Knotts monsters—as well as a “boo-fet” dinner and all sorts of otherhaunted houses and attractions at the OC theme park for 26 nights during Halloween season.

The park-hopping alfresco film series will be screening Get Out and Night of the Living Dead at the Ford Theatre for Halloween.

West Hollywood’s ultra-chic restaurant and rooftop bar E.P. & L.P. is serving much more than handcrafted cocktails and modern American bites. This October, head to the rooftop for dinner-and-a-movie screenings of Practical Magic, The Exorcist, Silence of the Lambs, Scream, Halloweentown, Nightmare on Elm Street, It and more, including a midnight showing of Hocus Pocus on Halloween.

This is one of the largest Halloween street parties in the world, and there’s really no better place to be on October 31st. Sure, the crowd is huge (like, a half-million people huge) and a bit belligerent, but the amazing display of costumes and general merry-making spirit deem it at least a worthy stop, if not your main destination for the evening. There will be dancing, drinking and many impromptu costume contests. Even if you don’t plan on entering one, it’s best to still come dressed to the nines—no one likes a party pooper in jeans and a T-shirt. Find it along Santa Monica Boulevard, between Doheny Drive and La Cienega Boulevard.

Part Halloween screening, part haunted house, Street Food Cinema follows up its popularLa La Land in Concert with three nights ofThe Evil Dead (rated NC-17, it’s by far the scariest and darkest of the Sam Raimi trilogy) in October. Composer Joseph LoDuca’s score will be performed live to film by a seven-piece orchestra. But before watching the cult classic, head downstairs for the debut of “The Cellar: An Underground Evil Dead Experience,” where you can brave the Necronomicon universe and a host of deadites yourself.

Watch a slate of horror films from one of the prettiest rooftops in Hollywood at this outdoor screenings series. The Montalbán’s Halloween block includes showings of The Addams Family, Beetlejuice, The Lost Boys, Death Becomes Her, American Psycho, Shaun of the Dead, Hocus Pocus and more.

From the same folks behind the nightmarish Creep (which is taking the year off), JFI Productions’The Willows is an immersive play in which you are one of 25 guests at an intimate family gathering at the historic Beckett Mansion near West Adams. The two-hour experience is part dinner theater, part murder mystery and part escape room in which you’ll find yourself in the middle of seven different unfolding narratives. For JFI Productions’ 10th anniversary, it’s promising a fresh story and “new artistic and commercial heights” for the popular event, which is a favorite of celebrities including Trent Reznor and Brie Larson. The  performances before Halloween—two each night—are mostly sold out, but luckily the dates extend into early December, leading up to the opening of a permanent venue.

The LA Opera and the United Theater on Broadway (formerly the Ace) once again join forces for a chilling mash-up of live music and film. No, it's not Andrew Lloyd Webber's bombastic megamusical; in fact, quite the opposite. The most faithful film adaptation of Gaston Leroux's illustrious novel comes in the form of this 1925 silent horror film—celebrating its centennial this year—starring Lon Chaney as the ghoulish masked man. Behold the iconic work at the historic Downtown theater, with the LA Opera Orchestra playing Roy Budd's score live. There are still tickets left for the Halloween-night screening, which will be followed by an after-party with themed drinks, a DJ and a costume contest.

American Contemporary Ballet opens its 14th season with two new mysterious new ballets—the perfect way for culture vultures to get their Halloween fix. The program consists of “Death and the Maiden,” an otherworldly work set to Franz Schubert’s meditation on death that features opera singers and levitating dancers, followed by “Burlesque: Variation IX,” a follow-up to last October’s “Burlesque”—both performed to live music. You’ll find the hour-and-a-half show at the Bank of America Plaza in DTLA. Stick around afterward for a reception with the dancers and musicians.

Zombie Joe’s Underground Theatre Group hosts a chilling series of vignettes that’s been named one of Yelp’s top 10 scariest haunts in the country. Armed with a shoddy flashlight to illuminate their path, guests navigate a labyrinth of terror both before and after watching a series of shocking scenes (over the course of roughly 40 minutes) that will unsettle even the most stoic of horror fans. The haunted house-slash-theater experience is celebrating 20 years of scaring audiences.

The frontman of the moody OC surf rock band the Growlers has since gone solo, but he continues the band’s tradition of performing Halloween shows at the Hollywood Palladium. Expect a set made up entirely of songs from his surf-psych band.

Partake in an educational yet festive Halloween-themed night at the Huntington. Hear a whimsical operatic whodunit from LA Opera, learn about haunted spots throughout California, take an art history tour by candlelight, get up-close and personal with birds of prey, team up and solve cryptic clues about the Huntington’s collections, and let loose at the Red Death Dance Club. Admission includes two drink tickets (food from local vendors is available for purchase). Act fast, though: Tickets for the event typically sell out early.

The Houston Brothers’ eight-in-one nightlife destination, Downtown’s Level 8, is celebrating Halloween with a hedonistic party. Each of the venue’s concepts will represent a different deadly sin, with dancers, acrobats and actors bringing envy, lust, sloth, gluttony, pride, wrath and greed to life (the eighth one is FOMO, apparently). If you upgrade to a VIP ticket, you’ll get access to a three-hour open bar and Sinners y Santos nightclub, though a GA ticket will still get you a free welcome drink.

Anaïs Mitchell’s transporting musical makes a hit from a myth, transporting audiences to the underworld alongside Orpheus, Eurydice, King Hades and Persephone. Check outour full review ofHadestown during its Broadway run before the Tony winner for best musical returns to Los Angeles, this time around stopping at the Pantages.

Why settle for just one Halloween party when you can host three? That seems to be the thinking at the Mondrian’s Skybar, which will host a Halloween-themed edition of its regular disco series, the Hustle, on the Saturday before Halloween, playing groovy hits from the ’70s. Then, on Halloween itself—with the popular West Hollywood Carnaval going down only blocks away—you can swing by again for a costume party set to pulse-pounding beats. And on Saturday, November 1, the hotel keeps the festivities going with a Día de los Muertos edition of Deep House Halloween.

The San Bernardino rave scene injects itself with a bit of Halloween flair at this annual music fest. Insomniac Events—the group behind EDC and the Wonderland series—is setting up multiple stages at the NOS Events Center; headliners include Marshmello B2B DJ Snake, Alesso, RL Grime, Porter Robinson, deadmau5 and more. Explore the grounds to find mazes alongside ominous artwork and freak show performers.

Stroll through a mile-long trail filled with all things pumpkins, including an illuminated forest of jack-o’-lanterns, during Descanso Gardens’ annual Carved. For four weeks this fall, the event will line a loop of the botanical garden with thousands of professionally carved pumpkins. For the 2025 edition, Carved is introducing a new route, as well as new vignettes on the Pumpkin Trail, treats at Harvest Acres and new ghostly characters carved from logs by chainsaw. The gardens’ model trains will also be illuminated during the event, and the popular neon-hued Rhizome light sculpture will return.

See the marionette theater’s family-friendly take on Halloween during the two-month return of itsHallowe’en Spooktacular—a refurbished production of its long-running “boo-sical revue” where you can see over 100 silly and spooky puppets take the stage. New this year is a Día de los Muertos sequence that pays tribute to the holiday, as well as a sneak peek of BBMT’s upcomingChoo Choo Revue—its first new show in 40 years. Once October arrives, each show will include a costume parade, so dressing up is encouraged.

The L.A. Zoo’s annual Halloween celebration includes two weekends of spooky decor and up-close-and-personal interactions with some of the zoo’s creepiest crawlers. Look out for trick-or-treating, a spooky storytime, education stations, slime from Sloomoo Institute and photo ops. The animals will get in on the Halloween action, too—from spider monkeys to Tasmanian devils—with pumpkin feedings scheduled a couple of times a day.

Halloween time can be a bit scary for kids—we’ve all been there—so for a less frightening affair, head to the Original Farmers Market for its children-friendly Fall Festival: Carnival games, a petting zoo, crafts and a pumpkin patch (for a small fee) are all mainstays at this annual harvest fest. Come in costume, catch a musical performance and explore the always-delicious treats at the market.

This Denver-originated experience returns to L.A. with hand-carved jack-o’-lanterns lining a pathway at the Whittier Narrows. Though you can pay a little extra to park closer, there is free parking available at the park if you’re up for a little bit longer of a walk.

Face your fears and head to the Natural History Museum’s Spider Pavilion, where you can observe several hundred orbweaver spiders in a living exhibit just outside of the museum. Scared the spiders might be hard to spot in the wild? Fret not. In previous iterations, we’ve spotted ones about the size of an adult’s palm. Gulp. (But don’t worry: The scariest ones are in enclosed habitats.)