A Haunted Night (Events #7-9)
Since there were several events/haunts very close to each other, we decided to make a night of it, going from one event to the next. Here's what transpired...
Boney Island is a free, front lawn playland for the whole family. It’s basically how I’d decorate my house year-round if I had the money for it! There was a pumpkin-adorned treehouse, multiple photo-ops with skeleton magicians, a garden singing “This Is Halloween”, animatronic skeletons doing tricks, black lights creating an eerie glow, among other things. There was a merchandise booth and a bake sale, from which money was donated to their chosen charity (I forget which one now). There was also a water show conducted by a larger skeleton magician, but we didn’t stay for that. I felt like a little kid, eyes wide with wonderment at all the moving parts. Definitely a quick, cute go-to for the little ones.
Another free haunted house for the whole family, this event is only offered a few nights in October. Arriving there at 6:45ish, for a 7p opening, we were about 50+ people back from the front of the line. Unfortunately, the line didn't move as fast as we'd hoped, and we had to leave in order to make our next event which had paid scheduled tickets. From what I saw, there were a lot of little kids ready to go in and a Scottish knight entertaining the line. They also take donations for a good cause, the Burbank Animal Shelter, to which I donated a few bucks on our way out. Hopefully, I'll be able to make this one next year.
I wasn’t sure what to expect from Urban Death as it was advertised as both a haunted house and a play, but that’s exactly what it was! ZJ’s turned the lobby into a maze leading to the theater. We went through the maze in our respective groups after being handed a very dim, black-light flashlight. Once through the maze, which was highlighted by beating drums and jump scares, we made it to the theater portion of the night.
The performance space was small, with the audience sitting on the floor or steps, or standing in the back. It wasn’t that long a performance, maybe 15 minutes, and had a very small cast and no dialogue. It was fragmented, with no story, but each segment was meant to evoke a sense of unnerving dread. To my frustration, we had a very disappointing audience which laughed a lot (probably because they didn’t know how to react) which was distracting to me. There were several segments that didn’t resonate with me, but everyone experiences things differently. That being said, there were some that were very subtle, or clever, or unsettling, and some were innovative with the way they used the lights combined with actors contorting themselves in strange ways. One in particular let the audience sit in our feeling of unease and anticipation, finally paying off in a fun jump scare.
After the performance, you return through the maze, once again with your little flashlights, and you’re sent on your way. My friends and I spent a good amount of time afterward talking about the individual segments and our favorites.
I love making new friends...
